BENTONVILLE — Four local chefs will bring distinctive Arkansas cuisine to the James Beard House in New York this fall.
On their way to New York for the Nov. 7 event are Tammy Varney from Meridienne Dessert Salon, Rob Nelson from Tusk & Trotter, Matthew McClure from The Hive and Case Dighero, director of culinary services for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
“For the chefs, this is a significant honor,” said Daniel Hintz, director of Downtown Bentonville Inc. “To be asked to perform at the James Beard House, that’s like a musician being asked to perform at Carnegie Hall.”
Residents can get a preview of the feast the chefs plan to serve the New York crowd during a special “Road to the Beard House” at Tusk & Trotter on Wednesday. The practice meal will double as a fundraiser to help the chefs and their crews on the trip. Dinner will start at 6 p.m. Tusk & Trotter is at 110 S.E. A St. just off the downtown square.
The James Beard Foundation honors America’s diverse food culture and history. It maintains the historic James Beard House in Greenwich Village as a performance space.
A few restaurants around Bentonville have offered “Serving up James Beard” selections on their menus — special drinks or entrees designed around the foundation’s mission. Members of Downtown Bentonville’s Culinary Krewe group also received membership to the James Beard Foundation’s Friends group.
Community support has helped turn the Bentonville’s restaurant scene into a nationally recognized culinary enclave, Hintz said.
Bentonville’s Advertising and Promotion Commission numbers reflect the increasing popularity of the city’s restaurants. The commission collected $104,157 in 2012. The 1 percent tax shows the restaurants grossed $104.1 million last year.
Bentonville has about 100 restaurants, said Kalene Griffith, director of the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Little Rock’s 850 restaurants grossed $460 million last year, according to tax receipts. Fayetteville collects a 2 percent sales tax on restaurants for advertising and promotion and the parks development. The city’s 350 to 400 restaurants grossed $225.6 million for 2012.
Many of Bentonville’s best performing table service restaurants in 2012 were in the downtown area. Eleven, the restaurant at Crystal Bridges, was the highest grossing non-chain restaurant with $2.2 million for the year. The Flying Fish, another downtown venture, brought in $1.7 million.
Table Mesa and Tavola, both on the square and under the same ownership, made a combined $2.6 million. Other downtown favorites, such the Station Cafe, Tusk & Trotter and the Pressroom, grossed between $500,000 and $800,000. In all, downtown restaurants grossed about $9 million for the year.
The opening of The Hive at the 21c Museum Hotel has pushed those numbers higher, Griffith said. April’s tax collection for restaurants were up 11.5 percent over last year, said Johnna Duncan, finance coordinator for the Advertising and Promotion Commission.
“We’re seeing new restaurants open, and we’re not seeing as many closing,” Griffith said.
That means more tax dollars and more opportunities for chefs with dreams of performing at the James Beard House. Hintz asked the community help the chefs as they work toward the New York trip. Wednesday’s dinner at Tusk & Trotter will cost $100 for Downtown Bentonville members and $125 for non-members. Supporters can also help in other ways, such as offering extra airline miles to help offset travel expenses, Hintz said.