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Attention Little Rock foodies, if you are not on Twitter, you are missing out on some of the most tantalizing and engaging food related goings-on in this city. It’s that simple. Why Twitter? Oh, you are already on Facebook? Perhaps it’s a personal preference, but I feel Twitter gives the user a more intimate look into the life of the food industry—its chefs, its patrons, its owners. Surprisingly, this insight is expressed in the very limited confines of 140 characters. But I firmly believe that a food scene that has learned to embrace Twitter, exploiting it for all it can be, will propel itself forward at a rate exponentially faster than a city that doesn’t. I want to see where you are eating. I want to know exactly what you are cramming down your throat in real time. I want to know what evil science experiments the Little Rock food labs are cooking up at the moment. I want to see dinner specials and dessert menus. If you own a restaurant, and you aren’t using Twitter, I can truly not fathom why you are neglecting such a valuable (and free!) marketing tool. Oh look! My friend is eating lasagna at The Pantry…geez, I better get over there and follow his lead. It works, folks.

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For all you Tweeters, and non-Tweeters who we can hopefully convince to join our happy throng, here is our list of the greatest and most important food related Twitter feeds to follow in Central Arkansas. This list represents individuals, businesses, and chefs…a hodge-podge of ne’er-do-wells, ragamuffins, sweethearts, and quasi-geniuses, all working together to support and enhance the Arkansas food scene. #StartFollowingTheseFolks

Kevin Shalin (@TheMightyRib): Kevin is no stranger to the Eat Arkansas family, but in the relatively short time since he moved to Little Rock, there is probably no one that has been more enthusiastic about and instrumental in helping build and shape our food community. Clever, kind, honest, and witty, his tweets are always a treat. He’s also pioneered some incredible foodie meet-ups (such as The Pantry pig roast and a coffee cupping at Guillermo’s). He also has a pretty wicked beard—the ladies love it.

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Zara Abbasi (@Zara1024): Incredibly sweet and chock full of food related knowledge; the girl clearly has good taste. Also, she may or may not be forming an underground cake business (more on that in the near future).

Joel DiPippa (@Joel_DiPippa): If you’ve lived in Arkansas for, say, more than 2 hours, you probably already know Joel, so he likely needs no introduction. But the man is simply a wealth of information. And while his brilliance is certainly not limited to food, cooking, and cocktails, in these his knowledge is truly unparalleled. I’ve also considered hiring him as my personal stylist, should I ever find myself on a red carpet of some sort in the future. His loving new wife, Amanda (@al_dipippa) ain’t just arm candy either. The girl knows her grub as well, making the two of them a near-supernatural power couple within the Little Rock food scene. But please refrain from referring to them as “JoeManda.”

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The Local Lime/Big Orange/ZAZA empire (@LocalLime, @BigOrangeBurger, @zaza_pizza): not only do they produce some of the finest food in the state—with a slew of awards to prove it—these folks also run one of the most powerful PR campaigns in Central Arkansas. Led by the talented Amber Brewer (@ambirdLR), their tweets are undeniably effective in stimulating salivary glands and getting people in the doors of their restaurants. Truly a model unto any other business looking to do Twitter right.

Thanh Rasico (@ThanhRasico): She may be relatively new to the Twitterverse, but she’s certainly no stranger to fine dining. In conjunction with her excellent food blog, Red Kitchen Recipes, Thanh has proven numerous times that in the kitchen, she is a force to be reckoned with.

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Erin Robinson (@Erin_in_AR): A woman who has shown herself to be both well-traveled and well-versed in all things food in Little Rock and beyond. Clearly, a person with a generous number of dining experiences under her belt, her suggestions, tweets, and musings on the Central Arkansas food scene should not be ignored.

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