Fancy Pants Foodie

Foodie news, reviews and how-tos from Arkansas and beyond.

Announcing ARFoodJobs.com!

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Free job listings for employers throughout April with code APRILFOOLFREE. No joke!

Free job listings for employers throughout April with code APRILFOOLFREE. No joke!

It’s not a joke…I finally did it. Today marks the official launch of my new food job site, ARFoodJobs.com. And this month, employers can use it for free.

Since entering the culinary world as a student in 2009, I noticed there was no reliable system for filling our state’s food-related positions. Job openings were filled by word of mouth (which isn’t always a bad thing, but with limited reach), newspaper listings, Craigslist (gah) and a flurry of emails between those in the industry. Then, some jobs out there required vetting and/or health checks, similar to those given by Health Street, so the chances of getting a job were even slimmer if you weren’t competent. And being accepted for a culinary job or career especially could be so difficult.

And then, around 2012 or so, our food world smooth blew up, especially in Little Rock. New restaurants, improved concepts and inspired chefs popped up everywhere. (A recent visitor who works in the industry marveled to me at our density and variety of dining.) By 2014, Little Rock was named one of five “Secret Foodie Cities” by Forbes Travel Guide.

So, who’s gonna work at all these places? And how will the busy owners, managers and chefs make connections to the best workers?

Today I offer a solution: ARFoodJobs.com.

It’s more than a job board…I like to say we’re matchmakers for Arkansas’ growing culinary and hospitality industry and the state’s most qualified job candidates in these areas.

Our matchmaking is made possible through strategic affiliate partnerships with Pulaski Technical College – Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute and the Arkansas Hospitality Association. With their help, we are gathering the resumes of the state’s best food job candidates, from students to seasoned (ha) veterans, and helping them connect with employers. Some people need a little nudge first to a resume writing service to help them out, but after that, it tends to be plain sailing.

May I ask for your help in getting us started? It’s a big week. Help a sistah out.

1. Employers: Register as an employer on the site (click “register” and follow prompts). If you have a job opening right now, you can start at the “Post a Job” menu button and it will register you automatically in the process. Use coupon code APRILFOOLFREE to get free job listings all month in April.

2. Job Seekers: Select “Post a Resume” under “Find a Job” on the site and you’ll be registered as a job seeker in the process. Then fill in our resume form as well as attach your Word or PDF formatted resume which you can create with software as sodapdf online. Please do both, as the form is searchable by employers, and they also like one to print out. If you’d rather be stealthy about your job search, you can just click “Register” and sign up as a candidate.

3. Everyone Else: If you’re not in the industry or not currently looking, please share this site with others. The more jobs and resumes we have listed, the better it will work for everyone.

Thank you in advance for your support. It means so much. What a great food culture we have right here in Arkansas!

Social Media Resurrects Cult Favorite Mall Restaurant, Mr. Dunderbak’s

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Social media can, indeed, do mighty things.

Largely (or maybe entirely) thanks to a group page on Facebook titled, “Mr. Dunderbak’s in McCain Mall – bring it back!!!!“, the German-themed cult favorite will soon return to McCain Mall in North Little Rock, bringing back its long-missed bratwursts, sausages and soft pretzels with toppings. This just shows the influence that social media has these days. As all of these fans on Facebook began showing support for this restaurant, the owner was becoming aware of just how popular his business still is. Now that this restaurant is opening again, the owner may want to make use of social media himself to let his customers know that they are back up and running. By creating an Instagram page, Richardson can keep his customers up to date with any news or offers by posting on their page. Social media could even bring him more customers, so it might be worthwhile creating an Instagram account. To start with, he may need to get instagram followers from a website like nitreo.com, for example. This can help him to start building an online presence, ensuring that this page becomes more popular and reaches more of his previous customers. Social media can really help restaurants, so Richardson might want to look into it.

Builders are scheduled to start construction this week, with an estimated opening date of mid-September. Due to how many people are looking forward to this event, it’s important that the restaurant has a grand re-opening. There are plans in place for the restaurant to have some steel flagpoles installed outside, allowing the new owner to hang some flags to draw more people’s attention. Flagpoles are a great way to increase awareness of the new restaurant and to increase customers.

In 2009, an anonymous fan started the Facebook page, which now has over 1,500 fans. Former owner, Richard Davidson of Hot Springs Village, said he knew nothing about the group at first, and at the time had no interest in reopening the restaurant, which he owned from 1973 until he sold it in 1990. The restaurant closed in 2000.

“I was throughly relaxed playing golf,” Richardson said. “I had no intention of going back into the restaurant business. But it really raised an eyebrow when [the Facebook group] first started bubbling.”

He said that his daughter caught wind of the group and encouraged him to consider it. “She was like a barking dog getting me to do it. ‘Why don’t you set that up again?’ she asked. ‘We’ll step into it when you retire.’ Again,” he added, laughing.

