Food&Wine Elevated and Culturally Curated by Tiffany Derry & Tom Foley

We are days away from Shef Food & Wine, one of the most dynamic Food & Wine experiences in the United States. And it's happening in Grand Prairie, Texas, the backytard of the Team lead by partners Chef Tiffany Derry and Tom Foley.

Tiffany Derry is known by many from her television appearances on Top Chef but she also is as known locally. From her regular appearances on local morning news shows to her successful restaurants Roots Southern Table (most known for their duck fat friend chicken) and Radici Wood Fire Grill. It is also notable that Tiffany and her partner Tom also owns Roots Chicken Shak, a fast food concept with the additional mission of making generational wealth possible through access to franchising. 

Which brings us to why Shef Food & Wine is so special. 2025 is the second year of Shef Food & Wine experience and last year had many surprises that I haven't seen at other food and wine festivals which clearly showed that Tiffany and Tom aren't just randomly serving as Hosts of one of our States biggest Food and Wine festivals. The first year of the Shef Food & Wine in 2024 was so curated that it felt not only intentional but mission driven.

The intentionality and mission is best experienced by understanding the level of talent and programming the team orchestrates over the three days of the main Shef Food & Wine festival.

Talent

I have been to most of the food & wine festivals in our area but Shef Food & Wine is special because attendees are the lucky ones who get to experience the tastes and drinks from some of the most enviable national talent AND state talents. And they are here from near and far because Tiffany is so beloved not just by her fans but also by the Hospitality Community that respects her. Here's a snippet of who you will see at Shef Food & Wine:

==> Long awarded Chef dynamo Kwame Onuwachi cooking up elevated culturally rich cuisine inspired by the empire he's building from New York to D.C. to Las Vegas. Kwame is both a brilliant Chef and a "cousin" to Tiffany but he's also extremely personable in the msot shyest of ways. It is a rarity and a treat to experience the cuisine that Kwame and his Team dreams up for Shef Food and Wine.

==> Fawn Weaver and Robin McBride: in another incredibly rare opportunity, Fawn Weaver of Uncle Nearest and Robin McBride will do a joint Whiskey + Wine event on Day 1. What I especially love about this event is that Tiffany's inspriation for her Shef branding is rooted in empowering women in the Food & Hospitality industry. The fact that two of some of the most successful leaders of a wine and spirits brand will be in one room at one event with the perspective of Black women excelling in a tough industry is beyond important. This, in my humble opinion, is one of the most incredible events slated for the weekend and is a must attend.

==> The Grand Tasting: I'd argue that the Shef Food&Wine Grand Tasting is the best in the country becuase it's not just about the insane talent and brands that comes to support Tiffany Derry and Tom Foley, it's the diversity, creativity and all out culinary effort in what the talent brings to the festival. For example, I've eaten many times at Tavel Bristol-Joseph's Emmer&Rye Hospitality Group's restuarants in Austin and am very aware of their brilliance as recognized by Michelin Green Star and Bib Gourmand. But what Tavel brings to Shef Food&Wine is one of the most elevated tastes I've experienced at a Food&Wine event. So much so that I made sure that each of the Influencers at the event tasted it as a symbolic example of elevated cuisine that they won't experience at other food and wine festivals in our region.

==> Another standout event apart of Shef Food & Wine was the Thai & Lao Kickoff Dinner with brilliant Asian Chef Talent including Arnold Myint (aka Suzy Wong) who also debuted his new book Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home, Saeng Douangdara and Chef Uno. The kickoff dinner happened at Zense Thai Restaurant and featured a 12-dish, four course menu that ranged in an explosion of flavor profiles and cuisine freshly prepared to be an infusion of a unique dining experience like no other. 

