ROGERS -- Megan Templeton pushed a toothpick lined with olives into a mini-burger Wednesday as skillets sizzled around her.
The soon-to-graduate Northwest Arkansas Community College student was among participants in a burger cook-off in which teams competed for a spot at the NW Arkansas Food Festival in June.
It will be the first year for the two-day festival meant to spotlight food culture in Northwest Arkansas, said Harry Hardy, LPGA Northwest Arkansas Championship director of events.
The festival will be one of several events held in conjunction with the annual LPGA tournament, to be held June 22-28 at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers.
The first night of the festival, planned for June 25 at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers, will feature celebrity chef Carla Hall. Attendees can pay $30 per person or $50 per couple to attend the event and try small plates of food from different restaurants in the region.
Hall is the co-host of ABC's television show "The Chew." She also was a competitor on Bravo's "Top Chef" and owns Carla Hall Petite Cookies.
On June 26, a beer and burger fest will highlight the region's restaurant and craft beer scene. Winners of the college's competition will serve their food during this event also held at the Walmart AMP. Tickets are $30 per person, $50 per couple and $15 for people who are designated drivers.
"It's really to showcase the best restaurants and chefs of Northwest Arkansas all in one place at one time," Hardy said. "It allows the people who live here to experience that."
Area restaurants that have signed on for the festival include Tusk & Trotter, Theo's, The Hive, Roma, Levi's Gastro Lounge and Core Brewing Co.
Levi Rush, owner of Levi's Gastro Lounge, opened his business in downtown Rogers in December. He said the festival will give him the opportunity to bring more exposure to the restaurant, which he described as having a gourmet bar menu.
"I will get a chance to reach a broader community," Rush said. "Hopefully I will meet new people and hopefully have some fun."
The festival fits the needs of the growing food scene in Northwest Arkansas, Rush said.
"It is definitely growing rapidly, especially in downtown Rogers," Rush said. "Parking has never been an issue in downtown Rogers but on Friday and Saturday nights there is now nowhere to park and people are waiting in lines to eat. It is crazy."
Hardy said the festival is a way to help stimulate more growth in the restaurant industry in Northwest Arkansas. The competition at the college is another way to do that, he said.
"This is an opportunity to offer a pipeline of talent," Hardy said. "It allows students to meet some of the best chefs and build a relationship with the restaurant community."
Michael Kuefner, head culinary instructor at the college, said the competition simulates a restaurant setting for the students. It creates an atmosphere where culinary, hospitality and baking students have to work together to serve people in the real world, he said.
"All the elements come together," Kuefner said. "It is really neat. Very often you can get the best out of people with a competition. They learn to apply their techniques and I think that is a good thing."
The competition is the final project for a class, Kuefner said. It's the first time winning has offered the reward of participating in a festival, he said.
Templeton's team created a sausage-beef blended burger topped with egg, candied bacon and cheddar. An avocado and bloody Mary-flavored spread was used on the freshly baked buns.
"I am definitely gaining experience and understanding about preparing and feeding crowds of people," Templeton said as she scooped up a fried egg.
Later in the day, Kade Spencer, 12, took a bite out of Templeton's burger.
"The breakfast one is good," Kade said to his mother, Kriss.
Kriss said her son is home-schooled and loves to cook. Attending the event gave him the chance to see what culinary students do. Culinary school is something he could be interested in someday, she said.
Three teams of four people competed in the college competition. Students making up the team are from the culinary, baking and hospitality programs. Culinary students designed the burger, while baking students created the buns and hospitality students helped plan the event.
NW News on 04/23/2015