Richardson said the restaurant will include much of its former menu, including the aforementioned sausages, brats and pretzels. There will also be a better accounting and software system to keep track of everything (you can learn more here). Like in most restaurants around the world, technology has developed to make the restaurant business a little quicker and easier for both customer and business owner, an example of this development is the restaurant kiosk which makes order a lot easier for customers to purchase their meals. The deli counter will offer sandwiches such as Italian and club, and meatball subs. Gyros and Slovakian items will be available as well. Grocery items, such as jarred, imported items and candies, will not make a re-appearance at the new restaurant, but thanks to the addition of commercial refrigeration equipment he will be able to introduce new ice cream flavors.

New additions will include a coffee bar and lounge in the back area of the restaurant, where guests may also enjoy a selection of beer and wine, pending the liquor license he applied for this week.

The most remarkable change at Mr. Dunderbak’s will be the addition of a vegan/vegetarian line. Richardson said that his daughter, who used to help at the original store while she was in junior high and high school, was a big influence in adding this to the menu, and they also .

“The line is called ‘Der Vegetarier,’ or ‘vegetarian’ in German,” he said. “Our vegan products will include such things as link sausages in Italian, Mexican chipotle, apple sage and frankfurter, and roasts made of vegetarian grain meat in lentil sage, wild mushroom and smoked tomato flavors, which can be sliced into savory deli sandwiches.”

He added that Silvek’s bakery in Little Rock is doing some specialty baking for them, including buns specially made for vegan customers.

Mr. Dunderbak’s soft pretzels alone are gaining a nostalgic response from many members of the Facebook group and he’s always pending and the owners are also always looking for reviews of restaurant POS software to find the best option to give good attention their customers. Brandy Wallace Everett said, “Awesome! looking forward to the deluxe pretzel with cheese, pickles and sausage!!!” Several members have posted photos of their own home-made versions of the pretzels.

Richardson said that all the old favorite toppings will be there, such as the spreadable port wine or champagne cheeses, chopped pickles and sausage slices.

He said the pretzels, while not house-made, will be brought in frozen from a high-quality provider and baked fresh daily, as in the past.

When asked who started the Facebook group, Richardson said he didn’t know, but he suspects a management employee at McCain Mall.

The group’s first post, on March 25, 2009, was by North Little Rock resident Scott Kaufman: “I still remember going there.. even when I was a kid in the 70s. That was a unique place for the mall. I sometimes think it is still there as I wallk that way…only to be disappointed.”

Richardson said that, while the events leading up to reopening were unexpected, he’s not surprised at the excitement and nostalgia people feel toward his old establishment.

“It was a fun food place to go,” he said. “It will be quite a bit bigger, not elbow-to-elbow like it used to be, although some folks liked that about it. I think it will be pleasantly accepted when we take the barrier down.”

Ed’s note: You heard about this first, in February, here. That is, if you follow me on Twitter.

UPDATE: Scott Kaufman of North Little Rock did indeed start the group, he said in an interview on Wednesday.

“I have an interest in urban businesses,” he said. “I was thinking about McCain Mall and where it was years ago, when people used to come from all around. There were things that made it unique, such as Mr. Dunderbak’s. There’s nothing like that today.”

“I really missed it personally, too,” added Kaufman, who now works for UALR in administration. “I used to work in a little kiosk in the mall in the early 90s, and it was the perfect place to get a quick lunch. It was a great meeting place, too, for business.”

Kaufman said he started the group one Sunday night on a whim, and within days the group had over 300 fans.

“Obviously a lot of other people were into it, too,” he said. “And now it’s actually a little bit scary – I have this vision of [Richardson] putting his whole retirement into this. But I think we’ve got a good fan base to get him started.”

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Taste of New Orleans at 2011 International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC)

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My friend Paula and I are finally in New Orleans for the International Food Bloggers Conference!

I’ll tell you more about the sessions later — I’ve only caught one so far about food styling and photography — but for now, I leave you with (forgive the term as I know many of you will read the word porn and automatically think of hdpornvideo.xxx) food porn from our Taste of New Orleans small-plate sampling dinner tonight.

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A Foodie in Charleston, Part 1

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Our tour guide from Culinary Tours of Charleston/Bulldog Tours, Hoon Calhoun, kept us in line on the meandering cobblestone streets of downtown Charleston.

My family and I recently returned from a vacation in Charleston, South Carolina. Let me summarize: This is a foodie town.

Of course, there’s plenty else to do (we went to three different beaches, and I still managed to get home whiter than when I left). But if you love food, especially the history, technique, local ingredients and passion behind it, Charleston is your kind of town.

I was only there just short of a week and didn’t experience all it had to offer, but I wanted to share some highlights, especially from a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour I took. The “chef’s kitchen” tour is presented by Culinary Tours of Charleston, a division of Bulldog Tours. Tasting tours are available daily, but this specialty tour is only given once a week, on Friday mornings.

I had to go alone, as we had no childcare options that day. This was fine with our two kids; they were happy with Daddy’s arrangements to wear swimsuits and frolic in a couple public fountains made for such enjoyment while I completed my 2 1/2 hour tour.

Our tour began with coffee, cheese grits (yom) and a light, orange-zest laced cinnamon roll at Barbara Jean’s, while our tour guide, Hoon Calhoun, regaled us with the historical basis for Charleston food culture.

