Flavors of Northwest Arkansas

New Province Brewing Company- John Lee

Hope you’re thirsty! On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, where we’re talking local BEER... local Beer with owner/operator John Lee of New Province Brewing Company, but first?!?!
FOOD NEWS!!!
Chef Rafael Rios has a grand re-opening at Yeyo’s at the 8th Street Market. We’ll hear from him.
Akira Sushi and Hibachi opens in east Fayetteville. Owner Andreas Tan tells us what it was like leading up to getting the doors open.
BBQ King in Bentonville has closed.
The Honey Bean Ice Cream Company food trailer has moved!
It’s all about honey, bees and beer Sunday at Orthodox Brewery.
Café Lavande is officially open in Fayetteville.
A new Poke Bowl and Sushi place will be opening in west Fayetteville.
USip is setting up near UA, and a former NFL quarterback is one of the owners.
New Province Brewery opened in Rogers in 2016 and was founded by Derek and Megan McEnroe. In 2022, the brewery was acquired by John Lee and a few partners. Before New Province, Lee owned and operated Rebel Kettle Brewing Company in Little Rock and built it from the ground up.
He took a shining to brewing at a young age thanks to his first taste of a craft beer, and it’s one that helped start the movement nationally- we’ll tell you which one.
How did he learn to brew beer? He didn’t intern anywhere. He didn’t work at any breweries before opening his own. He’ll tell you how he learned.
And the lead up to opening that brewery? He tells us what he DIDN’T know and what his first day was like opening Rebel Kettle.
After 4 years, he got out of the beer business and went back to his professional roots, which benefitted him greatly. You’ll hear the story.
Finally, John bought New Province in 2022 and quickly looked to see what he had with an eye on expansion.
He’ll get specific on some of their beers and some that are coming down the pike.
It’s John Lee of New Province, next, right here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas!

Feed and Folly, City Park and The Guisinger- Lewis Chase

Welcome to episode 66 of the Flavors of Northwest of Northwest Arkansas Podcast! In this episode, we’re in Fayetteville with Lewis Chase, co-owner of Feed and Folly, City Park, and The Guisinger, which is where we did the interview. But first?
FOOD NEWS!!
More like COFFEE News today!
The highly anticipated Onyx in downtown Springdale has opened. We’ll hear from co-owner Andrea Allen
Doomsday Coffee has opened on the West Side of Springdale
There’s a new coffee shop opening in Springdale on Memorial Day Weekend
The Preacher’s Son has added on... kind of.
Sassafras Springs Vineyard has won another BIG award!
A new Tri-Tip place will be opening in downtown Springdale
You can now get your BBQ at the Fayetteville Athletic Club!
Lewis Chase is a Fayetteville guy through and through. Born and raised there, U of A educated, and spends his days downtown, mostly. He’s also part owner of 3 popular restaurants- Feed and Folly, City Park and the Guisinger.
He’s got some great stories- like how they opened Feed and Folly before covid. RIGHT before covid. He’ll tell us how they survived.
And how about City Park? Is it a seasonal place? And what does it have to do with Southwestern Bell? Those of you that have been in Fayetteville for a LONG time will know that answer.
And how did they come about getting the Guisinger? He’ll tell us about that, and the name as well.
Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Loma- Daniel Hernandez

In this week’s Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we’re at Loma in uptown Rogers talking with Chef Daniel Hernandez, but first!?!
Food News!!
Lasang Pinoy is FINALLY open in Rogers!
Sidecar in Fayetteville fully opens TODAY!
Happy anniversary to a Bentonville staple!
We hear from the co-owner of Doomsday Coffee about their soon-to-be-opened Springdale store
Grove Food Truck Park opens this weekend!
El Sol in Fayetteville to shut their doors
Burger King on College in Fayetteville closes
Onyx in Springdale opens their doors for good next week!
Get your tickets for tomorrow’s Dish event benefitting the expansion of Arkansas Children’s Northwest!
LOMA Executive Chef Daniel Hernandez is from Mexico City and made his way to the states to work construction. He very quickly found his way into a kitchen in Missouri, where he started in the dish pit... he worked his way up to the line, and eventually to running the whole thing, and that took over a decade.
He eventually found his way here to Northwest Arkansas, and he’ll tell you how he got here.
And if you’re a Gen-Xer like me, you’ll love to hear what his first job was, and you may have actually done it yourself back in the day.
Chef Hernandez describes his food, and we’ll walk through some menu items. Also, what was it that hooked him in to cooking?? Listen wherever you listen to podcasts or watch on YouTube!

