J&S Italian Villa in Hot Springs is under new ownership. Hospitality veteran Saddiq Mir purchased J&S Italian Villa in April 2022. Mir joins his wife, Jeannie, as new owners of the restaurant located at 4332 Central Avenue in Hot Springs,…
food
- AgricultureAgricultureAMP NewsFoodIndustriesNonprofit
Walton-Backed Food Program Expands Resources for Farmers, Communities in NWA
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffNorthwest Arkansas Food Systems, with support from the Walton Family Foundation, is providing grants to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Community Clinic and the University of Arkansas. The funding will offer farmers new resources to access capital and soil health…
Jay Ramsey Founder and President Rx Catering A native of Stillwater, Okla., and a graduate of Oklahoma State University, Jay Ramsey founded New York Bagel and Deli in Little Rock in 1994. As the demand for catering increased, Ramsey transitioned…
- AMP NewsCultureEducationFoodIndustriesTourism
Brightwater in Bentonville Hosts Team USA Ahead of Culinary Olympics
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffBrightwater: A Center for the Study of Food in Bentonville recently hosted practice sessions for the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Culinary Team USA on Tuesday and Wednesday as they prepared for the 2024 IKA Culinary Olympics. The IKA/Culinary Olympics is…
- BusinessEducationEntrepreneurshipFoodIndustriesSmall businessStartup AR
Food & Bev. Business ‘Cureate’ Offers Entrepreneurial Program in NW Arkansas
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffCureate, a woman-owned small business with a focus on empowering food and beverage entrepreneurs and building local supply chains, has partnered with FORGE, Inc. to grant ten food and beverage entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas the opportunity to participate in Cureate…
- AgricultureAgricultureEducationEnvironmentalFoodHealth & ScienceIndustries
UA Pine Bluff to Conduct Pandemic Food Safety Training
by AMP Staffby AMP StaffThe Small Farm Program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) is conducting a produce food safety training program that includes safety practices specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, Karen Lee, extension assistant for UAPB, said. “When it comes…
Community Impact Award Since its founding in 1984, the Arkansas Foodbank has grown to establish 422 local partnerships in 33 counties in an effort to reach those in need of food. The state ranks second in the nation for food…
- BusinessFoodMagazineMay 2020
Food Fight – COVID-19’s Latest Victims: Arkansas Restaurants
by Dwain Hebdaby Dwain HebdaJerry Barakat, owner of upscale Little Rock steakhouse Arthur’s, took a reporter’s call at 5 p.m., an act that in itself underscored the dire state of the restaurant business in Arkansas. Five o’ clock is usually the preamble to the…
A locally-owned breakfast restaurant is adding a second location in Springdale. The Buttered Biscuit is owned by Sam and Anna Russell, who opened the first location in Bentonville on April 3, 2017, and it was an instant hit. “We chose Springdale…
Chef Coby Smith will be taking the reins at CARTI Cancer Center’s new on-site restaurant, the Hope Bistro. The new restaurant, which is located on the first floor of the CARTI Cancer Center, is open Monday through Friday from 7:30…