Beignet News
Fort Worth's favorite beignets find permanent home on buzzy South Main
A popular Fort Worth food truck known for its luscious New Orleans-style beignets is making the jump to a brick-and-mortar location: Dusty Biscuit Beignets will open in The 4 Eleven, a boutique shopping center housed in a 1920s warehouse at 411 South Main St., in the burgeoning South Main area.
The new beignet-ery will take the spot recently vacated by Alchemy Pops. Dusty owner Trey Smith, who's been operating out of an Airstream trailer parked just a few feet from the restaurant location, hopes to open by December.
Meanwhile, he'll continue to work out of the Airstream until the brick-and-mortar opens.
Since launching his concept in 2019, Smith has made a name for himself in Fort Worth foodie circles for creative and whimsical beignets in sweet and savory flavors such as maple bacon, sausage and gravy, and cherry cheesecake. He also serves traditional beignets — dusted with powdered sugar, like those in New Orleans — and cafe au lait, a French coffee drink made with hot milk.
For the brick-and-mortar, Smith plans to introduce an expanded menu.
"We're still figuring out our kitchen space and what we'll be able to do," he says. "But my hope is to add a monthly beignet special, made with seasonal items. We'll also be able to offer a lot of the dishes that we've just been able to do as specials, like our gumbo."
Another addition will be the Dusty Cristo sandwich, Smith's take on a Monte Cristo, with ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, bacon, and strawberry-jalapeno jam, but on beignets instead of bread. "It's probably one of our most popular items, but working out of a food truck, I haven't always been able to do it," he says.
With less than 1,000 square feet of space, the new location will primarily be grab-and-go, at least until COVID restrictions relax.
Before launching his beignet business, Smith was a teacher in the Crowley ISD for nearly 10 years. He inherited his love for cooking from his mother who cooked a lot of Southern and Cajun food, but it was the year he spent studying at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary when he first discovered beignets. "That was one of the best first bites of food I've ever had," he says.
