One of Dallas’ Top Restaurants Gets a New Chef and He’s Bringing Some Special Holiday Magic

The Adolphus Hotel’s premier restaurant, The French Room, is getting a new chef. Diego Fernandez will be stepping up as the executive chef of the luxury dining retreat in downtown Dallas, bringing in some new special holiday menus with him.

With more than 15 years of experience at high-class restaurants like Quince in San Francisco and Alinea in Chicago, the Mexico City-native discovered his passion for cooking from his father who was a chef himself. The father and son opened their own restaurant in San Antonio, Starfish, in 2014.

Fernandez’s new role will include overseeing culinary operations and the vision of The French Room, as well as the The French Room Bar and tea services. The most pressing focus will be the holiday happenings the restaurant is so well known for. He’ll be responsible for Holiday Tea, which is a three-course dinner with tea pairings within a holiday-decorated wonderland.

For Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, Fernandez will be creating the experiences and special menus for the dining events. There will also be new activations at The French Room added to Fernandez’s new spin on the holiday meals.

“Diego’s attention to detail and passion for creating approachable, yet elegant, cuisine is exactly what we are looking to bring to The French Room,” says Nik Katz, general manager of food & beverage for The Adolphus.

“He will be a great leader as we move into one of our busiest and most rewarding times of the year, and we are thrilled to partner with him to make this holiday season one of the best and brightest we’ve ever had.”