Flavors of Northwest Arkansas

Theo's (Fayetteville & Rogers), East Side Grill, Southern Food Co., and Tusker's Tavern- Todd & Marti Martin

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we talk with Todd and Marti Martin. They own Theo’s in Fayetteville and Rogers, the East Side Grill, Tuskers Tavern and the Southern Food Company, which was their first restaurant.
Before that interview, we hear from Odd Soul owner Jeffro Brown about something that they have going on this week. On Thursday, they’ll be starting campaigns to pre-buy pizzas for those in the area that aren’t as fortunate. They’ll also be hosting a fundraiser to help erase one school’s lunch debt.  Again, it happens tomorrow, Thursday November 21st from 5 to 9 at the Odd Soul in downtown Springdale.
And there’s something going on tonight (if you’re listening to this on Wednesday, November 20th)! Callisto in Bentonville is having their grand opening from 4 to 11pm. 10% of all proceeds will go to Gather to Scatter- a non-profit committed to gathering community resources and extending them to those in need. Would absolutely recommend getting reservations as it’s already a very popular place!
Now back to Marti and Todd Martin. They’re retirees, but they’re not old. In fact, they might be busier now than they were before retiring.
They met at the UofA, got married and had 3 girls. They’ll talk about their professional careers and how they ended up back in Fayetteville.
And why the restaurant business? The answer may not be what you think.
As their first restaurant, how did they get the Southern Food Company off the ground with no restaurant experience? They’ll talk about that.
Todd and Marti bought both Theo’s locations and the East Side Grill during Covid. How and why?? There’s a pretty good answer.
Finally, why did they open Tuskers Tavern right behind East Side Grill?
Some fun stories with Todd and Marti Martin, next, here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas!

Wu Zhao- Vincent Yeow Lim, Catherine Zhang and Barry Furuseth

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, things will be a little different, as we’re going to be talking to a chef from Australia that has, literally, millions of social media followers and is going to be part-owner of a restaurant opening here. More on that in a second.  
But first, what a road it’s been for the Mellow Moose Burger food truck of Siloam Springs! They won the Miracle League’s Northwest Arkansas Burger Competition in September, giving them a Golden ticket to World Food Championships in Indianapolis. That happened this past weekend. We’ll hear how it ended and hear from Adrian Lem of Mellow Moose Burgers.  
Now onto some somber news. Smoke and Barrel in Fayetteville is now closed. They decided to sell to someone else and announced it on social media this past weekend. We’ll hear from them.  
If you’re online and follow the top influencers in the Chinese food world, you’ve no doubt heard of Vincent Yeow Lim, or @DimSimLim, as his millions of social media followers know him. If you don’t follow him, you might want to check out his TikTok or Instagram feeds to see what kind of food will be coming to our area. And oh, by the way, Catherine Zhang is one of his partners in this. She’s a pastry chef that won Zumbo’s Just Desserts on Netflix and was the youngest to do it.
They’ll be partnering with our guy Barry Furuseth of Blu in Bentonville. So, what is it? Where will this restaurant be? What's the meaning behind the name?
Why did they decide on Northwest Arkansas and when will it open?
So many questions and we’ll get the answers next, right here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.

Bar Cleeta & Big Lieutenant- Trae & Weisi Basore

On episode 37 of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas, we hop back up to Bentonville to talk with restaurant power-couple Trae and Weisi Basore. They’re the owner/operators of Bar Cleeta and The Big Lieutenant- really enjoyed my conversation with them… but before we get to them???
*Food News*
Here’s some quick food news…
As you’ll recall, we interviewed Todd Golden from Mermaids at the end of September, and he told us that Mermaids would be closing at the end of the year. According to the Fayetteville Flyer, they have since found a new location but have yet to disclose where, as there’s still working to secure it. That’s something that we’ll continue to follow.
KYYA chocolate has relocated their operations to Bentonville at 5400 SW Regional Airport Blvd and had their grand opening last week. Owners Rick and Kristi Boosey tell us why they made the move when they did. It also gives them some much needed additional space, and that means some new items.
Gelatissimo is opening in downtown Rogers on Saturday morning at 11. They’ll be just the fourth Gelatissimo store in the U.S. and if you get there early on Saturday, you could get a scoop for free!
If you have some restaurant news that you want to shoot my way, you can shoot me an email to FlavorsOfNWA@Gmail.com or DM me on Facebook or Instagram at the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas
 
