Denise Shavandy, competing in Fort Worth Magazine's Top Chef competition in 2018
It was just a few months ago, when Fort Worth chef Denise Shavandy announced a new pop-up dinner series following her five-year stint at Café Modern. Little did she realize another opportunity to return to a restaurant kitchen would come her way not long after.
Starting Wednesday, Shavandy will take over as chef at Burleson restaurant American Revelry, located at 279 W. Hidden Creek Parkway within The Standard at Chisenhall development. She'll spend her first days getting to know the kitchen, evaluating the restaurant's current offerings, and finding ways to put her own spin to the upscale American menu.
"We'll be delving a little deeper into ethnic influences behind different regions within the United States," she says. "America is such a melting pot ... There's the influence of immigrants who've come to the states that have dramatically changed the foodscape within different regions. I'm really looking forward to exploring that idea."
American Revelry, owned by developer Timothy Windmiller and business partner Les Vernon, opened about two years ago and is currently operating without an executive chef. Christian Tahahn serves as general manager.
At first, Shavandy was hesitant to take the position. She was just starting her dinner series, Spork & Spice, around the time Windmiller first pitched the idea of coming to American Revelry. She initially declined the offer, wanting to focus on her newly launched venture — up until a few weeks ago when Windmiller came calling again.
"It's really good to be wanted, you know what I mean?" Shavandy says, laughing. "The enthusiasm and passion between [the owners and general manager] are what really convinced me that this is going to be a really great place to be."
Shavandy says she plans to bring cooking classes to the restaurant, along with more intimate dinners featuring wine pairings and chef-curated menus. And Spork & Spice isn't going away either — she also plans to host pop-up dinners periodically in between her time at American Revelry.
"I'm super excited to have a kitchen and a home, be able to have guests on a regular basis again, and have some opportunity for creativity as well," she says.
