Matt McClure, executive chef of the Hive at the 21c Hotel in Bentonville, checked in by phone to describe his culinary school and early restaurant experience in New England and the steps that took him to the Capital Hotel in Little Rock and on to the 21c. Behind all those moves -- staying close to the woman who would become his wife.

Chef Matt Bell checks in by phone from his new home in Nashville, TN, where he moved to be executive chef at Gray & Dudley, a restaurant at the 21C Hotel. Matt talks about the journey that sent the Montana native to Arkansas for more than a decade, highlighted by the many years he and his wife, Amy, owned and operated the acclaimed South on Main restaurant. 

Brothers Gio and Vince Bruno talk about growing up at their father's iconic Bruno's Little Italy on Roosevelt Road in Little Rock and the other iterations of the restaurant that led to opening on what's now a busy stretch of Main Street downtown.

The Keet restaurant empire in Arkansas began with father Jim's partnership in more than two dozen Wendy's outlets, but the legend has only grown as sons Tommy and Jake have joined forces with their dad in a collection of Taziki's restaurants and Petit and Keet -- with a remake of the old Cock of the Walk soon to come.

Capi Peck, longtime co-owner/operator of Trio's Restaurant, talks about all the time she spent as a young girl at the Hotel Sam Peck, her grandparents' legendary hotel/restaurant in downtown Little Rock, and the somewhat bold and shocking move decades ago to enter the restaurant business -- against the advice of those who knew the industry best.

Veteran restaurateur/chef Mark Abernathy tells listeners what it takes to have staying power in a fickle industry and how his training in Texas and Mexico brought the first authentic Tex-Mex cuisine to Central Arkansas.

Scott McGehee, executive chef and partner in the five restaurant brands under the Yellow Rocket Concepts umbrella, tells how personal persistence and a commitment to continuous improvement have helped him thrive in this very competitive industry. 

Don Dugan, the owner/operator of Dugan's Pub and Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro, talks about the long, strange trip that led him in and out of the restaurant business before he emerged as the owner of two of Little Rock's top downtown eateries.

Rob Nelson, owner/chef at Tusk and Trotter in Bentonville -- among other establishments -- talks about his journey from Northwest Arkansas to Colorado to France and back to Northwest Arkansas as well as his plans to open a Tusk and Trotter in the Argenta district of North Little Rock.

The owner and chef of this renowned Hot Springs spot discusses his varied background and how his first restaurant became an overnight success.