Now onto Bar Cleeta and the Big Lieutenant as we talk to husband/wife team Trae and Weisi Basore, and they are all about family, including the names of the restaurants and menu items.
Trae is a Bentonville native, and he and Weisi worked in the New York restaurant scene. They met at a Met’s game by happenstance. They were supposed to meet earlier. You’ll love that story.
They got married and wanted to try something different than New York, so they did the extreme opposite and moved to LA. They’ll explain.
During this time, Bentonville was growing up, and they were taking notice on their trips back.
After a year in LA, they decided to make the move to Bentonville. Once here, they got busy with pop-ups and started searching for their own spot. They’ll tell you how they found their spot for Bar Cleeta, and how they survived during Covid. We’ll also hear about the Big Lieutenant. It’s different from Bar Cleeta in that it’s not as upscale. They’ll tell us the story behind opening it.
We’ll also hear about some popular dishes from both places, including a 6-day wagyu brisket, rabbit bologna, pastrami lamb ribs, and the Arkansas Tomato Dish.
Thanks for checking us out!

Park House Kitchen + Bar- Alma Sanchez

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we hop over to Siloam Springs and to the Park House Kitchen + Bar, where we interview owner/operator Alma Sanchez.
But before we got into that interview, we wrapped up Top Chef NWA 2024 benefitting the Rogers Public Library Foundation. We’ll hear from the winners and have some news about a popular new part-owner of a Springdale restaurant.
Also, this coming weekend will be a popular grand opening weekend in Bentonville. Callisto will be opening on Friday (check out our Facebook/Instagram for our soft opening story) and Brothers Meethouse will be opening on Friday in the Market District. We’ll hear from them.
So glad that we got to the Park House Kitchen + Bar in Siloam Springs. Really enjoyed the interview, the space, and the food! For those that haven’t been there, Alma Sanchez has an amazing place in the downtown historic district right by the City Park & Gazebo and Sager Creek. She was raised in the restaurant world and grabbed the opportunity of the Park House when it unexpectedly became available, just a few weeks after sitting on the porch there, wondering aloud how cool it would be to own the place.
It used to be a hotel, and still kind of is. Alma will explain that.
She also talks about how they came up with the menu for the place. They thought outside the box for this one and it worked out well.
She talks about how they pivoted to survive covid, and how that kept her from having to lay anyone off.
 
Also, any place that has brunch on the weekends, chicken and waffles, and a Monte Cristo has my attention!
 
We talk to Alma Sanchez from Park House Kitchen & Bar, next, here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.
 

Mezzaluna Pasteria & Mozzarella Bar- Owner & Chef Soerke Peters

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast we head up to Bentonville and talk to Chef & Owner Soerke Peters of Mezzaluna Pastaria, and let me tell you, this man has had some experiences that will absolutely blow you away.
But first, a quick note if you’re listening to this on October 23rd or 24th in 2024, Top Chef NWA is happening Friday night. I’ve talked about Top Chef here a few times and it’s a great event, as we went last year for the first time. It’s the big fundraiser of the year for the Rogers Public Library Foundation, and 4 chefs (actually 3 chefs and a team of students from Brightwater) will compete for the title. Last year’s winner Chef Garyn Folden from Cura Culinary will be one of the judges this year.
With your ticket, you will experience a minimum of four dishes prepared by the competing chefs & teams. You will also enjoy grilling stations, pass dishes, signature cocktails, mouthwatering appetizers, decadent desserts, and an open bar… for $75. Great deal, great cause, great time! You can get your tickets at the Rogers Public Library Foundation website, or you can just go to the ticket link on our Flavors of Northwest Arkansas Facebook and Instagram pages.  Hustle and get yours before they sell out!
Back in July, we interviewed Mitchell Owen from Zelli Pasta, and they had a super-busy summer, with their growth and expansion of the store. Mitchell did have some breaking news for us back in July and told us that they were working on an in-house tomato sauce sourced from Arkansas grown tomatoes. It’s now available and you can pick it up at the store in downtown Springdale!
Mezzaluna in downtown Bentonville held their grand opening on August 19th and have been humming ever since. Chef & Owner Soerke Peters also owns and operates a Mezzlauna on the Monterey Bay in California- so, why Bentonville? He explains.
Unlike most of us, he knew what he wanted to do at a very early age. He got into training to be a chef after high school, and as a new young chef, he got hazed. You’ll hear his stories.
Early on, he was working at Michelin star restaurants, where he really learned the trade.
Chef Peters was named Executive Chef for the 1990 World’s Fair in Russia & Siberia. How do you order food for thousands of people? Also, he served one of the biggest dignitaries of that time and had little-to-no notice before having to do so. Some wild stories from that job.
And finally, what I ask everyone- what was your last 24 hours like before you opened your doors? It was… active.
Listen and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts!

