Forest To Table

Hive hosts wild dinner

The description of the new cookbook “Pheasants, Quail, Cottontail” states: “Pheasants, quail, rabbits, doves, grouse and more — these are singular species with grand culinary traditions that offer the cook an unmatched range of flavors. Many cooks fear the fowl, however.” The April release is the fourth and latest book from award-winning food writer/chef/forager/fisher/hunter Hank Shaw, and also happens to serve as the inspiration for The Hive chef Matthew McClure’s four-course Wild Game Dinner, happening Sept. 7.

“I, myself, grew up hunting and fishing, and I’m very much connected to the rural landscape of Arkansas,” McClure shares.

With Shaw in the middle of promoting his new book — and the annual World Champion Squirrel Cook-Off happening in Bentonville that same weekend — the collaborative dinner fell together naturally after the festival organizers invited Shaw to town to judge the competition. Now, The Hive chefs have the opportunity to stretch their wings, as it were, with a culinary challenge while guests at the Wild Game Dinner will hear Shaw discuss recipes and experiences, and come away with a signed copy of the cookbook.

“I’m not afraid of a little bit of spice. I’m very interested in flavor bombs — dishes that just grab your attention,” McClure says of his cooking style at The Hive. “And, you know, wild game can be like that on its own.”