Celebrity Chef News

Celebrity chefs keep gambling on Dallas and diners hit the jackpot

Chicken Guy! chicken sandwiches

Chicken Guy!

It's a heady week for Dallas with two well-known names in the restaurant world making local debuts at practically the same time.

At one end is Cafe Dior by Dominique Crenn, a lunch and tea spot opening in mid-February inside the luxe new Dior boutique at Highland Park Village.

At the other: Chicken Guy!, a fried-chicken joint from irrepressible chef Guy Fieri, host of Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

But these are only two of the latest in a series of celebrity chef forays into Dallas — one that reaps tasty rewards for local diners.

Crenn is a native of France and the first female chef in the U.S. to achieve three Michelin stars. Dallas diners will soon be able to peck at her artfully composed chicken surrounded by Tuscan kale, a dish she created as an homage to a Dior dress from the '70s.

Those same Dallas diners can now chow down on a Fieri-created fried chicken sandwich featuring panko-crusted chicken topped with bacon, buffalo sauce, and mac & cheese on a soft bun.

Isn't life grand?

Cafe Dior pastry chef Juan Contreras and chef Dominique Crenn dallas.culturemap.com

Dallas has a love-hate relationship with celebrity chefs (and celebrities in general) — basking in the affirmation a celebrity endorsement brings yet also nursing a good old Texas-style suspicion towards anything not born and raised here.

And it's not like DFW does not have its own stable of home-grown celebrity chefs: from Dean Fearing to Tiffany Derry to John Tesar to Stephan Pyles to Tim Love — chefs whose combination of food chops and charisma have forged them into nationally-known name brands.

But as every other real estate survey has noted, Dallas-Fort Worth is the growing-est metroplex in the U.S. Demographers are now projecting that DFW will reach 10 million people in the 2030s — surpassing Chicago to become America's third-largest metro area, and surpassing New York by 2100.

That population boom not only brings in more out-of-towners that are open to new things, it represents an irresistible opportunity for business-savvy restaurateurs with an eye towards expansion.

Celebrity chefs in Dallas are not entirely a new phenomenon. But some came too early. Examples include Craft, the restaurant at the W Hotel in Victory Park starring chef Tom Colicchio, which opened in 2006 (the space is now Villa Azur); and Charlie Palmer at the Joule, opened in 2008, closed in 2013 (and now home to Sassetta).

But that was then and this is now, and despite prior losses, Dallas is more dazzling than ever. The "correct" mantra is to support local, but outside chefs can bring a perspective that elevates the local conversation, not to mention upping the skills by training and employing chefs and kitchen staff. (There are still staffers from Craft who nostalgically recall what an inspirational experience it was to work there.)

Plus: Dallas now gets to taste Guy Fieri's famed donkey sauce any time it wants.

Crenn and Fieri are only the two latest celebrity chefs to come to Dallas-Fort Worth. Within the past few years, we've enjoyed a major infusion of brand names willing to give DFW a crack. In good news, most are thriving. Here's some of the recent players — some still open, others closed — and a great dish they've brought to town.

INCOMING

Kim Canteenwalla & Elizabeth Blau. Husband-and-wife team whose portfolio includes Las Vegas restaurants Honey Salt and Buddy V's Ristorante at the Venetian, opened high-end steak & seafood spot Crown Block atop Dallas' signature Reunion Tower, the blinking ball on the downtown skyline, in April 2023. Unlike some other celebuchef concepts where the chef is MIA, the couple has ties to Dallas thanks to a daughter who attends SMU, and can frequently be found on-site. Dish: Branzino with preserved lemon, thyme, arugula, fennel, and pine nut salad

Chef Joey MaggioreChef Joey Maggiore

Joey Maggiore. Colorful chef from Arizona has big designs on DFW: He's already opened one location of his uber-buzzy Italian restaurant The Sicilian Butcher in Fort Worth, with a second set to open in North Dallas in mid-2025. In addition, he opened the first DFW location of his big-popular and highly-regarded brunch concept Hash Kitchen in Fort Worth in spring 2024. Dish: Meatball Ferris wheel with Tomaso’s meatball, sausage meatball with arrabiatta, eggplant meatball withmarinara, steak meatball with truffle mushroom, chicken parm meatball with Parmigiano cream, and turkey meatball with basil pesto

Graham Elliot. Former cooking show judge who built a national following on MasterChef, MasterChef Junior, and Top Chef is all-in on DFW. He's partnered with Fort Worth chef-restaurateur Felipe Armenta and his Far Out Hospitality Group to open restaurants in the area that include Cowboy Prime steakhouse, French restaurant Le Margot, and upscale BBQ spot F1 Smokehouse. And none of that drive-by stuff: He's so all-in, he's moved here. Dish: Le Margot's lavender-glazed chicken with sauteed spinach and sundried tomato

Danny Grant. Charismastic Chicago-based chef and entrepreneur is bullish on Dallas, with two hotspots both located at The National, the residence-hotel combo in downtown Dallas: Monarch, his opulent Italian steakhouse with incomparable skyline views; and Kessaku, the glam sushi restaurant and nightlife spot. Dish: Whole Maine lobster spaghetti, featuring a lobster broken into pieces over spaghetti with oloroso sherry & basil

