Flavors of Northwest Arkansas

The Leroy- Ted Belden, NWA Transplants, Munchin With Mantha, Jason Suel

On this week's edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas Podcast, we have a little bit of a different one for you, as we were invited to the VIP night at the LeRoy Lounge in Fayetteville on Dickson Street, and man, what a scene it was…
But before we get to that… a little about the LeRoy. It’s a dining and entertainment experience. By that we mean that they have duckpin bowling… it’s bigger in the northeast and to my knowledge, doesn’t exist in NWA… They also have 2 sports simulators and 2 gaming media lounges, as well as a few classic dart stations…
Also, we got to sample some of the food and what we had was very, very good… We also sampled a few of the drinks from the drink menu, which were great and creative! I’ll definitely be going back for both and hopefully some games as well.
There were dignitaries from all around Northwest Arkansas there that night. We talked with Ted Belden, co-owner of the LeRoy, as well as some awesome influencers. We talked with Amin and Brittany from NWA Transplants and Samantha from Munchin with Mantha. Had a ball with both of them. Also had a ball with KNWA’s Jason Suel who not only works a stone’s throw from the LeRoy but has a history with its building.
We hope that you check it out!

First Seat Pub- Trisha Walden & Billie Sparks; Dedicated to the memory of Mike Engleman

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we have a great chat with Trisha Walden and Billie Sparks from the First Seat Pub, Barley & Vine and the Captain’s Seat but not before saying goodbye to my dad, Mike Engleman, who passed away on Father’s Day. My sibling’s and I talk about Dad in the kitchen before I talk to Trisha and Billie. Dad wasn’t necessarily a kitchen maestro… The 3 of us have fun stories.
Speaking of fun stories, Trisha and Billie are Bentonville’s Thelma and Louise. They’re a great duo, and with Trisha’s husband Sean, they’re a force.
They told us about opening all 3 restaurants, some of the hilarious names on the menus, surviving Covid, and at times, it devolves into a comedy routine… and I was so there for it.
Hope you listen to this week’s Flavor’s of Northwest Arkansas podcast #RIPDad

Mallory Files- Ozark Charcuterie

On this week's episode, We talk to Mallory Files, the 26-year-old dynamo behind Ozark Charcuterie, and man has she been keeping busy.
If you follow her on Instagram, you’ve seen what her day-to-day looks like. You’ll also see where she went viral and in a blink of an eye was over 30,000 followers. She’ll tell us what caused that, who exactly her target audience is, and what she learned from it. There’s some exceptionally valuable social media branding advice in there- don’t miss it.
Also, what’s a grazing table and why is it so aptly named? She talks about it, and how hard it is to set one up, and speaking of, she tells us her craziest order of all time.
Finally, there’s big news, as she’s expanding her business and she’s taken a BIG leap- she also breaks some news about it with us! We hope you check it out!

Barry Furuseth- Blu Fresh Fish Marketplace

This week, we’re at Blu in Bentonville, where we’re talking fresh fish and the career of its owner/operator, Barry Furuseth.
Barry has always been in the fish business, going all the way back to his childhood cleaning fish for tourists on the Minnesota lake where he grew up.
After a few years of college, he decided to get back to work, and back to fish. He sold fish door-to-door, and as he put it, absolutely loved it.
He continued to sell fish on the west coast, first in the Bay Area, and then in LA. At both places, he was a fish wholesaler and made long-lasting contacts from the captains of the boats.
He then moved to Arkansas. He’ll tell us how he ended up here – it’s a good story.
Also, he tells stories about getting Blu off the ground, which turned into much more than he thought it would. Speaking of that, he has more restaurants with more in the works.
And those fish contacts from the boats back in the day? He still has them, and they send what they catch to Bentonville…. Fast.
And finally, Barry has some sound business advice for us.
He’s an awfully busy man, who was just getting over bronchitis when we spoke, but he powered through for us, and we’re thankful that he did. We hope that you give it a listen!

Cafe Rue Orleans- Maudie Schmitt

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas, we hop down to Fayetteville to talk to the venerable Maudie Schmitt at Café Rue Orleans.

Grow NWA- Katie Helams

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we get trendy with a newer trend that’s working its way to not being just a trend but a mainstay as we talk with Katie Helams of Grow NWA- we’re talking microgreens! They’re getting HUGE nationally and are growing in popularity here. The trend is expected to grow over 11% by 2028. One of the reasons that they’re growing in popularity is because they’re exceptionally rich in nutrients. They also grow QUICKLY. Katie’s a former chef, and she and her husband have been everywhere, but have found a home here, and the business they started 3 years ago looks to be taking off as well. That’s on this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas. Thanks for checking it out!

Sweet Freedom Cheese- Jessica Keahey

On this edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we head to the 8th Street Market and interview Jessica Keahey, owner, head cheesemonger and “curd nerd” at Sweet Freedom Cheese in Bentonville.

Pleasant Counter- Ahren Boulanger

In this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas, we visit with Ahren Boulanger, co-owner and chef of the Pleasant Counter in Springdale.

Tontitown Winery- Heather Ranalli Peachee

For this episode, we interview Heather Ranalli-Peachee, co-owner/operator of the Tontitown Winery.
She’s a 4th generation winemaker that learned the art of making wine in her Dad’s basement where he made it.
Tontitown used to be known for their wineries, but the last one closed in the 80’s. Heather and her husband David decided with her father that they would revive the Tontitown tradition of commercial winemaking and they’ve been going for a decade now.
Heather’s family almost lost the farm years ago. Hear how it was saved! We’ll also hear about their long-standing role in the Tontitown Grapefest, what kind of grapes grow best here in NWA, growing a local small business, and as always much more. Our conversation with Heather Ranalli Peachee is next, right here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.

Meiji- Darwin Beyer

On this episode of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas, we sit down with Darwin Beyer, owner, and chef of Meiji in Fayetteville. Like several people we’ve interviewed, he never thought about getting into the restaurant business until he needed some part-time work back in the day. Darwin is originally from Kansas City and has a great story about how he ended up in Fayetteville. He started Meiji in 2010, and it wasn’t easy for him to get it off the ground. Speaking of 2010, procuring fresh fish back then wasn’t what it is today. How does he do it? It’s all in this edition of The Flavors of Northwest Arkansas!