Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026 • 5:00–8:00 PM
Selah Ridge, 265 County Road 3001, Decatur, TX 76234
Next door to The Classic Club • 21+ Event
Get Tickets for $60 Enter a Team Become a SponsorHow the Battle Works
Local chefs, restaurants, hometown cooks, and family recipes go head to head at the inaugural Battle of the Bites. You taste every entry, and you decide who takes home the title.
Taste
Unlimited samples from every booth. Forty local teams, and you taste all of them.
Vote
Vote for your favorites. Guests decide who wins each category and Best of Show.
Bid & Win
The live auction and raffle run all evening. Every bid pays for Decatur ISD classroom grants.
Celebrate
Awards at 8:00. Every dollar raised goes to grants and programs for Decatur ISD students and teachers.
The Competitors
Our 2026 lineup is coming together now. Check back as we announce each team entering the battle.
Enter a Team
Forty booths, and no restaurant required. Businesses, organizations, church groups, and home cooks all serve their best bite to 300 hungry guests who decide the winner.
What It Costs
One flat entry fee. It covers your booth, serving supplies, admission for two team members, and two Battle of the Bites aprons. Bigger teams are welcome, but extra members must purchase a $60 ticket.
What You Cook
One dish, entered in Appetizer, Entrée, or Dessert. Plan for at least 150 samples.
What You Win
Every guest tastes your dish and votes. Trophies go to the top bite in each category, plus Best of Show for the booth that brings the most spirit.
What we provide and what you bring
We Provide
Included in your $40 entry.
- Booth space with a table and chairs
- 3.25 oz sample cups, as many as you want Prefer your own serving container? Use it. The cups are there if you want them.
- Nitrile gloves and paper towels
- Two Battle of the Bites aprons
- Event admission for two team members
- Trash and cleanup service all night
You Bring
Everything that makes the bite yours.
- Your dish, your ingredients, and all the prep
- Cooking, warming, and cooling equipment
- Serving utensils, plus coolers and ice if your dish needs them
- Enough for 150 samples, minimum
- Booth decorations, if you want them Not required. A booth that catches the eye gets more traffic, and more traffic means more votes.
- An ingredient or allergen card, if you want one Also not required, but some guests will ask what is in your dish.
How event day works for teams
What the registration form asks
All fields are required.
- Your food category
- A primary contact email
- Team member names, and the business or organization you represent
- Your dish name
- A short dish description, so we know where to put you
- Any special accommodations you need, like power, cold storage, or cooking on site before doors
What Every Guest Is Carrying
Guests pick up a tray, a spoon, and napkins at the door, then work the room filling it.
Battle of the Bites is a 21+ event, so every person working your booth must be 21 or older.
Sponsoring at Line Cook or above includes your team entry and premium booth placement.
Questions before you commit? Email [email protected]
Sponsorship Packages
Put your business in front of the whole community on November 14, then stay in front of it all year. A Battle of the Bites sponsorship is also your 2026–27 Decatur Education Foundation annual sponsorship. One commitment, recognized at the event and in every DEF program that follows.
Executive Chef
$5,000Everything in Sous Chef, plus:
At the event
- Recognized from the stage by the event MC
- 8 event tickets
Year-round with DEF
- Up to 2 Decatur ISD grants fully funded in your name, $2,500 total*
- Classroom Grants in Action experience with media coverage
- 4 tagged social media posts during the year
Sous Chef
$2,500Everything in Line Cook, plus:
At the event
- Your logo, rather than your name, on event signage and the event website
- 6 event tickets
Year-round with DEF
- One Decatur ISD grant fully funded in your name, up to $1,000*
- Your logo or name in larger print on the 2027–28 DEF t-shirt
- 2 tagged social media posts during the year
Line Cook
$1,000Everything in Prep Cook, plus:
At the event
- Your name in large print on the main sponsor banner
- Complimentary food team entry with premium booth placement
Year-round with DEF
- Invitation to the spring grant giveaway, where you hand deliver grants to teachers
- Invitation to the private donor recognition event
- Your name on the back of the 2027–28 DEF t-shirt
Prep Cook
$500Everything in Friend of the Chef, plus:
At the event
- Your name on the main sponsor banner
- 2 event tickets
Year-round with DEF
- Emailed Impact Snapshot in the fall and spring showing what your gift funded
Friend of the Chef
$250Where every sponsorship starts.
At the event
- Your name listed on the Battle of the Bites website
Year-round with DEF
- Your name on the DEF website
- Included in our annual donor social media post
Sponsor and Compete
Bring a teamForty booths. Your business can hold one.
- Line Cook level and above includes complimentary food team entry, a $40 value, with premium booth placement
- Decorate your booth, serve your best bite, and put your people in front of 300 guests
- No restaurant required. Businesses, organizations, and home cooks all compete.
* How grant naming works
In January, after our Adopt-a-Grant community fundraising site closes and the DEF board votes on which remaining grants to fund, we send you the short list. You pick from it.
Every grant you choose is fully funded by your credit and carries your name alone. Credit left over that is too small to cover a grant still funds grants, without a name attached.
The Decatur Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 05-0568395. Fair market value is the value of the event tickets included with each level, at $60 per ticket, plus the $40 food team entry fee where it is included. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent it exceeds that value, and levels with no fair market value listed are fully tax-deductible. Sponsors who decline their event tickets in writing before November 14 may deduct the full amount of their sponsorship.
Our Sponsors
Thank you to the businesses backing Decatur ISD students and teachers. Your logo could be here.
Title Sponsor
Also sponsored by
- Legend Bank
Why We Battle
The Decatur Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Every ticket, sponsorship, bid, and raffle entry pays for grants and programs for Decatur ISD students and staff.
Ready to Rumble?
Grab your tickets before they're gone, then come hungry on November 14 and help crown Decatur's best bite. Battle of the Bites is a 21+ event.
Get Tickets for $60 Enter a Team for $40