Oprah’s Former Personal Chef Will Helm New Dallas Arts District Restaurant

Ellie’s, a new restaurant planned for the ritzy Hall Arts Hotel in the Dallas Arts District, will have Oprah Winfrey’s former private chef leading the kitchen.

Eric Dreyer, who also spent time as executive chef at Fearing’s in Uptown, will helm the kitchen at Ellie’s, set to open inside the Hall Arts Hotel at 1717 Leonard Street later this year. According to a press release, Dreyer will serve up a menu of Napa-inspired fare, which makes sense considering that his most recent job was serving as executive chef at Winfrey’s Montecito mansion, Promised Land.

Named for the mother of Craig Hall, who owns the Hall Arts Hotel, Ellie’s sounds a lot like any other farm-to-table focused spot that’s opened in recent years. No details on the menu have been made available just yet, but the restaurant will source its produce from local farms and serve seasonally appropriate dishes.

It’s interesting that Hall would hire a man as executive chef, if only because when the restaurant was announced, it boasted a “mission to empower strong women.” The restaurant has hired hospitality industry veteran Bhuvanesh Khanna, also a man, to serve as general manager at Ellie’s, and it’s unclear how exactly the restaurant plans to empower any strong women if it doesn’t hire them into leadership positions.

The Hall Arts Hotel is expected to arrive sometime this fall. Stay tuned for an official opening date.

• An Elegant Eatery That Strives to Empower Women Heads to the Arts District [EDFW]