When the 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef finalists were named at the end of March, only two North Texas names remained from January’s semifinalist list: Maggie Huff of Lucia Dallas for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker and Scott Girling of Denton’s Osteria il Muro for Best Chef.
While Lucia has been a perennial James Beard nominee, including Outstanding Restaurant in 2023 — with chef David Uyghur earning multiple semifinalist nods — it has yet to medal. Huff has long been a star baker whose stints at now-closed FT33 and Homewood made waves before she joined Lucia’s award-winning team with dishes such as her semolina cake with roasted grapes, rosemary, honey and pistachio ice cream.
Girling’s nomination is a welcome surprise. This graduate of The Culinary School of Fort Worth’s cozy, 24-seat restaurant in a downtown Denton cottage is a destination for those lucky enough to snag a reservation.
His passion always has been Italian food: Girling studied in Calabria, Italy; worked at The Grape Restaurant; and held pop-up pasta dinners while cheffng at a Flower Mound restaurant.
Girling opened Osteria il Muro in late 2021. It was an instant hit with its small menu of fresh pastas, breads and seasonal dishes using ingredients from local farms and ranchers as well as from a garden adjacent to the parking lot. Limited seating expands to the pasta bar and the patio, which is open until summer’s heat kicks in.
Reservations open one month ahead of time; think of the process as being much like buying concert tickets to a popular act. Even a last-minute notification advising of a cancellation for an 8:45 p.m. Wednesday night’s table is worth celebrating for those of us who live an hour away and know that a trip north on I-35 is always a challenge.
Winners announced June 15 in Chicago; learn more at jamesbeard.org.
Lucia Dallas
287 N. Bishop Ave., Dallas
214-948-4998
luciadallas.com
instagram.com/lucia_dallas
Osteria il Muro
311 W. Congress St., Denton
940-514-1025
osteriamuro.com
facebook.com/osteriamuro
instagram.com/osteriamuro
Meda Kessler is edible Dallas Forth Worth's art director, layout designer, and more.