The 2026 CultureMap Fort Worth TasteMaker Awards are now less than a week away. We've spent the last several weeks profiling all the nominees in our special editorial series, our final category has arrived: Chef of the Year.

The contenders this year are some of the city's most talented, many from nationally recognized restaurants whose culinary prowess has put Fort Worth on the foodie map. Some lead kitchens at newer establishments while others are elevating concepts that are decades old. Still others have permanently made their mark on Fort Worth's culinary landscape for their pioneering ideas that have cemented their legacy in the local food scene.

Who’ll be crowned this year's best of the best? Find out at the our reveal party and signature tasting event, happening Thursday, April 30 at Social Space. Hurry and get tickets before they officially sell out.

Here are the 10 nominees for 2026 Chef of the Year:

Michael Arlt, The Mont
When The Mont opened in Southwest Fort Worth’s posh Montserrat neighborhood last year, locals raved over its classy mid-mod glamour and inventive menu with dishes previously unseen in that area of town. Michael Alrt is responsible for all that culinary buzz; he’s a Johnson & Wales graduate who previously worked at properties like Watercolor Inn and Resort in Florida, E2 Emeril’s Eatery with Emeril Lagassee and team in Charlotte, and the famed Cindy’s Rooftop in Chicago. Popular menu items include black garlic glazed duck with scallion crepes, the fried chicken with sorghum molasses, and those addicting crab hushpuppies.

Jon Bonnell, Bonnell's, Waters, Buffalo Bros., Jon’s Grille
Born and raised in Fort Worth and with a penchant for hunting and fishing, Jon Bonnell is widely considered the modern-day godfather of Cowtown’s culinary scene. He opened his namesake restaurant, Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, in 2001, intentionally spotlighting local farmers and ranchers on his wild game-centric menu. Buffalo Bros, Waters, and Jon’s Grille followed, as did his dedication to the promotion of Fort Worth’s food scene. Bonnell is constantly recommending other local restaurants to his thousands of Facebook followers. His philanthropic efforts are well-documented, from his countless donations to local charities to his boots-on-the-ground work – like the time he loaded up and cooked meals for first responders in Port Aransas after Hurricane Harvey – no questions asked. Even after a recent battle with throat and tongue cancer, Bonnell’s giving spirit has not diminished: he is now a passionate advocate for HPV vaccinations.

Rodrigo Cárdenas, Dos Mares
First making a name for himself after taking the reins as the executive chef of Don Artemio, Cardenas has further catapulted into Cowtown’s culinary scene with the opening of neighboring seafood restaurant, Dos Mares. Gastronomy runs deep in the Cardenas family; his mother was a pastry chef and his dad – the “king of cabrito” in Saltillo, Mexico who helped open Don Artemio – was named Chef of the Year at the 2023 CultureMap Fort Worth Tastemaker Awards. Dos Mares is where Cardenas gets creative with Mexico’s coastal culinary heritage.

Ix-Chel Ornelas, Tinie’s
The South Main Street contemporary upscale Mexican restaurant got a glow-up earlier this year thanks to new culinary direction under Top Chef Mexico finalist Ix-Chel Ornelas from Oaxaca. With a background in nutrition, Ornelas has dedicated her kitchen career to preserving Oaxaca’s traditional cuisine. Now Tinie’s guests can get a taste of Oaxacan heritage through dishes like filet sous vide over yellow mole, octopus Veracruz, and steamed sea bass in hoja santa.

Marcus Kopplin, Duchess at The Nobleman
When The Nobleman hotel opened last summer in the South Main District with a Texas-inspired signature restaurant called Duchess, it was Top Chef All-Star Casey Thompson – who was recruited to consult on the menu – atop all the chatter. But it’s Marcus Kopplin, who joined the Duchess team as sous chef, leading the restaurant’s culinary direction now, shaping new dishes based on Texas’ seasonal landscape. With tenure at Clay Pigeon, Emilia’s, and the former Shinjuku Station, among others, Kopplin has kitchen cred in Fort Worth, and he’s making a name for himself with dishes like yellowfin tuna tostadas, pickled cucumber salad with fennel and almond brittle, and duck confit with mole negro.

Molly McCook, Ellerbe Fine Foods
The Louisiana native opened Ellerbe Fine Foods – named for the street on which her grandparents lived – in 2006, and it exists today as a pioneer in the Fort Worth farm-to-table movement. (McCook still regularly visits local farmers markets for her ingredients.) Her cuisine has received recognition from the likes of Bon Appetit magazine and the James Beard Foundation. While the rest of Fort Worth’s increasingly flashy food scene grows rapidly around her, McCook adheres to the same simplistic, elevated approach that keeps her customers coming back.

Jett Mora, Cafe Modern
Marking five years this year as executive chef of the Modern Art Museum’s magnificent café, Jett Mora has quietly become one of Fort Worth’s most revered chefs. Café Modern is run by Wolfgang Puck Catering, but it’s the L.A. transplant Mora who drives the globally inspired menu. Open only for lunch and weekend brunch, plus one dinner service on Friday nights, the restaurant especially shines in its offerings “from the garden,” where Mora levels up salads, soups, and apps with additions like candied orange peel, rosemary biscotti, and ice wine vinaigrette.

Tim Prefontaine, The Fort Worth Club
Established in 1885, The Fort Worth Club could be considered home to Cowtown’s longest continually operating restaurant. Even after two location changes – with today’s 12-story downtown building commemorating 100 years on West Seventh Street. this year – members and guests have had access to fine dining at The Fort Worth Club since its inception. For the last 18 years it’s been chef Tim Prefontaine leading the kitchen, implementing the club’s highest standard of cuisine to date. The Massachusetts native was named the American Culinary Federation’s “Chef of the Year” in 2014. He’s won numerous worldwide culinary competitions and today is recognized for cultivating an environment where young chefs can grow their skills while exceeding member and guest expectations in both dining and banquet events.

Theodore Tom, Cattlemen's Steak House
After a multimillion-dollar renovation last year that added a 6,000-square-foot patio, underground private club, and refreshed interiors, Cattlemen’s Steak House welcomed Theodore Tom from the JW Steakhouse inside Wynn Las Vegas, and charged him with matching the menu to the iconic restaurant’s updated aesthetic. Tom came through and customers are impressed, as witnessed by the challenge in securing reservations. Now in addition to USDA prime steak from Four Sixes and Bosque Ranch, diners can indulge in new dishes blue lump crab cakes, filet mignon tartare, and Wagyu bolognese.

Craig Walter, The Chumley House
The folks behind some of Dallas’ top restaurants, including The Charles, El Carlos, and Sister, are responsible for this European-influenced steakhouse that combines opulence with the English countryside. Craig Walter, a California native who now resides in Prosper, was tapped by Duro Hospitality to lead the kitchen at Chumley House, where he wows guests with dishes like flaky blue crab pot pie, chicken schnitzel, and one astounding beef Wellington. Indian flavors are prominent in UK cuisine, and Walter showcases that effortlessly in dishes like butter chicken pie, saag paneer, and lamb tandoori.