Tastemakers Awards

Top 10 pastry chefs in Dallas really take the cake

The Joule presents Valentine’s Pop-Up Bakery

Pastry chefs make our lives sweeter.

Photo courtesy of The Joule

We're seriously cooking on our 2017 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, our annual event honoring the best in local food and drink. We've elected nominees in all categories of food and beverage, from best chefs to the best restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth.

We'll toast them all at a party on April 20 from 7-10 pm at Sixty Five Hundred, with tastings and awards, emceed by Texas celebrity chef Tim Love. Tickets are on sale now.

We've already profiled the candidates for Rising Star Chef, Best Neighborhood Restaurant, Best Bars, Best Bartenders. and Best Wine. This time, we take a look at the sweetest category of all: best pastry chefs in Dallas.

Chris McCord, The Star in Frisco at Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters
A graduate of UNT who also earned a degree in culinary arts at Colorado Mountain College, McCord made a name for himself at top-ranked restaurants such as Fearing's and Abacus, where he was noted for his clever spins on familiar items like red velvet cake and ice cream with choco flan, churros, dulce de leche sauce, and red velvet ice cream.

Gianni Santin, Haute Sweets Patisserie
A Food Network regular, Santin has more than 30 years of experience at far-flung locations such as Bali, Saudi Arabia, Jakarta, Bangkok, Singapore, and Las Vegas. In Dallas, Santin was executive pastry chef at Rosewood's Crescent Court, where he earned many awards such as Pastry Chef of the Year in 2006 by the Texas Chefs Association. In 2015, he and Tida Pichakron combined forces to create Haute Sweets, Dallas' premiere patisserie.

Katherine Clapner, Dude, Sweet Chocolate
A graduate of the baking and pastry program at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Clapner has more than 20 years experience both in the U.S. and abroad, including at Savoy in London, Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans, and at Stephan Pyles in Dallas. She formed her own chocolate company in 2009 and currently has four locations including the original in Oak Cliff.

Keith Cedotal, The Joule
A recently appointed pastry chef, Cedotal has a colorful history, notching pastry appointments in Dallas and beyond. He baked at Park Restaurant on Henderson Avenue, made cool desserts at Malai Kitchen, and did edgy desserts at Uchi Dallas. He was also part of the opening team at Sustenio, Stephan Pyles' restaurant in San Antonio.

Maggie Huff, FT33, Filament
Venerated pastry chef Huff has worked at many a restaurant, most notably for chef Stephan Pyles, where she met chef Matt McCallister. Now she presides over the dessert menus at his two restaurants: FT33 in the Dallas Design District and Filament in Deep Ellum.

Nicolas Blouin, The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
Blouin is a repeat nominee, having made the Tastemakers list in 2014. A native of France, he started working at a bakery in his hometown of Toulouse when he was 15. He's bounced back and forth between America and Europe, from the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort hotel to a series of Michelin-starred restaurants in Switzerland and France to the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Ruben Torano, The Joule
A returning nominee, Torano makes waves not only for his comprehensive range, but also for his pastry prowess and sweet innovation. Prior to joining the Joule family, he previously did pastry at such restaurants as Charlie Palmer, Nobu, and Nana. He graduated from Johnson & Wales with a bachelor's degree in baking and arts, but his biggest influence is his father Rafael, also a pastry chef, formerly at the Warwick Melrose Hotel.

Sarah Green, The Joule
Green has taken many creative twists and turns in her career since acquiring a degree in culinary arts from Le Cordon Bleu. She earned her pastry chops at Oak Dallas restaurant, but has also dabbled on the savory side as well. She spent two years with Cafe Momentum in downtown Dallas, and has also cooked at restaurants on the West Coast including Sycamore Kitchen in Los Angeles.

Tida Pichakron, Haute Sweets Patisserie
Pichakron started out in the corporate world, earning a degree in business administration from A&M before switching to the glamorous world of pastry. She trained at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, and she worked at the French Room at The Adolphus. She met Gianni Santin, her partner at Haute Sweets, when they worked at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Las Vegas. Like Santin, she's a TV veteran, having appeared on such shows as Food Network Challenge.

