32 Dallas Chefs, 33 Pies: Piehole Auction Opens Bidding at $75

Bidding opens Nov. 9 on 33 one-of-a-kind pies from 32 Dallas-Fort Worth chefs, with opening bids of $75 and a $1,000 buyout price for anyone who wants to skip the auction. The Piehole Auction, now in its sixth year, runs through Thursday, Nov. 19.

Since its launch, the event has raised more than $60,000 through 243 chef-created pies. It functions as the primary fundraiser for the Piehole Project, a chef-support organization that has expanded into three programs: the Rising Stagiaire mentorship initiative, The Cheffies awards and the upcoming Family Meal Hangs.

What does this change for Dallas chefs? Direct funding for career development. The Rising Stagiaire program, which launched in October, pairs established DFW chefs with rising culinary professionals. Mentors hand-pick their stagiaires, fund their stages, provide hands-on experience and open direct access to industry leaders. The Cheffies, a chef-voted awards program, debuted Oct. 12 at The Village Country Club in Dallas, putting recognition in the hands of peers. Family Meal Hangs, casual rotating meetups exclusive to chefs, follows sometime in 2027.

A menu engineered for bidding wars

The pie lineup reads like a tasting-menu exercise in menu engineering: familiar formats carrying premium or unexpected ingredients to justify competitive bids. Andrea Shackelford of Harvest at the Masonic built an okra white chocolate cream pie — okra-cinnamon graham crust, white chocolate cream, finished with okra flowers, okra powdered sugar and okra chips. Hao Tran of Duong DeVille contributes the Crab Rangoon Royale: flaky pastry filled with lump crab, creamy cheese, scallions and garlic, topped with crispy wonton ribbons and served warm with sweet chile sauce.

Jacob Williamson is the only chef entered twice — a foie gras "Snickers" pie for The Devonshire Club and a beef bourguignon pie for the Alamo Club. Other entries:

• Eduardo Osorio, Meridian: Buckwheat Foie & Smoke
• Nick Walker, Whiskey Cake: Duck Duck – Goose!
• Austin Wyatt, La Pistola: Rhubarb and Brie
• Toby Archibald, Quarter Acre: Bacon and Egg Pie
• Mike Matis, Fearing's Restaurant: Frito Pie
• Matt McCallister, River Sing: Someone's Grandmother's Custard Pie
• Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, Oh Hi! Hospitality: Ube-Flantastic
• Jett Mora, Café Modern: Ribeye Cap Steak and Ale Pot Pie
• Maricsa Trejo, La Casita Bakeshop: Pumpkin Pie
• Cara Vasquez, The Flour Shop Bakery: Chicken Pot Pie

Bids increase in $15 increments from the $75 floor. Each pie has exactly one winner; full chef and pie details are posted on the Piehole Project bidding site.

Logistics and leadership

Winners pick up or receive delivery on Monday, Nov. 23. Pickup runs 1–5 p.m. at Dallas College Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality Center (11830 Webb Chapel Rd #1200, Dallas) or Café Modern inside the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell St). Delivery runs the same day, 1–7 p.m.

The Piehole Project began as a grassroots auction where chefs showed up for each other, and its leadership still draws from restaurant and business ranks: Amity Thomas of Amity Thomas Public Relations and Jeffrey Yarbrough, CEO and co-owner of bigInk Commercial Real Estate and Hunky's, among others.

With 33 pies and a growing program calendar, the 2025 auction sets up the organization's next phase — and its stated ambition of strengthening the DFW chef community well beyond the bidding window.