Served family style, the courses ranged from:

* Starters: Crispy Shrimp Tom Kha Shooter and Mieng Muang Luang (Sticky Rice Paste Wraps)

* First Course: comprised of four dishes, the standout was Kanom Jeen Sao Nam (vrmicelli with fresh pineapple, young ginger, garlic dried shrimp, chili, lime and rich cocunut sauce)

* Second Course: comprised of four dishes, the standouts were the sticky ribs, Snapper Tom Yum (tomato confit, okra, mushrooms, galangal, thai chili, lemongrass, makrut) and Khao Kluk Grapi "Yat Sai" (an egg crepe stuffed shrimp pasta rice dish)

* Dessert: Tap Tim Krob (ruby chestnut boba, basil seed gelee, chilled coconut soup) and Roti Grilled Banana Babin (cocunut ice cream) 

What makes the experience also unique will be the per course wine pairings by La Fete Wine Co.  that included:

* La Fete du Rose 2023 (Starter Course)

* La Fete du Rogue 2022 (First Course)

* La Fete du Rogue 2015 (Second Course)

See the highlight here...

I purposefully detailed the kickoff event dinner and shared the website to list the Talent because for Texas, Shef Food & Wine is a rarity in enveloping the full range of cultural foods that brings a global flavor palate inclusive in one event. Believe it or not, that can be rare for Texas whose food events tends to stick with the typical TexMex/tacos, steaks, mexican and bbq that has historically symbolized the food cuisine. 

Shef Food & Wine is challenging the traditional Texas food palate and in my humble opinion as someone not only traveled but also well versed in diverse cuisines, the festival is timely with the advent of so many new residents who expect the same level of cuisine they have experienced in their own travels and former residences. Shef Food & Wine is crafting a lane that will fulfill and expand the flavor palate of both old and new Texas residents. 

And for that I say bravo to both Tiffany Derry, Tom Foley and the dedicated teams that makeup T2D Concepts. 

Shef Food & Wine is all weekend from October 23-26, 2025 and it is expected to be one of our region's stand out events. The vision for

For more information and for ticketing, go to www.sheffoodandwine.com

Dallas Film Expands Programming to Artful Tiny Sized Storytelling

In our modern times, more than ever, archiving our human experiences in storytelling form seems to be more important than ever. That's why I am such a huge champion of the 2nd Annual expansion event of the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) entitled DIFF Shorts.

What are Shorts? Think of film Shorts as Twitter versions of full length feature films. They are short, succinct, to the point and with passionate intention. 

Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) Shorts

For the 2nd Annual version, DIFF is offering a full range of 100+ Shorts that are 4 minutes up to 22 minutes, categorized into thematic blocks. The block themes range from  "Legacy" to "Relationships" to "Sports" to "Highschool Shorts" to "Latino Shorts".

The range and breadth of the films are as diverse as the lived experiences of what it means to live a life on this Earth. 

DIFF shorts opened with a brilliant presentation by the Dallas Film Commission of which most Dallas residents doesn't even know exists. As Dallas (along with the Texas Film Commission) makes the case that we are one of the best destinations to film and we also have the infrastructure and incentives (backed by the Texas government) to attract top productions, their work becomes even more important in ensuring the people who write, produce, direct and work on films know of all the resources available. And to my suprise while listenting to their presentation: the resources are vast. And growing. As evidenced by The Chosen currently doing filming in Corsicana, TX as I write this article.

Day 1 of DIFF Shorts continued with blocks including "Echoes" and "Legacy". So what films define these thematic blocks?

Echoes

The films in this block ranged in an emotional rollercoaster of grief, hope, loss and navigating the turmoil of life experiences. Just to highlight a few of the films:

"Seeking Hwa Sun" (Denmark) was the first film I've ever seen that helped me gain insight into what life can be like living with a loved one with mental illness. The story unfolds when the main character Hwa Sun receives a letter from one of her daughters that forces her to re-live a time she thought had past. The scars she caused sends her into an "episodic breakdown" that she can't ignore.

"In Loving Memory of Our Transgressions" was shot locally in Ft Worth, TX and took the Director Jorge years to bring it out publically. Given the film short is only 10 minutes, that may seem illogical but when you see the film production capturing the grittiness and imagery of what life is like from the perspective of a teenage boy that is wrestling with his identity of wanting to escape the dim future of his Rock Island neighborhood, it draws you in to his world. And leaves you with an informed imagery of life of some of the people who seek hope beyond their transgressions.

