This Week in Gluttony

Mot Hai Ba Belgian beer dinner tops food and drink events in Dallas-Fort Worth

This Week in Gluttony is a little boozy. Mot Hai Ba is doing a Belgian beer dinner, The Grape is hosting its monthly wine dinner and Community is teaching a beer class. Oh, and Wine Poste welcomes celebrity chef Tiffany Derry for a dinner with, yes, wine pairings.

Pace yourselves, Dallas.

Tuesday, July 22

Go Texan Restaurant Roundup at Grace
Dine on a fixed menu during the seventh annual Go Texan Restaurant Roundup benefiting the Tarrant Area Food Bank. Chef Blaine Staniford's menu includes four courses — tomato water, fresh bean salad, squash blossom risotto or flank steak, blueberry panna cotta — made using local ingredients. The meal costs $49 per person or $69 with Texas wine pairings. The menu is available through Sunday, July 27.

Wednesday, July 23

Barley's Angels Belgian Beer Dinner at Mot Hai Ba
Chefs Jeana Johnson and Colleen O'Hare, along with Barley's Angels, are hosting a five-course dinner in honor of Belgian Independence Day and Belgian Beer Week. Dishes include coconut milk and Thai chili steamed mussels, green papaya salad with mung bean sprouts, lemon grass-marinated chicken three ways, stir-fried beef and garlic noodles, and pineapple upside down cake with coconut caramel sauce. All courses are paired with Belgian ales selected by certified Cicerone Tara Dollar. Reception begins at 6:30 pm with Vietnamese bar snacks and a cash bar; dinner starts promptly at 7. Tickets are $45 and must be reserved in advance. Call 972-638-7468 or email barleysangelsdallastexas@gmail.com to get yours. Barley's Angels is a ladies-only group focusing on advancing the education of female beer consumers, so guys will have to sit this one out.

Thursday, July 24

Come-As-You-Are Wine Dinner at The Grape
Chef de cuisine Jed Demler whips up an intimate three-course bistro menu to complement hand-selected wines from the Piedmont region of Italy. The special guest host is Bianca Christi of Virtuoso Selections. Reservations are recommended, and seatings are available from 5:30-9 pm. Call 214-828-1981 or go online. Cost is $48 a person.

Friday, July 25

Celebrity Wine Dinner With Tiffany Derry at Wine Poste
The Wine Poste welcomes celebrity chef Tiffany Derry for a wine dinner featuring dishes such as crispy oysters; roasted figs with blue cheese, rocket lettuce and port wine vinaigrette; and roulade of chicken. Each course also comes with a wine selected by the Wine Poste staff. Cost is $110 per person, and there are only 44 spots to grab. Reserve your seat online.

Saturday, July 26

Community Beer Company Beer School
Head brewer Jamie Fulton teaches about all aspects of quality craft beer, such as ingredients, brewing process, styles, tasting tips and more. Price is $25 per person and includes the class, all tastings and entry to the Saturday open house and tour from 2-5 pm. The open house includes food trucks, live music, local artists and, of course, quality brews. Arrive at 11:45 am to sign in. Buy tickets online.

Mot Hai Ba and Barley's Angels are co-hosting a Belgian beer dinner on July 23.

Interior of Mot Hai Ba Vietnamese restaurant in Dallas

Photo courtesy of Mot Hai Ba

Mot Hai Ba and Barley's Angels are co-hosting a Belgian beer dinner on July 23.

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Coffee News

Italian brand Lavazza Coffee opens training facility in Dallas

Lavazza

Lavazza Coffee

A coffee brand from Italy has planted a stake in Dallas: Lavazza, founded in the northern Italian city of Turin in 1895, has opened a state-of-the-art training center in Dallas, at 1722 Routh St. #960, where it will serve as a hub for coffee enthusiasts throughout the Southwest.

Dallas is the newest outlet in Lavazza's coffee training network, joining locations in New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, West Chester Pennsylvania, and Toronto — part of their expansion across high-growth markets in the U.S., and its mission to elevate coffee culture globally. (They're also doling out endorsement dollars in commercials featuring Steve Carell and John Krasinski.)

The facility is equipped with espresso, brewing, and coffee innovation equipment, and will serve Lavazza partners, industry professionals, baristas, and distributors. They'll offer hands-on training, SCA certification, menu development, and emerging coffee trends.

Lavazza already partners with many respected hospitality groups and culinary destinations in Dallas including Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Coury Hospitality Group, Al Biernat's Steakhouse, and Vandelay Hospitality.

In October 2025, Lavazza also began serving coffee on flights by Fort Worth-based American Airlines — further strengthening their connection to the North Texas market. The facility will enable Lavazza to provide closer, more consistent support to these partners and help elevate their coffee programs through continued training and collaboration.

Lavazza has been owned by the Lavazza family for four generations. Today they're one of the leading players on the global coffee scene, with a portfolio of top brands that lead their respective markets, such as Lavazza, Carte Noire, Merrild, and Kicking Horse.

In a statement, Lavazza North America president Hossam Ashraf says that "Dallas has an incredible energy and an ever evolving coffee scene," while Lavazza North America Marketing VP Daniele Foti says that Dallas is great, and we must concur.

"As one of the fastest growing hospitality and culinary markets in the country, Dallas represents a tremendous opportunity for Lavazza," Foti says. "Our investment in this new Training Center demonstrates our commitment to the region and to the partners who bring the Lavazza experience to life every day. Dallas is a city of innovation and high standards, and we are excited to deepen our roots here."

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