Events: Eat Arkansas, Arkansas Times

Coming soon: A Pint, A Wedge

Robert Bell — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:06:00 -0500

Beer and cheese... Is there a combination more pleasing to the palate, more ambrosial than a fine craft beer and a piece of, say, aged gouda or maybe manchego? How about if you added a delicious slice of sausage to the mix? Now we're talking.

Three of mankind's greatest culinary achievements will be combined in just such a manner at A Pint, A Wedge, which takes place from 1-3 p.m., May 18 at Bernice Garden. The event is part of Craft Beer Week, and features beer from Arkansas Craft Distributors, cheese from Boulevard Bread Co. and sausage from Hillcrest Artisan Meats.

There will be live music from Judson and Josh Spillyards, Norman Williamson and Ryan Hitt. Tickets are $25 and you can purchase them at Boulevard's Heights location.

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The Governor's Culinary Challenge: Who made the grade?

Daniel Walker — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:20:00 -0500

Last week, we were fortunate enough to attend the Governor’s Culinary Challenge at the Capital Hotel. The event placed ten highly acclaimed Arkansas chefs head-to-head in a friendly competition and tasting event in which each chef dished out one or two small plates for the hungry, rabid masses constantly bombarding their table in search of their next morsel of food. The night was brimming with elegance, class, and style—a real see-and-be-seen event for all in attendance. We did out best to look respectable and dignified and joined the crowd for this delectable $100-per-head dinner party. It was a grand affair, to be sure, and we sampled each and every bit of food available (and admittedly, we sampled a couple of them twice). A few chefs really brought their proverbial A-game to the event, doling out some truly spectacular bites, but it was clear that a few of these culinary heavy-weights should rethink their strategy for next year. Here’s our breakdown of who made the grade (and what grade they made) and who fell a bit flat:

Joel Antunes (Ashley’s and the Capital Hotel): The latest addition to the Capital Hotel’s culinary team, Chef Antunes’ dish was probably one of the most anticipated of the night. Chef Antunes was friendly, gracious, and warm…his thick French accent warmed out hearts just a little. He prepared a “coconut soup” served with a small crab dumpling and fava bean. We had issues with the consistency of the broth, however, and found it to be somewhere between a foam and an actual soup—runny and a tad too watery. The flavors were excellent, however, cool and fragrant coconut complemented by soft, succulent crab. With a few tweaks, this dish would have probably bowled us over, but as it was, we left just a tad disappointed. Chef Antunes’ dessert course was a play on the classic “Kit-Kat” candy bar, with a thin layer of crumbled, crispy wafer lining the bottom of a glass, topped with a chocolate mousse. Again, textural issues were at play, and we found the mousse too grainy for our liking. A valiant effort, with some noteworthy flavors. Grade: B-

Lee Richardson (formerly of Ashley’s and the Capital Hotel): Chef Richardson left a long string of admirers when he stepped down from his position at Ashley’s. It was comforting to witness the acclaimed chef back in action and we, like most of you, are highly anticipating his future moves. But he was not able to provide us with any clues as to what his upcoming plans might be, despite our insistent pressing—we’ll just have to watch and wait. Chef Richardson prepared a dish that sounded spectacular on paper, but was a bit lost in translation. The man even brought his very impressive water oven to prepared sous vide egg (a method that provides carefully regulated, even cooking)—we were intrigued. The crux of the dish, however, was a fried catfish croquette with a sweet and sour sauce—the chef dubbed, “pepper jelly.” The catfish was well done, not overly fishy, tender, with a crunchy exterior. But the sauce was a little off-putting and did not seem to complement the fish as well as we’d hoped. It was reminiscent of dunking a Gorton’s fish stick in that jarred “Thai sweet chili sauce,” and we were left wishing for a little more from Richardson’s table. Grade: C+

Brian Deloney (Maddie’s Place): We’ve had mixed feelings about the dishes put out and Chef Deloney’s Riverdale restaurant, Maddie’s, but we were unanimously in favor of his dish offered this night. Continuing his Cajun/Creole tendencies, Maloney prepared a “shrimp and alligator cheesecake,” which may sound somewhat odd at first, but tasted fantastic. The small cylindrical molds of savory cheesecake were composed of a rich, dense, cream cheese-heavy “cheesecake,” chock full of sweet, briny shrimp bits and chunks of mild, tender alligator. Served cold, it really took us both by surprise, but this is one surprise we’d be happy to be a part of again. Grade: A-

Gilbert Alaquinez (The Governor’s Mansion): Chef Alaquinez was one of the chefs we were least familiar with prior to the event—perhaps we even expected him to be overshadowed by a few of culinary headliners also in attendance that night. But with Gov. Beebe and his wife Ginger at tableside to back this team up, the chef definitely put his best foot forward this night. We were both won over by the cold carrot soup with a touch of sour cream. The soup was surprisingly spicy, heavy with cumin and chili powder, but not to the point of being overwhelming. The sweet carrot undertones made a fabulous base for some of the more vivid flavors prominent in the soup. A pulled pork “banh mi” was also served, but we found this to be a rather pedestrian pork sandwich, without much pizzazz—definitely not as Vietnamese in nature as we had hoped. The dessert course was delightful, though. Chef offered a “Napolean” trio of French macarons: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. These were well executed—crisp, airy outer cookie with a creamy, rich filling within. They were a bit chewier in texture than we’ve had elsewhere, but we were pleased with this difference rather than perturbed by it. Grade: A-

Jason Knapp (UCA, formerly of the Governor’s Mansion): Another chef we were mostly unfamiliar with prior to our tasting this night, but who left a rather favorable impression on us after we were served his food. Chef Knapp prepared a cream of poblano soup paired with a garbanzo bean fritter stuffed with creamy goat cheese. The description alone had us drooling, and we were pleased that the flavors translated successfully on the plate. The fritter was served warm, crispy and nutty. The cool, melted goat cheese pairing perfectly with the hot, mashed bean fritter. But it was the soup that really stole the show—spicy, vibrant, and refreshing, the creamy soup was one of the night’s great highlights. An addition of puffed quinoa and paprika really pushed the dish over the top. We applaud you, Chef Knapp. Grade: A

Peter Brave (Brave New Restaurant): Despite not being all that new anymore, Chef Brave's Brave New Restaurant remains a favorite among Little Rock Diners — chef and restaurant alike regularly feature among top picks in the various "readers choice" awards year after year. Chef Brave's contribution to the evening was a potato and walleye canape that ranks among the most surprising dishes of the evening: a small piece of potato, cooked so that it almost tasted like bread, tomato jam, and a piece of poached walleye that was so mild and tender that it would have been hard to tell it was fish if there hadn't been a sign saying so. The result was a little mouthful that tasted like a mini pizza with cheese and all, despite the lack of any dairy. We aren't sure what strange wizardry is afoot with this dish, but we do know it was a good thing. Grade: A

