Pizza News

Celebrity chef signs on to spin world-famous pizza at DFW Airport

Wolfgang Puck was the original innovator in the world of pizza.

Courtesy photo

Wolfgang Puck, who single-handedly revolutionized pizza in the '80s, will do his spin at a brand-new concept debuting in Dallas. The Italian Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck is a new restaurant set to open at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in March 2016.

The Italian Kitchen will be a casual concept open all day, featuring a menu of rustic Italian fare, including salads, pastas, roasted meats, and last but certainly not least, Puck's signature hand-crafted pizzas, utilizing only the finest ingredients possible.

The atmosphere will be upscale, with sit-down service and a full bar, located near gate D34 in Terminal D. It represents a collaboration between Wolfgang Puck and PhaseNext Hospitality, a Dallas-based company that specializes in restaurants located in non-traditional venues such as airports and military bases.

Prices at the Italian Kitchen will be moderate, with the average check running $16 to $20. According to the Dallas Business Journal, the airport specifically requested an Italian restaurant.

This is not the first Wolfgang Puck restaurant in an airport. His Wolfgang Puck Express concept, featuring his most popular dishes in a fast-casual setting at affordable prices, is open at several airports across the country including Atlanta and Boston. But The Italian Kitchen will be his first full-service concept at DFW.

Dallas-Fort Worth is in the throes of a pizza revolution, but Puck is the original pizza innovator, dating back to the 1982 opening of Spago's, his Hollywood pizzeria where he dreamed up the idea of adding gourmet toppings such as his signature pizza topped with smoked salmon and caviar.

PhaseNext will also be opening a SmashBurger at DFW Airport.

pizza openings

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.