On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we have some great storytelling from Brad and Tanae Coleman of Bethel Brew! After corporate careers, they decided to start their own family business. They started with a coffee trailer and within 6 months of their first day with the trailer, they added 2 brick and mortar locations. How did that happen?!?! It’s an interesting story (and they’re about to open store #3!!). Also, why coffee? Brad and Tanae knew nothing about coffee 6 years ago. They didn’t even drink coffee until recently. So why coffee? It all started one morning at a house in Tijuana on a mission trip, and that’s where it clicked for Brad and Tanae. Speaking of mission trips, it turns out that it’s a good way to make contacts for sourcing beans and supporting those families that they’ve gotten to know along the way. You’ll hear a heartwarming story about that. And finally, breaking news!!! Seems like we’ve been breaking more news here recently… You might be seeing Bethel Brew Beans at a store near you soon. Tanae tells all! There’s so much more- We hope you check out this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas!

In this episode of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we’re back in downtown Springdale as we interview Mitchell Owen, co-owner of Zelli Pasta, a homemade pasta and Italian Market on Emma.   It started out as a product of the pandemic, as like many, they were cooking quite a bit at home. When they were deciding on what to make and sell, pasta wasn’t their initial plan. Mitchell tells us about what it took to get Zelli open and the first thing they ordered to start the business. As the store grew, so did the offerings, especially on the retail side once they found the proper distributors and could make it work. On the pasta side, Mitchell will tell you what they use to make theirs, what kind they make, and why making pasta to sell didn’t work out so much at home before the store. Also, humidity plays a big role in pasta-making. Who knew?!? They’re also about to expand, and Mitchell breaks a little news about a new product coming soon… We hope you check out this edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast!

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas, it’s podcast number 20! Yup, we’re geeked about that. What better time than episode 20 to do our first BBQ interview? That exactly what we did with Jordan Poole (not the NBA player) of OZ Smokehouse in downtown Rogers. Jordan’s originally from Memphis, but his BBQ isn’t. It’s not Texas Style, nor is it KC style. He calls it Ozark BBQ and has interesting reasons for it. Jordan also has a past as a competition BBQ-er, even made a name for himself in it. In one competition, he finished very high and could’ve finished higher had it not been for a famous judge. He tells the story. How many people do you know that have fired their wife? Well, kind of. Jordan has, and it’s actually a funny one. The very first day of service for OZ Smokehouse was for Bikes, Blues and BBQ and they were right in the middle of the action. Also? They almost burned down on the first day. Mercy… Jordan will explain. We hope you check it out & enjoy #20!

On this edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we’re having our “Best of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas” episode. We hear a segment from our very first interview, which was with Lance Corbin of Pesto’s by Lance. Lance is a natural storyteller and I was nervous and hoping that my battery would hold out as I hadn’t used my equipment for an interview before. He carried me like a pack-mule. Our “Best of” Mike Engleman Home Pro Tip of the Week is from Darwin Beyer at Meiji in Fayetteville and it is YUM. We round out the podcast with William Mauk from Bienvenue in Springdale. William has an amazing culinary past and he talks about moving to NWA and working towards getting Bienvenue off the ground. We hope you give it a listen!

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!

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

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

On this edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas Podcast, we head to Rogers and the Ozark Beer Company, where we talk with co-owner Lacie Bray and marketing “do-everything guy” Marty Shutter. They were the first brewery in Benton County, and they tell us what it was like being the first and how they got there. Also, how did they stay afloat during Covid? They were VERY nimble. They tell us the lessons learned from that time– some of which they still use. And what was Ozark Beer doing at the Smithsonian last year? So many stories in this one! Thanks for checking out the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas!

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we head to the west side of Fayetteville to Cobblestone Farms where we visited with Operations Director Nikki Ringler. They provide over 20,000 of produce for the food insecure in Northwest Arkansas and do it on just 2 acres of land!   They practice organic and regenerative farming, which isn’t the easiest route when farming. Instead of using pesticides, they focus on soil health, biodiversity, and natural pest management. If you or your kids want to learn about farming, volunteering there is a great place to start. We hope you check it out!

On this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast, we head to Nellie B’s Bakery in Elkins, who are about celebrate one decade in business! We had so much fun visiting with mother/daughter combo Priscilla and Danielle Wright. Priscilla used to manage 9 gourmet bakeries in the Bay Area and has been perfecting her family recipes for a long time. Danielle swore in high school that she’d never get into the food business  They moved to Arkansas from California and Priscilla will tell you why they did- you’ll LOVE this story. Finally, have you ever tried to deliver multi-tiered wedding cakes down dirt roads with no GPS? Well they certainly have and have some great stories about it. Finally- don’t forget that Thursday, April 4 is NWA Gives Day. There’s a local farm providing hunger relief to those that need it. We’ll tell you more about them. We hope you check it out!

Welcome to this week’s Flavors of Northwest Arkansas Podcast, where we sit down with James Beard Award Semifinalist for Best Chef of the South, Matt Cooper of Conifer. The son of a Methodist Minister and a food technologist, he lived in 30 different places in Arkansas before heading off to culinary school in the Pacific Northwest. After working there for a while, he moved back to Little Rock to help open a restaurant before coming to NWA to help ramp up the hospitality arm of the Ropeswing Group, before opening his own place. In this episode, he talks about what he learned coming up through the profession and what he learned not to do after tough experiences. He also details Conifer’s sustainability model and speaking of that, he has BREAKING NEWS about what’s next for them. Also, we’re debuting a new segment to help you frustrated home cooks, like my Dad.

On this week’s edition, we talk to Paula Jo Chitty Henry of Crepes by Paulette. She grew up in Bentonville and moved to New York (where she met her husband) and France after college. Once she and her husband Fred had kids, they moved back to Bentonville. With no culinary background, they set out to start a food truck (not their original plan) and have now grown to two restaurants. Hear how they did it, and what their future plans are on this week’s edition of Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.

This week, we visit with William Mauk, chef & owner of Bienvenue in Downtown Springdale. Mauk was classically trained in New Orleans where he worked for some of the best chefs in the U.S. He tells us his story about how he ended up in Northwest Arkansas, and specifically, Downtown Springdale! We also get an INCREDIBLE recipe for Beef Bourguignon and hear about fresh saltwater shrimp FROM ARKANSAS. *Mind blown* William was fun to talk to and has some opinions!