Flavors of Northwest Arkansas FlavorsOfNWA

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.

Maudie had a full career in Louisiana and retired before coming to Fayetteville and getting in the restaurant business. How did she end up here?

Not only was Café Rue Orleans her first restaurant, it was her first restaurant JOB. How has it been a success for so long? She’ll tell us. Also, you may see a for lease sign in her building when you drive by. Don’t worry, she’s open, but she’ll address that as well.

Family recipes, opening the doors for the first time, surviving covid, oh…and being a contestant on Supermarket Stakeout on the Food Network?!?! That and so much more… We hope you check it out and let us know what you think on Facebook, Instagram or email (FlavorsOfNWA@Gmail.com).

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.

After 14 years as a civil engineer, she decided that it was time for something else, and in 2012, she chose cheese. That led to plenty of training and work for certifications. One thing that she didn’t plan for was a health emergency, which led to the naming of her store, She’ll explain.

Also, hear about her cheese-quest across the country, and what it took to open the cheese shop here (including what the last 24 hours before opening).

How did they survive covid and how do they guide people that come in the store and have no idea with to do when looking through hundreds of cheeses? Jessica tells us that and so much more in this episode of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.

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. Often called the Best Kept Burger Secret in NWA, he’s the winner of the Best Burger competition put on by the Miracle League of Northwest Arkansas. That led to a much bigger competition, and a fun story.

Originally from California, he started a fermenting business in Austin with his wife Jocelyn, and after Covid, moved to NWA (having no idea what they were going to do for work). They were going to open a retail shop and hold classes for fermenting and sourdough-making but found a fully built out kitchen in the building that they leased, so a restaurant it was!

Hear how they came up with the menu. Also, Ahren used to have customers coming in asking for blood. True story.

We hope you check that out plus much more on this week’s Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast!

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!