The pharynx of Caenorhabditis elegans is a neuromuscular organ responsible for pumping food in from the environment and for initiating digestion. Organogenesis of the pharynx involves complex patterning and morphogenesis events, and the differentiation of distinct precursor cells. In the February 1 Science, Gaudet and Mango from the University of Utah report a genomic analysis of the role of the PHA-4 protein, a homologue of the forkhead box A (FoxA/HNF3) transcription factor involved in pharyngeal development (Science 2002, 295:821-825).