Join Tusk & Trotter and Special Collections for 'The Homestead Series'

University Libraries Special Collections

Catfish and fried chicken are on the menu at the Annie Laurie Café in Harrison, Arkansas, perhaps located on the north side of square, ca. 1930s (MC 786).

"The Homestead Series: Celebrating and Preserving the Culinary History of the Natural State" continues at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28,  with Kat Robinson, a Little Rock-based food and travel writer. The event benefits University Libraries' Special Collections publication, Arkansauce: The Journal of Arkansas Foodways.

 Monday's theme is "Tracing the Roots of Arkansas' Restaurant Culture" and the tasting menu includes steak tartare with paddlefish roe, pickled egg, and lemon curd; crawfish on local greens with creole remoulade dressing; double boned French cut ham chop with butternut squash puree; and chocolate chip ice cream with a Nutella cookie, high south granola, and chocolate sauce, among other delicacies. 

Robinson travels Arkansas and the South "searching for good stories, tall tales and the next great little restaurant." She writes about her adventures on the blog Tie Dye Travels. In addition to her blog, Kat has written three books: Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of the Natural State, Classic Eateries of the Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley, and Classic Eateries of the Arkansas Delta.  Her fourth book, tentatively titled Classic Eateries of Southern and Western Arkansas, is expected in 2016.

Earlier this year, the University of Arkansas Libraries' Special Collections Department teamed up with the award winning Bentonville restaurant, Tusk & Trotter, for this exceptional series. Each event features a presentation on the extensive roles food and beverage play in shaping Arkansas culture, followed by a themed dinner, complementing the topic and prepared by Chef Rob Nelson. A portion of the proceeds from each event, all held at Tusk & Trotter restaurant, benefit Arkansauce: The Journal of Arkansas Foodways.

Arkansauce is published once a year by Special Collections and each issue features a special guest editor.  Last year's issue was in fact edited by Kat Robinson. Kane Webb, a Little Rock-based journalist and former sports writer, is the guest editor for the forthcoming 2015 issue.  To learn more about Special Collections or Arkansauce, contact Angela Fritz, interim head of Special Collections, at 479-575-5576 or email specoll@uark.edu.

Tickets to the events are $50 each and $10 from each ticket purchased is donated to Arkansauce. Seating is limited, so contact Tusk & Trotter at 479-269-4494 to make your reservation. Check out Tusk & Trotter's facebook page and events page for their latest updates. Still upcoming, the last event in The Homestead Series is and Nov. 23, "Snout to Tail."