Flavors of Northwest Arkansas

Langman Winery & Restaurant – Jim Langman

In this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we’re at the Langman Winery and Restaurant in Centerton talking with owner Jim Langman, but before we do?!?!
FOOD NEWS!!
The AACF Soup Sunday happened last weekend, and you’ll hear from the winners!!
To the Table is having their introduction and dining experience dinner! We’ll tell you how to get tickets!
Hideaway Pizza is OPEN in Rogers!
NY Deli Express is OPEN in Rogers!
Monte Ne Inn is back OPEN in Rogers!
Desi Fusion will open next week in Springdale.
Doe’s Eat Place has closed in Bentonville.
Boba Journey has closed in Bentonville.
In today’s Flavors Flashback, Café Rue Orleans Co-owner and Executive Chef Maudie Schmitt tells us about her first career
Jim Langman was destined to be a pharmacist. He started working in pharmacies as a young teenager and worked his way up to being a VP at Walgreens. He was never a fan of beer, wine, or hard liquor, but will tell us how he ended up getting into wine. He would then buy a vineyard in the Sierra Foothills of California and will tell you why he decided against Napa. Jim and his wife Sue were going to move to California to the winery and live life there until Jim started getting courted by Walmart. After a second career with Walmart, they fell in love with Northwest Arkansas and scrapped the California plans, but not the wine. Jim will tell us about Langman Winery and Restaurant next, here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.

*Bonus Episode* AACF Soup Sunday – Channing Barker

In this bonus episode of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas, we talk to my old friend Channing Barker.  She’s the Event Chair for AACF Soup Sunday at the Rogers Convention Center happening Sunday at 4:00.
You can get tickets by going to the bio of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas Instagram page, I’ve got the link there. You can also follow the link from AACF Soup Sunday’s social media.
It’s the 25th anniversary of the event in Northwest Arkansas, and Channing tells us about Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.
When we recorded, we also knew some of the soups that these restaurants would be serving there, and you’ll hear all about them!
Available wherever you listen to podcasts and on YouTube!

Flashback Pizza & Milkshakes – Dustin Simmons

Hello there- hope this finds you warm and dry! I’m John Engleman and welcome to this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast.  This week, we’re talking with Dustin Simmons, Co-owner and Executive Chef of Flashback Pizza & Milkshakes in Rogers, but before we talk to him?!?!
FOOD NEWS!!
I want to start with this. Your local restaurants and bars have taken a hit the last 5 days. Some have opened, but most folks haven’t gotten out because of the roads... and I get it. But as the conditions improve, please consider getting out to local restaurants and bars, as your favorite establishments and servers have taken a pretty big hit. There’s no better time to get out and support them than now and isn’t it about time to have someone else cook, anyway?!?!
ChoKolata Dessert Lounge is officially open in Springdale!
Zelli Pasta is expanding into downtown Springdale
The Michelin-recommended restaurant Written by the Seasons is coming to Bentonville!
The new Whole Foods in. Rogers will be opening soon!
Happy anniversary to Dodo Coffee Company!
You have a month to complete the downtown Fayetteville Coffee Crawl
A popular coffee shop steps away from one of their locations.
The Tontitown Grape Festival has announced their dates!
We talk Soup Sunday with Event Chair Channing Barker!
Flashback Pizza and Milkshake Co-owner and Executive Chef Dustin Simmons is a Rogers native and wanted to be a rockstar. Hey, at least he tried. He also did a stint in retail ownership but then went to Brightwater and that’s where he found his calling. His favorite job was his first one, he’ll tell you what that was. Also, how did Flashback Pizza and Shakes come up with their concept? Finally, they had their soft opening the day before the Rogers tornadoes hit.  They paused everything help the community. Dustin tells those stories and more next here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.

Clementine's Ice Cream- Tamara Keefe

In this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas Podcast, we’re talking to Tamara Keefe. She’s the Founder & CEO of Clementine’s Ice Cream which just opened in Bentonville, but before we get to her?!?!
FOOD NEWS!!
Huntsville Baker Hannah’s Cake Co made the Queen of Country’s 80th birthday cake! We’ll her from the cake-maker!
Slim Chickens is building a donation to No Kid Hungry
The Rendezvous Junction Brewing Company’s Third Annual Chili Cookoff was won with a family recipe.
Ping Pong for Paws is back at Ozark Beer Company. We’ll tell you how to get signed up.
The Artemis Temperance Lounge opened last week in Fayetteville. It’ll be many things.
Tamara Keefe was saved by ice cream twice in her life, once as a kid an again as an adult. The Owner, Founder and CEO of Clementine’s Ice Cream has been professionally successful twice in life, but the first time wasn’t NEAR fulfilling. It took a come to Jesus with her closest friends to help her realize that. And that was the start of Clementine’s Ice Cream.
She took her executive marketing skills, and some newly acquired DIY skills and got to work. She’ll tell you how she got her name out there while she was making her ice cream at home. Also, what was it like for her building out her first ice cream parlor? And how did she get her newest spot on the Walmart campus?
We talk to Tamara Keefe of Clementine’s Ice Cream on this edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas...