Shaquille O'Neal. The basketball Hall of Famer is known for his fun-loving presence on the basketball court, not for being a chef. But in 2018, he founded Big Chicken, featuring a menu inspired by childhood favorites including fried chicken sandwiches and tenders with a pale, peppery battered crust. It now has more than 30 loations including Fort Worth, the first in DFW, which opened in September 2024. Dish: Shaq Attack fried chicken sandwich with chipotle BBQ, pepperjack cheese, jalapeño slaw

2 Chainz. The Grammy Award-winning rapper and TV host (Most Expensivest) co-founded Esco Restaurant & Tapas in Atlanta in 2016 with Southern dishes like red velvet chicken & waffles and shrimp & grits. Thanks to franchisee Apiphany Fuller, Dallas now has a location in a vintage downtown building at 1300 Jackson St. with good food, drinks, atmosphere, and hookahs. Dish: Fried chicken wings with scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns, and a biscuit

Ne-Yo and Crystal Renay. R&B singer Ne-Yo and reality star Renay are no longer a couple but are still partnered on Johnny's Chicken & Waffles, their music-themed breakfast-brunch concept founded in Atlanta which opened a crazy-popular location in Dallas on Botham Jean Boulevard in mid-2024. Sunday brunches are SRO. Dish: Royal Treatment Mac N’ Cheese, topped with choice of fried shrimp, chicken tenders, or fried lobster tail

Major Food Group. This is not a chef but is instead the New York hospitality firm which has taken Dallas by storm with three openings in 2022: Sadelle’s, the all-day concept at Highland Park Village; and two restaurants in the Design District: Carbone, the company's ode to Italian American fine dining, and Carbone Vino, a more casual wine-focused sibling to Carbone.

Carla Pellegrino. She starred on TV cooking shows such as Top Chef and Throwdown with Bobby Flay, before settling in DFW where she plans to open a casual Italian concept in Victory Park, Urban Italia, in the former WFAA studio.

OUTGOING

David Chang. Founder of the Momofuku restaurant empire in New York opened an outlet of Fuku, his fried chicken sandwich ghost kitchen concept, in Dallas in 2021, in the very thick of the pandemic. In fact, it was a pandemic concept at heart, servicing the sudden surge of to-go food. It closed in 2024, due not to Dallas but to Chang's business partner Reef Technology, which has shifted out of the declining ghost kitchen realm and into airports and stadiums.

Fabio Viviani Fabio Viviani

Pinky Cole. Atlanta entrepreneur opened a location of her Slutty Vegan burger chain in Dallas in May 2023, an opening met with the long lines and fanfare that accompany her openings. But whoever sold Cole on that location in Deep Ellum, with no dining room on-site and no parking, did her no favors. It closed — "temporarily" — in September 2024.

Salt Bae. Nusret "Salt Bae" Gökçe, the Istanbul chef and media sensation, opened a location of his international Nusr-Et Steakhouse in Dallas in March 2021. The restaurant was known for theatrical dishes like steak encrusted in gold leaf, as well as Salt Bae's dramatic display of sprinkling salt down his forearm. Alas, it closed in late January 2025.

Fabio Viviani. In 2024, the popular Top Chef contestant opened Jars by Fabio Viviani, his fast-casual dessert brand serving popular desserts in jars, in Dallas and Fort Worth. Unfortunately, it closed in January 2025.

"Marky" Mark and Paul Wahlberg. The famed brothers of Boston opened a location of their well-regarded Wahlburgers burger chain at The Star in Frisco in October 2019 — which as it turned out was the absolute worst time to open a restaurant as it was right on the brink of COVID-19. They bravely held on pretty long but finally threw in the towel in September 2023.

chefs trends openings

What Just Opened

Crazy wave of Dallas restaurants and bars have all just opened

Courtesy

1519 Main St.

The Dallas hospitality scene almost never sleeps and right now it's pulling an all-nighter, with a big slate of fresh openings, all of which have debuted within the past days, give or take.

Everyone's hustling to get their doors open in time for the holidays, and these establishments have all made it happen: From a cosmopolitan new lounge in downtown Dallas to a modern Asian restaurant in Plano to a bountiful AYCE Chinese seafood spot in Richardson, there's something here to pique everyone's interest and appetite.

1519 Main
Spectacular lounge is now open in downtown Dallas at 1519 Main St., in a nearly century-old building across from the Joule Dallas hotel where it's serving up stellar drinks in a space that's both cosmopolitan and low-key. The bar is from Hospitality Alliance, the company led by restaurant wunderkind Kevin Lillis, who helped create the original AT&T Discovery District. It's a stunning space with many original features like the rose-and-cream marble floors from the 1920s and the brick walls with signage from prior businesses in the space that dating back decades. The menu has cocktails from Brian Van Flandern, who oversaw the program at Per Se, The Carlyle Hotel, The Plaza Hotel, and Palm Court restaurant, and also has a homage menu featuring recipes from some of the most impactful but now closed cocktail lounges in the country. They're open Thursday-Saturday from 5 pm-12 am.

