A Peek Inside Her Agenda: Tiffany Derry

Tiffany Derry is also making waves beyond the kitchen. She’s one of the founding members of PepsiCo Foods’ first-ever Culinary Advisory Board, a group of visionaries working together to reimagine the brands we’ve all grown up with. Whether she’s cooking for presidents and celebrities or developing a food and wine festival to showcase women chefs, Tiffany Derry is a leader who cooks with purpose and intention. 

In this conversation, she tells us what’s on the horizon, what she’s learned on her journey, and why flavor is just the beginning of the legacy she’s building.

Her Agenda: I know you also recently joined PepsiCo Foods first ever culinary advisory board. Can you tell me a little about that as well?

Tiffany Derry: I’ve been working in the industry now for 27 years, and that’s crazy. I was just excited when PepsiCo reached out because I thought to myself, I love this brand. It’s iconic. When PepsiCo reached out, I was like, okay, this feels right. They’re about bold flavor. They’re about being creative. They’re about a lot of the things that naturally resonate with me. So it definitely was a choice that I was very excited to make. It was an immediate yes for me.

Her Agenda: What has it been like being able to collaborate with the other chefs and minds on this board? Has anything unexpected happened? Any new inspirations or moments that have stood out to you?

Tiffany Derry: I love that I get a chance to work with creative, kind, wonderful people. From Eric to Kathy, it’s wonderful to see such a diverse group who are top of their field but doing different things in the field. There’s synergy that happens naturally when you put great people in a room thinking about all the little details.

We often start in one place – we have WhatsApp, we’re always communicating. It’s fun. [And it’s] very different for me to collaborate this way.

One thing that makes it interesting is that we’re not just creating recipes. Often, as a chef, you’re asked to create recipes – that’s great. But here it’s forward thinking. How do we move from the snack [aisle] to the main aisle? We do that through collaboration, through recipe development. It’s cool to have those conversations where you can openly discuss: ‘I’m not feeling that. What do you think about this?’ Then, ‘oh yeah, that’s exactly what I mean.’ It flows well.

Her Agenda: PepsiCo brands are household staples. How have you specifically approached re-imagining the familiar in bold, unexpected ways?

Tiffany Derry: At one of our first big meetings, we were asked to do a food item – you could pick anything from any area. I chose an entrée dish for a five-course meal. We all did appetizers; all had a dish. I did a Pepsi braised pork belly – the caramelization with scotch bonnet, allspice. It braised down well. I served it over plantain mash with other vegetables. I made a reduction with spice – the perfect example of how we are bold, delicious, thinking differently, and being creative. You take that same idea and put it into different dishes. What made it great – all the flavor goes into that pork. You can do that with veal, chicken, steaks, anything. Just thinking about it differently.

Her Agenda: From Top Chef to running multiple acclaimed restaurants, your journey has been remarkable. How has your perspective on food and impact evolved over the years?

Tiffany Derry: I used to think about food or the industry as what we eat, how we consume it, and making something taste good. Then in business, it became how we fill this restaurant, how I create something delicious. Now I think more globally – how every item I’ve purchased affects the world, my community, and how I give them something that’s the best I can offer.

That comes in different ways [including] sourcing, flavor, and having items on the menu that speak to more than one person. Being able to tell the story through food is important for me. One thing I can do with Pepsi is make sure we tell those stories. There’s been room [to discuss]: What do we need to talk about? What ingredients aren’t getting love or telling a story to all the people represented in our country? How do we do that? It’s cool to be in a place where I can further those stories, whether in the restaurant or what we’re doing on the board.

Her Agenda: I know you were highlighting going deeper than what we see on the surface. Your Southern roots are involved in that work. Would you say it’s involved in your work, whether in the kitchen or boardroom with PepsiCo – going past fried chicken, getting more into the stories of the food?

Tiffany Derry: 100%. My roots are why I’m where I’m at. Everything I do goes back to my roots. The names of every restaurant I have: Roots, Roots Southern Table, Roots Chicken Shack, Radice, which means roots in Italian. Everything must be intentional. When we take time, focus, and ask: what do we want to portray? What story are we telling? Why are we using these ingredients? Where are we getting these ingredients?

It doesn’t always come at you in the face, but that should happen in the restaurant. Sometimes we concentrate on stories that take away from others. If I’m concentrating only on where I got that product versus the story of why this dish comes together, who this dish represents, why this is important. You must be intentional about everything you do. That’s where I’m at in life. I’m not just making food that tastes good – I’m bringing thought to the conversation.

