Matt McCallister's FT33 Has An Exciting New Chef

The departure of Chef Nilton “Junior” Borges from Uchi was certainly a surprise, but where the uber-talented chef has left since leaving the sushi restaurant may be even more of a shock. Starting next week, Borges will lead the kitchen at Matt McCallister’s FT33.

According to GuideLive, McCallister scooped up Borges soon after he left Uchi, inviting him to cook family meal at FT33 before offering him the gig. In a bit of a surprise twist, Borges will officially take over the kitchen at FT33 as executive chef, while McCallister jumps between the kitchen there are Filament, his new Southern cuisine spot in Deep Ellum.

In the meantime, Borges will work with McCallister to revamp the restaurant’s tasting menus, and continue the “restaurant’s commitment to fine-dining food using local ingredients.” As GuideLive notes, this is Borges’ second executive chef job at a five-star restaurants in Dallas, where he’s lived for just over a year.

In a press release, Borges said that taking the job at FT33 was a no-brainer. ““My background is cooking modern American food with global flavors,” he said. “The other day I experimented in the FT33 kitchen with a dish made of squid, lardo, pickled onion, and mustard. Will that dish be on the menu next week? I’m not sure, but it was as a productive conversation starter about how we see the menu evolving.” For his part, McCallister is equally excited for the “fresh perspective” that Borges will bring to the four-year-old kitchen.

Borges starts his new gig at FT33 next Tuesday.