(Mission, TX) – Showcasing the very best of the Rio Grande Valley's rich landscape, colorful produce and fantastic flavors, members of the RGV Chapter of the Texas Chefs Association (TCA) will be creating culinary experiences for everyone attending the 18^th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival.

Texas' Chef of the Year, Chef Santiago “Jimmy” de la Cruz, is currently the Executive Chef at The Club at Cimarron, and Director of the RGV Chapter of TCA. Under his leadership, this association of talented, trained professionals has grown with the goal of promoting their craft by providing truly exceptional dining at local establishments. Undaunted by the prospect of feeding more than 100 festival participants over three days of special events, Chef Jimmy and the RGV Chapter of the TCA jumped at the chance to impress our guests—many of whom will be visiting deep South Texas for the first time, in pursuit of butterflies, birds and native wildlife species.

Chef Adam Cavazos, founder of the Midnight Supper Club and the new uptown eatery SPORK, explained, “We welcome the opportunity to showcase all the Rio Grande Valley has to offer, from natural wonders to world-class chefs, and to flex our creative muscle in for an audience coming from all over the country."

“Not only will the Texas Butterfly Festival allow us to raise awareness of our craft and put our stamp on the culinary scene,” states Chef Larry Delgado, Chef/Owner of house.wine & bistro, “It enables us to interact with diners in support of a festival that puts the RGV in the national spotlight for something remarkable! I had no idea the National Butterfly Center was located in Mission, Texas, because we have more butterflies than anywhere else in the United States. How cool is that?”

The 18^th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival runs from November 2 -5, with educational sessions and excursions led by world-class guides to renowned public lands and private properties during the peak of butterflying season. This year, the festival occurs during a week filled with activities for naturalists and enthusiasts from far-away places, with the 2^nd Annual Diversity in Nature Conference taking place in McAllen, and the 20^th Annual Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival in Harlingen.

“The chefs have been given creative license to craft menus and meals for our Welcome Reception & Orientation, 'Border Buttermilk' Social, and the Awards Banquet, featuring keynote speakers Michael O'Brien and Louise Zemaitis,” states Marianna Trevino Wright, executive director of the National Butterfly Center, and organizer of the Texas Butterfly Festival. “People are buzzing about this unique opportunity in the same way they do about the South Texas specialty butterflies and birds. Whether you are a local resident or visitor from some far away place, we're presenting the very best the Valley has to offer in a fresh setting with great expectations.”

The festival is open to the public, so you may enjoy this fine dining experience by purchasing tickets for the Texas Butterfly Festival Awards Banquet & Keynote Speakers Presentation online at www.texasbutterflyfestival.com. The cost is $40 pp, and includes unveiling of the 'Rio Grande Prix' winner of the North American Butterfly Photo Contest.

“Good food and good health go hand-in-hand with fresh air and physical activity,” states Chef Jose Luis Aranda, of Villa del Mar. “We are happy to support an event that promotes our mission of quality, the natural beauty of the region, and a healthy, harmonious lifestyle. We invite everyone to explore, enjoy and appreciate everything the Rio Grande Valley has to offer!”

To learn more about the 18^th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival, and how you may join in the fun, check out the full schedule of field trips and educational sessions at www.texasbutterflyfestival.com. Online registration is open, and trips are booking fast!

The National Butterfly Center's cultivated gardens contain approximately 100 native plant species that provide food for butterflies, caterpillars and birds. Many of these plants are available for sale in our nursery, where pollinator-friendly plants are grown without harmful pesticides or herbicides. Don't miss this excellent opportunity to learn to more about building your own butterfly garden and creating a drought-hearty, low-maintenance landscape that is beautiful and beneficial to both people and wildlife.

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The National Butterfly Center is committed to ‘Growing Connections’ between people, plants, and the winged wonders that pollinate and propagate all that grows around us. We do this through educational and environmental initiatives that cultivate meaningful understanding of the processes that create sustainable ecosystems. The Center is open to the public, for visitors and members, seven days/week.

To learn more about the National Butterfly Center, and how you can join us, visit www.nationalbutterflycenter.org, or call 956.583.5400. Your annual membership or charitable gift impacts the beauty of our community and helps preserve the biologically diverse, natural treasures of deep South Texas.