Chef News

Acclaimed Dallas chef closes Bishop Arts restaurant due to illness

Chef Justin Holt has helped many others via his charitable efforts.

Photo by Hoyoung Lee

Acclaimed chef Justin Holt has closed his Bishop Arts ramen shop Salaryman, in order to undergo treatment for cancer.

According to a GoFundme established by friends, Holt was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in early October. He was immediately admitted to the hospital and is undergoing an aggressive treatment program, with the support of his partner Trina Nishimura.

Nishimura told Eater that Salaryman closed on October 15.

According to the GoFundMe, which is seeking assistance for medical and living expenses, Holt started to feel sick in early summer, and consulted with numerous doctors trying to find a diagnosis for his symptoms.

The treatment requires 24-hour monitoring, and the two have been in the hospital for a month.

"Due to the pandemic Trina is also not allowed to leave the hospital for any reason since it would put her and subsequently Justin at risk of contracting COVID-19," the GoFundMe says. "If she did leave, Justin would be forced to finish out his treatment alone."

"Once they're out of the hospital, Justin still has a long road of treatments ahead," it says. "With great sadness, the incredibly tough decision to permanently close Salaryman was made. Justin and Trina’s decade long dream is over...but the shop is just bricks. It's the people who matter."

Holt started Salaryman as a late-night pop-up concept while he was still working as sous chef at Lucia, the acclaimed Italian restaurant. He's won numerous accolades including a nomination for Rising Star Chef in CultureMap's Tastemaker Awards.

Holt is beloved by his peers, and has participated in charitable endeavors such as No Kid Hungry; Free Bird, where he served free Thanksgiving to those in need; and Connecting People with Plates, when he helped feed the service industry during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The GoFundMe goal is currently $75,000, and has raised more than $42,060.

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Pizza News

Donatos Pizza totes its unique crust to new location in Flower Mound

dallas.culturemap.com

Donatos

A pizza chain with a quirky obsession on its crusts is coming to Flower Mound: Donatos Pizza, the franchise famous for spreading its toppings to the very edge of the pizza, will open a location at 1400 Long Prairie Rd. #160.

According to a release, it'll open on December 17.

Donatos Pizza was founded by Jim Grote in Ohio in 1963 from a single stand, and remains family-owned. Their signature is to place the toppings on their pizzas "edge to edge" — for clueless diners who do not like plain crust edges. (Come on, the crust is the best part.)

Their menu features more than a dozen varieties of pizza such as veggie, four cheese, and pepperoni with hot honey. Their signature crust is a thin-crust but they also offer thicker alternatives as well as a cauliflower crust. Pizzas come in a 7-inch individual and go all the way up to a 14-inch large. Prices range from $15 to $25.

Fans appreciate their better-than-average ingredients and describe it as more flavorful compared to other corporate pizza chains, with a crisp thin crust and generous toppings.

In addition to pizza, Donatos' menu includes oven-baked wings, sub sandwiches, including meatball and Italian cold cuts, plus appetizers and salads.

The Flower Mound location will be a family affair, owned by Lynne and Ralph Pence, whose son Travis will oversee day-to-day operations. The Pence family has deep connections to Donatos including the fact that Lynne's sister used to work for the company, while her brother-in-law still does.

"We're from Columbus, Ohio — it is where our kids grew up and where our family is—it also happens to be the hometown and birthplace of Donatos Pizza," Lynne says. "Our daughter in Oklahoma found out Donatos was coming to Edmond, where she lives, and called us. She was so excited that Donatos was finally coming down south and we wanted to be a part of it."

This is the second Donatos in the Dallas area: a location opened in Frisco in November — the first in Texas.

There are currently 470-plus locations in 28 states. That includes 175 stores plus nearly 300 non-traditional locations nationwide, including select Red Robin restaurants, sports, and entertainment venues.

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