Winners have been announced for the 2022 class of Arkansas Heritage’s Arkansas Food Hall of Fame. On Feb. 7, 2022, the public was invited to attend a hybrid ceremony at Central Arkansas Library System’s Ron Robinson Theater in downtown Little Rock where the winners from across the state were announced and inducted into the hall of fame. Arkansas Heritage also honored chicken as the 2022 Arkansas Food Hall of Fame Food of the Year.

Winners were named as follows:

Arkansas Food Hall of Fame

• Colonial Steak House of Pine Bluff (Jefferson County)
• Dairy King of Portia (Lawrence County)
• Neal’s Café of Springdale (Washington County)

Proprietor of the Year

• Capi Peck and Brent Peterson, Trio’s Restaurant of Little Rock (Pulaski County)

Food-Themed Events

• World Championship Duck Gumbo Cookoff (Arkansas County)

Gone But Not Forgotten

• Coy’s Steak House (Garland County)

People’s Choice

●   La Casa de Mi Abuelita (Jefferson County)

Arkansas Heritage launched the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame program in 2016 to recognize Arkansas’s legendary restaurants, proprietors and food-themed events across the state. Throughout October 2021, Arkansans rallied around their favorite selections as more than 2,000 submissions were received from all 75 Arkansas counties for the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame.

“It’s special to see Arkansans from across the state come together to celebrate food, an important part of our state’s heritage and culture,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “We are honored to recognize such incredible proprietors, restaurants and food-themed events that mean so much to our state and its residents.”

Winners were selected by a committee composed of Arkansans who are historians, chefs, foodies and food authors. In addition to Hurst, committee members include Paul S. Austin, Jimmy Bryant, Chip Culpepper, Quantia “Key” Fletcher, Cindy Grisham, Montine McNulty, Rex Nelson, Tim Nutt, Kat Robinson, Stephanie Wade, David Ware and Stanley Young.

Event partners include Ben E. Keith, Moon Distributors, The Poultry Federation, Arkansas Department of Agriculture and Arkansas Farm Bureau. For more information, visit ArkFoodHOF.com or download the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame mobile app on Apple or Android devices.