Since 1971, Celebration Restaurant & Market has been more than just a place to get sustainably sourced, farm-to-table food. As a vital community gathering space, the restaurant, founded by ecological visionary Ed Lowe, has fostered connection and relationships that have lasted generations. 

Shannon Galvan, president of Celebration, says the restaurant opened offering family-style service, in which fresh vegetables are served in bowls meant for sharing, in an effort to create a communal atmosphere. A lunch menu was added during the 1980s as the demand for more business, which meant adding more hours, was evident. As years went by, the lunch service began to accommodate working people in the area that needed a quick meal.

The family-style service continues today. Galvan says it always drew families commemorating special occasions such as birthdays, work groups, rehearsal dinners and special events. “This style of eating cultivates such a great feeling of community,” Galvan affirms.

Celebration has served generations of families. People that came into the restaurant as children and are now adults are coming in with their children and grandchildren. Galvan says she grew up coming to Celebration with her family for dinners and special occasions.

“There are lots of families that have come here for generations,” she says. “It’s amazing to see the generational regularity. Our main bartender, Jon Radke, who has been here since 1986, sees these families come in year after year. The families grow, they have kids and bring them in.”

That generational regularity not only applies to the customers. Galvan says many employees that they call partners have worked at the restaurant for a long time, and now their kids work there. “It’s generational for us, too.”

The COVID-19 pandemic not only battered the restaurant industry financially, but also led to an employee exodus from the service industry. Many bar and restaurant employees that lost their jobs during the shutdowns sought other work. Galvan is grateful that Celebration managed to keep the majority of their partners. Many that were furloughed during the shutdowns returned, and some remained there the entire time. 

“We’re very fortunate to have most of the same people we had pre-COVID,” she says. “We have some newer folks in the front of house, and we still could use a few more people company-wide. We’re all here to get a job done, which is to make sure Celebration succeeds, our partners succeed and most of all, the customers are happy.”

Being a farm-to-table restaurant, Celebration prides itself on the long-term relationships they’ve developed with local farmers and vendors. Every week from March through October, Galvan visits area farmers' markets to purchase ingredients for featured and daily items on the menu. Using local, free-range, antibiotic-free meats and sustainably grown produce while supporting local farmers continues the cycle that has defined Celebration for a half-century. Galvan says i. t was especially important for the restaurant to support and maintain those relationships throughout the pandemic.

Celebration Catering helped expand their presence beyond Dallas’ University Park/Elm Thicket/NorthPark neighborhoods Galvan says their catering services, which are available throughout the Metroplex, have helped Celebration reach neighborhoods and communities they would not have been able to reach with only the restaurant. Their catering business is slowly, but surely returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Celebration Market, which offers to-go options of the same farm-to-table meals available at the restaurant, served as a crucial avenue for customers through COVID. “People that were sitting at home and getting tired of cooking were able to come in and get a home-cooked meal without having to dirty the kitchen,” Galvan says. “People were grateful that we stayed open, which was reflected in the increase of business.” The Market also has items for purchase such as coffee and tea, locally sourced honey, granola, jams and jellies, craft beer and cookies.

“We’re thankful to our customers for sticking with us through the pandemic and coming out on the other side. Our 50th anniversary has been a celebration for us and also a celebration for them, because they’ve been there to support us. It means a lot,” Galvan shares.

Celebration Restaurant & Market is located at 4503 W. Lovers Ln., in Dallas. For more information, call 214-351-2456 or visit CelebrationRestaurant.com.