Former Top Chef Favorite Launches Her Own Food Festival in Grand Prairie — Tiffany Derry Draws a Star-Studded Lineup

A former Top Chef fan favorite and celebrity chef TV personality, Tiffany Derry, has been drawing North Texas diners to Farmers Branch since she opened Roots Southern Table at Mustang Station in 2021. The North Texas restaurant debuted to national recognition, scoring slots in both the New York Times’ “Top 50 Restaurants in the U.S.” and Esquire’s “40 Best New Restaurants in America.” Derry also earned a nod as a finalist for Best Chef Texas in the 2022 James Beard Awards.

Earlier this year, Tiffany Derry and her business partner Tom Foley opened their latest T2D Concepts venture, a brand-new Italian restaurant called Radici. It is a must-visit for its focaccia, meatballs, lasagna Bianca, and much more. Now, Derry is gathering the biggest names in the culinary world for a new food festival called Shef F+W Festival. The inaugural fest will take place at Grand Prairie’s EpicCentral on November 8 through November 10.

The three-day festival will feature Derry’s friends/culinary icons. These include TV chef personality Carla Hall, James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi, Michael Voltaggio, Silvia Barban, and so many more. Just two years ago, Hall also came to Farmers Branch to host a special evening at Roots Southern Table with Derry.

The Shef F+W Festival weekend will begin with a Shef Tiffany and Friends Restaurant Takeover at Radici for an intimate four-course dinner and wine pairing experience.

A pickleball tournament (Chicken N Pickle is also located at EpicCentral) where festival attendees can compete against chefs is set for Saturday, November 9. An Uncle Nearest Whiskey Experience, wine tasting and intimate panel discussion will follow. Then, festival goers can attend the Grand Tasting Experience — a walk-around style tasting event featuring nationally and internationally recognized chefs, spirits and wine, and a performance by DreamSound. Opt for a VIP ticket and you’ll receive early admission, lounge access, premium bar service, and an exclusive talent meet and greet.

The food festival will close out on Sunday, November 10 with Mimosas & Matinee, where Carla Hall will debut her One Woman Show.

A portion of the proceeds from the Shef F+W Festival will go to the Texas Restaurant Foundation. The foundation is “dedicated to transforming the culinary scene and advancing the development of a learning platform, Recipe, to provide personal development and professional growth opportunities for hospitality professionals. T2D, emphasizing the importance of education and its core value of learning continuously, is excited to award a small scholarship to a woman in the culinary arts,” according to a release.

“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,” Derry says. “It’s going to be a special and delicious weekend — one that Tom and I hope will become a tradition for years to come.”

In related news, EpicCentral also plans to open a second location of Radici later this year.