The Coppell Farmers Market summer chef demonstration series Market to Kitchen is well underway. Saturday, July 13th, 10am, features Chef Jeff Bekavac, who has deep roots in the local community. His mother retired from teaching after 30 years in Coppell and his dad was always in the forefront with coaching sports throughout his life. After graduating from CHS, Jeff attended Texas A&M University, where he majored in Business Marketing. While at A&M, Jeff discovered a great passion for cooking. He opened a Johnny Carinos Italian restaurant, worked every position throughout the store and was hooked on the restaurant business.
Jeff took his love of cooking to San Francisco, where he attended California Culinary Academy. While in San Francisco, Jeff worked at a number of small restaurants, most notably, Plumpjack Café. It was at Plumpjack, where he learned about farm to table, local sourcing and how to build great relationships with local vendors. The cooking adventure continued to New Orleans and then to San Antonio. Jeff worked closely with Chef Jason Dady, another Coppell product, for three years at The Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills as a sous chef.
After years of traveling, Jeff decided to move back to Dallas. He then got on board to open yet another restaurant, Hibiscus. It was at Hibiscus where he first met Nick Badovinus. Jeff spent a year with Hibiscus then moved on to become the Executive Chef of Central Market in Ft. Worth. He gained valuable knowledge of how to run a large-scale kitchen, but still work with great ingredients and local products.
Jeff is currently the Director of Kitchen Operations for Neighborhood Services group in Dallas. They have four restaurants including two NHS, The Tried and True, and Offsite Kitchen. He is excited to work with the Coppell Farmers Market and all of its vendors to get back to where he came from. It is truly an honor for him to be part of the chef series and hopes to continue to do more in the future.
During the first of the 2013 season series on June 29, Trish Percy taught patrons how to ‘Preserve Summer, Preserve Peaches’. If you missed the program, check the Coppell Farmers Market website for her recipes.
The CFM Market to Kitchen series highlights local chefs demonstrating how to prepare meals using locally produced, seasonal ingredients from the Coppell Farmers Market’s farmers and producers. It has become a market favorite to be able to enjoy more time at the market, learn from a chef, and take home recipes and tips. The Coppell Farmers Market supports and encourages educational opportunities for customers to have a healthy, sustainable lifestyle and this season’s series will reflect many of the values and benefits of local food found at the farmers market.
The Coppell Farmers Market is open each Saturday morning from 8 AM until noon in Old Town Coppell at 793 S. Coppell Rd. Lone Star Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) and bank ATM cards can be used to purchase wooden market tokens at the picnic tables and used like cash at the Coppell Farmers Market vendor booths. More information is available at www.coppellfarmersmarket.org