"When Everything Was Blue" was the most simplistic and gut-wrenching film of the block for me. At
just 14 minutes, the Director Christina Chironna uses every minute to show a film that looks as if it was put together from a family's personal archive of VHS recordings. The film shows several snap shots of a Dad recording life over a period of time (displayed within the film) leading up to the before, during and after September 11th. The Dad's 9/11 fire fighter efforts was insinuated from their home life viewpoint, with no views of him being actually onsite of the Twin Towers. The story arch is suspenseful in the emergency call he receives, the chest coughing and weazing weeks after being at ground zero for three weeks after the tragedy. One of the most poignant parts of the film was as a reminder (that was frankly shocking) of a paused screen saying more pople have died from 9/11 related illnesses than who actually died the day of the tragedy. I pray we don't forget all the victims.

Legacy

"The 21" hit me heavy as I'm sure Director and Screenwriter Tod Polson intended it to be of both impact and as a sacred memorialization. The film recounts, in an artistic animated way, the martyr killing of 21 Christian Egyptians by ISIS in Libya in 2015. I had vaguely remembered the news story but none of the news that I recalled was as confrontational as the film. Not confrontational as to be preachy of the Chrisitan faith or even critical of the ISIS regime, per se. The confrontation happened in how the film showcased a build up of time of what the Christian martyrs endured culminating to the violent tragedy on the beach. At many instances through outright torture, the Christian martyrs were given opportunities to deny their faith, even being killed one by one of the beach in the horror of each of their faiths to deny Christianity and save their life. But none of the 21 souls denied their faith even after days of torture and seeing the violence of their imminent doom. Whether you are a Christian or not, the confrontation of self and reflecting on what core values and beliefs you hold so strongly that you would stand your ground through torture and imminent death had the audience in absolute silence. I really belive we were all silently qustioning our own faith towards the things we hol so strongly that not even death can deviate us to stand firm.

"What We Wished We Could Be" is nother one of those films that gives the audience insights inended to be an artistic bridge of waht life is like for someone experiencing something very specific. In this case, it is related to the contaminated blood scandal. The 21-minute film shows a yound couple dating and the difficult decisions that in ful disclosure, the effects of dealing with a chronic disease and it's debilitating flare ups. It continues with their relationship and how the desire to finally have a glime rof hope to wellness risks life itself. A very pleasant surprise was a chorus shot in black and white where the main character embodies the hopes and dreams of all those who were infected by the virus. It was an espcially poignant moment in the film. 

Day 1 of DIFF Shorts was grounding as a reminder of how many stories either haven't been told or are stories that we need to be reminded of to never forget. For in the rememberance or awareness, we are reminded of our shared humanity on this Earth. When the world seems too much, we all have a way of retreating back into our controlled bubble of existence but that's not necessarily a good thing because how else do we stay empathetically informed while maintaining the grace of gratefulness? 

We need the stories of our lives to be told through art, film, culture and othe rmedia to serve as the archives for generations to come lest the historical accuracy lose its context.

I invite you to join us for Days 2 and 3 of DIFF Shorts as it continues to be a beacon the exact platforms and programs we need to not let us ever forget or become unaware.

Dallas International Film Festival

DIFF Shorts

October 17-19, 2025

Angelika Theater

Website: https://diffdallas.org/diff-shorts

Follow along on Instagram and Facebook: @wearediffdallas #wearediffdallas

Design is Ready to Be Reimagined

From Corey Damen Jenkins' "Design Reimagined"

Design is having a moment. A reimagined one.

Why?

In our current world of natural disasters, political turmoil and daily high alert news, design is an inspirational reprieve that isn't based on race or necessarily socio-economic positioning. 

That's why Corey Damen Jenkins new book "Design Reimagined" so resonates with me.

Corey is a quintessential "joy" designer. Meaning, every since I met him two years ago for the Dallas KB Showhouse, I am perpetually amazed at how joy seems to be an ongoing theme no matter who the client or design project. 

I have watched his evolution into stardom in such diverse ways depending on the project and the theme always seems to have joy at it's core.

Quote from "Design Reimagined"

For his new coffee table book tomb "Design Reimagined" (Rizzoli), one of the most initial standouts was Corey's heartfelt quote in the book's dedication page (see right image).

