Kersten Rettig: Everyone is Rooting For Celebrity Chef Tiffany Derry
There are just a handful of female celebrity chefs in the country, and Dallas is home to the best: Tiffany Derry.
Tiffany is the very definition of a celebrity chef; she regularly stars in top-rated national television programs, has appeared multiple times on Times Square billboards, has cooked for major celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, is a two-time James Beard Award finalist, a brand ambassador for several top brands, created a bespoke line of seasoning and apparel, is an advocate for important food-related policy issues including reducing food waste, is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a philanthropic honor society for women in the culinary arts, owns a company that offers a pathway for small-business success, AND, operates two very successful restaurants with more on the way.
On top of all of that, Tiffany is a beautiful person, inside and out. She credits her faith, family, and team for her success. She’s accomplished so much already, but she’s just getting started.
Tiffany has been in the restaurant industry since she was 15 years old, but you might have first encountered her cuisine at Private/Social, a now-shuttered McKinney Avenue restaurant that first introduced Dallas to duck-fat fried chicken, one of her signature dishes.
In 2017, she opened Roots Chicken Shak in Legacy Food Hall to immediate and sustained success, serving duck-fat fried chicken and a glorious kale Caesar salad. Buoyed by success, she opened the restaurant she was always meant to open: Roots Southern Table, a James Beard Award finalist for Best New Restaurant and a tribute to Tiffany’s southern roots.
Tiffany and her business partner, Tom Foley, recently announced their latest concept, Radici, will open late this year and will serve Italian food. Radici means “roots” in Italian, a nod to Foley’s Italian heritage and Tiffany’s return to an Italian menu, having helmed the kitchen at the Dallas outpost of Houston’s Grotto restaurant, where pastas were made in-house as they will be at Radici.
With everything she has going on, “Life is blowing my mind,” she told me, Tiffany still makes time to serve in the community.
As a brand ambassador for Milo’s Tea, Tiffany, folks from Milo’s, and her team spent the day at North Texas Food Bank sorting and packing vegetables and talking about food insecurity in North Texas, an issue she’s been involved with for years.
Milo’s Tea Company sought a partnership with Tiffany because, as Tricia Wallwork, CEO of Milo’s said, “As a family-owned, Certified Women-Owned Business, Milo’s Tea Company looks for partners who understand our values and our mission. Tiffany was a great choice to help bring Milo’s Tea to Dallas. Not only is she active in her local community and a thriving female business owner, but she is also a Southern native with love for her family – all qualities that Milo’s values. We were honored to work alongside Tiffany.”
In addition to her team’s day of service, Tiffany created two recipes using Milo’s, including sweet tea and lemonade-marinated grilled short ribs. I used the marinade for a flank steak, and it was outstanding. The other recipe, Milo’s Sweet & Sour Crispy Chicken is on my list to prepare as well.
Roots Southern Table is in a neat new-ish development in Farmer’s Branch. Radici will be planted there as well. If you haven’t been to Roots Southern Table yet, do yourself a favor and go. The food is elevated southern cuisine, beautifully prepared and served. The restaurant has an excellent wine list and unforgettable desserts, too. And, despite how busy Chef Derry is, she is still in the restaurant, cooking, serving, smiling, and enjoying her journey.
Roots Southern Table 13050 Bee Street Ste. 160 Farmers Branch
Roots Chicken Shak 7800 Windrose Ave. Plano