Donnie Ferneau (formerly of Ferneau): Chef Ferneau was in full effect at his table, preparing portion after blazing portion of his signature Banana's Foster. The venue didn't lend itself to the usual pairing of ice cream, but a small piece of shortbread made an acceptable substitute for the luscious, caramelized bananas. Less successful was the pork tenderloin with shallot mustard glaze served up as the main dish. The mustard glaze was perfection, adding a nice piquant kick to a pork loin that was a touch dry and had little other flavor going for it. The potato accompaniment was equally disappointing and bland. Cooking in such large portions is tough, however, and that glaze remains one of our favorite flavors of the night, even if the protein was lackluster. Grade: B-

Capi Peck (Trio’s): Our consensus favorite of the night was the Trio's table — they hit homeruns on both of their dishes. Their main course was a rich and buttery tuna tataki served on a crisp wonton wrapper and topped with fresh avocado. The richness of the tuna and avocado together made for a decadent flavor and mouthfeel, and the crisp wrapper below added just the right amount of crunchy contrast. The dessert they made was almost cheating — strawberry shortcake with cream and shortbread at just the right time of year for sweet, ripe Arkansas strawberries. From tuna to berries, everything on this table was at the peak of freshness, and every element of flavor hit just the right note. Grade: A+

Mark Abernathy (Red Door/Loca Luna): Mark Abernathy hasn't been able to catch a break on Eat Arkansas lately...and he won't catch one here. The Loca Luna owner's catfish chile relleno ranks among one of the worst things we've ever put in our mouths. Soggy, slimy, and so fishy that we wondered just what those catfish had been eating, this was one of the few plates we were unable to finish. It's not usually smart to pair fish with cheese in the first place, but this fish was of such poor quality that we maintain that it wasn't smart to pair it with anything at all. A true disappointment. Grade: F

Stephen Burrow (Restaurant Forty-Two): The Clinton Library restaurant table appeared at first glance to be serving something right up our alley: pork terrine. Normally, terrine is one of our favorite things in this world, and Little Rock is no stranger to well-made versions of this charcuterie classic. Unfortunately, an overuse of sweet spices really ruined this one for us. The texture of the loaf was excellent, and we can't compliment the presentation of the plate enough, but an overabundance of allspice, nutmeg, and other sweet spices just made the whole affair inedible. Sweet spices are important to flavoring a terrine, it's true, but just like with salt, it's easy to overdo them. Still, points for presentation, and for being brave enough to serve such a rustic dish at a fancy party. Grade: D

To be fair to all participants, the format for this dinner was not an easy one. Creating a great dish, scaling it down to a small plate, then multiplying that plate by hundreds of people makes it difficult to maintain quality. In addition, these chefs weren't pulling food from their own kitchens, but rather using pre-prepared food with only minimal on-site cooking. This might explain why cold dishes like Trio's tataki were so successful, while hot dishes like the catfish relleno were not. We hope that this is an event that will catch on in the state, as it was an excellent night to meet some of the brightest minds in Arkansas food.

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Cold weather doesn't stop Heritage Hog Roast

Michael Roberts — Sat, 04 May 2013 17:51:00 -0500

If anybody out there has figured out a way to predict the weather in Arkansas, please leave me a message down there in the comments so we can discuss lottery numbers. Cold, drizzly, and feeling more like November than May, the day might not have been what we had in mind for the first Arkansas Times Heritage Hog Roast in terms of weather, but it was was everything a pork lover like myself could have hoped for in terms of food. Teams from the Argenta Market, Cafe Bossa Nova, the Capital Hotel, the Country Club of Little Rock, Lulav Italian Kitchen, the Root Cafe, Local Lime, Maddie's Place, Reno's Argenta Cafe, Ristorante Capeo, and St. Jude's Children's Hospital all braved unseasonably cold temperatures that reached as low as 34 degrees to cook their hogs to perfection. In addition to the competitors, around 500 folks made their way to North Little Rock in the rain to sample a whole passel of slow-roasted Falling Sky Farms hogs.

Our celebrity judges picked the Country Club of Little Rock for first place, Local Lime for second, and Reno's Argenta Cafe for third. I can't really disagree (much) with their selections, and the fact that the voting between first and third places was separated by less than two points shows how good the food was overall. I've got a few "honorary" awards that I'd like to present on behalf of Eat Arkansas, however, that are are a little more specific. These are all highly subjective and reflect no other opinion from my own.

*Best overall pork: With all the different presentations available, it was hard to pin down just who came through with the best single bite of pure pork that I ate. There wasn't a bad bite of food to be had at the event, but my pick for best pure pork flavor goes to Cafe Bossa Nova with a succulent, well-seasoned bite of meat that was everything I ask for from a piece of roasted pork. A close second was Maddie's, who paired their hog with a sauce that walked a perfect line between vinegary and sweet.

*Best overall bite: This is for the best prepared pork dish. Several booths served their hog with various accoutrement, but the stand-out entry was the banh mi crostini from the Root Cafe, who used their mastery of pickled vegetables and kimchi to wonderful effect. A close second was Local Lime, who presented their finished pig in a taco that had folks clamoring for more. Lulav also had a strong entry with a pork bruschetta that was surprising in its inventiveness and fresh flavor.

*Best side dish: There was more than pork available, and none of the entrants slacked on those sides. Of particular note was the tomato and mozzarella salad from the Country Club of Little Rock, the mac and cheese from Reno's, and my personal favorite, the blue cheese cole slaw from Maddie's Place. I'm a reasonably experienced cook and diner, but this cole slaw took me right out of what I expected in the best way possible. Fresh cabbage slaw with a tangy dressing mixed with small chunks of sharp blue cheese — if any of you had asked me if that was a good idea before today, I would have said no. Now, my answer is an adamant "yes."

I've attended a lot of these events, and I can't think of very many that managed to be as consistently good as this one. There are many more pictures from the event on Brian Chilson's Facebook page, so take a look at those if you missed out on the fun today. And if you think you can do better than these folks today, well, there's always next year.

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Early morning at the Hog Roast

Lindsey Millar — Sat, 04 May 2013 10:28:00 -0500

My Saturday morning ritual of taking my two-year-old by the Argenta Farmer's Market for some fresh eggs made for a nice excuse to check out the progress of the Arkansas Times Heritage Hog Roast teams. At 7 this morning, the scene had the flavor of an early morning deer camp — booze, coffee, camper chairs and nary a woman in sight. Oh and the mouthwatering smell of fire-roasted pork and smoke. About half the teams seem to be using the covered grill in an above ground pit set-up that was provided. Above and below are the variations I saw before my kid had enough.

Travis McConnell, who's heading up the Capital Hotel's team (above), said he was running ahead of schedule and was soon to tamp down the fire. He put the pig on the spit after 11 and didn't sleep.

The Reno's team is one of at least two teams using a Caja China box, a roasting box lined with aluminum that probably originated in Cuba and probably doesn't have anything to do with the Chinese. In Louisiana they call it a Cajun microwave, on account of the speed with which it can cook whole animals.

Nathanael Wills, who's part of The Root Cafe's team, said everyone said, "Whoa," when the St. Jude's team rolled in with its professional rig last night. Team leader Miles McMath is both the director of culinary operations for St. Jude and a farmer of Heritage Hogs, so this ain't his first rodeo.

Ben Brainard, of Local Lime's The Porkshank Redemption, said his team got their pig on their automatic spit a little after 11 p.m. last night. He'd managed a two hour nap. Note the newly opened beer in the background. This was about 7:30 a.m.

