Arkansas native James Hale began his culinary career in 1993 in New Orleans, then moved home in 1995 and worked as sous chef at two historic Little Rock restaurants, Spaulé and Andre's Hillcrest. James opened Acadia Restaurant in 1999 and was the winner of the "Apprentice of the Year" award by the Arkansas ACF Chapter in 1997, and in 2008, Hale was also a James Beard Award semi-finalist for Chef of the Year in the South Region.
New Orleans native Lee Richardson embarked on a traditional apprenticeship as a prep cook in the world-renowned Emeril Lagasse’s French Quarter restaurant, New Orleans, Louisiana. He then accepted an invitation to join legendary hotel chef Kevin Graham (the Savoy, The Royal Orleans, the Sagamore and the Windsor Court Hotel), and then in an avant-garde restaurant bearing his name, Graham’s.
There, Richardson had his first brush with another budding chef who would be his most important professional influence – John Besh. and then had the opportunity to round out his veritable “Who’s Who” of New Orleans chefs with a stint at Anne Kearney’s award-winning Peristyle and another partnership with Graham before a multi-year sojourn to North Carolina. Ten years later he reunited with Besh, ultimately becoming Chef d’Cuisine at Besh’s celebrated Restaurant August. That was Richardson’s last stop before Hurricane Katrina, then moving to
Ashley's at the Capital Hotel in Little Rock.
Bravo! Cucina Italiana Executive Chef Jeff Chandler has been with the restaurant since its opening in 2010 and credits his passion for cooking to time spent as a child in the kitchen with his mother and grandmothers. Chandler attended
Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, graduating top of his class. For several years, he worked at local eateries in Columbus, Ohio, as sous and executive chefs, creating everything from French classical dishes to smokehouse BBQ. Chandler enjoys red wine, chocolate, and growing herbs and peppers in his garden. Chandler advocates the use of local produce and enjoys participating in local culinary events.
Certified Executive Chef Yolanda Diaz brings a trendy medley of continental tastes to Little Rock’s Hillcrest Ciao Baci restaurant. Diaz started cooking at age 15 for her family, and then attended Le Cordon Bleu of Culinary Arts in Austin. She honed her skills in Washington D.C. before moving to the cathedral town of Albi, France, to help jump start a new restaurant. Diaz’s Ciao Baci menu reads like a travel diary and features Italian cuisines, Spanish Borders, and Belgian pastries. Prior to working at Ciao Baci, Diaz made pastries for Ashley’s at the Capital Hotel.
Chef Dan Capello serves as the executive chef at
Chenal Country Club and is responsible for all food and beverage service at the west Little Rock private golf and country club, including public and semi-public events hosted at the Club’s St. Andrew’s Ballroom. Capello began his cooking career at Houston Country Club as an Apprentice Chef and Sous Chef and served as Sous Chef at River Oaks Country Club, executive chef at a number of Houston restaurants, the corporate dining facility of British Petroleum, and as owner and confectioner at Harvest Confections, a Houston artesian chocolate and confection company.
Among Capello’s numerous certifications is the
American Culinary Federation’s Certified Executive Chef designation. Capello meets the criteria, and more, through his education and management experience begun in 1992. Capello is the two-time winner of the Diamond Chef Arkansas Award, presented by the culinary school of
Pulaski Technical College and the college’s Pulaski Tech College Foundation.
Little Rock native Chef Michael Jones (“MJ”) credits his father for introducing him to cooking. At age 14 Jones started working at Little Rock's Regas Grill, when he realized the kitchen is where he wanted to be.
Jones moved to Atlanta, Georgia and attended the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Institute. He’s worked as sous chef at Macaroni Grill and as corporate trainer and for Bonefish Grill, Imagine Restaurant and the Cheesecake Factory. He was sous chef at Chenal Country Club and executive sous chef at the Pleasant Valley Country Club and recently the executive chef at Salut Bistro, where he took Italian cuisines to "another level." Jones' creations can now be experienced at 4Square Cafe in the River Market District.
Stephen Burrow is an Arkansas native and chef for the Clinton Foundation at the
Clinton Presidential Center and Parks and on-site restaurant,
Forty Two. Winning the
Arkansas Hospitality Association’s 2011 Arkansas Iron Chef – and being an avid practitioner of the “
farm to table” movement – Burrow turns to local farms to provide an array of fresh produce and natural proteins. He also helped establish and heads the Clinton Center's Terrace Gardens, where he and his staff grow vegetables and herbs used in Forty Two’s daily lunch menus.
A graduate of
Le Cordon Bleu’s academic culinary program, Burrow began his career in Austin, Texas, then returned home to begin his tenure at the center in 2009. Burrow's specialty is contemporary southern-colonial and international cuisine, which is served monthly at Forty Two’s "Around the World Thursdays. Burrow is also involved with the "Student Chef Series," an in-school program that educates students about the hospitality industry, nutrition and urban gardening.
