Foodie culture booms in region

Award-winning chefs, food trucks, microbreweries, organic food and farmer's markets all play a role in Northwest Arkansas' evolving food scene.

"We are in the midst of a cultural evolution," said Case Dighero, director of culinary services at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. "I think we are still at the very bottom of the stairwell and have a long way to go. People are going to continue to want more and more of it."

Dighero has been immersed in the region's culinary culture since cooking at businesses up and down Dickson Street in Fayetteville while attending the University of Arkansas in the mid-1990s.

"I was part of the cultural renaissance of Dickson Street," he said, referring to changes along Fayetteville's entertainment strip, which started following the opening of the Walton Arts Center in 1992. "I got to see that firsthand."

Fayetteville's downtown revitalization effort kicked into full gear in 1997 with the creation of the Downtown/Dickson Street Enhancement Project. Dickson Street went through a physical transformation that attracted new businesses, including restaurants and bars.

Dighero said he sees that same cultural movement in Rogers and Bentonville, and expects Springdale to follow suit shortly.

"There is a synergy out there that will continue to feed the industry," he said.

Northwest Arkansas' diversity adds to the foodie scene, Dighero said, but it's also about spreading the culture outside the region.

"High South cuisine has become a hot topic that people are talking about," he said, describing High South as the edible culture of the Ozark region. He said the style is a type of rustic, rural cuisine utilizing fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts and grains harvested throughout the region as well as livestock raised locally using sustainable practices.

"It's taking what you have in front of you and making something from it," he said.

High South cuisine is about elevating traditional Southern dishes as well as educating people about where their food comes from, said Rob Nelson, Tusk & Trotter's executive chef.

"The closer it comes, the better it's going to taste," Nelson said.

His restaurant is a Bentonville Farmers Market sponsor and gets its fresh produce from the market and its meat from Northwest Arkansas farms. Farmers markets fill area downtowns three seasons of the year. Fayetteville inaugurated a winter market this year.

High South cuisine gained national recognition in 2013 when Matt McClure, executive chef at The Hive in 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville, Nelson and Dighero cooked at the James Beard House in New York.

They followed in the footsteps of Miles James who opened James at the Mill restaurant in 1994 in Johnson featuring Ozark Plateau Cuisine. The James Beard Foundation honors America's diverse food culture and history and has recognized James several times in the past 20 years.

Wheels and Ales

Food trucks and microbeweries have sprouted from Bentonville to Fayetteville.

The state ranked 40th nationally for the number of craft breweries per 100,000 adults over 21 in 2013, according to the Brewers Association, a national nonprofit that promotes small beer producers. But, the number of breweries swelled from 13 to 24 from 2013 to 2014, according to the association's listings. Fourteen of the state's breweries are in Benton or Washington counties, meaning Northwest Arkansas represents 58 percent of the state's breweries.

Chefs and brewers are mulling how to pair cuisine with beer made especially for restaurants, said Steve Outain, one of the founders of Bike Rack Brewing in Bentonville. They meet for "Foodie Call" once a month to taste-test dishes and beer, Outain said.

"We can make small batches of some pretty unique beer styles to really target what a chef or a specific business might need," Outain said.

The Bike Rack, which opened in October, is Bentonville's first nano-brewery. It's already expanding to offer beer to restaurants and stores in Carroll, Washington and Benton counties, Outain said.

Brewpubs like Apple Blossom in Fayetteville and Pedaler's Pub in Bentonville have full kitchens and dining rooms and sell at least 25 percent of their beer on-site, according to the association. Microbreweries like Core Brewing & Distilling in Springdale and Ozark Beer in Rogers sell at least 75 percent of their beer off-site, but can also sell directly to consumers through carryout or tap rooms.

Wannabe chefs are using food trucks as a way to test products before investing in a restaurant, said Cynthia Morris, landlord for the Yacht Club on College in Fayetteville. The Yacht Club, a mobile food park with six spots, has a waiting list for vendors, she said.

The process seems to work, Morris said. Six former food truck owners opened restaurants after operating at the Yacht Club, including Hawaiian Brian's in Fayetteville, she said. That saves entrepreneurs expensive startup costs. The most unique food is the most popular among customers, she said.

Northwest Arkansas's foodie image is attracting people from out of state, Morris and Outain said.

Tourists stop by the Yacht Club, snap photos and eat lunch, she said. People on their way from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art stop at the Bike Rack to get freshly brewed beer, Outain said.

Fayetteville's Greenhouse Grille chef Jerrmy Gawthrop gained national recognition when he won the US Foods Next Top Product Contest in November 2013 in Las Vegas for his Black Bean Sliders. He came home with $20,000 in cash and prizes.

Gawthrop's dish beat more than 1,000 recipe submissions. His Black Bean Slider was added last year to the company's product line for nationwide distribution.

Gawthrop said he tries to use as much locally sourced food as possible at Greenhouse Grille, which has been offering a variety of vegetarian and gluten-free menu items as well as various meat dishes since it opened in 2006.

For people interested in cooking organic food at home, Whole Foods Market, one of the largest national chains, plans to open by fall in Fayetteville.

It will join Natural Grocers that opened March 10 in Fayetteville, Cook's Natural Market and The Fresh Market, both in Rogers, and Ozark Natural Foods, a Fayetteville mainstay for local and organic food.