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Local Lime goes whole hog for Hog Roast

Lindsey Millar — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:16:00 -0500

I asked earlier for folks to speculate on who'll win tomorrow's Arkansas Times Heritage Hog Roast. One thing is certain, Local Lime's team, The Porkshank Redemption, is winning in the prepping category. Or at least they're winning at plugging their prepping on social media. They just showed off their slick team T-shirt, design courtesy, I'm sure, by their design and style guru Amber Brewer. And check out, below, pics of their step-by-step plan for their hog from their Facebook page. They had a trial run last week.

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Who will win the Times' Heritage Hog Roast?

Lindsey Millar — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:58:00 -0500

The Arkansas Times Heritage Hog Roast is coming up on Saturday at 6th and Main streets in North Little Rock. Gates open at noon and music starts thereafter. Pork and sides will be served beginning at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 the day of the event. Kids, 10 and under, get in free. Do you have your tickets yet?

Argenta Market, Cafe Bossa Nova, the Capital Hotel, the Country Club of Little Rock, the Italian Kitchen at Lulav, Local Lime, Maddie’s Place, Reno’s Argenta Cafe, Ristorante Capeo, The Root Cafe and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are fielding teams. They'll each cook a 125-140 lbs. heritage hog from Falling Sky Farm or Freckle Face Farm. The winner receives the trophy above, made my North Little Rock artist Kandy Jones, and $1,000.

Who's your pick to win?

Here are our celebrity judges. The pork will be judged on appearance, taste and texture.

1) Max Brantley
2) Rep. Eddie Armstrong
3) Alice 107.7's Adam "Pool Boy" Dunaway
4) KARK's Jessica Dean
5) Chef Donnie Ferneau

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The Turkish Food Fest is sure to be terrific

Daniel Walker — Thu, 02 May 2013 08:46:01 -0500

Maybe you’re not interested in our competition-style, whole hog roast this coming Saturday, The Heritage Hog Roast at the Argenta Market, and maybe you’re not interested in cramming down dozens of cookies, cakes, and other baked goods at the Food Blogger Bake Sale also this Saturday, also at the Argenta Market, or maybe you’re not even interested in tacos, beer, Mariachis and all other manner of Mexican celebratory rituals at this Saturday’s Cinco de Mayo Fiesta at the Clinton Center. If, for some inconceivable reason, none of that interests you, well, we’ve got another option for you! And this one may actually interest you more that the others.

This Saturday, May 4th, the Raindrop Turkish House presents the 3rd Annual Turkish Food Fest. The event will take place at the Raindrop Turkish House located at 1501 Market St., Little Rock. The event will be from 11 am—4 pm, admission is free as is parking, and will happen rain or shine.

In its 3rd year, the Turkish Food Fest promises to be better than ever. Guests can expect wonderful samples of some of the most classic Turkish dishes, prepared by hands that have been doing these things for years. Expect things such as beef gyros, baklava, sish kebab, stuffed grape leaves, meat ravioli, kisir (a bulgar wheat dish—not so unlike couscous—commonly spiced with lemon, onion, garlic), stuffed kofte (batter dipped, fried meatballs), dolma (peppers stuffed with rice and other spices) and börek (fried phyllo pastries commonly filled with cheese, potato, or ground beef). There will also be free cooking lessons offered to anyone interested in recreating some of these delightful dishes at home.

Worried your kids won’t find something they’ll like, moaning the whole time that they just want pizza? Don’t worry, they’ll have popcorn, cotton candy, and shaved ice drinks. Additionally, kids can enjoy carnival games and rides, so they’ll be plenty entertained.

I’ve always been incredibly impressed by the quality of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean establishments in Little Rock. It’s definitely one area in which our city shines the brightest. The Turkish Food Fest will surely continue this tradition. Honestly, with so many wonderful things happening this Saturday, you have no excuse for not eating well.

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Celebrate in style at the 15th Annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

Daniel Walker — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:56:09 -0500

If you’ve been reading Eat Arkansas for, say, more than 2 days, you probably already know we have a particular fondness for Mexican food. This specific cuisine, perhaps more than any other, hits that perfect sweet spot between flavor, affordability, availability, and convenience. Luckily, central Arkansas is quite well represented in terms of authentic Mexican cooking…and even in the not-so-authentic, more Americanized genre. I’ve had some of my most memorable dining experiences in Arkansas in the markets and taquerias lining Geyer Springs, Baseline, or South University. It’s probably safe to say that I’ve got many more wonderful experiences still to come.

Rarely do we need an excuse to eat more tacos, but if there’s one day that darn near demands it, it’s everyone’s favorite not-Mexican-Independence-day holiday, Cinco de Mayo. Indeed, what better way to celebrate the Mexican army’s against-all-odds 1862 victory over the French forces than with a few soft corn tortillas stuffed full of chorizo, lengua, and barbacoa? I tell you, there are fewer things in the known universe as special as a beautifully crafted taco.

This coming Saturday, May 4th, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Clinton Foundation are bringing us a celebration worth busting out your maracas for. The 15th Annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta will be held from noon to 8 p.m. at the Clinton Presidential Center Park. The event is free to the public!

The event promises live music and Mariachis (I’m always a sucker for that awesome fat bass guitar), and folkloric ballet. There will be zumba and salsa dancing as well if you’d like to kick up your heels a bit. Kids will be happy to find face painting, youth soccer, children’s games and piñatas…and if your 2 year-old is anything like mine, any excuse to hit things with a big stick is something to be taken advantage of.

And there’s Mexican food trucks! Let us not forget this most important bit of information of all. Authentic Mexican and Central American dishes, carried by some of the finest in Little Rock, will be on site dishing out tacos, tortas, burritos, sopes, enchiladas, and quesadillas. Mexican beer will also be flowing like rivers to help quench your inevitable thirst.

Proceeds from the event will go to awarding scholarships to Latino students. For more information and complete entertainment line-up, check out this link. Go and enjoy yourself, strap on your sombrero and get a little loco.

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Maneet Chauhan shows off book, skills in Arkansas

Michael Roberts — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:20:33 -0500

Doing triple duty as chef, book promoter, and teacher, Chef Maneet Chauhan brought her whirlwind tour to Central Arkansas on Thursday, April 25th. A veteran of fine dining establishments such as Vermilion in Chicago, Chef Chauhan is best known these days for her stints as a past contestant on Iron Chef and current judge of the Food Network show Chopped. Chauhan was in the area as part of her tour to promote Flavors of my World, a cookbook of fusion cuisine that filters dishes from around the globe through her roots in India. In addition to selling a few books, the chef also spent some time at Jacksonville High School to conduct a cooking competition among the students there and capped her trip with a special meal at Vesuvio Bistro in Little Rock.

Despite her busy schedule, I was able to snag a few minutes with Chef Chauhan before the dinner at Vesuvio, and I found her to be very warm and accommodating. It can be easy for someone on a tour of so many cities to lose track and just go through the motions, but Chauhan seemed genuinely pleased to be in Little Rock, especially when it came to that cooking competition. More than just a chance for local students to show off in front of someone from the Food Network, this competition had even bigger stakes: sponsored by ProStart, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's program to promote careers in the culinary industry to high school students, the contest was a chance for our local students to move on to the national stage with a future competition held in Chicago. Chef Chauhan's commitment to educational opportunities was clearly her top priority — after, of course, her 20-month old daughter whom she said she was missing terribly while being on the road.

