Denise Goga 
Owner: Food Cravings Salsa

Denise grew up on a family farm in rural North Carolina, relishing the fresh taste of hand-picked tomatoes, corn, potatoes, melons, and strawberries, and homemade molasses. After she completed graduate school, her career as a Speech–Language Pathologist took her to a job in Dallas where she met Robert—at a restaurant, of course!

Denise and Robert opened the Lantern Grill in 1998. She managed the front of the house, while he created the exceptional dishes with the incomparable taste of the freshest natural ingredients. With an early win in the prestigious Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival for a chicken wonton appetizer garnished with his signature salsa, the restaurant quickly built a loyal clientele of foodies, friends, and celebrities. They were extremely busy until the day they closed eight years later to return to North Carolina to be closer to her family.

Denise and Robert continue to work together through Food Cravings, fulfilling their passion for creating fresh, authentic specialty foods to share with friends.