Tastemaker Awards

Dallas culinary superstars and food fans toast the 2021 Tastemaker Awards

It was all the very best food and drink at the 2021 Dallas-Fort Worth Tastemaker Awards, CultureMap's celebration of the top restaurants, bars, and culinary masters, held at the Fashion Industry Gallery in downtown Dallas on August 19.

Dozens of bars and restaurants dished out spectacular tastes in a hedonistic feast. A portion of the proceeds benefited Harvest Project Food Rescue, which fights food insecurity in Dallas. The annual event, coming back from an all-virtual edition in 2020, proved to be the most delicious one yet.

Lines formed quickly for small plates and samples from some of Dallas-Fort Worth's most popular and influential eateries. Buzzy dishes included Mendocino Farms' “Not So Fried” chicken sandwiches; wagyu sliders from Jaxon Texas Kitchen & Beer Garden; slipper lobster "pancakes" from Saint Ann's; beef udon from Marugame Udon; pepper and garlic shrimp with peri peri chicken from Dahlia Bar & Bistro; and smoked pheasant and goat cheese grits from Backyard at Hotel Drover.

Those with a sweet tooth delighted in Bobbers Burgers' Dole Whip vegan soft-serve cups and dainty but delectable personal-sized Route 66 Pecan Pies from Haywire.

Chefs from Omni Dallas passed out the most Instagrammable plate of the night, with their colorful cheese ball "towers" — a dried date with blue cheese mousse, red grape with boursin and pistachio, and heirloom cherry tomato with herb goat cheese mousse — stacked high on a skewer for easy photo-snapping and snacking.

VIP ticket-holders could arrive early to valet park easily and mingle in a lounge just for them. Beer drinkers made themselves at home in the Beer Garden presented by Deep Ellum Brewing Company.

The main bar poured signature cocktails featuring the spirits of sponsors Maestro Dobel Tequila and Stranahan's Single Malt Whiskey. A fan favorite was the Summer Garden (created by last year's Bartender of the Year winner, Josh Hendrix), made with Boodles Rhubarb & Strawberry Gin, fresh watermelon and lime juices, and FeverTree Pink Grapefruit Soda. Guests paced themselves at the Topo Chico Hydration Station.

But this party wasn't just a feeding frenzy; we had some awards to present. Celebrity emcee, comedian CJ Starr, announced winners in 14 categories from restaurants and bars across Dallas-Fort Worth. They were selected by judges consisting of past winners, food and beverage industry experts, and CultureMap editors: Chas Martin, Toby Archibald, Gavin Secchi, Diana Zamora, Josh Hendrix, Jacob Tindall, Lisa Stroup, Marc Ramirez, Kim Pham, Fabian Hernandez, Jamil Bata, Vu Ly, Stephan Courseau, Janice Provost, Alex Gonzalez, Sarah Hooton, Markus Kypreos, Mike Hoque, Malcolm Mayhew, Celestina Blok, Samantha Calimbahin, Eric Griffey, Connie Bally, Henry Abuto, Stephanie Merry, and Teresa Gubbins.

One of the biggest awards of the night was for Best New Restaurant, voted on by the CultureMap readers. The winners were Monarch in Dallas and La Onda in Fort Worth. They were greeted with some of the heartiest cheers of the evening.

Winners accepted gorgeous glass trophies onstage and posed for pictures; some groups even streamed the presentation live on social media for their fans to watch at home.

Two special awards were given to individuals who contributed greatly to the local dining scene during the pandemic; they went to chef Jon Bonnell (Waters, Bonnell's) in Fort Worth and bread queen Meadors Ozarow (Empire Baking) in Dallas.

Between feasting and celebrating, guests stopped to snap Insta-worthy photos at the photo booth and bought raffle tickets benefiting Harvest Project Food Rescue. A DJ kept the beats lively all night.

Spotted in the crowd, having great foodie fun, were Dallas dining VIPS, award winners and nominees, and guests Troy Gardner, Matt Balke, Liz Mitchell, Kim Finch, Dayne and Ashley Weaver, George Kaiho, Brooks Anderson, Jimmy Contreras, Claudia Randalls, Gustavo Guevara, Marisol Leiva, Caroline Sheridan, Paulina Leiva, Grace Kelly, Christian Kelly, Laura Russell, Tara Hollis, Darlene Hollis, Darren Chankhamany, Tina Le, Amber Bufkin, and Faith Heitz.

Hungry to be a part of it all next year? You can read about all the winners here, and we'll see you in 2022. Cheers!

Dallas Hero Award winner Meadors Ozarow of Empire Baking.

Photo by Ashley Gongora

Dallas Hero Award winner Meadors Ozarow of Empire Baking.

tastemakers

Coffee news

Starbucks partners bestow $53K in grants to favorite Dallas nonprofits

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Chalkboard at Starbucks celebrates Resource Center.

In a one-of-a-kind charitable program, coffee giant Starbucks has bestowed more than two dozen grants to organizations across Dallas — organizations selected by Starbucks employees themselves.

Called The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grants program, it's unique as a charitable effort thanks to its profound level of engagement, by allowing employees to nominate nonprofit recipients.

The Starbucks Foundation is the company's charitable arm which issues grants to nonprofits — from coffee and tea-growing communities around the world to neighborhood groups.

The Neighborhood Grants program gives their "partners" (what they call their employees) the opportunity to support the local organizations they care most about. This year, more than 3,200 grants are being awarded across the U.S. and Canada. Of that number, 27 organizations in Dallas received a Neighborhood Grant, totaling $53,000.

That included a $4,000 grant to Resource Center, a Dallas provider of LGBTQIA+ services and a big Starbucks staff favorite: It was nominated by an unprecedented 40 partners, and has previously earned seven grants totaling $20,000 from The Starbucks Foundation since 2019.

Resource Center's director of corporate engagement & events Bill Scott says that the grant is part of a larger meaningful partnership.

"In the current climate, we've seen many corporations turn away from our community, but Starbucks has remained steadfast," Scott says. "And we see it in ways that go beyond the grants, whether it's volunteering at our food bank or being ready for any fundraising event where they'll set up a coffee station to distribute to our guests."

Founded in 1983, Resource Center focuses on three pillars: positive social engagement in safe spaces, supportive services to promote wellness, and skill-building opportunities to promote growth.

Resource Center accepts grant from Starbucks Foundation, from left to right: Bill Scott (RC), Daniel Sanchez (RC), Tres Brown (RC), and Howard Jackson (SBUX).Jeffrey McWhorter

"The grant will help us continue to serve and uplift our community with more programming in areas like health and wellness," Scott says. "Last year, we opened our first low-income affordable housing complex for seniors, and before it even opened, it was sold out. We can see that the services we provide fill a real need."

It's a rare scenario in the corporate world, Scott says.

"There are not many companies I have dealt with like the Starbucks Foundation where they rely on their partners to make recommendations and listen to their partners," he says.

For Starbucks partners like Marsh King, an operations consultation manager who's been with the company for nearly 28 years, Starbucks' priority on being mission-driven has been a big incentive to stay with the company.

"When you see a grant that might give Resource Center the funds to do something like buy more refrigeration for the food pantry they just opened — it's gratifying to see that direct impact and know that you're a part of it," she says.

The level of engagement is very grass-roots, says senior partner employee relations associate Howard Jackson.

"We have customers who come in and say, 'I saw you at that event last weekend," he says. "We support the community, and they are our customers, as well. Through this work, we connect a lot of dots."

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