Ferneau attended culinary school in Iowa and apprenticed throughout the Midwest before heading south to Arkansas, working under chefs in Little Rock before venturing out on his own. Ferneau, well known for his meet and greet flair, is often seen mingling among Ferneau Restaurant patrons, making sure that they are having a positive dining experience. When Ferneau is not in his kitchen, he is busy in the community with local culinary programs to help students realize their dreams. He provides cooking demonstrations and classes and competes in events statewide.
Clark Huff began cooking as a young child and received his formal training at the Kirkpatrick School of Apprenticeship, then apprenticing in several restaurants and large catering services. He worked at the
Arkansas Governor’s mansion for two governors, and has prepared fine dining experiences for two presidents, international dignitaries, and distinguished guests.
Huff's has taken his culinary experience to the health care and corporate food service industries, creating tantalizing dishes while providing an atmosphere for his clientele. His use of fresh, quality ingredients and products has led to a position as food and beverage director position with ARAMARK, serving clients at Heifer International Global Headquarters in Little Rock.
Isbell took a gamble in 1985 on a little restaurant off Hwy 10 and soon began serving Arkansas's best hot tamales. In 1996, Isbell retired from the restaurant world, leaving the work to his son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Heather Isbell. Everything on the menu is a family-owned recipe and made fresh every day – from the herb and perennial gardens to the collage table tops. Customers always feel like family at Izzy's.
Abernathy is a nationally recognized chef and restaurateur featured in Bon Appétit Magazine, Gourmet Magazine, Southern Living, Texas Monthly Magazine, Food Arts, Restaurants and Institutions, Cook’s, At Home Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, SKY Magazine, Atlanta Journal, Restaurant Business Magazine, and the beautiful cookbook “The South.”
He has been the creator, owner and chef of acclaimed restaurants including Juanita’s, Blue Mesa, Bene Vita, and now, Loca Luna and Red Door and is the former host and creator of Today's Cuisine, an ABC syndicated cooking show. Abernathy is the only Arkansas Chef selected six times to participate in the Salute to Southern Chefs, which featured the top chef from each of the Southern states. Mark was a standout and was one of only a handful selected 6 years in a row. He has hosted several dinners for President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and has founded many state and regional restaurant.
J. Matt Lile, III
Lulav
Lile is a wine enthusiast whose passion for the vine began as most do, while enjoying wines with his friends, then taking further steps by visiting the major viniculture areas of the Old World and the outstanding oenology centers stateside.
Lile founded Euro Wine Imports in 1999, and in 2005 Lile became a proprietor and chef of Lulav, developing Arkansas's most intensive wine appreciation program housed in a fine dining establishment. Lile's personal collection tops more than 5,000 bottles and he describes his work with the restaurant as a "once in a lifetime" experience. Lile's formal education began at Henderson State University with a degree in Restaurant and Hotel Management, but believes in lifelong learning and the development of talent.
Deloney graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York and honed his skills at fine restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Little Rock. As an executive sous chef for Emeril Lagasse for nearly ten years – first at NOLA in the French Quarter and then at Delmonico Steakhouse in Las Vegas – Deloney learned the business and polished his skills in high-energy restaurants that attracted locals and celebrities.
Deloney returned to Little Rock in 2007, helped reopen the historic Capital Hotel after an extensive renovation. Later he opened Maddie’s Place. Deloney wants to take Little Rock dining to new levels with fresh adaptations of comfort food with a New Orleans influence, served in a funky, informal, family-friendly environment.
Andrew Poirot, executive chef of The Peabody Little Rock, is an aficionado of fine dining and the art of haute cuisine. A native of France, Poirot received his culinary diploma in 1977 and began his traditional European apprenticeships, serving as a commis at the Ets Blanche restaurant in Remiremont, France, and in the hallowed kitchens of The Savoy on the Strand in London. He completed his military duty at Pont St. Vincent, France as a chef mess officer, and went on to be saucier at Thomas de Quincey´s restaurant in London. Poirot returned to the verdant valleys of Bordeaux where he was sous-chef at Ets Cuny Traiteur. He progressed to head chef at Relais de Ballons in St. Maurice-Moselle before moving to Strasbourg and then Bermuda, working at the Princess Hotel, as chef de cuisine at Harley´s restaurant, and gourmet chef at the Tiara restaurant.
Chef Andre then found himself in New Orleans, where his style of cooking – light and elegant – won him respect and awards, and a spot on the Discovery Channel´s "Great Chefs of New Orleans, the New Garde." Chef Andre won the gold medal for cold seafood presentation at the Bermuda Agricultural Show 1985-1986 and was named 1995 Chef of the Year by the National Executive Chef Association. Chef Andre is now responsible for all food operations for The Peabody Little Rock, from in-room dining to the Capriccio Grill, to catering for the hotel´s guests and for delegates at the Statehouse Convention Center.
