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Executive Chef, The Mansion on Turtle Creek

by Madelyn Miller

Such notable personages as Her Majesty The Queen of England and Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton have expressed delight upon tasting the Southwest Cuisine prepared by The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas.  Its creator, Chef Dean Fearing, was at the forefront of developing the new Southwest cuisine genre when he became The Mansion's executive chef in 1985.

Unrelentingly creative, the exuberant Chef Fearing, winner of the 1994 James Beard Perrier-Jouet Restaurant Award for Best Chef: Southwest and Mobil Five- Star award 1995 - 97, creates new dishes each week.  Most begin with seasonal native ingredients complemented by an intriguing array of flavors from around the world.  The result is both exotic and harmonious.

Drawing inspiration from the backyard barbecues he knew as a child, he recently presented a plate composed of Carne Asado of Ostrich Filet and Papaya Mole Glazed Quail with Smoked Corn Enchilada and a Basket of Condiments.  These adventurous specials are offered on The Mansion's menu along with Chef Fearing's now-classic signature dishes such as Warm Lobster Tacos with Yellow Tomato Salsa and Tortilla Soup.

Classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Fearing began his career at Maisonette in Cincinnati, followed by The Pyramid Room at The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas.  When The Mansion on Turtle Creek opened in 1980, Fearing came to the restaurant as executive sous chef, a position he resigned to become chef and part owner of the wildly successful Agnew's restaurant, in Dallas, the home of Southwest Cuisine. There, his daring experiments with products and ideas indigenous to the Southwest drew the attention of Craig Claiborne, then food editor at the New York Times, sparking the beginning of his rise to international prominence.

Shortly thereafter, Dean Fearing "returned home" to The Mansion on Turtle Creek,  this time in the position of executive chef.

A decade and countless culinary awards later, including the recent Mobil Five- Star award, Dean buzzes around both kitchen and dining room in chef's whites and brightly hued Lucchese cowboy boots.  Dean Fearing is clearly in his element.  He continues to develop Southwest cuisine, using all varieties of Texas-grown chili peppers, jicama, cilantro and other native herbs, tomatillos and avocado.  The Texas Hill Country supplies wild game, birds and venison.

Influenced by extensive worldwide travel,  Fearing infuses his culinary creations with concepts and techniques from Italian, Thai, Southern, Cajun, and Mexican cuisines.  Presentation is sophisticated and colorful. "It's visually stimulating," says Fearing, who subscribes to the Oriental tenet of pleasing the eye as well as the palate.

Fearing, who plays "progressive Texas country on my guitar with my group of musical Texas chefs, The Barbwires, when I'm not stirring pots," was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of an innkeeper.  As all-American as he is, his life is modeled after that of the Master Chefs of France.  "It's typical for a Master Chef to work at the same restaurant for 30 years, where their fortunes are intertwined with those of the restaurant.  I expect to be at The Mansion for at least 20 more years."

Fearing has one national television program, "Entertaining at Home with Dean Fearing," airing nationally on the TV Food Network and "Dean's Cuisine," airing regionally each week on Dallas' FOX affiliate.  The author of two cookbooks, "The Mansion on Turtle Creek Cookbook" and "Dean Fearing's Southwest Cuisine: Blending Asia and the Americas," he freely dispenses the much-requested recipes from his Mansion kitchen.  Says Dean Fearing, "I can always create another one."

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