*Bonus Episode* Bentonville Restaurant Week- Deals, Discounts, Curated Menus and Signature Plates

Welcome to another bonus edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast! This one will be a quick one, as it’s Bentonville Restaurant Week primer! 19 Bentonville restaurants have already committed, and more will most likely jump on during the week.
In this episode, we’ll talk about this week’s discounts and freebies as well as curated menus and signature plates (so far). There are some GREAT deals! Get out this week and check them out!!

*Bonus Episode* Downtown Rogers Restaurant Weekend- Sam Danneberg, Director of Downtown Development

On this Bonus Episode of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we’re talking about the inaugural Downtown Rogers Restaurant Weekend with Sam Danneberg, Director of Downtown Development.
As of the taping of the podcast on Wednesday, there were 12 restaurants participating in the weekend (with more to follow).
Some restaurants designated a special plate for the weekend, while some spots are trying something new for their menus.
If you plan on going this weekend, or know something that is, send them the link so that they can get a better idea as to who is serving what.
For an updated, you can go here: https://www.destinationrogers.com/downtown-rogers-restaurant-weekend/

Gelatissimo- Ariel Husband

In this week’s Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we talk with Ariel Husband, co-owner of the Gelatissimo gelato shop in downtown Rogers, but before we talk with her!!!
FOOD NEWS!!!
Benny’s Bagels is about a month away from opening in Fayetteville. Hear how they’re different!
Sweetgreen officially opens in Fayetteville.
Wright’s Barbecue opened last week on the Walmart Campus.
Clementine’s Ice Cream opens later this week on the Walmart Campus
BLU in downtown Rogers is expanding!
Happy anniversary to Shirley’s!
ChoKolata is coming to Springdale!
In this week’s Flavors Flashback, we hear from the owners of the soon-to-be new Northern Italian Restaurant in downtown Rogers, Cura. They used to have Cura Culinary in Bentonville Provisions, and they talk about their Northern Italian food from our interview in the summer of 2024.
Ariel and Daniel Husband have known each other since they were 16 years old. They started dating in high school and delivered newspapers together from a hollowed-out school bus around downtown Dallas on the weekends. Their first date was to Braum’s, so you had to know they’d get into frozen desserts at some point! After marriage and kids, they’d always look for local ice cream-type shops in their travels. About 6 years ago, they went to a wedding out of town and noticed that a frozen treat shop they went to was absolutely packed. They wondered why there wasn’t anything like that in Northwest Arkansas... When they did decide to open a shop, how did they decide on Gelatissimo? Being all natural and made in-house surely didn’t hurt. Ariel will tell you the story. Also, hear about their grand opening- it was non-stop! We talk with Ariel Husband of Gelatissimo next here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.     

Natural State Rabbit @ Pizzeria Ruby- Brian Bonk, Meredith Butler, Mike Robertshaw

Happy New Year!!! In this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we talk to Natural State Rabbit President & CEO Brian Bonk. He runs what’s basically 2 companies in one – selling rabbit meat for food and the biologics side where parts of the rabbit are used in medicine and other things. Also with us are rabbit evangelists Mike Robertshaw and Meredith Butler of Pizzeria Ruby... but first!?!
FOOD NEWS!!!
Black Apple Hard Cider closed at the start the year
Crabby’s in Rogers also closed at the start of the year and are offering refunds for gift cards sold during their December promotion.
KDK’s Chicken & Waffles in Fayetteville will open later than planned.
Hear when the Botanical in Fayetteville will open! Also, Artemis next door is soon-to-open!
Rendezvous Junction Brewing is holding a chili cookoff. We tell you how to compete in it.
Buster Belly’s old location on Dickson is getting a new tenant.
On this week’s Flavors Flashback, hear the horror that was the week leading up to the opening of Gaskins on Emma.
Natural State Rabbits resides in downtown Rogers and is the largest supplier of rabbit to restaurants in the country. They’re also a biologics company. They use parts of rabbits for medicine and other things around the nation and the world. It’s a pretty amazing story and FULL of history as the company started in 1911. We had the conversation at Pizzeria Ruby, as their relationship with Natural State Rabbit started before it was even called that. In fact, there was no Pizzeria Ruby at that point, and they were operating a food truck! How they got connected is a fun story. By the way, we were feasting on rabbit tenders during the interview and they were so good. I’ve recently become a fan of rabbit – if you haven’t tried it yet, think chicken but grass-fed and leaner. It’s SO GOOD.
They’re offering OUR listeners and followers 15% off their starter variety box, just use “FLAVORS” as the discount code at nsrabbitmeat.com. That includes free shipping, or you can hop over to downtown Rogers and pick it up if you’d like.
We hear from Natural State Rabbit President & CEO Brian Bonk, and Pizzeria Ruby’s Mike Robertshaw and Meredith Butler in today's edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.