We’re discussing things – before I just wanted to cook great food. Now I want a place, a community for people to come and eat. I want to do things on our off days [that are] open for other communities to use our space. There’s just many things.

Her Agenda: What do you hope for in the future? How do you hope your work will influence the way people experience food moving forward?

Tiffany Derry: It’s important [that] we can see ourselves in everything, everywhere. Representation matters – we should be able to see food items that reflect what we like, how we eat. There is an effort to make sure everyone has something. When we talk about the flavors we’ve been discussing, there are flavors from all over the world. It’s exciting because we crave certain flavors, crave new things. To be able to see the flavors, ideas, and stories – it’s great to see in our foods.

Her Agenda: Lately, we’ve seen more women take power back when it comes to cooking, enjoying the experience of making a dish, and hosting. We’re seeing it on TV and social media. Do you have advice for women in food looking to carve their own lane?

Tiffany Derry: It started with us. Women were cooking in kitchens, doing things. Somehow, when it came professionally, that changed, but now you see many more. My nickname – they call me Shef, S-H-E-F. I picked that up because I wanted more women in the kitchen. I started a festival called SHEF Food and Wine.

It was about highlighting more women in the industry, women with different walks of life. We have franchising for Roots Chicken Shack – that was about highlighting more women having ownership opportunities. How do we do that? How do we move that needle? Those are conversations we need to have more of – be bold in things that matter to us. It makes the whole system better. We’re seeing more women taking charge, running businesses, leaving a mark on this world – what I hope I can do.

Her Agenda: What culinary trends or food moments are you excited for, whether this year or the future?

Tiffany Derry: I am a global flavor girl. I love my Southern roots. I love to see that globally. People think of Southern food as related just to the Southern sector of the United States. I think about the people who make up the South. Where did they go? Where are we? How do we put those flavors on the plate? You will see Caribbean influence, African influence – all the people who make up the South and what makes that special. I hope to see more of that.

Her Agenda: Do you have a dream person you would love to cook for?

Tiffany Derry: Beyoncé. I have a list. I’ve checked off quite a few. Two people left: Beyoncé and Adele. I would love to cook for them. 

Her Agenda: Who are some people on your list you’ve checked off already?

Tiffany Derry: I’ve cooked for a few presidents – all gone now from the White House. I’ve cooked for Ms. Winfrey multiple times for her and her guests. The Duchess.

Her Agenda: Do you have a life motto or saying you live by?

Tiffany Derry: I have a few. Recently, my friend got me a perfume with an etching. She asked what I love, what I want. She engraved on the back: ‘What will be the lasting mark you leave on this earth? Make sure everything you do aligns to that.’ When we’re talking in the restaurant, doing all these things: who do you want to be? Are your actions aligned with who you want to be? If not, you need to think through your choices.

Another we talk about – sometimes I’m a broken record because if it’s in me, it’s in me. No matter who or what, it’s always the same: ‘Make it good or forget about it.’ If it doesn’t taste great, let’s add flavor, color, and boldness.

Her Agenda: What’s your favorite meal to cook? What’s your favorite meal to eat? Can they be the same?

Tiffany Derry: Never the same. [My favorite] food to eat would be gumbo – my mother’s gumbo. I need to figure out how to get that flavor on a chip! I love gumbo. My family’s from Baton Rouge in Port Allen, Louisiana, but I grew up mainly in Beaumont, Texas. Gumbo is one of those things I love.

I had a meeting at the headquarters. It wasn’t planned – one of the chefs said, ‘We’re here in Dallas and I want your gumbo.’ I said, ‘Let me see if I can make it happen.’ I called the team, they brought gumbo and rice. It was funny – we were eating gumbo and ice cream at the same time! Gumbo would be one meal I would request – the thing I love most. I love for my mother to make it. She’s an excellent cook.What I love to cook is seafood. I love that it’s something you must pay attention to. There are steps, no matter what you do. I must make sure it’s completely dry. You must heat your pan first, then add oil – a small amount. It’s the steps that make it right. You have to visually pay attention. You can’t move it. You must be patient. If you do all these things right, you’re left with something incredible. I love any seafood cooking – scallop or fish doesn’t matter. There are steps you can’t bypass. It takes time [and] requires knowing what you’re doing to make it delicious. That’s my life.

[Editor’s note: This article has been edited for length and clarity.]