About Fork and Garden | Fork and Garden

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Clients come to us because they want us to use our creative freedom. It’s what we’re known for at every event.

– Chef Iverson Brownell

Fork and Garden elevates the farm-to-table experience by offering only the best and freshest of what is seasonally available.

We Support Local

Budget allowing, we prefer to work with local farmers and ranchers. With ideals rooted in providing only the most superb sustainable ingredients, we treat our food with love and respect, allowing them to shine. Not only does this enable us to support our community and a sustainable food system but translates into beautiful dishes that taste as good as they look.

Food can be the safest, most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison.

Giving Back

We strive to do all we can by, not only purchasing from our Texas farmers and ranchers, but by being a member of the Chef Cooperatives. Based in San Antonio, the Chef Cooperatives is a national nonprofit organization comprised of top chefs. It has been instrumental in raising funds through pop-up events to actively support the health and prosperity of Texas farmers, ranchers and vintners, as well as the local communities. The chefs have also been first responders, feeding these same communities during times of disaster.

Click here to read more about the amazing efforts of the Chef Cooperatives to feed our local communities.

Key Team Members

Chef Iverson

Owner & Executive Chef

Chef Iverson’s passion for food and adventure has taken him on a delicious, soul-inspiring journey for more than 20 years. A true Southern gentleman, he grew up in South Carolina and graduated from Johnson and Wales University with a degree in Culinary Arts and Food and Beverage Management. His experience in the culinary industry includes food design and creation as well as wellness education. Notably, his catering company was one of the top caters of the illustrious Sundance Film Festival for ten years and he served as one of the chefs for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. He is thrilled to bring his vast knowledge and culinary expertise to Texas, a place that has captured his heart and inspired his palate.

Valentin De La Torre

Operations and Logistics

Valentin is a UTSA Graduate with a background in nutrition, as well as ten years in catering. He has a talent for developing menus for those with allergy sensitivities, and thoroughly loves creating cuisine at home with his wife. He has been an integral member of the Fork and Garden team for over five years now, artfully running operations. He is fully enthralled with client relations, from the initial introduction to the successful execution of an event.

Kelly De La Torre

Catering and Proposal Specialist

Kelly is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and also has a grant proposal writing certification through the University of Texas at San Antonio. With over 7 years of experience in catering and event planning, Kelly has successfully executed large scale events, such as luncheons and weddings, as well as managed event facility sales and operations. Her calm demeanor and detail-oriented nature allows her to create and carry out memorable events. Most recently, she has worked as the Non-Profit Relations Manager as part of CRE8AD8 LLC’s executive team for the $39.125 million Farmers to Families Food Box Program award in 2020 by the United States Department of Agriculture. She is now our very own RFP specialist, seeking other government contracts in hopes of creating more opportunities for small businesses in the San Antonio area.

Sandy Hernandez, MBA

Operations

Sandy holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Texas A&M University San Antonio and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas. She is the head of our operations here at Fork and Garden and a highly experienced human resources executive with a proven record of facilitating profitability through expert development and management of corporate human resources operations. Most recently, she spearheaded the finance and human resources departments as part of CRE8AD8 LLC’s executive team for the $39.125 million Farmers to Families Food Box Program award in 2020 by the United States Department of Agriculture. Additionally, Sandy also serves as a Passion Committee Member of the American Heart Association, sits on the San Antonio Human Resources Management Association Board and, most recently, was the Chair of the SAHRMA 2021 Symposium. We are proud to have her as part of the team!