5 Top Dallas Chefs Bringing Flavor to the United Way Centennial Celebration

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The United Way Centennial Celebration is just around the corner. In what promises to be an incredible evening of community, philanthropy, and music (hello, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame®️Inductee and philanthropist Janet Jackson and country superstar Blake Shelton!), it’s going to be a night to remember. 

Starting at 7:30 pm, Cotton Bowl Stadium will be rocking all night long in honor of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas’ 100 years of unstoppable impact in North Texas. It celebrates the organization’s century of work, driving meaningful change and shaping a brighter future through education, income, and health initiatives. But, while the concert is sure to be a chart-topper (we wouldn’t expect anything less from Jackson and Shelton), guests will gather hours before for an afternoon full of meaningful (and tasty) events — including the Taste United Food & Wine Festival powered by Vistra and the Patron Dinner presented by Kimberly-Clark.

Let’s meet the five top Dallas chefs who are bringing the flavor and the heat to this United Way Centennial Celebration.

Chef Dean Fearing

It’s hard to find anyone in Dallas who doesn’t know Chef Dean Fearing. Creator of Fearing’s Restaurant and author of The Texas Food Bible, Chef Fearing is known as the “Father of Southwestern Cuisine” and has spent his life cooking for people who love good food. The son of a Kentucky innkeeper, Chef Fearing grew up with grandmothers who knew all about food and who appreciated the finer details of Southern cooking and barbecue. He still uses and treasures their recipes, and they remain one of the most important inspirations of his culinary life.

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America and following 20-plus years at The Mansion on Turtle Creek, Chef Fearing opened his own Fearing’s Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas in 2007. He was recently recognized as a “Pioneer of American Cuisine” by The Culinary Institute of America, and was also presented with the Silver Spoon Award for sterling performance by Food Arts. 

Chef Fearing is a restaurateur who likes to spend as much time as possible at his restaurant. Most days, he can be spotted in Fearing’s wearing a signature crisp white chef’s coat with colorful boot embroidery, blue jeans, and brightly-hued, custom-tooled Lucchese cowboy boots. He is known to spend his spare time searching the countryside for Texas culinary inspiration. The state’s rich variety of peppers, dried chilies, jicama, cilantro, tomatillos, fruits and vegetables, cheeses, Gulf seafood, and Hill Country wild game play a major role in Chef Fearing’s ever-changing cuisine.

Chef Christian Bustamante 

Chef Christian Bustamante is the Executive Chef at CATCH Dallas, one of Dallas’ hottest new concepts, where he leads one of the city’s most dynamic kitchens with a rare combination of precision, creative vision, and high-volume expertise. A Los Angeles native with proud Hispanic roots, Chef Bustamante’s culinary identity is rooted in the vibrant, layered flavors of his upbringing and sharpened by years of experience under world-renowned chefs.

His formal training began at the Art Institute in Santa Monica, setting the stage for a career defined by both discipline and daring. He first made his mark at Beso in Hollywood, working under culinary icon Todd English and alongside some of the industry’s top emerging talents. He later spent five formative years under the mentorship of Wolfgang Puck, where he refined his leadership style – one grounded in accountability, collaboration, and unwavering standards of excellence.

Chef Bustamante’s cooking philosophy is both rustic and refined, with a passion for open-fire techniques and bold, globally inspired flavor profiles. Influenced by Latin and Peruvian cuisines, his dishes celebrate both tradition and innovation. At CATCH Dallas, he elevates the brand’s signature style with standout offerings such as whole herb-roasted branzino, large-format steaks, and wood-fired specialties that reflect his distinctive culinary voice. Chef Bustamante brings unmatched energy and expertise to CATCH Dallas, curating culinary experiences that are bold, elevated, and undeniably memorable. We’re confident we’ll see that at the Centennial Celebration, too.

The featured dish at the event will be a creation by CATCH’s Sushi Chef, Stanley Xu.

Chef Tiffany Derry

Beaumont native Chef Tiffany Derry is the founder of Tiffany Derry Concepts and co-founder of T2D Concepts, the Texas-based purpose-driven hospitality group behind Roots Southern Table, Radici Wood-Fired Grill, Roots Chicken Shak, Shef Food + Wine Festival, and ‘Shef Tiffany spice and apparel line. Denied from her first cooking job at the age of 15 because of her race and gender, Chef Derry has risen her way through the culinary ranks to run her own restaurant concepts, appear on national television, and cook at the White House. Chef Derry’s authentic approach to Southern cooking landed her on the 2022 James Beard Award finalist list in two categories – Best Chef: Texas and Best New Restaurant for Roots Southern Table. Her TV appearances include MasterChef, Top Chef, Bobby’s Triple Threat, The Great American Recipe, Worst Cooks in America, Tournament of Champions, Chopped, and more. Outside of her restaurants and television appearances, Chef Derry is a fierce advocate for social justice and equity across gender, race, and food access. She spends much of her spare time lobbying politicians to pass sustainable and healthy food policies.

Chef Drew Swanson

Regional Executive Chef Andrew Swanson joined Wolfgang Puck Catering in 2012, serving first as Sous Chef for the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art before moving to Dallas, Texas, and assuming his current role. Chef Swanson’s artistic flair and creativity have won him numerous awards, as well as securing his spot for the last several years on the Wolfgang Puck Academy Awards culinary team. Graduating from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC) in 2008, Chef Swanson quickly grew his reputation as a talented chef as he worked in fine dining restaurants throughout the Chicago area.

As a child under the tutelage of his grandmother, Chef Swanson gained an in-depth knowledge of seasonal produce and a passion for creating meals with the freshest, most vibrant products of the season, which remain the driving forces behind Chef Swanson’s culinary expertise to this day. In addition to leading the Dallas culinary team, he supports Wolfgang Puck Catering locations on the East Coast.

Chef Peja Krstic

Chef Peja Krstic was born in Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. He learned at an early age that quality food is an essential ingredient for a good and high-quality life. As a child, he watched his grandfather, from whom he inherited a passion for cooking, prepare culinary masterpieces. Chef Krstic was drawn to food from the time he could reach the kitchen counter and was tutored in cooking at his grandfather’s side. His grandfather, who was a passionate traveler and gastronome, instilled in Chef Krstic the importance of experiencing and exploring the many diverse cuisines from around the globe.

In 2005, Chef Krstic moved to Dallas, where he is now a chef and owner of Mot Hai Ba in East Dallas. Under his leadership, the tiny neighborhood restaurant has received rave reviews and recognition from food critics, and most importantly, guests. Chef Krstic’s main focus is on technique and simplicity, combining Vietnamese and French. He believes in the importance of quality and seasonal ingredients. Last fall, he opened his second restaurant, Pillar, in Bishop Arts.

Bon appétit!