Of course, much of this culture revolves around its origins as an early British colony (read: [King] Charles’ Town) and its subsequent agriculture-based, slave-fueled plantation lifestyle. During these times, elaborate meals showcased the region’s bountiful resources of vegetables, rice, and seafood in concert not seen elsewhere in the world.

These meals were often made by talented slave cooks, who were frequently traded from household to household in order to learn new skills. “We should not forget,” Calhoun said, “that the food culture here rests squarely on the shoulders of the slaves who worked here.”

Upon the official end of slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation, Charleston’s food landscape changed. Busy working women, former slaves and owners alike, now found themselves in the fields all day rather than cooking. This was the beginning of modern Southern high-fat, quick-cooking methods, as well as peasant-style stews and other items that could cook all day.

Calhoun noted that today’s Charleston marks a return to the earlier form of cookery: fresh, refined and celebratory of all the region has to offer.

An interesting note: Why does Charleston no longer wear its former crown as rice capital of the region? Calhoun said that ships from China would come to Charleston for its coveted rice. The answer also lies in the end of slavery. Heavy machinery replaced slave labor, and the silty soil of the region could not support the equipment. Rice production moved to states with sturdier soils, including Arkansas.

With this knowledge in hand, our group moved on to tour the kitchens, taste the food, and visit with the chefs who are keeping Charleston’s food culture one of the most dynamic in the world.

Keep reading!

Argenta Restaurant Week starts Monday

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Are you off work or school this coming Monday? Or if not, want to skip out midday sometime next week for a special treat? Personally this Pizza Restaurant is one my favourites.

The Argenta area of North Little Rock (primarily Main Street, downtown) holds Argenta Restaurant Week twice a year, and it’s a good time to get your foodie on. This time it’s Monday, Jan. 18 through Saturday, Jan. 23. Several restaurants, some often a bit out of my personal price range, are sharing one great deal: $8 two-course lunches and $25 three-course prix fixe dinner menus, in addition to their usual fare. I can just about promise you that the chefs will use this as an opportunity to hit you with their best creative shot.

Participating restaurants include Cornerstone Pub, Creegan’s Irish Pub, Margo’s Catfish Diner and Deli, Reno’s Argenta Café, Ristorante Capeo, Starving Artist Café, and Ump’s Pub and Grill.

Need another excuse to get out and eat? Hows about some free stuff?

Each time you eat at a participating restaurant during Restaurant Week, you can enter to win prizes from several Argenta merchants. Prizes include four nights at the Baker House Bed and Breakfast, two necklaces from the Argenta Bead Company, a pottery class at Claytime Studios, and a $100 Gift Certificate to the Argenta Market, slated to open in March.

Just my opinion, but someone with a good business mind came up with this one. It’s a win-win for everyone. And I suspect it will get more of us over there to try something new!

Anyone wanna join me?

Oh, BTW, don’t be alarmed if you’re new here and wonderin’ why I’m writing about community stuff. It was part of the original intent of the blog (see older posts about farmers markets, chefs, etc.). We’re getting back on track. According redesign soon.

Foodie Event: Taste of the Town, North Little Rock

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We’re still recovering from all the eating, schmoozing and more eating we’ve done in the past few days. On Thursday, the same day I tasted the final dishes of Arkansas Iron Chef, hubs and I also attended the 16th annual Taste of the Town event in North Little Rock at the Alltel, er, Verizon Arena. It is put on by the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce.

While not entirely the same caliber of fancy food I’d been eating at Iron Chef, this was still pretty darn fun. There were 27 booths of various NLR (and some Little Rock — cheaters!) eateries, from fast-foodish pizza (we’re looking at you, Little Caesars) to the foodie-worthy excellence of Cantina Laredo.

I must give a shout-out to my friends at the Pulaski Technical College Arkansas Culinary School, who had a team of pastry students dishing out some killer dessert bites. I NEED the recipe for those caramels.

And there was Hooters. Um, yeah. You gotta admit they have good wings, though. (And thighs, and breasts….)

It was so crowded, it felt like cattle being herded in spurts and flows at the height of the event. It was also a little awkward getting your little tasting plate and trying to find somewhere to perch long enough to eat it. There were tables, as well as the arena’s perching spots, but not really quite enough. But that’s OK, just a testament to the success of the event and its promoters, methinks.

Tips for next year, if anyone in charge reads and cares: Next year, smaller samples. I know this is up to the vendor, but recommend small bites. More tables, the stand-up-and-schmooze kind. Easier access to water, a critical element for a “tasting” event. Maybe get Mountain Valley to provide those cute little half-size bottles, or at least the NLR Water Department; I saw their bottles at Iron Chef. And put the whole thing on the arena floor instead of the upper concourse. Food events are exploding (as did this one), and you’ll continue to get more peeps than you think.

Mmmm….Peeps.

I digress.

In spite of all my bellyaching, don’t misunderstand; this is a great event. The tickets were $15 each, which isn’t too bad for a fun night out grazing. All the food was great, as I didn’t find a single thing I didn’t like. Plus, it was fun meeting some of the owners and managers from these restaurants and talking foodie with them.

Plan on going next year, K?

Photos!