Wood Stone Pizza- Jerrmy Gawthrop

In this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we talk to Jerrmy Gawthrop, co-owner of Wood Stone Pizza and formerly of the Greenhouse Grill. But first?
Food News!
Lasang Pinoy is about to FINALLY open in Rogers
Get out your records- Sidecar is about to open in Fayetteville
Dining in the Dark in Fayetteville? Yes, at the Mockingbird Kitchen! Act fast!
Doomsday Coffee opens in Springdale (we think)!
A new pop-up opens in Springdale at the Spring Kitchen
K-Pot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot opens in Rogers soon. Win dinner for four!
Still a chance to get your tickets to Dish benefitting the Arkansas Children’s Northwest expansion!
Jerrmy Gawthrop has quite the background. The co-owner of Wood Stone Pizza grew up working in the restaurant scene in NWA and started front-of-house. Then he got pulled into the kitchen, and that’s where his education truly began.
Eventually he would open the Greenhouse Grill, and sleep there. And that’s where he started the Roots Festival with others.
Roots built into more than a music festival, as they brought award-winning chefs to Fayetteville a part of Roots. It was great until it wasn’t. Jerrmy will tell that story.
And where did he get the idea for Woodstone Pizza? It was while cooking on a street in a competition – crazy story. And what did they find when they acquired the uptown Woodstone? Even crazier. Yeesh
And by the way, do you remember the Most Interesting Man in the World beer ads back in the day? Fayetteville’s version just might be Jerrmy.
Watch on YouTube, or listen wherever you listen to podcasts.

Kelly Comer- Event Chair of Dish, Benefitting Arkansas Children's Northwest

On this special edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we have the privilege of supporting a great cause, the expansion of Arkansas Children’s Northwest. They’re holding a big fundraiser called Dish, where you’ll be able to try dishes from 25 restaurants. It’s an amazing opportunity as you’ll be able to try restaurants that you might not have had the opportunity to get to. Tickets are $100 and you can get your at archildrens.org/dish. We talk to event chair Kelly Comer in this episode and she’ll tell us more about the event, entertainment, the silent auction. Please like and share!

Bauhaus Biergarten- Chef Jennifer Hill Booker & Chef Rafael Rios

In this week’s episode of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we’re at Bauhaus Biergarten in Springdale, talking with original co-owner Chef Jennifer Hill Booker, and new co-owner, Chef Rafael Rios... Plenty to get to there, but FIRST?!?!
FOOD NEWS!!
More beverage news today!!
There’s a new 7Brew in Springdale that’s the first of its kind.
Doomsday Coffee will be opening soon in Springdale.
A Fayetteville favorite, Dodo Coffee, is back in business.
Part taproom/part boutique Terracotta opens in Bentonville, according to the Bentonville Bulletin.
Happy anniversary to Columbus House Brewery, New Province Brewery, and Orthodox Farmhouse Brewery.
The new Ruth’s Chris in Rogers is HUGE and has everything.
Bauhaus Biergarten in downtown Springdale opened in October of 2022 to co-owners Chef Jennifer Hill Booker and Daniel Hintz... Recently, Daniel left Bauhaus, and Chef Rafael Rios of Yeyo’s took his spot... You’ll hear the story of how that went down...
And what does Chef Rafael know about German food and culture? His answer might surprise you.
With new ownership comes new ideas and menu items, we’ll hear about those...
And the beer... no domestic beers there... it’s German and European beers only... we’ll hear about their beer plans as well.
Finally, a few quick notes. We recorded this before Chef Rafael was named a finalist for best chef of the south by the James Beard Foundation, so there’s no mention of that.
We also didn’t record a Mike Engleman Home Pro Tip of the Week this time. We got lost in conversation during a break and lost track of time, so I totally boffed that one... BUT, Chef Jennifer did do one last September, so we’ll use that one. She did it over Zoom, so it’ll sound different. It was audio only, as we didn’t do video last September.
And, if you watch on YouTube, you’ll see people pass through the picture. We set up right by the bathroom... believe it or not, it actually was the best spot to set up..
We talk to Chef Jennifer Hill-Booker and Chef Rafael Rios, next here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas!