What I was after, however, was some dinner — and Chef Chauhan had good one planned for us. As soon as we were seated in Vesuvio's dark and intimate dining room, we were given a plate of fresh bruschetta and a peach vodka with cardamom cocktail that was of the chef's own design. Contentedly sipping our drinks, we nibbled at the tomato and bread starter and discussed the meal to come. I've admitted to all of you before how skeptical I am of fusion cuisine, but it's also a very exciting thing when executed correctly. After our talk with the chef (who gave all the credit to the cooks, staff, and crew at Vesuvio), we knew that we were dealing with someone who was passionate about food — and someone who felt that marrying diverse flavors and techniques was not only good, it was unavoidable since we all interpret the food we cook through the lens of our home culture.

We began with a dish called Tadka Walla Risotto, a dish from her cookbook that takes classic Italian risotto and turns up the spice with Thai chilies, adds the smokiness of cumin, and accentuates the nutty flavor of the traditional Parmesan with roasted peanuts. After the first bite, it was clear from the creamy texture of the aborio rice that we were eating risotto, but the exotic flavor of the spices came through on the back end to turn what's normally a mild dish into something completely different. After a moment of shock, our table decided that the dish was a success, from the subtle heat of the peppers to the fresh cilantro garnish that added just a touch of freshness to each bite. It was almost as if the flavors of good Pad Thai had been crossed with the creaminess of classic risotto, something that I would never have thought would taste good until I tried it.

The second course was a Braised Beef Involtini alla Siciliana, served with green beans and saffron mashed potatoes. The potatoes were an immediate hit, with the pale yellow of saffron giving them a color exceeded only by their rich flavor. The beef was rare, and fork-tender — two things that I immediately appreciated. "Involtini" is a term that usually describes meat wrapped around a filling, and Chauhan's play on this was to slightly wrap the rare beef around braised celery, a technique that gave a sharp undertone to the richly flavored meat. When matched with a cabernet sauvignon that was so assertive that it could almost be called "bossy," our table ate this main course slowly, savoring every succulent bite. It also didn't escape our notice that saffron is, pound for pound, one of the most expensive substances on earth, and so we were all pretty excited to be eating that much of it in those excellent potatoes.

The dessert course again showcased our chef's mastery of fusion cuisine, taking the rustic Sardinian pastries known as seadas and giving them an Indian twist. Traditional seadas are a type of cheese fritter or large fried ravioli made with fresh sheep's milk cheese. Chef Chauhan's version replaces the Italian cheese with a similar Indian cheese, paneer, and the result was a savory fried shell filled with gooey cheese made just sweet by a drizzle of honey. It was the perfect ending of a meal where each flavor was familiar in its own way, each dish know, yet the results were delightfully new. It's this ingenuity and attention to detail that make Chef Chauhan's dedication to educating future cooks so important: she is the perfect example of the possibilities that exist with food.

It was quite an honor to meet Chef Chauhan, and I think Little Rock can consider itself lucky to have been a stop on her tour. Explorations of flavor are what good eating is all about, and Maneet Chauhan is doing just that, both in her book and in her cooking.

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The kitchen heats up at the Governor's Culinary Challenge

Daniel Walker — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:07:00 -0500

It’s probably safe to say that the height of popularity for televised cooking competitions has long since passed. There were occasional moments of TV greatness, however, occasionally imbedded within the rage-driven, furrowed brow fits of Gordon Ramsay, the pompous showmanship of the chili-pepper slinging Bobby Flay, or the occasional sharp-tongued, straight shooting antics of Tom Colicchio. But over the years, while the cooking remains (at times) top-notch, the formula has become a little tiresome. However, getting a slice of a culinary competition firsthand, with local celebrity chefs is an entirely different matter—and Arkansans have an opportunity to be a part of one such event at the upcoming Governor’s Culinary Challenge.

The Governor’s Culinary Challenge is a part of the American Culinary Federation’s Central Regional Conference. It will be held at the Capital Hotel in downtown Little Rock on Monday, April 29th from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. The event will place ten highly acclaimed Arkansas chefs head-to-head in an event to showcase each's unique talents and abilities. And guests have the opportunity to be a part of the tasting—helping determine who’s got the winning formula, and who should head back to the cutting board. Admittedly, this "challenge" will be more of a tasting than a knuckle-grinding, hair-singeing, all-out brawl—you can probably view this as more of a "gentleman's competition"—but all the same, you'll have the chance to sample a wide assortment of fabulous food while chatting up some of the top dogs in the Arkansas culinary world.

So, who’s going to be a part of this challenge? I’ll tell you who. The freaking dream team of central Arkansas chefs, that’s who.

More specifically—Joel Antunes, newcomer and recently appointed exec-chef at Ashley’s at the Capital Hotel; he’ll be dragging along his Beard Awards and Michelin stars, just to flash around in everyone’s faces—a little intimidation goes a long way. Peter Brave, a man who needs no introduction in the Central Arkansas dining scene, perennial recipient of “best chef” awards year after year, and captain at his renowned Brave New Restaurant. Lee Richardson, the New Orleans native who recently stepped down from his post at the Capital Hotel, where he brought national attention to Little Rock for his magnificent work at Ashley’s — also rumored to be toting a secret stash of raw milk as a secret weapon. Brian Deloney, a Little Rock native with a taste for Cajun and Creole, was schooled by the hallowed hand of Mr. Emeril Lagasse himself; now headmaster at his Riverdale restaurant, Maddie’s Place. Donnie Ferneau, a man still fresh into his free agenthood, brought home numerous accolades to his once eponymous Hillcrest haunt, Ferneau’s — he won’t be making “grown-up mac-and-cheese,” I assure you. Other competitors include Capi Peck, of Trio’s restaurant; Mark Abernathy, of Red Door and Loca Luna; Restaurant 42's chef Stephen Burrow, who hears "Hail to the Chef" every time he enters a room, and more.

The event benefits the Thea Foundation in North Little Rock, a non-profit arts organization that advocates and supports the arts in the lives of Arkansas’s youth through scholarships and other art-centered programs, encouraging high school seniors interested in pursuing the arts through higher education. You can learn more about the Thea Foundation at this link.

What’s all this going to cost you? Well, you’ll have to pay a handsome price to get in on the action. General admission tickets are $100 per person; they can be purchased here. But if you like food, you enjoy watching chefs at work, and you’ve got a Ben Franklin burning a hole through your pocket, this is just the right event for you.

(The Capital Hotel is located at 111 W. Markham St, Little Rock. For more information, visit the Governor’s Culinary Competition website here.)

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Raise your glass to the 2013 Food & Foam Fest

Daniel Walker — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:17:00 -0500

With the coming of warmer weather to Arkansas, you can expect to see a healthy dose of outdoor Spring and Summer festivals and celebrations…most of which are going to involve food in some way. There’s no better way to get a group of Arkansans together than the promise of good food and drink, and many of the exciting festivities arriving in the coming months will be drawing in folks from all over the state.

