Fort Worth chef shortlist

CultureMap Fort Worth on April 24 published its 10 nominees for 2026 Chef of the Year, the final category before this year’s Tastemaker Awards. (fortworth.culturemap.com) The list includes Michael Arlt of The Mont, Jon Bonnell of Bonnell’s, Waters, Buffalo Bros. and Jon’s Grille, and Rodrigo Cárdenas of Dos Mares. It also includes Ix-Chel Ornelas Hernandez of Tinie’s Mexican Cuisine, Marcus Kopplin of Duchess at The Nobleman, and Molly McCook of Ellerbe Fine Foods. (fortworth.culturemap.com 1) (fortworth.culturemap.com 2) The remaining nominees are Jett Mora of Cafe Modern, Tim Prefontaine of The Fort Worth Club, Theodore Tom of Cattlemen’s Steak House, and Craig Walter of The Chumley House. CultureMap said the group includes chefs from nationally recognized restaurants, newer openings and long-running Fort Worth institutions. (fortworth.culturemap.com 1) (fortworth.culturemap.com 2) The award is part of CultureMap’s annual Fort Worth Tastemaker Awards, which covers nine categories across the city’s restaurant and bar scene. A panel of judges made the nominations and will select the winners in every category except Best New Restaurant. (fortworth.culturemap.com) Best New Restaurant is the outlier: CultureMap readers decide that award through an online tournament, while the rest are judged by local culinary experts and past Tastemaker winners. The 2026 ceremony and tasting event is scheduled for Thursday, April 30. (fortworth.culturemap.com 1) (fortworth.culturemap.com 2) This year’s event will be held at Social Space, a new venue for the awards, and CultureMap said guests will get chef-prepared bites, cocktails and the live winner reveal. The event preview published April 23 said the ceremony was less than a week away. (fortworth.culturemap.com) (fortworth.culturemap.com) The chef category also works as a snapshot of where Fort Worth dining is right now: established operators like Bonnell and McCook appear alongside newer projects such as The Mont, Duchess at The Nobleman, Dos Mares and The Chumley House. Several of those restaurants also show up in other 2026 Tastemaker categories. (fortworth.culturemap.com) (fortworth.culturemap.com) CultureMap’s broader nominee rollout began on February 26, when it published the full Fort Worth field and announced April 30 as the date winners would be revealed. The Chef of the Year list closes that rollout with six days left before the ceremony. (fortworth.culturemap.com) (fortworth.culturemap.com)