Food

According to recent reports, one of the country’s most popular niche grocery store chains could soon be making its way to Arkansas. Trader Joe’s confirmed that it has looked at bringing a store to Little Rock, and it’s easy to see why.

With a wide range of cultures and famous cuisines around the state, there are many food festivals to satisfy all appetites in Arkansas. Here are a few to look for this year:

We know that meal-prepping healthy foods is helpful for busy lifestyles, but it’s still overwhelming. Here’s what you’re doing wrong with meal prep: You’re trying to prep complete meals.

Baker, author and magazine editor Brian Hart Hoffman released the third volume of “Bake from Scratch: Artisan Recipes for the Home Baker” on March 15. The book features more than 600 recipes and is currently available for order through online retailers, such as the “Bake from Scratch” website.

While the holiday remains synonymous with New Orleans, Mardi Gras celebrations have made their way to all parts of the country in recent years, including Arkansas. Take it from a Louisiana native, if you’re interested in trying your hand at a Mardi Gras meal, there are a few essentials that must be included.

How do you can a beer? We turned to the experts at Lost Forty Brewing to give us the scoop on all things canning as they stocked one of their newest brews, the Look-See Hefeweizen.

The menu during a Super Bowl party is arguably more important than the game itself. Rather than ordering a pizza or picking up wings, consider these recipes to spice it up.

For many people, eating healthier is a goal that seems almost impossible to attain, even with the best intentions. Work, school, raising a family and extracurricular activities don’t leave much time for cooking a nutritious meal.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is saying goodbye to the Obama administration’s school lunch and breakfast program in a move to serve meals more appealing to students.

If you’re out shopping and need a cocktail this holiday season, stop by Big Orange Midtown and have Bar Manager Luiggi Uzcategui make a holiday poinsettia, or pick up the ingredients and make it yourself.

Everyone loves Clement Moore’s “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” but we doubt it is sugarplums dancing through children’s heads while they are nestled snug in their beds. As Saint Nick plans to stuff stockings near and far, we hope he’ll take advice from Food PR.

You’ll find the Cane River tucked away in the heart of Louisiana’s pecan country.

Arkansas’s got it down pat when it comes to foodie events. Check out a few that are coming this fall:

September is National Rice Month, and Riceland is celebrating this versatile grain. They’ll be setting up shop with their Riceland Mobile Café at Little Rock’s Main Street Food Truck Festival on Sept. 8, serving tasty, gluten-free treats and giving away freebies.

The popularity of vegan dishes is on the rise as many people are choosing to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diets for personal interests, environmental benefits or to meet dietary needs. The latest Arkansas restaurant to add vegan dish options to its menu is Cache, a fine-dining restaurant located in the River Market in Little Rock.

The popular Main Street Food Truck Festival is back for its eighth year and will feature 60+ food trucks, dozens of craft vendors and a variety of entertainment buskers.

The wait is finally over for the highly anticipated opening of The Holler, A Local Hangout, in Bentonville. The “gathering space where guests can eat, drink, work and play” is the newest addition to 8th Street Market.

True Arkansas Eatery (TAE) is the newest downtown eatery to open its doors. Located in the Hotel Frederica on Capitol Avenue in downtown Little Rock, chefs Justin Patterson and Cetera Key, formerly of The Southern Gourmasion (which closed earlier this year), are again partnering to lend their talents to Southern cuisine. Menu options include Southern staples like cornbread, fried chicken, meatloaf and fried green tomatoes. The restaurant also offers vegetarian dish options.

If you’re not familiar with CSAs, you should be. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between farmers and consumers. When you join as a shareholder, you pay in advance for vegetables, flowers, meat, cheese, etc., so farmers have the necessary capital to begin the season. In exchange, you get fresh, naturally grown produce and other farm staples for the season.

Northwest Arkansas friends, Taco Tuesday is about to get a whole lot better. Local Lime, the sister restaurant to Big Orange (two located in Little Rock and one in Rogers), is opening this summer in the Pinnacle Hills Promenade.

Each year, Stuttgart-based Riceland Foods, Inc. mills and markets more than 35% of the total U.S. rice crop, which is why the town is known as the rice capital of the world. In the U.S., we consume 2,564,866 metric tons of rice each year. That’s almost 57 billion servings.

More restaurants are getting aboard the vegan food train. Michael Qandah is the latest entrant to expand Little Rock’s plant-based cooking scene. He’s the vegan chef – with a stunning Instagram feed – who runs Happy Bear Cooking.

Cinco de Mayo musts:

2018 Rock City Margarita Festival – Sample margaritas from 25+ vendors while enjoying outdoor games, music and taco trucks. 4-7 p.m. at Heifer Village & Urban Farm. Tickets are $25. 21+ only.

Over the past 33 years, the International Greek Food Festival has become a local institution. Billed as the largest ethnic festival in Arkansas, the tradition of serving food, friends and the community continues from Friday, May 18 at 11 a.m. through Sunday, May 20 at 6 p.m.

Get your food fix with these downtown Little Rock restaurants that offer delivery services. Now, you can enjoy lunch from the comforts of your cubicle.

When it comes to giving gifts, you always hear it’s the thought that counts. But, we think it’s the taste that counts!

Yeyo’s Mexican Grill is now serving up its celebrated street tacos at Bentonville’s 8th Street Market. The food truck-turned-brick-and-mortar-restaurant offers authentic Mexican fare made with locally grown ingredients from the Rios family farm.

Coffee: a basic life necessity. Wherever you are in Arkansas, there’s sure to be a local joint you’ll love:

Smell that? That’s the sign of a great year for Little Rock’s food scene. Rock City Eats published a list of eateries opening in 2018 and we’re ready. Here are a few that grabbed our taste buds’ attention.

When the clock strikes midnight the champagne will flow! Before the bottle popping begins, check out these festive libations around town to celebrate the new year: