Worthy Convos: Lee Henderson on the Purple & Green Crews

Behind every successful event is a swarm of volunteers who work tirelessly to provide you with an experience that surpasses all expectations.

You might not notice these community service brave hearts, but they are there. And in the case of the 200 plus volunteers at the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival which runs March 30-April 2, they are ready to welcome an estimated 7,500 guests over the four-day event. Lee Henderson, who leads the volunteer network, gave us a peek behind the curtain of the city’s premier culinary extravaganza. Remember, not all heroes wear capes – they’ll be wearing purple and green T-shirts.

An event of this magnitude doesn’t come together overnight. What is happening behind the scenes?

We plan all year long, starting immediately after a festival weekend concludes. The FWFWF Advisory Council, Chef Committee, Beverage Committee, Event Committee, Logistics Committee, and Volunteer Committee all come together and communicate with debriefs, have new ideas, discuss detailed plans, and sketch out volunteer capacity needs. Ideally, the Advisory Council meets in person once a month.

Countless hours go in, but our administrator has us report the estimated volunteer hours put in by everyone, so we actually do have a count! Here are the 2022 stats:

Festival Event Volunteers -204 volunteers, 1521 Total Combined hours over 389 shifts

Broken Out Volunteer Hours:

• Board of Directors – 243
• Advisory Council -135
• Chef Committee – 300
• Beverage Committee -370
• Events Committee -86
• Philanthropy Committee -252
• Volunteer Committee -60

In addition, we produced the CRAFT conference in February at the beginning of each year, which brought area High School students together with professionals from different areas of the hospitality industry.

What are you most excited about for this year’s lineup?

I love seeing the entire festival come together – and guests, participants, and volunteers having an unforgettable experience. But that’s not what you really want to know! This year, right after we have loaded out the participants from Burgers Brews + Blues, Dayne Weaver of Dayne’s Craft BBQ will be building a cinder block pit in the venue and smoking treats for Sunday’s Ring of Fire – I am excited to see what he is offering and sampling it.

For those who want to lend a helping hand, how can they get involved?

We love new volunteers! To volunteer with our Purple and Green shirts crews at the festival, they should email volunteer@fwfwf.com. Most of our volunteers plan and commit to their shifts by the first week of February, but we might still have some open spots when you read this. People who run restaurants, beverage companies or any culinary businesses can reach out and participate. Lastly, the foundation is open for donations all year; these additional funds ensure we can continue doing the vital work we do across the city to support culinary and hospitality professionals and students.

How many attendees are you expecting and what tips can you offer?

We have already sold out all Early Entry tickets for each event, and we expect to be sold out of all events by the time the festival opens. But in case we aren’t – check our website! Last year, we sold out the Saturday morning event just that very morning, the last few tickets going to walk-ups.We expect 7,500 guests over the four-day Festival—and 330 volunteer shifts. Remember we are outdoors, so dress accordingly. Plan your safe ride home. While parking is plentiful, and a shuttle runs to the Clearfork Parking garage, we strongly encourage using a service like Lyft or Uber.

What do you love about this event? 

I love remembering what it started as, and where we have all taken it. It’s incredible and gets better every single year. I love hearing from new and repeat guests about their quality experience. “I had no idea how much fun this was going to be!” “I had heard about it and the events were always sold out when we finally went to go make plans; we’ve been wanting to come for a long time.”

That all being said, the proceeds allow us to financially support programs where students can explore a career that can lift them to new heights in the hospitality scene. The foundation has also supported struggling restaurants and culinary professionals and has helped fund equipment for culinary classrooms in need.

Also, it’s a great perk is that the festival gets so many people buzzing about what an excellent restaurant and beverage scene Fort Worth has to offer. It’s the perfect place to “get a taste of Fort Worth.” It’s also ideal for Fort Worth foodies to learn about an upcoming restaurant opening or an emerging chef or try a place that’s flown under the radar. I love meeting all the chefs personally and sampling the cuisine they show off at the fest.