Chef News

The Village in Dallas aims to get hip with 12 restaurants and big-name chef

Uchi Dallas chef de cuisine Junior Borges

Chef Junior Borges looks like he's fun.

Courtesy photo

Famed apartment complex The Village Dallas is building a new entertainment district that includes a dozen restaurants and has hired a chef to oversee it.

According to a release, that chef is Nilton "Junior" Borges, who will be executive chef and VP of culinary for a new development that will include 12 restaurant concepts.

The Village is the 34-acre mixed-use lifestyle project, including 300 acres of apartment communities, that's been around for half a century in northeast Dallas, near the Park Cities and North Park Center.

It won't just be Borges. He'll lead a team of chefs in his new role, overseeing multiple restaurants, scheduled to open in the spring of 2020.

In a statement, Borges says that the plan is to serve not just the Village but also the surrounding neighborhoods with dining experiences for both special occasions and weekly meals.

Borges moves to Dallas in 2014 and served as opening chef at Uchi Dallas. He has also served as executive chef of FT33 and The Joule, and had plans to open a restaurant in the Villa-O space with restaurateur Stephan Courseau, until that fell through.

Larry Spelts, president of Village Hospitality, says in a statement that they responded to Borges' experience in destination restaurants combined with his multi-outlet experience at The Joule.

"We are excited for what is to come for him and for the future of The Village’s new lifestyle experience," Spelts says.

Additional announcements are to come regarding details of the 12 new restaurants.

chefs

Ice Cream News

Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops

Dumont Ice Cream

An ice cream concept from India has made its U.S. debut, right here in Texas: Called Dumont Creamery & Cafe, it's an ice cream chain founded in Hyderabad that now has two locations in the Dallas area.

Their first location was Frisco, which opened at 1951 FM 423 at the end of 2023; a second location opened in late October in Coppell at 1535 S. Belt Line Rd. #160.

Dumont was founded in 1999 by brothers Vivek and Bhashkaar, and currently has 23 locations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada listed on their website.

Bringing the concept to Texas are local franchisees and friends Sai Sashank and Tarang Tirumala, who moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend college.

Both have successful consulting careers, but craved a taste of home.

Ice cream is the centerpiece at Dumont with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from gourmet to classics to flavors boasting global influences: from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

There is vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip — but also unique options such as cake and jam, an ice cream with a vanilla base, bites of cake, and spiced jam; and kheer, a coconut ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts — a nod to the kheer rice pudding that's one of India's favorite desserts.

A single scoop is $4. They have cups and a cute version of waffle cones: shorter and fatter than usual, to provide a greater ratio of ice cream-to-cone.

In addition to ice cream, they have a beverage program with coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, plus boba tea. There are also special drinks like falooda — an exotic Indian milkshake with rose syrup and vermicelli — as well as limited-edition drinks like iced kheer, a cool beverage version of that same popular rice pudding dessert.

Both locations are spacious, bright, and clean, with pale green banquettes at Frisco, and pale blue chairs and tables at Coppell. Both feature an astronaut theme with statues and framed photos and cartoons on the wall. The Coppell location also has a mural dedicated to great moments in Coppell history.