Tiffany Derry

Beaumont, Texas native Tiffany Derry began her culinary career at fifteen at a world-renowned establishment known for breakfast. Initially applying for a cook position, Tiffany was denied because of her gender and was hired as a server. During her time as a server, Tiffany always observed and yearned to be in the kitchen. Due to the kitchen being understaffed, Tiffany got her wish and proved her ability to measure up to the male dominated position and worked her way up within the company, becoming the youngest person to hold a management position.

Upon high school graduation, Tiffany vowed to study abroad yearly while attending the Art Institute of Houston.  She spent time in Costa Rica, Mexico, Italy, France, China and Hawaii, and that is where she developed a deep appreciation for different cultures and cuisines.  Her travels were followed by stints in esteemed kitchens in Houston and Dallas including Pesce, Grotto Cucina Napolitano and Go Fish Ocean Club.

In 2010, Derry teamed with the Halstin Group to open Private|Social in the heart of Uptown, Dallas to much fanfare. The restaurant garnered much praise, including a 4-star review from The Dallas Morning News. The DMN also named Derry one of the “Best Chefs in DFW.”

Derry expanded her fan-base and gained international notoriety when she appeared on Season 7 of Bravo’s Top Chef where she was voted “fan favorite.” Derry’s quiet confidence, warm southern charm, and culinary expertise made her a natural selection for Top Chef: All-Stars. Tiffany continues her work with Top Chef.  Keep on eye out for new episodes soon!

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In addition, Derry sits on the Board of Directors of Food Policy Action, promoting policies that support healthy diets, improve food access and affordability, reduce the risk of food-borne illness, and reduce the environmental impact of farming and food production.   Chef Derry is an active Member of The James Beard Foundation and has recently been appointed the spokesperson for their Sustainability efforts.

Founder

Tom Foley, Esq.

Founder

Developing, launching, and strategically building businesses is the common thread tying together Tom’s 20+ years of professional work.  

After actively practicing law for 15+ years, Tom directed his efforts to designing innovative, social entrepreneurially models to drive social justice.  In 2016, Tom partnered with celebrity chef Tiffany Derry to launch Roots Chicken Shak. The Shak, along with the Shef Tiffany spice line and the Roots Southern Table, combines culinary skills with social impact, empowering women and girls to follow their passion.  In 2017, Tom founded and continues to operate The Study USA.  Established through a public-private partnership with the City of Irving, The Study focuses on growing women-owned and minority-owned businesses. Most recently, Tom co-founded XpandCulture, a B2B SaaS platform that measures employees’ real-time sentiment to visualize the company’s culture and alignment with core values.  

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Tom regularly speaks and facilitates workshops for corporations aiming to advance their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. 

Tom also leads the entrepreneurial program at Paul Quinn College, an HBCU in south Dallas, and serves as an adjunct at Southern University Law Center and Dallas College.

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Tom is a Fellow for the Dallas Economic Leadership Academy through the Aspen Institute and Of Counsel at Wright Connatser.

Tom earned his J.D. from the Villanova University School of Law and his B.A. from Colgate University.  Tom lives in Dallas, TX with his wife, Roopa, and two children.

The real work in the hospitality industry starts hours before any guest arrives.  Success is is measured by your preparation.  And, at T2D Cocnepts our success is only as strong as our team.  From our managers to our back of the house and front of the house staff, our employees come first.  We believe that if our staff love the work then our guests will love our concepts.  

Tiffany and Tom met in 2015 to talk about business law.  They talked about much more! 

They shared their "why"; they shared apsirations for growing a restaurant concept that puts smiles on guests' faces and, at the same time, changes the faces of opportutntiy within the culinary field.  

Recognizing their complementary strengths, Tiffany and Tom - T2 -  formed T2D Concepts, LLC.