This Friday, April 26th, will see the arrival of the annual Food & Foam Fest to Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. The event is billed as “a craft beer festival offering samples of over 250 different kinds of beer, wine, and cuisine from local restaurateurs.” That should keep anyone busy for at least a few hours. Patrons will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite draft as distributors and brewers compete for the award “People’s Choice Best Brew.” The event will be held from 6-9 p.m. and guests must be 21 or older to attend.

Participating restaurants and brewers include Boscos Restaurant and Brewing Co., Apple Spice Junction, the new Stone’s Throw Brewery, Vino’s Pizza and Brewery, Blue Coast Burrito, The Little Rock Flying Saucer, Kent Walker Cheese, Mexico Chiquito, W.T. Bubba’s, Dugan’s Pub and more.

A variety of tickets are available for purchase. VIP tickets ($65) will include early (5:30 p.m.) admittance to the festival, an official t-shirt and other festival swag, and a special tasting event featuring around a dozen brews including Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Schlafly 21st Anniversary Single Malt Scotch Ale, and New Belgium La Folie. Regular admission will run you $40 for the food and beer sampling, and there’s even an option for the designated driver, who gets a break at $20 a ticket. Tickets for the event can be purchased online here and will be waiting at will call (tickets are $45 at the gate).

The annual Food & Foam Fest will benefit the Arkansas Arthritis Foundation in helping to raise funds for children afflicted with juvenile arthritis. The foundation helps fund research, promotes health education, and provides government advocacy for this disabling disease, which affects an estimated 2,700 children in Arkansas.

For more information about the 2013 Food & Foam Fest, check out their website or call Angela at 501-664-4591

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The 2013 Jewish Food and Cultural Fest returns to the River Market

Michael Roberts — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:34:08 -0500

This year will mark the third in a row that I've attended the Little Rock Jewish Food and Cultural Fest hosted by Jewish Federation of Arkansas, and let me tell you — April 28 can't get here fast enough. The event has become one of my favorites around because it combines my love of food with booth after booth of historical information detailing the widespread and varied culture that the Jewish people have taken with them around the world, all presented in a fun and informative way by folks who are always thrilled to share their heritage with the people of Arkansas.

The long history of the Jewish people, when coupled with the dietary restrictions of their faith, has made for some very unique food influenced by the many different areas of the world in which they've lived. The Arkansas Festival pays homage to these varied influences, offering cabbage rolls and chopped liver from the Eastern European tradition along with falafel, hummus, and kabobs from the Middle Eastern and Israeli culinary traditions. That Israeli influence is even more poignant this year, as the festival will also serve as a celebration of Israel's 65th anniversary as a modern state.

My favorite thing at the Jewish Festival (apart from that chopped liver) is the mammoth table of baked goods which takes up most of one side of the River Market Pavilion. Rugelach, honey cakes, challah — you name it, and there's a delicious version of it on that table. Last year, my wife and I bought a babka to take home for later and wound up eating the entire thing in the car before we even left downtown — and this was after having our fill of matzoh ball soup, latkes, and the ever-necessary kosher hot dogs. What makes the quality of these foods even more special is that they are prepared by volunteers to be sold, so it's as if everybody breaks out their grandma's best recipe to share with the world each year.

As you walk around, stuffing your face with blintzes, be sure to catch performances by the musical groups B-Flats, the Klezmer Band, the Schechinotes. Their mix of traditional and contemporary Jewish music is a fitting soundtrack to the booths that teach about the history of this storied faith, the people who have followed it for so long — and the food that has made it one of the most unique culinary traditions in the world. There isn't a chance to get this kind of delicious ethnic cuisine in Little Rock very often, so take advantage of the hard work of the people who come together each year to share their culture with all of us.

The 2013 Jewish Food and Cultural Festival will be held April 28 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. in the River Market Pavilions. Early birds can get there at 8:30 a.m. for a breakfast of lox and bagels, and admission is free.

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Jumbo Gumbo lets the good times roll

Michael Roberts — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:36:00 -0500

The sound of Cajun music echoed through the River Market as we made our way to the pavilions outside Ottenheimer Hall. As we drew closer, the air became thick with the delicious smell of seafood, peppers, okra, and sausage — and we knew that the 2013 Jumbo Gumbo Festival was in full effect. The annual gumbo cook-off, in addition to being an incredible amount of fun, serves to benefit the Allen School, an organization that has helped children with developmental disabilities get some extra help in preparation for their reaching school age. Staff and volunteers alike made sure that everyone had a good time — and more than enough to eat!

The judging was broken down into two groups: the professional judges who awarded the monetary prizes and the "foodie" judges who got to award the "Silver Spork" award to their personal favorite booths. I was lucky enough to be a "Silver Spork" judge along with Kevin Shalin, Thanh Rasico, and Michael Jiuliano, and it was a real honor to be involved with such a fantastic event. I'll have some more pictures below the jump, but first, here are the professional winners:

*First Place: Gumbreaux's
*Second Place: Meaux Good Gumbo
*Third Place: Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler (Who also won my Silver Spork)
*People's Choice: Wantsumeaux Gumbeaux (Who also won for Team Spirit)
*Silver Spork Winners: Taste of Home, Drake's Gumbo, Apartment Hunters, Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

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Argenta Market celebrates third anniversary

Michael Roberts — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:30:00 -0500

One of my favorite places in the metro area, Argenta Market, is celebrating their third anniversary on Saturday, April 13. The North Little Rock store has long been one of my go-to spots for fresh local produce, organic meat (from steaks to lamb fries), and house-made food like that shrimp and grits dish pictured above that will knock your socks off.

In celebration of the start of their fourth year, the market has teamed up with Ratchford Exotic Meat Farm, ice lolly specialists Le Pops, ice cream geniuses Loblolly Creamery, The Resident Chef, and Southern Girl Soapery. These folks will have food samples, demonstrations, and raffle prizes available, and each shopper will receive a free reusable grocery bag. If that weren't enough, the festivities will coincide with the opening of the Argenta Farmers Market right across the street.

Argenta Market is located on Main Street in the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock, and the event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is a good chance to get your hands on some of the season's first local produce, meet some vendors, and maybe score some free foodie swag.

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Mark your calendars for "The Countdown to Parmageddon" at Whole Foods Market

Daniel Walker — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:03:56 -0600

Few foods, in their most simple, unadulterated form, are as dazzling as cheese. Cheese is versatile, diverse, and always a pleasure to eat. Whether melted or grated, crumbled or sliced, there is very little cheese can’t do and nary a dish it cannot improve upon. I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that an object, often teeming with mould and reeking of unwashed gym socks can provide such a lovely flavor. Indigenous, specialty cheeses hail from nearly every nation all across the planet…some are rare, but some cheeses are almost universally available.

