The city’s culinary and music culture has grown increasingly collaborative. The lines between creative disciplines have thinned, and their audiences have followed. That spirit of collaboration will be celebrated at Heartwood Preserve in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 20, 2026, where Omaha Magazine’s Best Fest will gather some of the city’s most recognized culinary, musical, and visual talent into one structured night. The format is ambitious, placing the evening in the hands of a host comfortable navigating both food and music.
For Tay Westberry, designated host of Best Fest, the event concept feels aligned with the way Omaha already operates creatively. “There are so many artists and culinary talents around Omaha who have been honored with awards, but it’ll be a chance for people to more than just read about them,” he said. “They get to see it on full display, and they’ll be able to experience a personal connection.”
At most large-scale dining events, the audience shares a single vantage point, Westberry said. Best Fest takes a different approach. Long tables will stretch across the outdoor space in 10 distinct sections as musicians perform on a stage, while bleachers and food trucks for additional guests will surround the perimeter.
Guests purchase tickets tied to a specific dinner table section of their choice—and with it, a particular chef and live musical pairing that aligns with their table’s themed identity. One pairing might lean into a certain culture’s cuisine and traditional music, while another might stretch into something experimental.
Uniquely suited to host the evening, Westberry’s own career moves easily across both culinary and performance spaces. As a chef, DJ, and content creator with a strong local following, he’s accustomed to reading an audience and shaping an experience in real time.
Best Fest will hold two dinner flights to serve a total of 100 guests. Each chef will prepare dishes for 10 people per flight, as timed seatings allow the experience to reset for the next session of ticketed attendees. Musicians will take the stage in segments to allow each musical pairing a moment to shine as guests enjoy their meals.
“We’re going to highlight these artists’ talents like no other and give them a platform to shine as the stars they are, all the way down to the people putting the table sets together,” Westberry said. Designers from the Omaha community will act as table artists, shaping the visual aesthetic of each unique dining experience. While guests commit to their table of choice, they’ll remain connected to the larger atmosphere building across the space.
“Food and music correlate for a lot of reasons,” Westberry said. “It’s like having a really good bite of food and you kind of just do a dance. With all the chefs we’ve selected, I’ve personally had moments where I’ve thought, ‘Wow, this food makes me feel something.’”
As June 20 approaches, Sarah Lemke, co-founder of FASTER Digital Studios is producing a video series that builds familiarity with the 10 participating chefs. The goal of the series is to give audiences a clearer sense of who they’re sitting down with. Inspired by Chef’s Table, chefs will share their origin stories and what being part of Best Fest means to them, Lemke explained. “These videos are meant to feel cinematic,” she said. “We want people to get a sense of what they’ll experience before the event.”
Filming the Best Fest chefs in their kitchens offers context that won’t be visible once the tables are set and the performances begin, Lemke said. The evening will act as a showcase of their expertise and a rare chance for diners to see these culinary experts side by side.
Lemke looks forward to Chef Clayton Chapman in particular, a five-time James Beard Award nominee. “I’m thrilled to have Clayton at Best Fest,” she said. “Like every chef here, he’s created his own path and helped put Omaha on the map in the Midwest.”
Westberry highlights Chef Joel Hassanali of Salted Edge and Pivot Prime, whose work takes influences from his Trinidadian heritage. “What amazes me about Chef Joel is how he plates African foods—it’s an elegance I hadn’t seen before,” he said.
Lemke sees Best Fest as a rare opportunity to experience elevated dining on a more expansive scale than is often possible. Performances and the dining experience will be streamed on a live screen, allowing all guests to watch the music and see the chefs in action no matter where they are seated.
For Westberry, the event’s success won’t be measured solely by attendance, but by engagement. “I want Best Fest to be the food festival everyone talks about in Omaha,” he said. “When people hear the name, they’ll think, ‘Wow, I can’t wait for the next one. We need our tickets early. We want to be there.’”
June 20 will mark the first ever iteration of Best Fest, and first impressions matter. Westberry is confident the night will make its own case. “Best Fest is everything you want an upscale dining and entertainment experience to be,” Westberry said. “Come ready to experience culture, because it’ll be on full display from everyone.”