The Ashleigh Wine & Sake Lounge- Chef Colin Stewart

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we’re in Rogers at the Ashleigh Lounge talking to Chef Colin Stewart.
We also introduce a new podcast. It’s called Bien The Know. I host it with Bienvenue (now the title makes sense!) Owner & Chef William Mauk. We have culinary discussions, talk food and wine culture and Chef William will take your recipe questions- just hit us up on our social media. We’ll also have special guests. The monthly podcast will come out on the 15th of every month and the first episode is up, so check it out here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Now, some congratulations are in order! The readers of Celebrate Magazine have spoken! Celebrate held voting for their VERY BEST categories of 2024, and Congrats goes to Mermaids in Fayetteville as they win for the VERY BEST seafood restaurant. Hurry over to check them out, because as you’ve heard here, they’ll be closing at the end of the year.
Also, big congrats goes out to Cura Culinary. They won the VERY BEST in the fine dining category. Of course, they reside in Bentonville Provisions at the moment, but as they told us on their episode here in late July, they have big plans for moving into their own spot!
Colin Stewart is the executive chef of The Ashleigh Lounge, the new wine, sake and small plate bar in Rogers. He’s originally from the Buffalo area but has been in NWA for a good while.
He’s had just about every job you could imagine along the way but eventually got a job cooking, which he fell in love with. He’s become a high-end chef without being formally trained. He’ll tell you about his path, and the BIG part that being a stay-at-home Dad played into his education.
Speaking of education, he’s learned quite a bit from chefs around these parts that he’s worked with. And if you catch him staring at you while you’re eating his food, you’ll know why. It’s a good thing.
He also talks about his food and will tell us how different preparing small plates is from entrée-sized meals, as well as getting new menu’s together in basically no time. He’s a fun storyteller.
If you enjoy the podcast, please like and subscribe!
Thank you!

Gaskins on Emma- Bert Jones, Lisa Provencio-Jones, and Executive Chef Sam Walker

On episode #33 of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas Podcast, we have a fun interview with Gaskins on Emma owners Bert Jones and Lisa Provencio-Jones and Executive Chef, Sam Walker.
First, though, we’ve got news from Black Apple Hard Cider. We talked with co-owner Leo Orpin back in August and he told us that some changes were coming. Those changes are almost done, and we hear what they’re adding. It opens in a week and a half…
Just down the road in downtown Springdale, Bauhaus Biergarten celebrated their 2nd anniversary last weekend. They had a ribbon cutting, happy hour, polka music and a German-styled pig roast as a part of the weekend celebration. Many luminaries showed up, including Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse. We hear from him and Co-Owner/Executive Chef Jennifer Hill-Booker about their 2 years in the community.
Sidenote- Check out the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas Facebook and Instagram pages to see our video of the celebration weekend.
Gaskins on Emma opened their doors in late June, and have been gaining momentum ever since. Of course, the original Gaskins restaurant is called Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse in Eureka Springs, which is also owned by the Jones family. We’ll get a history lesson on the Gaskins name and its colorful past.
Also, you’ve got to hear how Lisa and Bert met. It’s a great story, and let’s just day that Bert had lady luck on his side. And how did they get into the restaurant business in Arkansas?
And after that, what led them to want to open in Downtown Springdale? Turns out they’d been looking for a while in Northwest Arkansas.
Chef Sam Walker is their Executive Chef at the Emma location and he is someone who had been on their radar for some time. You’ll hear the story.
And what about the food? Of course they’re very well known for their prime rib and steaks, but we’ll also hear about bone marrow and their famous Burgundy mushroom soup, and if you’re looking for the recipe for that soup… well… I wouldn’t hold your breath.
Final note: there’s some explicit language in this one.