Some might argue that Parmigiano Reggiano, an aged cheese originally hailing from northern Italy, is at the apex of the cheese pyramid. The production of Parmigiano Reggiano is an Italian tradition that stems back some 700 years and is a real source of pride to the Italian people. It may be commonplace, found in markets and grocery store chains around the world, but high-quality, artisanal Parmigiano is nothing to scoff at. It has always been a personal favorite of mine. Its characteristic flavor profile, with sweet, salty, and nutty tones, has always been a thing of pure and simple bliss. On those occasions in which I am shopping for various cheeses in efforts to create a spectacular cheese board at home, I’ll often make an effort to sample a few less familiar cheeses, but I rarely leave the market without a block of Parmigiano to round out the plate.

Many wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano (the good ones, anyway) are aged up to two years. Understandably, cracking into an aged wheel is a rather exciting matter and represents the fruits of much labor, stringent testing, and many months of waiting. I’ve heard that any aged cheese, as soon as it’s cut into, opened, and exposed to air, instantly begins to slowly lose some of its savor. These cheeses are the product of complex chemical and microbiological reagents—bacteria and natural enzymes—that, over time, produce the mature, ripened flavors necessary for exceptional cheese. Personally, I’ve never had the opportunity to witness the opening and immediate sampling of a wheel of fine Parmigiano Reggiano, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Now we’ve got the opportunity, Arkansas.

On Saturday, March 9th at 4 p.m. the cheeseheads at Whole Foods Market on Rodney Parham Rd. in Little Rock will be cracking open their wheel of 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano. They’re calling the event, “The Countdown to Parmageddon.” They claim to be making attempts at breaking a Guinness World Record for “most parmesan cheese wheels cracked simultaneously” (a highly coveted record to hold, obviously) by holding the event around the country with over 400 wheels being opened simultaneously. They’re touting the use of five different types of “official knives” to preserve the internal texture of the cheese. They’ll be offering samples, holding recipe demonstrations, and teaching about cheese pairing. It’s an event that’s not to be missed.

(Whole Foods Market Little Rock is located at 10700 N. Rodney Parham Rd, Little Rock. 501-312-2326)

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Scenes from The Butcher & Public pig roast

Lindsey Millar — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:56:36 -0600

Check out the latest from our web video series collaboration with Camp Friday Films on food and music. It's footage from Chef Travis McConnell's first Butcher & Public event. Like we've told you before, McConnell, currently sous chef at the Capital, plans on doing these semi-regularly leading up to the time when he's able to branch out and open his own brick and mortar space.

The event featured in the video happend on Jan. 20 at Dunbar Garden. Subscribe to Butcher & Public's newsletter to make sure you get the word on the next event.

And don't miss previous episodes of our series on Local Lime and Kevin Russell of The Gourds.

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'Chili with a Kick' looking for chili cookers

Lindsey Millar — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:58:35 -0600

"Chili with a Kick," the annual chili-cook-off fundraiser for Youth Home, is hunting chili-cookers. Register here (also to play in the event's kick-ball game or enter a jalapeno eating contest).

Chili, kickball, a slate of bands, kids stuff — it all goes down 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Feb. 16 at Dickey-Stephens. $5.

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Go globetrotting with Forty Two at "Around the World Thursdays"

Daniel Walker — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:43:33 -0600

Without a doubt, the Clinton Presidential Center remains one of the most important and interesting locations in the state of Arkansas. It also happens to house one of Little Rock’s finest dining opportunities, the beautiful Forty Two. Catering primarily to the lunch crowds exploring the Clinton Center or downtown business lunch brigade, Forty Two has become know for its ability to produce food that’s familiar and comfortable but simultaneously reaches above the doldrums of your average sandwich, salad, and burger joint. With specials such as bahn mi with housemade kimchi or red pepper, sweet corn, and crab bisque, this little restaurant in simply icing on the cake in relation to the already exemplary Clinton Center.

Diners anxious to get a sample of the culinary offerings from various parts of the globe will find a thrilling opportunity awaits them at Forty Two during their "Around the World Thursdays." On the third Thursday of every month, Forty Two will be offering five course dinners from countries around the world, with cuisine from several regions that are grossly underrepresented in central Arkansas. The schedule for this year has been recently posted and Forty Two promises to bring a unique dining experience to its weekly guests, a far cry from the standard barbecue and burgers so commonly consumed on a more regular basis.

The five course dinner will run you $27.50 per person...not exactly budget dining, but a heck-of-a-lot cheaper than airfare to Prague. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and dinner is served at 7 p.m. The restaurant strongly recommends reservations, due to the "extreme" popularity of these events. That does sound serious, better book 'em now. This year's dinners include a myriad of diverse international cuisine, showcasing the regional fare of areas such as Limerick, Ireland; Sapporo, Japan; Lillehammer, Norway; and Budapest, Hungary. The full line-up may be seen here. So if you've had a hankering for tørrfisk, fårikål, or smalahove that you just can't seem to shake, you may want to consider getting yourself over to Forty Two...luckily, you won't even be required to flash your hideous passport photo in anyone's face to eat there.

Forty Two is located at 1200 President Clinton Avenue. Call 501-537-0042 to make your reservations.

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UPDATE Butcher and Public throws a pig roast at Dunbar Garden

Lindsey Millar — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 12:18:00 -0600

UPDATE: Because of the nasty weather earlier today, the event has been pushed back until Jan. 20 at 5 p.m.

Travis McConnell, sous chef at the Capital Hotel Bar & Grill, plans to open Butcher and Public, his own brick and mortar space in Little Rock at some point down the road. At 5 p.m. Jan. 13, he's hosting an event at the Dunbar Community Garden Project to show off his vision — a whole roasted local pig party.

The event is donations-only and not ticketed. McConnell plans to offer a full meal that's cooked over the fire. He'll roast a pig from Freckle Face Farms on a spit that he and his dad recently built; use produce from Little Rock Urban Farming, Armstead Farms and others, and serve beer from Diamond Bear and Vino's. He said the menu is a reflection of his cooking philosophy: whole butchered animals and fixin's, locally and regionally sourced.

McConnell first worked as sous chef at the Capital Bar from 2007 until 2009, before departing for Revival Bar and Kitchen in Berkley for three years. He returned to the Capital in September after vacationing Italy, where he got to spend a few days studying under Dario Cecchini, who Anthony Bourdain has called "the most famous and respected butcher in Italy and, maybe, the world." McConnell has posted a few shots of Cecchini's butcher shop, Antica Macelleria Cecchini, on the Butcher and Public Facebook page as an example of what he wants Butcher and Public to be.

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Hillcrest Artisan Meats celebrates first anniversary

Michael Roberts — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:18:26 -0600

December 1, 2011 saw the grand opening of Hillcrest Artisan Meats, a meat market and sandwich palace that has become one of the most beloved places for Little Rock carnivores to get their meat on. Master butcher Brandon Brown and crew have spent the last year introducing Central Arkansas to delightful creations like duck prosciutto, pork lung pastrami, and a braised beef cheek sandwich that has grown so popular that it's been nicknamed the "Get Here Early." On Saturday, H.A.M. will celebrate their one year anniversary by offering up some free nibbles, sweets, drinks, and a raffle to win other goodies from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

H.A.M. is an important part of our culinary landscape, not just because of the quality food they sell and prepare, but because the staff is so knowledgeable about what their business is about — and they're always happy to share that knowledge with folks who have questions. Many's the time I've stopped in, seen something in the case that I've never tried and had somebody slice me off a piece to try and tell me all about it. H.A.M. is also one of the only places in town where you can buy a Thanksgiving turkey and wind up in a conversation with both the man who smoked it and the man who raised it all at the same time. From locally produced meats, cheeses, and vegetables to fine imported mortadella, salami, or jamon iberico, the small Hillcrest butcher is a wonderland of interesting things to eat.

