Celebrating the Tastemakers

Dallas food fans toast culinary superstars at 2024 Tastemaker Awards

The grand finale to the 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards was a night of feasting and fêting Dallas' brightest culinary superstars of the year.

The Tastemaker Awards are CultureMap's annual celebration of the top restaurants, chefs, bars, and bartenders. Held at the Fashion Industry Gallery in downtown Dallas on Thursday, May 16, the event brought 750 hungry foodies to a hedonistic feast where dozens of nominated chefs and restaurants dished out delectable tastes.

A portion of the proceeds benefited Harvest Project Food Rescue, which fights food insecurity in Dallas.

Lines formed quickly for small plates and samples from nominated chefs and eateries:

Texas Jalapeño Pimiento Cheese from McRae's American Bistro
Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, Poblano Soup, and Bread Pudding from Anaya’s Seafood
Quail Con Mole from Black Agave
Pork Dumpling from Uchiba
Gulf Lump Crab Cake with Lemon Chive Remoulade from Carver Park
Duck Tacos from Maison Chinoise
Cavatelli al Ragù di Terra and Carpacciao di Manzo from Terra/Eataly
Cauliflower Steak Bites from Meddlesome Moth
Mahé Duck Coco Fry Canapé from Sanjh
Steak Tartare and Basque Cheesecake from Crown Block
Watermelon Salad from The Finch
Whipped Eggplant from Lyla
Caesar Alla ZZ from Carbone
Beef Tartare from Mirador
Herbed Chicken Salad in a Crispy Waffle Cone from Jonathon's
Petit Pain Perdu from The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas
Assorted French Macarons from Haute Sweets Pâtisserie
Spicy Tuna Tartare Cone from Komodo Dallas

Dallas Tastemaker Awards 2024 Jonathon's cleverly served chicken salad in waffle cones.Photo by Ashley Gongora

VIP ticket-holders could arrive an hour early to valet park easily, get a first taste of the food, and mingle at a dedicated bar just for them.

The bars poured signature cocktails featuring the spirits of sponsors Still Austin Whiskey Co. and Tito's Handmade Vodka: Made in Texas Mule, Gold Rush, Tito's Dirty Shirley, Tito's Mango-Rita, and, and Strawberry Fields Mocktail.

Non-alcoholic Espresso Martinis and Spicy Margaritas featuring alcohol-free spirits brand Ritual Zero Proof were served at the bars, and guests could stop by Ritual's table to try more A-F varieties.

Wine lovers could sample seven different Spanish Albariño wines from Rías Baixas, which sponsored the Wine Program of the Year award, and then enjoy full pours from the main bars.

Dallas Tastemaker Awards 2024 Wine lovers could sample Spanish Albarinos from sponsor Rias Baixas.Photo by Ashley Gongora

Beer drinkers made themselves at home in the Beer Garden presented by Deep Ellum Brewing Company, where they were cracking open favorites like Dallas Blonde, Deep Ellum IPA, Neato Bandito, and Dream Crusher.

8th Wonder Cannabis poured out something new to many attendees - low-dose THC-infused seltzers in flavors like lime, cherry limeade, watermelon, berry, ranch water, and paloma.

Guests rehydrated with plenty of Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water, and Whataburger sampled their new iced coffee and handed out cookies for guests to enjoy on their ride home. Additional sponsors included Audio Visual Consultations and Tock.

But this party wasn't just a feeding frenzy; we had some awards to present. For weeks leading up to the event, we published a special editorial series that highlighted nominees in 10 categories. Emcee Mark Schectman announced the nominees and winners; each time a new category was announced, cheers went up in the crowd. (Oak Cliff establishments were represented especially well, as the emcee pointed out several times.)

Dallas Tastemaker Awards 2024 Fernanda Rossano (aka "Cubby") of Kaiyo accepts the Bartender of the Year award.Photo by Ashley Gongora

The winners were chosen by a panel of local food and beverage experts, except for the category of Best New Restaurant, which was voted on by readers in a bracket-style competition online.

