FORT WORTH
The Crescent Fort Worth hotel has a new chef, and he’s a familiar face in Fort Worth.
Sean Malek, a former leader at celebrity chef Tim Love’s restaurants in both Texas and Tennessee and also at Ellerbe Fine Foods in Fort Worth, has moved up to lead the kitchen at Emilia’s in the Crescent, 3300 Camp Bowie Blvd. in the Cultural District.
Malek has been the Crescent executive sous chef under founding chef Preston Paine.
Emilia’s is the all-day Italian and coastal Mediterranean restaurant inside the Crescent, across the street from the Kimbell Art Museum. It was ranked the No. 1 hotel in Texas by several publications when it opened in 2024.
Online comments praise the housemade pastas, pizzas and weekend brunch items such as smoked-salmon eggs Benedict, lemon-ricotta pancakes or eggs “in purgatory.”
Paine left in April. He is also the chef at Shug’s Bagels, a high-ranked Dallas bagel sandwich shop with locations coming soon in Austin and later at 5101 Camp Bowie Blvd. in Fort Worth.
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Fort Worth restaurant Emilia’s appears in “The Madison” season 1, episode 1. Screenshot Paramount+
Malek was also the head chef at Eazy Monkey, a southside fusion restaurant founded by prominent chef Andrew Dilda that was innovative and fun but out of place in the quick-lunch hospital district market on West Magnolia Avenue.
Before that, he was executive sous chef for Love at the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro location in Knoxville, Tennessee, and at Gemelle, Love’s Italian concept in west Fort Worth.
Hotel chef Toni Robertson had served as chef-in-residence during the Crescent’s search.
Emilia’s is the all-day restaurant at the Crescent Fort Worth hotel. Courtesy of the Crescent Fort Worth 
The Circle Bar at The Crescent Hotel on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. Those that call The Crescent Residences Fort Worth home also have access to The Crescent Hotel, Emilia’s restaurant and Canyon Ranch Wellness Club. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
This story was originally published July 28, 2026 at 11:03 AM.
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Bud Kennedy is celebrating his 40th year writing about restaurants in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has written the “Eats Beat” dining column in print since 1985 and online since 1992 — that’s more than 3,000 columns about Texas cafes, barbecue, burgers and where to eat.
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