To watch Tiffany Derry on high-intensity TV cooking competitions is to witness grace under pressure. On cable shows like Top Chef and Bobby’s Triple Threat, the Dallas-based chef makes it look easy—working at lightning speed, nailing each minute element of a nuanced dish, never breaking a sweat. How does someone learn to do that? Derry credits IHOP.
The Beaumont native has built a stellar resume in the roughly two decades since she learned the ropes in the kitchen of the ubiquitous pancake chain. In the past couple of years, she opened her signature restaurant, Roots Southern Table, in Farmers Branch; expanded her Plano-based Roots Chicken Shak to Austin; traveled to Hawaii to cook for Oprah Winfrey; launched the’Shef Tiffany Creole Seasoning spice blend; served as a food ambassador on a