Hillcrest Artisan Meats is located at 2807 Kavanaugh Boulevard, Suite B. My fellow Eat Arkansas contributor Dan Walker and myself are both planning on checking out the festivities, so we hope to see you all there.

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Food trucks and ice cream for SoMa Halloween

Michael Roberts — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:07:45 -0500

It was Halloween, and despite the unseasonably warm afternoon, a strange chill came over us as we walked from our car to the shadowy depths of the Bernice Garden. Strange shapes began to emerge from the darkening streets — tiny witches, zombies and Power Rangers came forth with high-pitched cries of hunger, begging for tricks and treats and mouthfuls of candy. The chill deepened. Perhaps it was something supernatural, a force from beyond the grave coming to exact revenge on those of us who still drew breath — or perhaps it was the Peanut Butter Buttermilk ice cream cone from Loblolly Creamery that filled my mouth with a sweet, tangy richness that that made me shiver with delight. For Halloween in SoMa was a festive affair, with crowds of trick-or-treating families heading down to the Bernice Garden to sample some local food truck favorites before heading out to score their sugary loot.

We had originally intended to grab the appropriately-named Mortadella Monster sandwich from The Food Truck, but the long line of pixies, lion cubs, and one light saber-wielding Darth Vader made us re-think our plans. We contemplated a cheese steak from Philly's, but we finally decided to try Wishbone's, a gourmet hot dog truck that we hadn't seen before, despite its having been open for nearly a year. Fortified by grilled meat, we mingled with the crowd of horrors and hilarities and made our way to the Green Corner Store, where the mustachioed soda jerk was offering tastes of blood-colored hot chocolate, goblin green ice cream, and the delightful caramel apples pictured to the right. It was a great scene full of people out enjoying the weather, stuffing their faces with junk food, and generally just being neighborly. We read every year that the traditional Halloween ritual of going door to door has fallen victim to the fears with obsess and possess our increasingly more isolated society, but that's certainly not the case on South Main. In SoMa, any reason is a good one for getting together with folks in the neighborhood, with Halloween just an opportunity to dress up like a crazy on top of the general feeling of community.

More pictures after the jump.

The Mexican is just one of the gourmet dogs offered by Wishbone's. I liked the grilled sausage, as it was blackened nicely just like it had been roasted over a campfire, and the peppers and cheese were a nice, spicy touch. Less successful was the other dog we tried, The Italian, a rather bland dog with a strange sweet flavor to the toppings.

No sculpture in the Bernice Garden was safe from this pint-sized Dark Lord of the Sith.

Hot gourmet sandwiches from Jeffrey Palsa's Food Truck brought the crowds better than a disembodied brain convention brings zombies.

Peanut Butter Buttermilk and Goblin Green Vanilla ice cream was our final destination, served up in Loblolly's deep red "Devil Cones." We saw a couple dressed as Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke from "Mary Poppins," and they were easily the best costume we saw all night.

After such a fun night, we decided it was a shame that Halloween only comes once a year. As the various haunts and princesses headed back home to sleep off their sugar highs, we made our own way from South Main, stomachs full of tasty food after having such a scary good time.

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Beer and Brats Thursday

Michael Roberts — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:51:00 -0500

The MacArthur Park Group, Downtown Little Rock Partnership, Little Rock Parks & Rec, and the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History are hosting a Beer & Brats party Thursday, November 1 from 5 p.m - 7 p.m. on the north lawn of MacArthur Park. Guest chef Bryan Barnhouse will be appearing at the event alongside tube-meat expert and all-around superstar Hot "Brats" Mike. Enjoy your suds and sausage while listening to the music of Ben "Swamp Donkey" Brenner, and enjoy the Arkansas autumn with a few dozen of your favorite friends.

Tickets to the event are $15 and will go to support the park's master plan projects. RSVP's are encouraged, and can be sent to Jayme Morrisette at jmorrisette@downtownlr.com or by calling 501-375-0121.

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Food for Thought symposium at Bowen Law School

Cheree Franco — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:00:00 -0500

The Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service, a volunteer effort by UALR’s Bowen Law students, held its first public symposium on Friday. The topic was food, policy and community in Arkansas. I missed the macro-policy debates in the afternoon, but the morning panels amounted to a solid discussion on how to broaden access to local food.

The 40-person audience was a mix of food service distributors, chefs hoping to get into the food truck business, representatives from Heifer International and other hunger relief organizations, folks from the Department of Human Services, the Boozman College of Public Health, the Clinton School and the Bowen Law School.

The second panel, “Food trucks in the Little Rock landscape” was largely about the relationship and friction between food trucks and brick and mortar restaurants — in other words, nothing new. Eric Tinner, owner of Sufficient Grounds Cafe and The Sports Page, represented downtown restaurants. He cited the significantly higher overhead for brick and mortar businesses, and how, on Food Truck Fridays, some of his colleagues have lost 20 percent of their business. “We need smaller businesses [filling the empty storefronts downtown] to draw people in, and food trucks are not it. They’re a temporary solution. They don’t invest in the infrastructure,” he said. Specifically, he named El Japeno, a food truck turned downtown brick and mortar, that recently closed, and All American Wings, which moved from its downtown location because, according to Tinner, “he could not compete with the lower prices [of food trucks.]” Tinner maintains that the city of Little Rock and the Downtown Little Rock Partnership have only aggravated the situation.

Sharon Priest said, “The Partnership’s mission is not to bring food trucks into downtown…we’re trying to bring downtown back to life. That’s our goal, and we’ve been pretty successful thus far.” The Partnership sponsors Food Truck Fridays at the Capitol and Main intersection in autumn and spring and has held two food truck festivals so far. The first festival had 17 food trucks and crowds of 5,000. This year’s festival had 29 food trucks, a cold, constant drizzle, and crowds of 2,700.

“I’m a member of the Partnership, and it’s difficult for us to pay dues every month to something that undermines our business,” Tinner said.

Another panel member, Justin Patterson with food truck Southern Gourmasian, said, “No scientific evidence exists that indicates food trucks hurt businesses.”

Bryan Day and Tony Bozynski, the assistant manager and the director of planning and development for the city, agree that the city has done little to address the food truck boom issues beyond basic health, zoning and licensing requirements. They admit that they get complaints, not just from brick and mortar restaurants but from other neighborhood business owners and residents who claim that food trucks are disrupting business or blocking traffic. Day said that the city will probably have to address these issues in the near future, and that they have looked at other municipalities that charge food trucks higher licensing fees or, in the case of Las Vegas, don’t allow food trucks within a certain distance of brick and mortar restaurants.

Patterson said, “A lot of the policies have been enacted against food trucks to protect brick and mortar restaurants. That can’t just be what it’s about.”

