Chef, restaurateur, entrepreneur, visionary and Fort Worth native Lanny P. Lancarte II is the owner of Righteous Foods, a clean eatery in the Museum District, CHOMP Catering a boutique caterer, and KOOL Consulting Services, offering culinary and foodservice consulting.
Lanny established himself on the food scene with his first restaurant Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana. His menus at Alta Cocina were a vibrant work of art, changing with the seasons, giving Lanny’s diners innovations that were well before their times and resulted in one of the most targeted culinary destinations in North Texas. His diners now get the same attention to detail in a new fresh atmosphere that is approachable on a daily basis for breakfast, lunch or dinner. His more elaborate presentations and dishes are still available through CHOMP Catering.
For the past several years Lanny has taken a healthy and active lifestyle as serious as his cooking. His biking and snowboarding travels alone have landed him on the roads of the Costa Brava in Spain, the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, the Smoky Mountains, the Sierra Mountains, all over the Rockies, and the Coastal Range of British Columbia. He lives to play in the mountains and found that he needed the right fuel in order to enjoy his other passions in life, leading him to open Righteous Foods.
Lanny graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and took advantage of a number of culinary study tours to Mexico, working with and learning from luminaries like Diana Kennedy and Rick Bayless. His hunger for a meaningful place in the kitchen landed Lanny on Bayless’s staff at the renowned Frontera Grill / Topolobampo restaurants in Chicago.
Eventually returning to his culinary beginnings, Lanny opened his first dining room deep within the patio gardens at his family’s landmark Mexican restaurant, Joe T. Garcia’s on Fort Worth’s historic North Side. Joe T’s, as it is known to literally millions of fans, is a national icon in the restaurant industry. Joe T’s was one of the first casual restaurants honored by the James Beard Foundation, Lanny’s great-grandfather Joe T. Garcia not only founded this remarkable institution, but also ingrained in his decedents a vision for perfection and pleasing the palates of guests, a legacy that Lanny upholds today.
Righteous Foods is located just three miles south of his family’s exemplary institution. Righteous Foods is in a neighborhood also rich in culture and warmth---Fort Worth’s celebrated Museum District just a mile west of the vibrant, revitalized downtown and home to five acclaimed museums and the Will Rogers Center that each year hosts the historic Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
CHOMP Catering offers off-site turn key boutique catering and bar services with a menu to fit any occasion. KOOL Consulting is Lanny’s latest venture where he is lending his lifetime of experience in the restaurant industry to those looking to enhance their existing business or starting up a new venture.
Lanny has cooked at James Beard House, his original restaurant lauded as one of the best “top 10 restaurants” in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by the Dallas Morning News, “Top Five Up and Coming Chefs” by Texas Highways 2005, “Top Five new places to dine” 2005 by Texas Monthly, “Best New Restaurant” 2005 Fort Worth, Texas Magazine, “Top 10 New Restaurants” 2005 D Magazine, and earning 4.5 stars from the Dallas Morning News. He certainly earned the “rising star chef” award given to him by starchefs.com in 2007.
In addition to his culinary honors, Lanny has appeared in publications like Marie Claire (the “These 50 Great Men Want to Marry You” issue), Southern Living (“Keeping it Casual”) and regularly makes celebrity media appearances around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Righteous Foods also landed upon Where to Dine Now in Texas Monthly and Top New restaurant in several regional publications and continues to garner media attention including USA Today and Bon Appetit.
Lanny’s heritage, his innate talent, his good nature, his dedication to excellence and creativity in the kitchen and the dining room continue to command rave reviews. The most desired distinction, however, is simply knowing he’s met or exceeded the expectations of the many happy guests who have experienced his works.
Discover Our Chef-Led Bike Tours in Italy
While we don’t currently offer a tour with Lanny Lancarte, we invite you to experience an unforgettable culinary journey in Italy.
Join our exclusive Chef Bike Tours—a one-of-a-kind experience combining cycling, food, and Italy’s finest cuisine with incredible meals prepared by top chefs.
