Taste Archives | At Home in Arkansas

Picture-Perfect Pastries

July 2, 2020 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Berry Good: We talk learning to cook, food photography, and summer galettes with Savya Kuncham Ramesh of Wickedly Whisked

Scrolling through the mouth-watering images on Savya Kuncham Ramesh’s Instagram feed (@wickedlywhisked), you’d never guess she’s not a baker by trade. As an industrial engineer, Savya hadn’t even tried her hand at cooking until it was entirely necessary. “I lived in India until I was 22, and I had never entered the kitchen—like, never,” she laughs. “I decided to do my masters in the United States, and before I moved, my mom was so worried because she knew I loved to eat, but didn’t know how to cook!”…

The Sweetest Thing

May 30, 2020 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Homemade ice cream is a staple of summertime get-togethers. Here, our editor shares the story behind her family’s tropical take on the chilly treat

My earliest memories of homemade ice cream involve my family gathered on the back porch of my childhood home, my grandfather feeding the ice-cream maker ice and salt, then more ice and salt, until the sugary base finally hardened. He had two very eager and sweet-toothed little girls waiting and watching over him; I’m sure my sister and I asked more than once when it would finally be ready to eat. Decades later, after trying my hand at the family recipe for the first time, I learned why the task requires some level of patience—even for adults….

Cooked to Order

April 26, 2020 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for the father-daughter duo behind Hillcrest Little Bakery

Little Rock locals who have frequented Hillcrest in the past year may have noticed the transformation of a small, nondescript residence near Markham Street into a bustling neighborhood bakery. That’s thanks to Scott Loye and his daughter, Zara Schmidt, who celebrated the opening of Hillcrest Little Bakery earlier this year….

All Fired Up

December 30, 2019 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Fresh, seasonal ingredients and innovative methods are the recipe for success at Bentonville’s Oven & Tap

Luke Wetzel and Mollie Mullis, owners of Oven & Tap

Bowls of fresh arugula, artichokes, olives, and torn mozzarella line the bar of the open kitchen at Oven & Tap. Owners Luke Wetzel and Mollie Mullis alternate chopping herbs and tossing discs of dough, each adding a drizzle of oil here and a handful of sliced peppers there before sliding finished pies in the nearby oven for a couple of minutes. The whole process, start to finish, takes five or so minutes. “Our food is very simple, delicious, and straightforward—there’s nothing extraneous,” Luke says. “We serve a very honest product.”

Before moving to Bentonville in 2012, Luke was working at the revered Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. “That experience certainly had the biggest impact on me, as far as the idea of cooking fresh and seasonally,” he says. However, as a Little Rock native, he was also paying attention to buzz about a growing food scene closer to home. “The more my wife, Katherine, and I heard about Bentonville and thought about the town, the more it became intriguing,” he says. “I fell in love with wood-fired cooking in California, and we moved here in hopes of opening a wood-fired restaurant.”

Luke worked for several years as executive sous chef at The Hive, 21C’s highly regarded restaurant, while “dreaming and planning” his own culinary concept. There, he met and became friends with Mollie, and as his plans for Oven & Tap started to solidify, he approached her about being his partner.

Now looking to celebrate five years in May, the ethos of Oven & Tap has remained true to “honest” food that utilizes the wood-fired oven as much as possible. “We’ve become very creative with what we execute and what we can do in the oven—not just pizzas, but also apps and other entrees,” Luke says, citing examples like wood-fired edamame and rib-eye steak. “The fire forces you to think about food in a different way. It’s very romantic and also challenging.”

Here, the Oven & Tap team shares recipes for two simple, flavorful sauces similar to those used at the restaurant. “What’s pizza without a delicious sauce?” Luke asks. “These are both really simple, but well-seasoned and will complement any pizza.”…

The Dessert Table

December 3, 2019 by intern

Homemade gingerbread and peppermint sticks are as much a part of the holiday season as Christmas carols and presents under the tree—that’s why we asked three Arkansas foodies to share their recipes for delicious holiday treats. From tried-and-true cookies to tiramisu, here are five ideas for your own table

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Taste Test

October 31, 2019 by intern

A plant-based chef who grew up in a barbecue restaurant shares his take on a vegan lifestyle along with an easy weeknight dish

Michael Qandah of Happy Bear Cooking didn’t grow up going to the garden to get dinner. Rather, he came of age in his family’s Benton barbecue restaurant, Smokey Joe’s. “I started bussing tables early on and then got more and more responsibility—by high school I was working there three or four nights a week,” he recalls. As he grew older, his love for meat continued when he began a career as a butcher. “Food just makes sense to me,” Michael says. …

In the Dough

August 29, 2019 by Tiffany Adams

‘Tis the season for apples, pears, pecans and—oh, yes—pie. In Northwest Arkansas, a Los Angeles-born baker shows us how she’s creating a sweet life with plenty of pastries to please

“Pie is my favorite thing to make,” Emily Petrick says. “I bring it to dinner parties instead of flowers, and it’s how I say thank you for everything.” With a passion like this, it’s no surprise the Bentonville baker and mom of twins admits to cooking a pie a week….

Grazing Boards Galore

July 29, 2019 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Stephanie Bryant of The Blonde Kitchen shows us how to get on board with the latest trend in hors d’oeuvres

Snack boards, picky platters, or the more traditional charcuterie board—whatever you call these boards loaded with bite-size edibles, they are popping up everywhere. As the owner of The Blonde Kitchen, Stephanie Bryant assembles about 20 boards per week for her clients in Northwest Arkansas. “I love the idea of small, handheld bites. The board becomes a centerpiece at a gathering—people can hang out around it, and they are really pretty, too,” she says….

Let’s Kick It

April 28, 2019 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Northwest Arkansas native and all-around taste aficionado Jonathan Stiers shares his recipe for a sweet-and-spicy concoction perfect for Cinco de Mayo

Q. What was your inspiration for this cocktail?
A. I’m a huge fan of pineapple, so any cocktail with it in the mix is a winner in my book. A vodka pineapple makes me think of summer—of being on the beach or by the pool. I love the addition of jalapeño here; it brings some nice heat to this fruity drink….

3 Well-Rounded Meals

February 20, 2019 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Anna Coon of The Culinary Coon shares her recipes for a day of healthy eating—breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Little Rock native Anna Coon has cooking in her blood. “My mom and her mother are amazing cooks,” she says. However, it wasn’t until she married her husband, Tim, three years ago and they began the journey to parenthood that Anna truly began to put her culinary talents into practice. She focused on being more mindful about nutrition, and in turn began to learn about food’s overall role in her health and wellbeing….

Picture-Perfect Pastries

The Sweetest Thing

Cooked to Order

All Fired Up

The Dessert Table

Taste Test

In the Dough

Grazing Boards Galore

Let’s Kick It

3 Well-Rounded Meals

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At Home in Arkansas