Nola's Pantry – Alicen Rumsey & Melanie Keller

Well hello there, and welcome to this week’s edition of the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas podcast. I’m John Engleman- thanks for being here! This week, we’re in downtown Rogers at Nola’s Pantry where we talk with owner Alicen Rumsey and her daughter Melanie Keller, but before we sit with them?!?! FOOD NEWS!! Theo’s has announced that they’re closing their Rogers location. The artist formerly known as Bistro 16 in Springdale has announced that they’ll be moving in. We hear about it from both owners. Speaking of Theo’s, their owner is now the operator on The Leroy in Fayetteville. We’ll hear what that means. The AQ Chicken House soft opens today. We’ll hear about perfecting recipes with a few of their co-owners. Dixieland Crossing in Rogers had 2 new restaurants open this week! BITE at the Ramble in Fayetteville happens this Friday! Vagabond Coffee has announced the grand opening date for their brick and mortar! Happy 79th birthday to a true mainstay, Venesian Inn! Happy third anniversary to the Mad Rooster Beer Company! We’ve gotten word of when Fossil Cove’s new spot in South Fayetteville hopes to open! Happy two-year anniversary to Gaskins on Emma! Hear why they originally didn’t open their doors on time in today’s Flavors Flashback! Absolute madness! Speaking of Gaskins, they’re only a few weeks away from opening Gaskins Trattoria in downtown Springdale! Emilia’s Kitchen in Fayetteville has closed. We’ll tell you why. Alicen Rumsey started Nola’s Pantry because of a hot sauce. Well, not really, but it prompted something in her, and she grew the idea further to open a specialty food store. That’s not what it is now, but Alicen will explain that pivot. Speaking of that, if you look on their menu, you’ll see influence of Alicen’s daughter Melanie, who you’ll also hear from. Finally, Alicen is a tweaker – no, not that kind, but she’ll talk about the advantages and disadvantages of... tweaking. That and MUCH MORE is next here on the Flavors of Northwest Arkansas.