Flavors of Northwest Arkansas End-of-Year Special

Welcome to the End-of-Year Special of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast!!
Juuuuuust when you thought there wouldn’t be a podcast today (amirite?!?!). It’s been a series of technical snafus the past few days, but it’s finally done!
In this End-of-Year Special, we picked out some of our favorite stories of the year. We couldn’t do them all, because the episode would be too long and consequently, I found out that I didn’t have enough storage to make the episode any longer anyway.
We didn’t include Food News in this episode, either. I didn’t want to make it a focus of the episode, but some news came down that we couldn’t just put off.
I got word that Black Apple Hard Cider will be closing their taproom for good after today. That’s right, the last day will be today, December 31, 2025. Get out there if you can!
Fridha’s Mexican Kitchen and Mezcal officially closed their doors for good last night (12/30). They’ll transition into a catering business, mobile bartenders and event space.
Jaclyn’s Kitchen announced today that they’ll be opening at their new location at Prairie Creek Marina on March 1.
Black Crown Social closed their doors, and it’s for an exciting reason. They’re growing and they’re moving to a bigger spot. It’s currently under construction. No word on where the spot is or when it will open
We round out 2025 with stories from Junto, MJs Pizzeria, San Miguel Mexican Grill, Lasang Pinoy, Marsouls, Sassafras Winery, The Odd Soul, Pizzeria Ruby, KYYA, The River Grille, Eleven at Crystal Bridges, The Stonebreaker, Erin Rowe, The Venesian Inn, The Hive, Leverett Lounge, Heirloom at the 1907, The Wooden Spoon, Menya Kitakara, New Province, Goat Lab, Bocca, R.G. Mason & Carson Apple Brandy, Chefs Matthew Cooper and Rafael Rios, Dot’s Hot Chicken, Uptown Kitchen & Taphouse, Atlas the Restaurant, Onyx Coffee Lab, Casa Alejo, Bistro 16, Bentonville Brewing Company, UA Football player and pitmaster Cam Ball, Kilroy Public House, Rendezvous Junction, Callisto, Nosh Nola, Geraldi’s & Pizza Navona, Baked by Kori, Mockingbird Kitchen, Bloom Cheese Collective and Archie’s Sandwichery.
Available on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts.
Happy New Year!

Archie's Sandwichery- Kevin Girkins

Merry Christmas and welcome to this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, as we’re in Bentonville talking to Kevin Girkins, owner of the super-popular Archie’s Sandwichery, but first?!?!
FOOD NEWS!!
We learned yesterday that a popular spot will be closing its doors at the start of the New Year.
Desi Fusion has announced when they’ll close their Ft. Smith food truck and open their brick and mortar in Springdale!
Potbelly Sandwich Works opens in Springdale, and owner Tiffany Montgomery talks about building two restaurants at once!
PJ’s Coffee has started construction in Rogers.
Few tickets remain for Sunday night’s restaurant takeover by Super-chef Marcus Samuelsson. We’ll tell you what he’s making!
This week’s Flavor’s Flashback is one of my favorite Mike Engleman Home Pro Tip’s of the Week of all time and it comes from Darwin Beyer at Meiji in Fayetteville.
Kevin Girkins got in the restaurant business initially because his dad caught him red-handed doing something illegal. Seriously. It’s a funny story.
He’s from Austin and moved to Northwest Arkansas to help build and run a popular franchise in Bentonville. It took a fortuitous turn at his next stop which gave him the confidence to start his own spot, which is what he eventually did with Archie’s.
Why a sandwich shop in Bentonville? Kevin will tell you why. Also, where did the name Archie’s come from? There’s a portrait on the wall at Archie’s that’ll explain it. We talk with Archie’s owner/operator Kevin Girkins next, here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast.