Editor’s note: This blog refers to the inaugural Arkansas Food Hall of Fame event in 2017.
Food…glorious food!! Arkansas is home to some legendary restaurants, wonderful chefs, and amazing, tasty fare. And although the state has all varieties of halls of fame, it wasn’t until 2016 that the Department of Arkansas Heritage decided there needed to be an Arkansas Food Hall of Fame. Rightly so…and about time!
The Arkansas Food Hall of Fame was launched by the Department of Arkansas Heritage in September to recognize Arkansas’s legendary restaurants, proprietors and food-themed events across the state. Nominations were accepted from the public in four categories: Food Hall of Fame, Proprietor of the Year, Food-Themed Event and People’s Choice. A 12-person committee chose the finalists in each category and the winners were announced at a reception and induction ceremony at Ron Robinson Theater in Little Rock on February 28.
The public was invited to submit nominees in four categories:
The 2017 Arkansas Food Hall of Fame winners were:
People’s Choice: Grotto Wood Fired Grill and Wine Cave in Eureka Springs (Carroll County)
Food-Themed Event: Cave City Watermelon Festival in Cave City (Sharp County)
Proprietor of the Year: Paul Bash, Ed Moore, Louis Petit and Denis Seyer (Continental Cuisine partnership)
Arkansas Food Hall of Fame:
Jones Bar-B-Q Diner of Marianna (Lee County)
Lassis Inn of Little Rock (Pulaski County)
Rhoda’s Famous Hot Tamales of Lake Village (Chicot County)
Congratulations to all the nominees and the winners…and thanks for delighting our palates and making our taste buds sing!! To learn more about the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame, click here.