The winners were:

Rising Star Chef of the Year: Will Salisbury, Carbone
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Terilli's
Bar of the Year: Whiskeys
Bartender of the Year: Fernanda Rossano, Kaiyo
Wine Program of the Year (presented by Rias Baixas): Sister
Pastry Chef of the Year: Tida Pichakron, Haute Sweets Patisserie
Best Patio: Taco Y Vino
Best New Restaurant: McRae's American Bistro
Chef of the Year: Noah Hester, Hamm's Meat & Market
Restaurant of the Year: Petra and the Beast

Winners accepted gorgeous glass trophies (and reusable tumblers courtesy of Whataburger) onstage and posed for pictures.

Between feasting and celebrating, attendees stopped to snap Insta-worthy photos at a photo booth and bought raffle tickets benefiting Harvest Project Food Rescue. They got to learn more about the organization's good work from Danae Gutierrez onstage.

Hungry to be a part of it all next year? You can read about all the winners here, and we'll see you in 2025. Cheers!

Photo by Ashley Gongora

Taco Y Vino won Best Patio.

chefs awards fundraisers tastemaker awards Tastemaker Awards

history in the making

Taylor Sheridan to be honored with legendary Texas award in 2027

1923 Las Vegas Premiere Screening & After Party Taylor Sheridan

Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan is a 2027 recipient of the History-Making Texan Award.

Trailblazing North Texas producer, director, and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan will add a new award to his shelf in 2027. Sheridan has been named one of two recipients of the History-Making Texan Award, which the Texas State History Museum Foundation (TSHMF) will present in Austin in spring 2027.

Since 2005, the organization has honored "living Texas legends whose contributions to the state and the nation have been truly historic and exceptional in scope and nature." Past galas have recognized prominent Texas figures such as former presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush and former first ladies Barbara and Laura Bush, as well as H-E-B chairman Charles Butt, singer-songwriter and accordionist Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenéz, among others.

Joining Sheridan as the other 2027 honoree is Texas Historical Commission chairman, businessman, and philanthropist John L. Nau, III. The 2027 gala will be held at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin on March 2, Texas Independence Day.

"Our honorees are national leaders whose accomplishments have elevated Texas’ distinctive place on the national and international stage," said Debbie Raynor, Dinner Chair and TSHMF Trustee, in a relase. "John L. Nau, III and Taylor Sheridan have each, in very different ways, helped tell the Texas story — one through the preservation of our history and treasured places, the other through the power of storytelling that has brought Texas and the American West to audiences around the world."

Quadruple-threat filmmaker Sheridan is most widely recognized for his award-winning neo-Western TV series Yellowstone and its associated spin-offs 1883, 1923, Marshals, and Dutton Ranch. Raynor hailed Sheridan for his success in bringing a "remarkable new dimension to the way the world sees Texas and the American West."

"As a creator, writer, director, and executive producer of some of television’s most successful series, he has captured the imagination of audiences across the globe while bringing the people, landscapes, traditions and enduring spirit of the West into millions of homes," she said. "And he does more than tell the Texas story — he lives it, as a native Texan, accomplished horseman and steward of two legendary Texas ranches."

Nau is the former chairman and CEO of Silver Eagle Beverages, one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the U.S. Raynor said Nau's "commitment to preservation" extends further than his protection of Texas historic sites "to the stewardship and conservation of the land itself, including his bay area lodge in south Texas and his ranch in west Texas."

"[Nau's] leadership and lifelong dedication to history have earned him national recognition, but perhaps his greatest legacy is his determination to ensure that the stories and places that shaped Texas endure for generations to come," Raynor said.

A release estimates about 450 "business, political, and community leaders" attend the Texas Independence Day Dinner each year, and proceeds will benefit the Bullock Museum's educational programs and special projects.

The 2027 Texas Independence Day Dinner will take place March 2, 2027, at the Bullock Museum in Austin. A VIP reception will start at 6:30 pm, followed by a 7 pm reception, and 7:30 dinner and program.

Taylor Sheridan is gifting his creative archive to Texas State University.

Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan is a 2027 recipient of the History-Making Texan Award.

taylor sheridan galas awards ceremony texas texas historical commission bullock museum yellowstone awards

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history in the making

Taylor Sheridan to be honored with legendary Texas award in 2027

Taylor Sheridan is gifting his creative archive to Texas State University.