Three Arkansas restaurants have joined the Arkansas Heritage Arkansas Food Hall of Fame: Colonial Steak House in Pine Bluff, Dairy King in Portia and Neal’s Cafe in Springdale.
The three were announced Monday at a hybrid ceremony (part live, part Zoom) at Central Arkansas Library System’s Ron Robinson Theater in downtown Little Rock.
A committee of Arkansas historians, chefs, foodies and food authors chose the winners from 15 finalists, winnowed down from 2,000 submissions from all 75 Arkansas counties.
The 2022 Food Hall of Fame class also includes Capi Peck and Brent Peterson of Trio’s Restaurant in Little Rock as Proprietors of the Year.
The World Championship Duck Gumbo Cookoff in Stuttgart was the top choice for Food-Themed Event. And Hot Springs' Coy’s Steak House took the “Gone But Not Forgotten” category.
The People’s Choice winner, chosen by popular ballot rather than by the panel: the Jefferson County-based La Casa de Mi Abuelita food truck.
The panel chose to honor chicken as the 2022 Food of the Year.
The state's Arkansas Heritage agency created the Food Hall of Fame program in 2016.
Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, joined Paul S. Austin, Jimmy Bryant, Chip Culpepper, Quantia “Key” Fletcher, Cindy Grisham, Montine McNulty, Rex Nelson, Tim Nutt, Kat Robinson, Stephanie Wade, David Ware and Stanley Young on the selection panel.
Visit ArkFoodHOF.com.