Chef Silvia Barban makes her second appearance at the Shef Food + Wine Festival
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
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The heat is on next week when the Shef Food + Wine festival returns to Grand Prairie. This second annual food and wine festival is curated by Chef Tiffany Derry and Tom Foley of the purpose-driven hospitality group T2D Concepts. Plus, Chef Tiffany has that Top Chef celebrity fame as well as her own acclaimed restaurants Roots Southern Table and Radici Wood Fired Grill with Foley, so that means, they are bringing in the big culinary names for a weekend of food and drink experiences, panel discussions, tastings and even a pickleball tournament.
“Shef F+W is back and better than ever — packed with flavor, fun, and a purpose,” Foley said in a press release.
The festival runs Oct. 23-26 in Grand Prairie at EpicCenter.
Derry added, “We’re bringing together some of the best chefs in the industry to celebrate great food while creating real, lasting impact in our community.”
Personalities slated to appear at the festival include James Beard Award Winner, author and restaurateur Kwame Onwuachi, Ace of Cakes’ Duff Goldman, chef and author Angelo Sosa and James Beard winner Chef Erick Williams.
Among the guest chefs is out chef —and pasta queen — Silvia Barban, another Top Chef alum from season 14 who just opened her new pasta shop Tortelli in New York City earlier this year as well as the founder and executive chef of LaRina Pastificio & Vino and Briscola Trattoria both in Brooklyn.
Barban also returns to the festival. For her, it was an easy “yes,” because although they were on different seasons of Top Chef , being part of the experience is a strong bond for her and Chef Derry.
Besides…
“Why would I say ‘no?’” Barban said. “We have so many people in common and when we met, we just clicked right away. She has great energy and for me, being a female and a minority, this is just one of the best events I ever cooked in.”
Barban is certainly more than her Top Chef appearance, but at the same time, she holds the experience close. No doubt it was traumatic in its own way. She was stressed but also excited about doing the show. And she gives that exposure all the credit.
“Doing that really led the way for me to be where I am now,” she said. “The connections I have to people and the industry is because of the show, and even after 10 years, people still recognize me.”
Barban described herself as a later bloomer. Her career was established but she had some figuring out to do. Finding her own self was challenging amid the swirl of reality TV fame.
“I wanted to do more things in the community but I often felt people just saw me through straight eyes,” she revealed. “A lot was going on at that moment — I was starting a new restaurant but then juggling my feelings.”
Today, Barban identifies as bi and has a wife as well as three locations to oversee.
“When I found this new part of myself, I first grew a lot, but then everything was different — in a good way,” she said. “I felt like I was at a new level in a new game.”
These days, she and her wife are determining their next step: buying a house, moving away from New York City or simply, figuring out their future.
Before all that is settled on, Barban’s gotta head to the Lone Star State. But she doesn’t have a grand plan for this visit. She’s gonna keep it simple.
“For sure I hope to make it to Tiffany’s restaurant. It was a very short trip last time, but I have an extra day this time. But I’m just gonna be happy to try all the new food at the festival,” she said.
You may see Barban at the festival opening on Thursday with the Restaurant Takeover at Terry’s Radici Wood Fired Grill in Grand Prairie — an exclusive four-course dinner showcasing work by select chefs.
On Friday, the Shef Welcome Reception officially launches the weekend of events followed by the panel and demonstration Whiskey and Wine with Dawn and Robin and the SpeakSHEasy AfterParty with live music by Dreamsound and late night snacks by Chef Samir Dhurandhar of Nick & Sam’s.
On Saturday, the festival hosts its Pickleball Tournament paired with more tasting and sampling sessions and culminates into the Grand Tasting, a full-on celebration of food and drink from culinary talents in the country.
This year’s festival continues its partnership with the Texas Restaurant Foundation to support RECIPE, an innovative workforce development platform by T2D Concepts that empowers hospitality workers through education and mentorship. The festival will also award scholarships to aspiring culinary students from the Dallas area.
For more information and tickets, visit ShefFoodandWine.com.