Menya Kitakara- Inggit Rianto

In this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas Podcast, we’re in downtown Springdale at Menya Kitakara with owner & chef Inggit Rianto... but before you talk to him?!?!
Food News!
As I’m sure you know, Bentonville has 2 finalists for James Beard’s Top Chef in the South.
Brightwater hosted a magic seminar, kind of.
The Savoy Tea Company will be closing its doors
Onyx opens a walk-up window for their soon-to-be-opened coffee/chocolate shopin downtown Springdale
Inggit Rianto is from Indonesia, but came to the US to goto the University of Arkansas. He had been in the corporate world for a good while before getting the itch to open a restaurant with his wife. How did he learn to cook? He’ll tell us.
They’d opened Ramen Nara in Rogers, and it had been open for a blink of an eye before covid hit. He’ll tell the story of how they stayed open during that time.
He got the itch to open a new Ramen place in Washington County, and he’ll tell you how downtown Springdale won out the services of Menya Kitakara.
Speaking of Kitakara, how did they land on that name?
We hear it all and much more with Inggit Rianto from Menya Kitakara next here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.

Food Network Celebrity Chef Tiffani Faison at Choctaw Casino- Pocola

On this special edition of The Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we welcome Celebrity Chef Tiffani Faison to Choctaw Casino- Pocola, where she’ll be hosting a restaurant takeover at Seven Ponies on Friday (4/4) at 5:00 and 7:30 and Saturday at 5:00 and 7:30. Few tables remain, so get to ChoctawCasinos.com and get yours.
Tiffani lived in Oklahoma during her formative years and talks about that. Tiffani loves doing these events and will tell you why. We also talk menu for the event, and if you’re going, go hungry. I’ll be at the Friday 7:30 seating with Mrs. Flavors of Northwest Arkansas and hope to see you there!
See the menu below!
First CoursePopover “Salad”Blue Cheese, Watercress, Spinach & Red Romaine Lettuce, Candied Nuts, Pickled Raisins
Second CourseChicken and Spring Vegetable Croque MonsieurRanch Mornay, Crispy Ham, Herbs
Third CourseSmoked Pork & Shrimp MojoSmoked Pork Belly, Mustard & Pickle Jus, Braised GreensMojo Marinated & Grilled Shrimp, Black Bean Crema, Cilantro Cucumber Salad
Forth CourseChocolate Silk Pie

BV65- Scott Redington

In this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we’re at BV65 talking to Executive Chef Scott Redington, but before we get to Scott?!?!
Food News!!
Brightwater & Bentonville hosted the World Food Championships. You’ll hear from the winner and others.
Core Brewing is re-opening their tasting room today.
Crisis Brewing is at a crisis point for room. Hear their expansion plans.
You can help the Prelude Breakfast Bar
Spring Kitchen Company opened over the weekend
The Larder is open at The Ledger
Homegrown at the 8th Street Market has announced a grand opening date
Onyx has opened 2 new coffee shops at the Walmart campus, and one is open to the public!
BV65 Executive Chef Scott Redington got into the food business as a suggestion from a family member. He started cooking on the line at a restaurant in his hometown of Salt Lake City.
He had a boss tell him once that he wasn’t going to make it in this business... Good thing he’s stubborn because that’s why here in Northwest Arkansas all these years later.
He’s been up and down the western half of the US, but has been in Bella Vista now for a while as the Executive Chef for the restaurants under the Bella Vista POA, who’s newest property is the BBQ restaurant known as BV65.. He’s newer to BBQ, but his pitmaster Flavio Valverde isn’t, and they’ve come up with a delicious menu (especially those smoked pork belly tacos).
Listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts!

The Wooden Spoon- Jason & Emily Allen and Cam & Jane Klassen

On this edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we head to Gentry and talk to the current and former owners of the Wooden Spoon, but before we get to them?!?!
FOOD NEWS!!
A brand new Pickleman’s opens in Springdale
Gaskin’s on Emma Executive Chef Sam Walker gives details about their Chef Cycle Fundraiser for No Kid Hungry. It’s an all-star lineup! You can get your tickets HERE.
Parlor Donuts are coming to Rogers
Takashi Hibachi & Sushi has officially opened a brick and mortar in Centerton
Benny’s Bagels will be opening where a popular pizza place used to live.
You come for the dessert, and stay for the meal. That’s been echoed in Gentry for over 20 years when talking about the Wooden Spoon.
Cam and Jane Klassen started the restaurant 20+ years ago, in their mind, as sort of an obligation- you’ll hear that story. You’ll also hear about the building that the restaurant’s in. Part of it came a VERY long way. Cam tells us that story.
4 years ago, Justin and Emily Allen bought the Wooden Spoon from the Klassens. The Allens had no restaurant background, but it didn’t much matter at the time. You’ll hear the story about the transition, and the emotion involved once the wheels started to turn.
We talk to Justin and Emily Allen, as well as Cam and Jane Klassen about one of our region’s favorites, the Wooden Spoon, and that’s next right here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.