Gold is president of
Purple Cow Restaurants and director of programs at the
Pulaski Technical College Arkansas Culinary School. Throughout his 23-year career, Todd has received numerous awards and recognition for his culinary talents and his dedication to the advancement of the profession. He was the recipient of the Chef of the Year Awar
d American Culinary Federation Central Arkansas Chapter (AFC/CAC) in 2003, 2006 and 2011, making him the first chef in Arkansas to win this award three times. He was inducted into the ACF-CAC Hall of Fame in 2005 and in 2008 was inducted as a Fellow into the National American Academy of Chefs, the national organization’s highest honor.
Todd was trained at the La Maison Meridian (Memphis Culinary Academy). After graduating from culinary school in 1992, he worked as Sous chef and executive chef for well-known hotels, country clubs and restaurants in the Little Rock area. Prior to purchasing Purple Cow Restaurants, he was the corporate executive chef for Acxiom Corporation for eight years.
Chef Tim Morton and Evette Brady
Restaurant 1620
Chef Evette Brady and Chef Timothy Morton ensure that your dining experience is exceptional at 1620. Chef Brady received much of her practical training from her mother, Olivia Brady, who catered in and around Little Rock for nearly 50 years. Olivia started her daughter, Evette, on her way when she was still in junior high school.
After culinary school in Wisconsin, Brady went to work at Jacques and Suzanne’s and formed a strong working relationship and friendship with owners Ed Moore and executive Chef Paul Bash - the team responsible for Allouette’s, 1620, Graffiti’s and Purple Cow Restaurant - and cemented the foundation for what is Restaurant 1620. Brady acquired the restaurant in 1998 and brought her nephew Timothy Morton from Atlanta where he graduated culinary school with honors. Chef Morton has run the restaurant with other members of the 1620 family for more than 10 years.
Chef Capi Peck
Trio’s
Capi Peck is a Little Rock native who calls herself a "self-taught good cook." Her love of great food and cooking grew from her childhood experiences at her family's establishment, the Sam Peck Hotel. Capi's grandparents, Sam and Henryetta Peck, expertly ran the well-known downtown spot that brought a cosmopolitan flair to
Little Rock in the 1960s. The hotel and its restaurant was the first introduction to fine dining and European-influenced foods for many Arkansans.
Capi now serves a few of Sam Peck's creations at
Trio's Restaurant, which she co-owns with partner Brent Peterson. She strives to offer diners an interesting mix of American ingredients and cooking styles infused with worldly flavors – hence Trio's cuisine – "global," often prepared with local ingredients and produce. You'll often see her at the
Little Rock Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings choosing the freshest produce for the weekly specials. Capi is well-traveled and fluent in Spanish - perfect for researching one of her favorite cuisines – interior Mexican.
Scott Marks, chef and owner of
Union Bistro, has been a part of the culinary world since 1995 when he attended the
Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge, where he received a degree in the Culinary Arts. A native of Arkansas, Chef Marks has worked in and owned several restaurants. Marks credits his Union Bistro menu style to the art of French Cuisines as well as the
Tapas style of dining.
Union Bistro serves an array of eclectic dishes from the classic chicken marsala to the fresh tuna poke. Marks strives to make the majority of the ingredients used at the Bistro in-house, using fresh local ingredients when possible. Marks’ culinary artistry can be experienced in every dish prepared at Union Bistro.
Vieux Carre Executive Chef and General Manager David Bennett worked at a number of respected Little Rock restaurants before attending the Cordon Bleu-affiliated Scottsdale Culinary Institute and opening this Southern bistro in historic Hillcrest in 2006. Sarah Bennett, David’s wife, also has extensive restaurant experience and oversees the daily operation of the front of the house. Mom and Dad, Linda and Anthony Bennett, are often on-site as well, working behind the scenes or greeting diners.
Arkansas native Scott Thomas McGehee was inspired to be a cook by both his great-grandmother
Ruby Thomas, author and presiding culinary spirit of the Red Apple Inn, and his father, Frank McGehee, who founded Little Rock favorites Blue Mesa Grill and Juanita's. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, Scott attended the
San Francisco's California Culinary Academy where he received honors and became line chef at Alice Waters’s famed
Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley.
McGehee opened Boulevard Bread Company in the late 1990s – a gourmet bakery, delicatessen, and café that quickly became a beloved Little Rock institution and featured in Southern Living magazine. He then opened River Market and UAMS Medical Center locations before selling the business. McGehee recently opened
ZaZa Fine Salad and Wood Oven Pizza Company, and franchising arm of the business, Tre'Za Franchising L.L.C. His latest venture is Big Orange Burgers, Salads, and Shakes, which recently opened in the Chenal Promenade in West Little Rock.