Jennifer Harrison of University Market@Four Corners, a food truck court managed by Mosaic Church in Southwest Little Rock, said that their mission is “to bring more affordable food to an underserved area. We charge very little for food trucks to park there, so they can pass their savings on.” The goal, which she judges successful thus far, is to get people outside, socializing (they have picnic tables), and help residents reclaim the public sphere in a somewhat dangerous area.

Amanda Philyaw-Perez, with UAMS, pressed Harrison on the issue. “Have you looked at customer demographics, because food trucks tend to serve a specific [white, upper income] demographic — is 4Corners really serving that [Latino, lower income] community?”

Harrison said that the court offers a range of meals — anywhere from $3-10, and that it serves hairstylists and people that work at Murry’s theater, as well as business professionals.

Someone in the audience pointed out that food trucks aren’t contributing to the community in ways that go beyond infrastructure — they’re not donating food to pantries like restaurants do. Patterson noted that food trucks waste a lot less food and don’t have the excess of restaurants.

The point Philyaw-Perez’s made about the demographics served by food trucks (and local food) was illustrated by both morning panels (all white) and the audience (99% white). On the “trends in food and commerce in Arkansas,” there were two restaurants represented — the Root and Boulevard Bread — which largely cater to the same clientele. The discussion was productive in that it raised many important questions, some less obvious than others, but there was a definite lack of perspective from the minority and lower income communities that I assume the Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service is hoping to enfranchise. (Other panelists were Damian Thompson, coordinator of Dunbar Gardens, and Jody Hardin, a fifth generation farmer who founded the Certified Arkansas Farmers Markets.)

Perez mentioned that even though organic and local foods have become trendier, Arkansans as a whole consumed less produce in 2009 (20% getting the recommended five daily servings) than they did in 1996 (34 % getting five servings). “This movement is only growing in certain socioeconomic demographics,” she said. The panel consensus seemed to be that perhaps restaurants and institutions, such as school and hospital cafeterias, would use local food if the infrastructure were in place. Perez, Hardin and other individuals and nonprofits are trying to organize an aggregation of small, local farmers who could band together to take on the expense of bureaucracy, food storage and distribution in order to better supply Central Arkansas with consistent local food. Thus far, most Arkansas farmers have to choose between distributing hyper-locally, via farmers markets, or growing for a large corporation.

And food safety regulation is inarguably important, but it some ways, it is part of the problem. The cost of certifications and inspections — farmers must pay to have every crop individually inspected if they want to supply public institutions — is part of why grocery stores and public schools serve and sell food that comes, largely, from beyond the state’s borders. According to Hardin, Arkansas exports $8 million food dollars that could be funneled back into rural communities and consumes about one percent of what it grows. In both rural and urban Arkansas, there is a similar access problem. Rural Arkansans may live in towns that are too small to support big supermarkets or even farmer’s markets and in some urban neighborhoods, there are plenty of convenience stores and fast food restaurants within walking distance, but there are no supermarkets with fresh produce. As Americans, we spend about 9.4% of our income of food. For a family of three earning just above $25,000 (the cut off for food assistance from SNAP), this means they spend about $200 a month on food, or a little over $2 a person per meal. Local food is expensive because operations are too small to benefit from subsidies or to easily absorb bureaucratic costs. She challenges Arkansans who can afford it to buy locally, because the state is at a crucial tipping point and needs to sustain small farms while infrastructure issues are tackled.

Jack Sundell mentioned that there is not enough consciously-grown local food to meet all the needs of even the few restaurants that are choosing local suppliers, and that a small farm development technology center might be one solution, to encourage people from all backgrounds to choose careers in sustainable farming.

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Scenes from the Third Annual World Cheese Dip Championship

Michael Roberts — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:27:00 -0500

The Third Annual World Cheese Dip Championship is in the books, and it was the strongest version of the event yet. Held this year on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Library, the third iteration of the melted cheese celebration had enough room to move around — and some extra space for a DJ, some bouncy castles, and food vendors like Hot Dog Mike and Philly's to Go. There was a strong lineup of contenders for chip-dipping glory, and I have to say that I didn't try a single dip that wasn't at least decent. Staff, volunteers, vendors, and contestants were all very friendly and enthused to be there, and the festive atmosphere was helped along nicely by the beer tent, frozen margaritas, and Rock Town Distillery's Apple Pie Lightning, a smooth-drinking, deceptively strong apple liquor that I highly recommend.

I've got plenty of pictures to post, but first, the winners:

Big Dipper (Grand Prize): ConcheeZtadors (Amateur), Dizzy's (Professional)
The ConcheeZtadors team has become a staple of the local cheese dip scene, and their Mexican wrestling-inspired booth also won for best booth design. Their dip was a flavorful, mild dip that was quite enjoyable. Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro is no stranger to the winner's circle, winning the first cheese dip championship in 2010 with their creamy dip topped with fresh pico de gallo.

Little Dipper (Second Prize): UAMS (Amateur), US Pizza (Professional)
The UAMS group went with a classic cumin-based dip reminiscent of Mexico Chiquito's original recipe. US Pizza's dip was a creamy white cheese dip that really knows how to coat a chip.

People's Champion: Mitchell-Williams (Amateur), Dizzy's (Professional)
Mitchell-Williams is one of my favorite groups, because they hold an office-wide contest every year to choose their entry dip. This year's winner was a Ro-tel and cheese mixture with some spicy sausage added to make one of the heartiest dips in the contest.

For more pictures, join me after the jump.

The hottest dip at the festival came from Dunbar Community Gardens, which used their green thumbs to produce the jalapenos, serranos, cayenne peppers, habaneros, ghost peppers, and Trinidad scorpion peppers that made this dip a painful (but tasty) experience.

This is the Big Dipper trophy won last year by Dog Town Coffee. While Dog Town didn't place this year, their dip was one of our favorites.

The big winner this year was this dip from Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro, a creamy dip topped with fresh pico de gallo. This has been my favorite dip at the festival for three years running.

One of the fresh tactics used this year was some campaigning by members of the ConcheeZtadors team, who said they got the idea from attending a music festival this summer.

Last but not least, Rock Town Distillery's booth was a highlight of the event, and their Apple Pie Lightning was the essence of fall in a bottle. Sold mixed or by the shot, it was tasty both ways.

I always get to this even early, so I left before the reported chip shortages happened. I was a bit surprised that there were shortages this year given the barrels of fresh-fried chips that the coordinators had, and it's a sign of how popular this festival has become. I think that despite that issue, the cheese dip folks deserve congratulations for holding a fun event, and as I've said for the last two championships: I can't wait until next year.

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Food for Thought symposium at UALR law school

Cheree Franco — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:03:27 -0500

Two weeks from today, on Fri. Oct. 26, The Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service will hold "Food for Thought: A Symposium Devoted to Food, Policy, and Community in Arkansas” from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Bowen School of Law. Registration opens at 8:15.

Presentation topics include the history of street vending in America, food trucks in the Little Rock Landscape, trends in food and commerce in Little Rock, corporate America's role in food security and legislative solutions to food insecurity. A complete schedule is here.

This event is free and open to the public. Speakers include professors, legislators and representatives for hunger relief organizations.

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