Tina Miller, Blind Butcher
In addition to contributing unusual desserts at Blind Butcher, Miller is also the owner and executive chef at the Proper Baking Company, a shop at the Dallas Farmers Market. She's a big fan of unusual flavor combinations and sweets that are not too sweet.

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East Dock development

'Chopped' champion opens Pan-Latin restaurant at Oak Cliff's East Dock

Photo courtesy of Barro y Fuego

Barro y Fuego specializes in parrilladas, or grilled meats.

A Latin American, chef-driven restaurant is one of the newest additions to Oak Cliff's vibrant dining scene: Barro y Fuego is now open in suite 100 of the refurbished historic East Dock, at 900 E. Clarendon Dr., joining Bite Sushi, Elevate Coffee, Kuluntu Bakery, and other neighbors.

The restaurant comes from longtime friends and business partners Robert Ramirez and Eric Spigner.

Spigner formerly was chef at Nova Oak Cliff, which won Restaurant of the Year in the 2018 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards; he was a Tastemakers Rising Star nominee in 2019. He's best known as champion of the Food Network competition show Chopped in 2021.

Ramirez is a 25-year veteran of the restaurant design business who also envisioned, designed, and developed East Dock, the mixed-use development that houses Barro y Fuego and an assortment of dining, retail, gym, and office spaces. The development is near the new five-acre Halperin Park, a bridge park spanning Interstate 35.

The partners named the restaurant Barro y Fuego — translating to “clay and fire”— to reflect their vision for the restaurant. The grill is always afire for parrilladas, or grilled meats, while decorative clay pots by artists from Peru and Mexico line the interior and are available for purchase.

Beyond a market area, the restaurant incorporates elements of a rustic cantina, with natural wood and earthy tones creating a cozy atmosphere. The indoor dining area accommodates up to 80 guests, with a communal table, booths, traditional tables, and bar seating along the open kitchen. An adjacent outdoor grill and patio overlooking a creek is open year-round and seats another 80.

“The open kitchen was important to us,” Ramirez says. “You can sit at the bar and watch the cooking; it's a natural gathering point. We focused on a design that is raw, minimal, and for everybody: dates, families, friends — come casual or come dressed up.”

The Pan-Latin menu draws on Ramirez’s upbringing and travels throughout the region, along with Spigner’s professional experience with Caribbean, Spanish, and Latin American flavors.

“Latin America is vast; my vision is to take it all in and present a concise statement of a broader culture — where you might not pinpoint a specific country, but rather a fusion of many in a single dish,” Spigner says.

This vision yields a unique menu spanning Latin America with subtle Spanish influences. The menu features shareable plates ranging from $20 to $40 and includes:

Gambas al Ajo Negro: Sautéed shrimp in a black garlic emulsion with charred okra and blistered tomatoes.
Costillas de Res Estofadas: Boneless beef ribs served with chimichurri crème fraîche, plantains, and charred zucchini.
Arroz con Pollo: Chicken confit over red rice, served with coconut milk collard greens and sauce africaine.
Panceta de Cerdo Estofada: Braised pork belly accompanied by chipotle-agave sweet potato puree and collard green chimichurri.

On weekdays, the restaurant offers a menu with items under $20, including sandwiches and smaller portions of main dishes. It’s designed for nearby business tenants, residents, and visitors to the Dallas Zoo and surrounding parks.

Brunch with live Latin jazz music takes places on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am-3 pm. The brunch menu includes clam, chorizo, and avocado tostadas; ropa vieja; torrijas, which are similar to French toast; and a pork belly and pisto manchego Benedict.

The full bar serves specialty cocktails such as a Negroni verde, caipirinha, and espresso martinis using ingredients from neighbor Elevate Coffee. The beer selection celebrates all of Latin America rather than focusing solely on Mexico, the proprietors say. They feature representative brands from nearly every country for $7. They also pour Mexican Lager from nearby, newly opened Smittox Brewery.

Looking ahead, the team says they plan to host ticketed community events, including paella nights, pig roasts, and live music showcasing local cumbia, rock en español bands, and DJs.

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