Concluding Event of 'The Homestead Series' This Thursday

University Libraries Special Collections (retouched)

A photo captioned "Some Feeding Experiments" from the Campus Photographs, University of Arkansas, 1907-1911 collection (MC 1157).

The final event in "The Homestead Series: Celebrating and Preserving the Culinary History of the Natural State" will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at Tusk and Trotter in Bentonville.

Chef Digby Stridiron, culinary ambassador of the Virgin Islands, and Tusk & Trotter's chef Rob Nelson, will prepare a seven-course tasting menu showcasing their passion for farm-to-table cuisine and utilizing the whole pig. The event benefits University Libraries' Special Collections publication, Arkansauce: The Journal of Arkansas Foodways.

Thursday's menu based off the theme, "Snout to Tail" is a fusion of Stridiron's and Nelson's native cuisines. Guests will taste spiced head cheese with pickled peppers and habanero hot sauce; hibiscus-ginger sausage served with crispy pig ears, pickled fungi and salsa verde; souse consommé with cucumber salad; sour orange pork belly with pikliz, egg fruit, and cured tomatoes; pork pate with potato puree; curried pork and potato stuffing with kuchela and preserved lemon crème fraiche; and Ozark duckanoo – an Arkansan take on a classic Caribbean dessert.

Nelson started Tusk & Trotter American Brasserie in 2011 after returning home from France with a passion for charcuterie.  Nelson's dishes feature local produce, and his menus shift seasonally. Stridiron is a St. Croix native and a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu. He is similarly driven by the farm-to-table philosophy and is inspired by the "rhythm of nature."

Earlier this year, the University of Arkansas Libraries' Special Collections Department teamed up with the award winning Bentonville restaurant for this exceptional series. Each of the half-dozen events featured a presentation on the extensive roles food and beverage play in shaping Arkansas culture, followed by a themed dinner, complementing the topic.  A portion of the proceeds from each event, all of which have been 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 edited by Kat Robinson, a well-known food writer. 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 this final event are $75 each and a portion of each ticket purchased is donated to Arkansauce. The Bentonville High School choir is also scheduled to perform for the group at this event. Seating is limited, so purchase your tickets now at DowntownBentonville.org or call 479-269-4494 for more information. Check out Tusk & Trotter's facebook page and events page for their latest updates.