{"id":6111,"date":"2026-09-08T01:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T01:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/6111\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T01:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T01:51:08","slug":"san-antonio-goes-bananas-for-red-hot-texas-food-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/6111\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio goes bananas for red-hot Texas food trend"},"content":{"rendered":"

After just two years, Texas celebrity chef Tiffany Derry’s SHEF Food + Wine Festival has become one of the tastiest tickets of fall. The third edition will return October 9-11 at EpicCentral in Grand Prairie, welcoming the most star-studded chef lineup yet \u2014 and a big reason to make the drive from San Antonio.<\/p>\n

According to a release, more than 40 nationally acclaimed chefs, restaurateurs, television personalities, and culinary figures will gather for three days of food, wine, spirits, panels, parties, and chef-driven experiences.<\/p>\n

Among the biggest names headed to the festival are Carla Hall (Chef, Emmy Award-Winning TV Personality), Duff Goldman (TV Personality, Chef & Musician), Kristen Kish (Chef, Emmy-nominated TV Host for Top Chef), Erick Williams (James Beard Award-winning Chef), and Tristen Epps-Long (Winner – Top Chef Season 22), to name a few.<\/p>\n

\"Chef Chef Tiffany Derry is bringing her SHEF festival back to DFW for a third edition in 2026. Tiffany Derry Facebook <\/p>\n

Derry, a James Beard Award-nominated chef, entrepreneur, and co-founder of T2D Concepts, founded SHEF with T2D co-founder Tom Foley. The festival is produced in partnership with Roots Impact, a T2D foundation focused on equity, mentorship, and community empowerment.<\/p>\n

While the festival is packed with delicious food served by celeb chefs, it also has a mission: A portion of proceeds supports scholarships, workforce development, mentorship, and educational opportunities for people entering the hospitality industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis festival has always been about so much more than food and wine,\u201d Derry says in the release. \u201cIt’s about bringing people together, celebrating our community, and creating opportunities for the next generation of culinary talent to learn, connect, and dream bigger.”<\/p>\n

Here’s a closer look at the chef lineup and event rundown for the 2026 festival.<\/p>\n

Culinary & celebrity lineup<\/p>\n

Thomas Foley \u2014 co-founder, SHEF Food + WineCarla Hall \u2014 chef and Emmy Award-winning TV personalityKristen Kish \u2014 chef and Emmy-nominated Top Chef hostDuff Goldman \u2014 chef and TV personalitySilvia Barban \u2014 Top Chef competitor and restaurateurErick Williams \u2014 James Beard Award-winning chefMichael Voltaggio \u2014 chef and TV personalityAngelo Sosa \u2014 chef and authorTristen Epps-Long \u2014 chef and Top Chef Season 22 winnerKevin Bludso \u2014 award-winning chef and restaurateurArnold Myint \u2014 chef-owner and restaurateurTavel Bristol-Joseph \u2014 chef and restaurateurNyesha Arrington \u2014 chef, TV personality, and restaurateurJoe Bastianich \u2014 restaurateur and TV personalityRebecca Swindle \u2014 chefTobias Dorzon \u2014 chef, restaurateur, and TV personalityOsei Blackett \u201cPicky\u201d \u2014 chef and restaurateurEduardo Ossorio \u2014 chefAnastacia Quinones-Pittman \u201cAQ\u201d \u2014 James Beard-nominated chefShirley Chung \u2014 chef and TV personalityMika Leon \u2014 chef, TV personality, author, and restaurateurOpeyemi \u201cOpe\u201d Amosu \u2014 chef and restaurateurDawn Burrell \u2014 Top Chef finalistKenny Gilbert \u2014 chefMarcus Davis \u2014 chief steward, entrepreneur, and radio hostUno Immanivong \u2014 chefSamir Dhurandhar \u2014 chefPeja Krstic \u2014 chefKevin Lee \u2014 chefMeika \u201cMiMi J\u201d Johnson \u2014 chefJoe Zavala \u2014 chefSimone Byron \u2014 chefRJ Yoakam \u2014 chefFitzgerald Dodd \u2014 chefNikky Phinyawatana \u2014 chefRobin McBride \u2014 owner and founderLady Jade \u2014 emcee for Saturday’s Signature Festival Experience<\/p>\n

\"Duff Food Network star Duff Goldman will be one of the featured chefs. Courtesy of Food Network <\/p>\n

Festival events<\/p>\n

Friday, October 9: SHEF SNO Social, Festival Kick-Off & Restaurant Takeover
The weekend begins with the SNO SOCIAL AT THE LANDING block party, presented by Carla Hall, featuring a meet-and-greet, Syrup + Sno treats, live music, and more. The SHEF Welcome Reception follows with cocktails and a live ice-carving display.<\/p>\n

The evening’s Restaurant Takeover at Radici Wood Fired Grill in Grand Prairie brings together Chef Tiffany Derry with Erick Williams, Silvia Barban, Mika Leon, and Duff Goldman for a collaborative dinner.<\/p>\n

The Juke Joint at The Landing Afterparty follows, with late-night bites from Kenny Gilbert, Tobias Dorzon, Kevin Lee, and Shirley Chung, plus cocktails and live music.<\/p>\n

Saturday, October 10: The Signature Festival Experience
Saturday begins with the Tournament of Pickleball Champions, where guests can play against celebrity chefs.<\/p>\n

From 10 am to noon, The First Bite spotlights North Texas chefs and food makers, including Zavala’s BBQ, Roots Chicken Shak, Fitzgerald Dodd, Nikky Phinyawatana, Winsome Prime, Cookie Society, Breakfast Brothers, and Smokey John’s, along with wine experiences and artisan vendors.<\/p>\n

The Guest Chef Panel, hosted by Erick Williams, features Ope Amosu, Nyesha Arrington, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, and Simone Byron discussing careers in hospitality.<\/p>\n

The day wraps with the Grand Tasting, featuring nationally recognized chefs, wine and spirits, live entertainment, and VIP experiences.<\/p>\n

Sunday, October 11: SHEF Matinee
The festival concludes with the SHEF Matinee, featuring conversation, entertainment, mini sips, and bites.<\/p>\n

Tickets are on sale now, ranging from about $10 for a single panel discussion to $826 for a VIP, all-inclusive bundle. For tickets, passes, information, and the complete festival schedule, visit the event website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After just two years, Texas celebrity chef Tiffany Derry’s SHEF Food + Wine Festival has become one of the tastiest tickets of fall. The third edition will return October 9-11 at EpicCentral in Grand Prairie, welcoming the most star-studded chef lineup yet \u2014 and a big reason to make the drive from San Antonio. According<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6112,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[6615,5,6616,5829],"class_list":["post-6111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chefs","tag-banana-flavor","tag-chef","tag-coffee","tag-trends"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dnc\/117232919044231467","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}