Celebrity Chef News

Carla Hall joins Dallas chef Tiffany Derry at star-studded food festival

Carla Hall will be one of the guests at Tiffany Derry's Shef F + W Festival.

Photo courtesy of Carla Hall

Dallas' celebrity chef Tiffany Derry is launching a new food festival, featuring some of her celebrity chef friends. Called the Shef F + W Festival, it'll take place at EpicCentral in Grand Prairie, which will also be home to Derry's newest restaurant.

According to a release, the festival will take place from November 8-10 and will feature appearances by TV-famous names such as Carla Hall and Michael Voltaggio, both of whom, like Derry, competed in the popular Top Chef series.

Grand Prairie will also be home to a second location of Derry's Italian restaurant, Radici Wood Fired Grill, which she debuted in Farmer's Branch in May 2024. The Grand Prairie spinoff will be located at 2979 SH-161, and is slated to open in late 2024.

The festival schedule is as follows:

Friday November 8, the festival will open with a four-course dinner at the Radici location in Farmers Branch (hmm that's not Grand Prairie) hosted by Derry and Tom Foley, the cofounders of T2D Concepts, along with Derry's special guests, who they are, the release does not say.

Saturday, November 9 will begin with a pickleball tournament where attendees can compete against chefs. There will also be whiskey and wine tastings, a panel discussion, and end with a Grand Tasting Experience — a walk-around style tasting event taking place on the Grand Lawn, featuring chefs, spirits and wine, and a performance by DreamSound. (VIP tickets provide early admission, lounge access, premium bar service, and a talent meet and greet.)

Sunday November 10 will feature a performance by chef Carla Hall, who will debut a one-woman show called Mimosas and Matinee in which Hall reflects on her evolution into her "Inner Auntie" persona, embracing the freedom of turning 60, blending personal anecdotes with real-time audience interactions.

The full lineup of celebrity chefs joining the festival includes:

Carla Hall – Chef, TV personality, and author
Kwame Onwuachi – James Beard Award-winning chef, author, and restaurateur | Tatiana
Michael Voltaggio – TV personality, restaurateur, and author
Erick Williams – James Beard Award-winning chef and founder | Virtue Hospitality Group
Silvia Barban – Top Chef Alum and restaurateur | Larina Pastificio e Vino
Tavel Bristol-Joseph – Top Chef Alum and restaurateur | Emmer & Rye Hospitality
Gabriele Bertaccini – Food Network Ciao House, chef, and founder | Il Tocco Food
Arnold Myint – Chef-owner and restaurateur | International Market
Tim Hollingsworth – Award-winning chef and restaurateur | Otium
Kelsey Barnard-Clark – TV personality, chef, and author
Kevin Bludso – Netflix Barbecue Showdown Judge, James Beard Award-winning chef | Bludso’s BBQ
Marcus Davis – Chef and restaurateur | The Breakfast Klub

Tickets range from $99 for the Mimosas and Matinee event to $175 for general admission. VIP tickets are $275.

Derry and T2D Concepts co-founder Tom Foley are also known for Roots Chicken Shak, Roots Southern Table, and a spice and apparel line called 'Shef Tiffany.

“I’m thrilled to bring some of the most talented chefs that I know together for a weekend to not only create and share great food and memories, but also create impact for our industry,” says Derry in a statement. “It’s going to be a special and delicious weekend – one that Tom and I hope will become a tradition for years to come.”

festivals celebrities chefs

Deep Ellum News

Mexican 'vibe' restaurant from California to open in Deep Ellum Dallas

Mama Por Dios

A buzzy concept from California is coming to Dallas: Mama Por Dios, a Mexican restaurant chain known for its vibe, will open its first location in Texas in Deep Ellum in the Epic development at 2525 Elm St., taking over the former La Neta space, which shuttered in May.

According to a spokesperson, the restaurant will open in early to mid-January.

Mama Por Dios was founded in Southern California in 2020 by chef Misael Guerrero, who famously got his start selling Mexican sushi out of his garage.

Since those early days, he's gone on to form a restaurant empire called Emme Group, with concepts that include Los Amores de Julia, El Rincon de Los Dolidos, and Culichi Town, a lower-priced chain known for Sinaloa-style Mexican sushi & seafood, which has a local presence: It opened a location in Mesquite in 2022.

Mama Por Dios — which translates to "Mother of God" — describes itself as modern Mexican, offering a unique blend of steakhouse, sushi bar, and seafood. The menu includes favorites like tacos and enchiladas, alongside luxe dishes like lobster with spaghetti, lobster enchiladas, and a surf & turf featuring a lobster tail balanced atop a skirt steak. Prices range from $18 for birria tacos to $48 for a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

But they also have a showy side that includes flamboyant presentations such as the bacon-wrapped shrimp which come strung on clothespins; or the trompito al pastor, served on a personal spit, as well as servers who walk around with shots while dancing with patrons.

There's a Gold Burger for $65 featuring Prime beef on a brioche bun garnished with 24k gold leaf, and a similarly gilded tomahawk steak for $400 that brings to mind the good old days of Salt Bae. Decor is swanky with low lighting, and there'll be a serious brunch offering on weekends.

Cocktails such as the Al Agua Pato — served in a mini bathtub with a rubber ducky — are made for Instagram. They offer margarita and mezcalita flights with flavors such as mango, tamarindo, and strawberry, and intriguing sips like Carajillo, a Spanish cocktail with Licor 43, espresso, and 43 different fruit, citrus, aromatic, and herbal ingredients.

There’s also a $20 per-person minimum spend, and the menu comes with a warning that everything is cooked to order — meaning some dishes may take 30 to 40 minutes. For many diners, waiting will surely be part of the experience.

deep-ellum tex-mex openings