Chef Tiffany Derry received yet another national accolade by landing Roots Southern Table in Farmers Branch on Southern Living’s esteemed “The South’s Best New Restaurants of 2023” list.
Landing at No.21 on the best-of list, the establishment specializing in Southern comfort food was the only one in Dallas-Fort Worth and one of only two hailing from Texas.
Austin’s own Birdie’s — a restaurant offering handmade pasta dishes and more using locally sourced products served up via counter service — edged out Roots Southern Table by coming in at No.20.
Derry is no stranger to making headlines with her food as the owner of Roots Southern Table and Roots Chicken Shak, which has locations in Plano and Austin and a third in the works in DeSoto.
She has also been featured on several TV shows since winning “Fan Favorite” on the seventh season of Bravo’s Top Chef.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Derry emphasizes her Louisiana roots and the use of seasonal produce in her cuisine.
Her dedication to sustainability also sees her plan menus based on reducing waste in the kitchen.
At Roots Southern Table, which Derry opened together with Tom Foley at 13050 Bee St, the menu features classics like fried shrimp and grits, gumbo, and Southern greens alongside some internationally inspired and refined versions of fried green tomatoes, braised ox tails, and lamb chops.
The restaurant’s culinary excellence has seen it previously featured on two national best-of lists in 2021, Esquire’s Best New Restaurants and The New York Times’ America’s 50 Best Restaurants. It was also nominated for the coveted James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant and Best Chef in 2022.
The dynamic duo of Foley and Derry is not stopping at Roots. They have plans to open an Italian restaurant called Radici — “roots” in Italian — in the coming months, according to The Dallas Morning News. The new establishment will be located just a stone’s throw from Roots Southern Table and will feature a menu centered around handmade pasta and a wood-fired grill.
