It was just the week before last that the Farm Aid team set out on our annual pilgrimage to Willie and Annie Nelson’s ranch nestled in the Texas Hill Country. Every March, the Nelsons open the gates to their home–Luck, Texas–and welcome a fortunate few for a couple of days of community, good food and incredible music at the Potluck dinner and Luck Reunion festival.
If you’re trying to imagine what Willie’s ranch looks like, I invite you to pause here and check out the iconic film Red Headed Stranger. Forty years ago (yes, the same year as the first Farm Aid festival…Willie was busy in 1985!) production began on a makeshift set of a western town nicknamed “Willieville” built on the ranch outside of Austin. Once the film wrapped, the set remained and the town has been restored, fortified and reimagined as Luck, Texas. Willie’s rescued horses welcome you as you wind along the long dirt road that leads to Luck’s town center, home to a seed bank, saloon, jailhouse, general store, chapel, opry house–just about everything an old western town needs. Most days Luck sits empty; but, on a few special occasions each year, it fills with folks eager for an epic experience that can only happen in Willie’s backyard.
An evening at the PotLuck in 2023. Photo © Suzanne Cordeiro
As always, on the eve of the Reunion, the Potluck kicked off the magic with a dinner party for a couple hundred lucky guests who enjoyed food and fellowship at long communal tables before an intimate set by Willie Nelson & Family with special guest Daniel Lanois under the Texas stars. Proceeds from the Potluck and Farm Aid’s silent auction generously support Farm Aid and the Texas Food and Wine Alliance through the Luck Family Foundation. This year marked the tenth anniversary of the Potluck, and a crew of renowned chefs pulled out all the stops to transform local family farm food into a slew of delicious dishes inspired by their own backgrounds, experiences and cooking philosophies. The 2025 Potluck theme of “East meets West” brought the influence of diverse Asian cultures to classic Texas cuisine and invited guests to “experience a culinary journey that not only delights the palate but also honors the powerful story of immigration and cultural integration,” on Texas foodways and food systems across the United States.
A bouquet of chiles. Photo © Suzanne Cordeiro
The meal began with a selection of banchan (shared small side dishes served along with rice in Korean cuisine) from Chef Peter Cho and Chef Erik Bruner-Yang. The banchan featured kimchi with napa cabbage and daikon; a rolled egg omelette in anchovy dashi and ikura; roasted squash with kimchili jam and toasted hazelnuts; spicy cucumber salad; oyster mushrooms with Texas peanut satay; and mussels with green curry.
With a palate primed for the culinary journey, Chef Cheetie Kumar presented guests with the first course, an Indian spice battered fish fry with a punchy herb salad and pickled radish. The second course by Chef Ed Lee offered Gochujang pork ribs, followed by Chef Bruner-Yang’s sach ko–Cambodian grilled steak–with Rosharon water spinach and tirk prahok. Once plates were happily clean, guests enjoyed one last dish from Chef Cho, a grilled rice cake with froyo and misugaru crumble. This incredibly flavorful and satisfying meal was crafted with the very best local ingredients from area family farms sourced by Luck Chef Ambassador Michel Fojtasek and Luck Culinary Host Chef Brian Light. Thank you to the farmers and chefs for an unforgettable culinary experience, and to Luck Family Foundation your continued support of family farmers and the Good Food Movement through the Potluck.
With bellies full from feasting and ears ringing with Willie tunes, Team Farm Aid left the ranch to catch a few winks before we returned bright and early for the Luck Reunion. In the morning, Farm Aid’s Co-Executive Director and Communications Director Jennifer Fahy interviewed with media outlets to share Farm Aid’s work with a TV and podcast audience beyond the Luck gates.
The Reunion flew by in whir of diverse music punctured by tempting wafts of everything from curry to Texas BBQ to tacos. We spent the afternoon in conversation with dozens of attendees who stopped by the Farm Aid table to learn more about our work and support Farm Aid through their bids on Tribute to Trigger, an Epiphone E-1 Classical acoustic guitar donated by our friends at Gibson Gives and customized by our pals at The Graphic Guitar Guys. We connected with folks from across the country–and beyond–and heard stories from many who have attended, donated to or volunteered at Farm Aid festivals past, who have a family history in agriculture or who are now farming themselves. It’s so spirit-lifting to get out there and spread the word about Farm Aid’s mission, and to have friends old and new express whole-hearted support for family farmers.
Photo © Brooks Burris
Farm Aid staff had another role to play at the Reunion, hosting two panel discussions on Luck’s Community Conversations stage with artists, farmers and activists. Our Co-Executive Director and Program Director Shorlette Ammons moderated a conversation, titled “Building Local Farm and Foodways.” We thought it would be cool to introduce folks at the Reunion to farm and food work happening in their backyard. For this reason, we invited Lockhart Texas farmer Jamey Gage, owner of B5 Farm Amy Gallo, with Sustainable Food Center in Austin; and Hallie Casey, Partnerships Director with The Common Market Houston. The conversation was, ironically, about sustainability and the current food systems landscape in the Austin region of Texas. I say, “ironically” because during the panel discussion, both Hallie and Amy mentioned cuts in some of their programs would impact the longevity of some needful services to folks in the Austin area, like Double Up Food Bucks SNAP benefits. Jamey, who was there with his wife and young daughter, connected the dots to his relationship with Hallie and Amy via the farmers market and also through some trainings offered by The Common Market. Each panelist ended with a call to action. Both Hallie and Amy encouraged folks to support and advocate for these local programs so that they continue to get the funding they need to provide these game-changing services. Jamey’s call to action… “grow something. Get your hands in the dirt.” Based on the nods from the audience, I anticipate there will be a few more gardens planted in Texas this spring!
The Building Local Farm and Foodways conversation. Photo © Michael Stewart Foley
Later, Jessica Ilyse Kurn and Michael Stewart Foley, co-hosts of Farm Aid’s podcast, Against the Grain, moderated a live podcast recording of a group of artists in discussion about sustaining community in the face of climate disasters. Farm Aid board artist Margo Price, who survived a flood and a tornado in Nashville, participated, along with Tommy Newport, who lost his California home in the Eaton Fire; The Deslondes‘ JJ Tourville, who has been active in rebuilding Asheville following Hurricane Helene; and Matthew Logan Vasquez, who has been fighting a water war in Wimberley, Texas, during a prolonged drought. Both panels were packed with audience members eager to engage and learn more about issues affecting farmers and eaters and what actions we can take do to build a more resilient farm and food system that benefits all of us.
Left to right: JJ Tourville (from The Deslondes), Michael Foley (Against the Grain host), Margo Price (Farm Aid board artist), Tommy Newport, Jessica Kurn (Against the Grain host), Matthew Logan Vasquez. Photo © Jennifer Fahy
Both Farm Aid and Luck believe deeply in the power of food and music to bring people together. It’s in our DNA; inspired by our kinship through Willie himself. We are so grateful to the Luck team for graciously including Farm Aid in their special events, and for their many years of uplifting and supporting our work on behalf of family farmers. And we are forever thankful to Willie and Annie Nelson for their warm and generous welcome to their home and their commitment to making celebrations of music and food, like Luck and Farm Aid, possible for all of us.
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