Foodie Friday: Top Chef Canada Winner Matthew Stowe Brings World Flavors to JOEY Dallas

by Martin Ramirez on March 22, 2024 in Food+Drink,
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In January 2024, Canadian-based JOEY Restaurants opened its first Dallas location at NorthPark Center, Dallas’s premier shopping destination. Branded as JOEY Dallas, the restaurant continues the company’s tradition of blending unique locality with global influence. 

The result is an exceptional dining experience that reflects the city’s cosmopolitan aesthetic and western inspiration paired with a global fusion of cuisine that is both elevated and comfortable. JOEY Executive Chef and Top Chef Canada Winner Matthew Stowe recently sat down with TLM to discuss the restaurant’s opening, Texan influences, and what’s next for the award-winning brand.

Chef Stowe. Photo Britney Gill Photography / JOEY.

JOEY Dallas marks the acclaimed restaurant brand’s first Dallas location. What’s been your favorite part about being in the Dallas area? Or Texas? 

I think it’s a great city for food! It’s very diverse in its offerings and the hospitality has been fantastic. I’m also a sucker for great BBQ!

Chef Stowe slicing a delectable steak. Photo courtesy JOEY.

The menu is a globally-inspired fare that’s sophisticated yet comfortable. What were the culinary inspirations behind this menu? 

The culinary inspirations draw from flavors I love from all over the world. That’s the beautiful thing about having a globally-inspired menu — we can take flavor profiles from any culture, and it works with our style!

JOEY Dallas’s menu features brand favorites like Ravioli Bianco, a succulent seared steak atop a bed of raviolis. Photo courtesy JOEY.

As JOEY’s executive chef leading the traveling culinary team, do you bring any of a location’s regional identity with you to each menu? What influences are you taking with you from Dallas? 

We always try to fit what we do into where we are. Whether it’s using a local artist for a piece in the restaurant or a local food supplier, we try our best to support what is going on close to wherever we open. I think the Tex Mex flavor profiles I have enjoyed while I have been here will show up on a future menu item for sure. There is so much delicious food here.

Chef Stowe leads a team of traveling chefs which include a three-time James Beard House guest chef, an Iron Chef from Japan, and a Bocuse d’Or veteran competitor. Photo courtesy JOEY.

Since winning Top Chef Canada, what do you do to maintain competitiveness? What drives your creativity? 

I have always been a highly competitive person. I learned that early on playing team sports like hockey, soccer, and baseball. I found I really thrived on Top Chef because of this foundation. Combining competition and cooking was right up my alley! What drives my creativity is the seasonality of the product and trying to figure out what guests are going to crave and enjoy at different times of the year. I find climate and the weather have a huge influence on what our guests like to order. 

Signature dishes include the JOEY Classic Steak with Crispy Mashed Potatoes, Hummus, and Katsu Chicken Salad. Photo courtesy JOEY.

Is there another culinary competition for you in the future? 

I would love to do Top Chef where they put winners against each other. The brand is so strong now with so many countries having their own seasons that it could make for great TV! 

JOEY Dallas houses commissioned art pieces from Texas natives such as B. Shawn Cox, Melinda Buie and Whitney Avra. Photo Chase Hall.

What’s next for JOEY Dallas? Are there any special menus or events that you’d like to highlight? And are there going to be any other Texas locations? 

It would be great to get involved in some Dallas food festivals and highlight what we do! I think it’s such a huge market and there is so much opportunity for us that I’m sure there will be more locations in the great state of Texas! I love it here!

JOEY Dallas is the brand’s 33rd location and second for Texas. Photo Chase Hall.

Sign up for JOEY Dallas’ e-newsletter through the JOEY Restaurants website for exclusive information and first access to reservations. Follow @joeyrestaurants on Instagram for upcoming events and additional info. 

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Cover photo courtesy JOEY

Martin Ramirez is a brisket-eating, Shiner-loving, road-tripping enthusiast of all things Texas. This Dallas-born writer / adventurer is ready to take his ‘78 El Camino to find the best in food, fun, and fitness throughout the Lone Star State.