This Week In Gluttony

Save John Tesar! Plus more of the best food and booze events in Dallas this week

He might have gotten the chop on last week's Top Chef Seattle, but John Tesar isdetermined to get back on the show. #savechefjohn
Photo by Jerry McClure
Who doesn't want to learn more ways to prepare bacon? You can do just that atSur La Table.
Photo courtesy of Sur la Table
Four Corners Brewery unveils a new beer, Block Party Porter, at Jack Mac’s Swill& Grill on January 10.
Photo by Daniel Driensky
Chef Danyele McPherson and The Grape are rolling out a new monthly menu for yourconsumption.
Photo courtesy of Danyele McPherson

Aren’t you glad all that holiday stuff is over with and you can really sit back and enjoy January? It’s the most wonderful doldrums of the year. Still, we’re manning our posts and bringing you our weekly roundup of food and drink events for your consumption.

Now through January 10

Dallas’ favorite bad boy chef, John Tesar, was ousted from Top Chef Seattle (for risotto!), but that doesn’t mean he’s done fighting. You can vote him back into the competition for another week. Dude set up a Facebook event. He’s nothing if not relentless. Voting ends Thursday, January 10. #savechefjohn

Wednesday, January 9

Meddlesome Moth is hosting a limited tapping of Live Oak Old Treehugger beginning at 5 pm. For more craft beer events going on around town, Brian Brown over at Examiner has an exhaustive listing that will keep your buzz going all week.

Thursday, January 10

Ellerbe Fine Foods in Fort Worth is hosting a wine dinner with Robert Foley of Robert Foley Vineyards at 6:30 pm. Price is $145 per person. Reservations are required, so call 817-926-3663. Foley Vineyards carries an array of wines, including the lesser-known French variety Charbono.

Jack Mac’s Swill & Grill in Plano is hosting the unveiling of Four Corners Brewing Company’s newest beer, Block Party Porter, beginning at 6:30 pm. We highlighted Block Party Porter last month in our roundup of new batches from local breweries.

The Grape, the restaurant previously known for its Sunday brunch burger but more recently known as the home to Top Chef Seattle contestant Danyele MacPherson, debuts its new monthly menu on Thursday, with a dozen new dishes. In the appetizer department: pickled shrimp with MacPherson's homemade saltine crackers and a unique Old Bay chile aioli.

New sandwiches include an open-face croque madame with house-smoked ham and smoked duck ham. That's two kinds of ham, plus two kinds of cheese, Gruyere and Emmental, plus béchamel sauce and a sunny-side egg on top. New desserts include pear crisp with a scoop of Chai spice ice cream.

Friday, January 11

The instructors at Sur la Table know that damn near everything is better with bacon. Learn how to use bacon to draw out the best in other foods during your (extended) Friday lunch hour at this two-hour class that starts at 11 am. Or, if you prefer, Sur la Table is offering the same class Wednesday, January 9, at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, January 12

Wine and Art Show (W.A.S.H.) is hosting the — wait for it — wine and art show in the Arts District from 2-7 pm at 1519 Beaumont St. Stop by for local wine and bites and live music, and view original works by local artists. $5 online or $10 at the door.

Sunday, January 13

Chef Gina Stipo runs the culinary adventure kitchen Ecco La Cucina in Tuscaly, Italy, but every year she stops by Dallas to give a pop up dinner at the Italian Club of Dallas with dishes like fresh pasta with ragu of wild boar and roasted pork with winter vegetables. There's even a vegetarian option with a seasonal torta rustica. Tickets are $60 for members of ICD and $75 for non-members and the dinner begins at 6 pm.

unspecified

Pie News

White Rhino Coffee acquires Dallas bakery chain Emporium Pies

Photo courtesy of Emporium Pies

undefined

A Dallas pie company has a new boss: Emporium Pies, a small chain of pie shops founded in 2012, has been acquired by White Rhino Coffee, the Dallas-born coffee company known for its community-driven cafés and craft-focused approach.

Emporium Pie owners and sisters Landon Perdue, Jen Abohosh, and Addie Roberts say in a release that the transition reflects a natural alignment in values.

"Part of our shared mission is hospitality and giving people a reason to celebrate," Roberts says. "We love the team, who I’ll continue working alongside, and I’m excited for this next chapter together. There’s something about dessert that brings people joy in a way nothing else can, and we’re thrilled to see that legacy carried forward."

Emporium began as a small operation selling pies from a 1930s bungalow in Bishop Arts. A second location opened in McKinney in 2013, followed by Deep Ellum which opened in 2016, and Fort Worth which opened in 2021, for a total of four shops. This is the second time the chain has changed hands; the original founders sold the company in 2022.

White Rhino was founded in 2007 and currently has 12 locations, the most recent being a location at Cypress Waters, inside a conference room, which opened in 2025.

“Emporium Pies has built an extraordinary legacy,” said Sara Escamilla, CEO of White Rhino Coffee. “Their products are consistently excellent, impeccably crafted, and beloved. Every pie is made with the highest quality ingredients. To be able to support and grow a concept of this caliber is an honor.”

The bakers and Addie Roberts will remain on staff, ensuring that the recipes remain unchanged. While the businesses will operate as usual for now, White Rhino Coffee plans to explore expanding Emporium Pies’ footprint across the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

They'll also introduce collaborations and menu integrations such as signature pie-and-coffee pairings.

“For now, it simply means coffee and pie - two of life’s best comforts - can be enjoyed across both brands,” Escamilla says.

openings