Chef William McCormick of Crystal Bridges Eleven restaurant is a seventh generation Arkansan. His ancestors emigrated from Ireland in 1851 and were homesteaders not far from Fayetteville. His family still owns some of the original homestead property. One of his great grandfathers was on the board that wrote the Alma Mater for the University of Arkansas. McCormick has a rich family history in Northwest Arkansas. But for him, that history is not just a collection of anecdotes, but essential building blocks to the foundation of his career as a chef.
"My history of growing up in the Ozarks is something I try to embrace here at Crystal Bridges -- the sights, the smells, the tastes -- it's a kind of return to the classics but with a more creative approach," McCormick said. A delicious example of this is one of Chef William's culinary creations for the summertime menu. "I remember my grandfather used to talk about how they would put a melon into the cool spring waters in the morning to chill throughout the day," he said. "At night it would be nice and cold... a sweet, tasty treat at the end of a hot summer day. That inspired me to create my chilled melon soup with pickled crab, buttermilk and Serrano chili pepper."
The new menu at Eleven has the feel of Ozarks in the summertime. "We wanted to highlight things you might find at your local farmers market like tomatoes and peaches," McCormick said. "I love the idea of taking a wonderful ingredient and highlighting it with other flavors."
Another example from the summer menu that illustrates this concept perfectly is Eleven's Tennessee country ham and peaches dish. It is a beautiful shaved country ham from Tennessee complimented with a sweet peach, stuffed mozzarella cheese, olive oil and fresh mint. A salty/sweet/sour dish with a regional flare that is a mouth-watering masterpiece.
The cuisine at Eleven is considered High South cuisine. McCormick explained: "High South signifies our geographic location. We are culturally in the south but we are in the mountains and our cuisine is derived from what foods are available in our area. So the dishes we are known for here at Eleven are in contrast to the Delta low-country cooking you find in the different parts of the south." McCormick continued, "In the High South we look at foods that are sustainable, those foods that you could can or cure. So 100 years ago my ancestors were stocking up by canning and preserving so they could eat through the winter."
Chef William hasn't always focused on High South cuisine. In fact, he has an impressive resume that includes crisscrossing the country, learning and growing his culinary craft along the way. His training began in Vermont at the New England Culinary Institute. His first position was in Boston where he honed his talents on New England cuisine. Whenever he could he would journey up to Montreal to study and learn from the world-class chefs of that region. From Boston he went to Dallas to work in Texas steakhouses. It was during this time he had the opportunity to learn from one of the founders of Southwestern Cuisine: Abner Samuel. But in the end, his journey led him back home to the Ozarks -- his true culinary muse.
"For years I chased these really high-end restaurants that served foods that weren't really sustainable but were very sought after like truffles with expensive wines from France," McCormick said. "I learned a lot and had a great experience but coming here was a return to my original passions for the foods from this region. My DNA is in the Ozarks and I feel so honored to be able to use the ingredients from this land and incorporate all of the skills I learned working around the country."
McCormick is quick to add that his position enables him to do more than just serve up delicious meals. "Everything we do from a culinary standpoint we do to highlight our initiatives at Crystal Bridges," he explains. "Everything we do has our social conscience behind it. Like using local farmers for our food to cut down the carbon footprint, etc. We support our community and we give back. We just rolled out a new sustainability program working with Food Loop, a local organization. They take a lot of Eleven's compost and repurpose it even beyond our own green initiatives." And Eleven does, indeed, walk the talk of sustainability. All of their disposables are recyclable -- the straws, drinking cups and take-out containers.
Chef William is also behind the many culinary related events held at Crystal Bridges. As part of a program they call High South Moments, for instance, an event called Arkansas Traveler Tomato will take place on July 17. Attendees will hear from experts on the varieties of summer's delicious gift: the tomato. An array of dishes that feature the savory fruit will be part of the experience as well. "A lot of people don't know this but tomatoes used to be a big cash crop for Arkansas going back to the 1920s and 30s," McCormick added. "So since the tomato has such a history with Arkansas we wanted to give it its own night."
Beyond the events and seasonal menu updates, the innovation continues with Chef McCormick: "We have four new grills here that I designed. They aren't just regular grills, they are these megalithic structures -- they weigh about 1,000 lbs each. We had an event back in April as part of High South Moments we called F.I.R.E. (Food Inspires Real Emotion) that featured a big cookout in the forest and we used all four grills," McCormick continued.
"This again, is a return to our roots: cooking outside over wood cured on our own property while folding in modern cooking concepts and cuisine. This illustrates that full circle of bringing what we do back to the land."
There will be an autumn F.I.R.E. event on Sunday, October 13.
When asked what advice he had to those young men and women who wish to work in the culinary arts, Chef McCormick, once again, brought it back around to the basics. "One thing that has taken me so far is understanding the roots of cuisine -- where it comes from. To get to where you want to be you need to understand where you've been. That gives you an understanding of history. And when you understand history it allows you to better anticipate the future." And Chef William McCormick of Crystal Bridges' Eleven is living proof of that.
The restaurant at Crystal Bridges is located on a bridge overlooking the ponds with views of the beautiful Ozark landscape. Eleven is open for lunch Monday, Wednesday- Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner Wednesday- Friday, 5 to 9 p.m.; and brunch on Sunday, 11 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. Call 479-418-5700 for dinner and brunch reservations.
NAN Dining Guide Spotlight on 06/23/2019