Centrale Italia
New concept from veteran restaurateur Patrick Colombo (Cru Wine Bar, Princi Italia) opened in November at Preston Hollow Village at Walnut Hill Lane and US-75 with a menu of wood-fired dishes, Neapolitan style pizza, pastas, and gelato made in-house. They're debuting brunch on Sunday December 7 and lunch on Monday December 8, with a menu that includes spicy meatball sub, chicken parm on toasted ciabatta, and a parmesan garlic cheeseburger with Wagyu beef and arugula. Salads include Little Gem Caesar, chopped salad with salami, prosciutto, and soppressata, and an Italian Cobb salad with chicken, Romaine, radicchio, avocado, beets, prosciutto, eggs, and Campari tomato in a creamy gorgonzola.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Restaurant in Richardson which just opened in the former Maxim's space is an all-you-can-eat sushi/seafood buffet featuring a daily rotating menu with 300-plus items from various Asian cuisines. There are oysters, crab legs, lobster, sushi bar, ramen bar, dumplings bar, skewers bar, noodles, stir-fries, and Chinese dishes both Cantonese and Sichuan, such as spicy boiled beef and kung pao chicken. Plus dim sum and desserts such as precision-cut layer cakes and a chocolate fondue station where you can dip strawberries and other fruit. (The lobster and crab are available at dinner and weekends only, not at lunch.) The price is $20 at lunch, $30 at dinner on weeknighs, and $35 all weekend long.

Jashan
Indian ambitious new Indian restaurant with a one-of-a-kind menu offering has opened at Plano's Legacy North with a chef team who are bringing flavors from cities and regions across India, from Dehli's fried potato tikkis to pepper chicken from the south. For those seeking something truly unique, Jahsan also offer a Dil Se menu — an omakase-style tasting, available in 7- or 13-course versions, featuring a procession of these flavors, letting guests discover the stories of these cities in one visit.

La Stella Italian Steakhouse
Stupendous Italian restaurant just opened at a storied North Dallas address at 14655 Dallas Pkwy. in the former Lawry's space, where it stands as a bigger, grander spinoff of its sibling La Stella Cucina, the Italian restaurant in Dallas' Design District. The menu is an expanded version of the original: combining Italian seafood and a chophouse, plus an accompanying music lounge for live entertainment.

LuLu Modern Chinese
Glamorous new Asian restaurant just opened in Plano at 3310 Dallas Pkwy. #121, with a goal is to bring an authentic and modern Chinese American dining experience. The menu features classics like Peking duck, xiao long bao (soup dumplings), and seafood executed with spices and recipes from various regions of China — from Shanghai to the Pan Asian continent. The 4,300-square-foot space features a subtle lounge theme — a place you can dine or grab tequila shots over a soundtrack of '90s hip-hop and pop, plus craft cocktails, and a serious collection of sake and wine — but not what you'd typically find at a Chinese restaurant.

Mendocino Farms
California chain known for creative sandwiches, salads, soups, and other healthy fare, has opened its newest DFW-area location — the sixth — at NorthPark Center, joining Addison, downtown Dallas, Plano, Preston Hollow, and Dallas' West Village. With its casual but upscale menu, featuring staples such as the Chicken & Hummus Crunch Wrap — as well as seasonal offerings like the November to Remember sandwich with turkey, mozzarella, mushroom & turkey sausage stuffing, spicy cranberry chutney, and Romaine on toasted cranberry walnut wheat bread — NorthPark seems like a perfect fit.

Old Ferry Donut
Doughnut shop chain from Korea entered the U.S. in 2023, with five locations in California. Now they've made their Texas debut in Carrollton at 2225 Old Denton Rd. #215, Their doughnuts are unique: They have a slightly chewier, more bready texture than the fluffy texture of a Krispy Kreme, and are a little less sweet than traditional American doughnuts. Many of their doughnuts have fillings, made from premium ingredients. The menu includes old-school flavors such as Boston Cream, Original Glaze, and Cinnamon Sugar — but also new-school flavors like White Chocolate Sesame, Earl Gray, and Matcha Cream.

Roots Chicken Shak
Fried chicken restaurant concept from celebrity chef Tiffany Derry, just opened a location at 3748 Belt Line Rd. #118, in a former Einstein's Bagels on the southeast corner of Marsh Lane. There are chicken wings, tenders, nuggets, and sandwiches on sweet potato buns. Derry opened the first Roots Chicken Shack at Plano's Legacy Food Hall in 2017, but the Addison location is owned by franchisees.

Yearby’s Barbecue & Waterice
Halal BBQ spot which originated in Pilot Point is in soft opening mode at a new second location in Plano at 3201 Alma Dr., just west of US-75, where they'll be open from 11 am–3 pm or sell out. There's likely to be a line, because BBQ places like to have a line, but the Yearby's in Pilot Point also earned a slot on Texas Monthly’s 50 Best list for 2025.

openings