"Design Reimagined" continues to a Foreword written by Amy Astley of Architectural Digest that perfectly captures one of the reasons Corey is so infectious within the interiors industry: "His broad, friendly smile, gracious manner, and direct eye contact". It is the same exact takeaway I had upon meeting Corey over two years ago. 

And it makes perfect sense considering my comment above about "joy" being the correlating thread in all of Corey's projects. 

What also permeates his evolution is the way Corey makes joy sophisticated and fun in all his projects. 

In a sea of same-ness or beige-ness, Corey's key characteristic of using color, pattern and mixing design elements to create a space that has a vibe is, well, inspiring. Corey's projects also seem to have intentional elements of tradition and heritage that some would not associate with vibrant color palettes. And yet, Corey does it in such a seamless way that it delights and expands what some design enthusiasts would expect.

From "Design Reimagined"

The fact that Corey doesn't shy away from the mixture of elements of modernity with tradition and vibrancy with classics almost seems like a protest to the idea of creativity as a practice of learned traditions with no room for delight. 

I think this can be especially inspiring to the growth of self home designers who swap out seasonal color tones or who do regular refresh home space updates. Corey's delightful pallettes from his projects has a way of inspiring ideas that can be incorporated even if you are not at the point to hire a professional design team (follow me on my socials @curvalish to see Lifestyle Mood Boards inspired by Corey's designs). His interior spaces are very relatable in that way and big budgets aren't required. Inspiration and imagination are the only hallmarks necessary to recreate for yourself some of his most dynamic projects noted in "Design Reimagined".

So what exactly is Design Reimagined?

It is the unapologetic embracing of classic architectural bones.

It is rich color combinations.

It is classic elements with a modern twist.

It is dynamic pattern play.

And "Design Reimagined" is filled with the luxurious inspiration of what's meant to be both inspirational and practical. Featuring ten of Corey's client projects, you will also get insightful doses of pro tips and tricks that anyone can use for their own projects. 

Of the ten projects, a couple of highlights included:

==> "A New Beginning": features a client's high-rise luxury apartment in a New York prewar building. I especially love it because the shades of pinks/mauves used throughout the apartment reminds me so much of my grandmother's church gossip-enducing pink living room she designed herself despite the criticism. Corey's injection of pink and mauve in the apartment's spaces is elegant and grounded. Even the pops of pink and purple wine glasses that sat agains the calcatta viola marble makes a perfectly muted statement of daring individual personality rooted in classic luxe. The pinks and mauves draws you in without being predictable as in a Barbie pink castle kind of way. It's feminine but not overtly girly to the point where visitors won't misunderstand that a grown women lives there.  

And the peacock prints and various shades and patterns of green throughout is chef's kiss.

==> "Lions and Tigers and Chairs": features a client's architectural wonder in Greenwich, Connecticut. The image at the beginning of this post with Jackie O hung in a seated cove is from this project. Corey's design was apart of a renovation of the home. With so many captivating architectural interests of this period home, what struck me is how Corey managed to design spaces so that the architecture and design were in a collaborative dance. 

From "Design Reimagined"

Even coating the woodwork in white lacquer seems to draw your attention MORE to the unique details. But those detailes aren't so promiment whereas you feel like you are in a traditionally stagnant home. With the pops of color from flowers to accessories to prints to abstract art showcases, the spaces feel like an evolution passed down through generations. And the current generation added touches of whimsy such as gold herons catching a ride atop curious turtles and a Tiffany Blue dining with complements of tangerine and butter yellow furnishings and add patent leather stools with gold piping.

I must also mention that Corey stated these clients were a result of being inspired by his 2019 Kips Bay Showhouse New York library themed "To the Lady of the House with Love". Corey also has a space he designed for 2025 Kips Bay Showhouse New York happening right now themed "The Looking Glass Dining Room".

If you want an inspired reprieve from the cares of our current world and get inspired for your next home design project, "Design Reimagined" is a journey that reminds me of the quote by Diana Vreeland: "the eye has to travel".

Thank you Corey. After reading and viewing the gorgeous images in "Design Reimagined", my eyes have traveled.