Medina's Tri Tip Company- Eliseo & Chelsea Medina

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we’re checking out a place that I recently learned about, and what they’re doing is pretty amazing. We talked with Eliseo and Cheslea Medina of Medina’s Tri Tip Company.
But before our interview with them, you’ll hear from Nikki Ringler from Cobblestone Farms about their big fundraiser (and it sounds amazing) and we’ll also hear from Rob Nelson, Co-Founder and Culinary Director of the Good Gravy Group and Managing Partner April Seggebruch about the new Tusk and Trotter that just opened up in downtown Rogers.
Back to Medina’s Tri-Tip Company. I became aware of Medina’s Tri-Tip Company recently and immediately had so many questions. Like why Tri Tip? Is it a restaurant? Is it a retail place? Is it both? Why is it in Lowell? Do they have other things besides Tri-Tip? So, I asked owners Eliseo and Chelsea Media all the questions.
I also found out how they met, which is a FUN story. Our man Eliseo is a schemer for sure. They have a big menu and big hearts. They started Tamales for Toys benefitting area kids, and it’s grown exponentially.
We get our Tri-Tip on, next, right here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas!

Mermaid's, TJ's Sandwich Shop, and Isabella's- Chef Todd Golden

Welcome to episode 31 of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas Podcast. Today’s interview is with Chef Todd Golden, co-owner and chef of Mermaids, TJ’s Sandwich Shop and Isabella’s, which will open soon in Bentonville.
But we start with Mellow Moose Burgers in Siloam Springs. For those that don’t know, they’re a food truck that’s gaining popularity, and they were VERY popular this past weekend as they won both the People’s Choice and the Judge’s Choice at the Miracle League Burger competition, earning them the golden ticket to the World Food Championships in Indianapolis in November. We hear from Owner/Chef Adrian Lem about the win.
Chef Todd and his wife Nickki have owned and operated restaurants in Fayetteville for over 30 years. For those that haven’t been here that long, you may now know that their first restaurant was called Belvedere’s in Fayetteville. Chef Todd will talk about the early days.
After Mermaid’s, they opened up TJ’s Sandwich shop and we talk to Chef Todd about how great it had to be able to start a menu from scratch for a hot sandwich shop.
After TJ’s, the Goldens opened Isabella’s in Fayetteville as a fine Italian dining destination and they’re now mere weeks away from opening in Bentonville. Chef Todd will tell us the easiest way to remember the Bentonville location and explain his favorite meal on the menu.
And finally, if you’ve driven past Mermaid’s recently, you’ve no doubt seen the “For Lease” sign out front. Chef Todd will explain.
Flavors of Northwest Arkansas is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Markham & Fitz- Lauren Blanco

On this week’s episode of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we celebrate 10 years of business for local chocolatier Markham and Fitz in Bentonville.
But we kick off the podcast talking about a big night. We’re just over a month away from Top Chef NWA, benefitting the Rogers Public Library Foundation.  Tickets are available now. We hear from last year’s winner, Garyn Folden from Cura Culinary.
In this week’s podcast interview, we catch up with co-founder and owner of Markham and Fitz, Lauren Blanco.
They now distribute chocolate to 39 states & 6 countries and were featured in over 100 Anthropology stores around the US.
Lauren talks about the 2 principals that they were founded on: celebrating people and restoring the earth, and Markham and Fitz really puts their money where their mouth is when it comes to that. She’ll tell us how…
Also she’ll talk about one of their holiday bars, because I HAD to ask about it. It’s the Festivus bar.  This is for the Seinfeld fans.
How do they come up with new ideas and flavors? It starts with R&D…
And finally, with it basically being fall, Lauren shares her favorite hot chocolate recipe in the Mike Engleman Home Pro tip of the week. Get pen and paper ready! We’re talking chocolate this week on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas!