..:: Dean Fearing ::..

Dean Fearing

The creator of “Elevated American Cuisine – Bold Flavors, No Borders” with his namesake restaurant Fearing’s, chef/partner Dean Fearing has developed one of the hottest restaurant concepts across the country. Named “Restaurant of the Year” and “Table of the Year” by Esquire Magazine shortly after opening and then receiving continued praise from The New York Times, Newsweek, Texas Monthly, among others, and a James Beard Foundation nomination for Best New Restaurant, Fearing’s has created quite a buzz with distinct dining venues, a spectacular farm-to-market seasonal menu, and personal presence of Fearing himself.

Long known as the “Father of Southwestern Cuisine” and now the creator of a new generation of highly-flavorful dishes, Chef Dean Fearing has spent his life cooking for people who love good food. After 20-plus years at The Mansion on Turtle Creek, he opened Fearing's in August 2007 at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. His personal vision and design, the lively, comfortable restaurant offers seven stylish dining settings, including the most distinctive alfresco experience in Dallas and a hugely popular interactive display kitchen offering ringside seating for true foodies.

The son of a Kentucky innkeeper, Dean 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. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he can be seen these days in Fearing’s wearing a crisp white chef’s coat with colorful boot embroidery, blue jeans and brightly-hued, custom-tooled Lucchese cowboy boots. When not in the kitchen, he is often found strumming his vintage Fender Telecaster guitar, one of an impressive collection, with his all chef alternative country band The Barbwires, having released their first CD “Bliss and Blisters.” He is also 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 his ever-changing cuisine.

The exuberant, ever-friendly Dean Fearing was winner of the James Beard Foundation Restaurant Award for “Best Chef in the Southwest.” People across the country are raving about Fearing’s signature dishes such as the infamous Tortilla Soup, the Barbecued Shrimp Taco, Rib Eye Mopped Over Live Mesquite, Maple-Black Peppercorn Soaked Buffalo Tenderloin, and Pan Roasted “BBQ Spiced” Filet and Chicken-Fried Maine Lobster, which has been described as “a taste of Texas,” enlivening the sense of place that Fearing set out to create.