Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Food Hall of Fame adds 3 new eateries

- ERIC E. HARRISON

Cattleman’s Steak House in Texarkana, Ed Walker’s DriveIn & Restaurant in Fort Smith and Murry’s Restaurant in Hazen are entering the Department of Arkansas Heritage’s Food Hall of Fame in the class of 2020.

The announceme­nt came Monday evening at the Central Arkansas Library System’s Ron Robinson Theatre in Little Rock’s River Market. The honor recognizes “longstandi­ng restaurant­s that have become legendary attraction­s in Arkansas,” according to a news release.

The department also announced the winners of four other awards:

■ Proprietor of the Year — Scott McGehee of Little Rockbased Yellow Rocket Concepts, which operates Local Lime, Big Orange, ZaZa Fine Salad & Wood-Oven Pizza Co., Heights Taco & Tamale, and Lost Forty Brewery and Tap Room

■ Food-Themed Event Little — Rock’s Internatio­nal Greek Food Festival

■ “Gone But Not Forgotten” (honoring a “once-and-always influentia­l Arkansas restaurant that has … ceased operations”) Shaddon’s BBQ in — Marvell

■ And the People’s Choice Award (based solely on the

number of popular nomination­s) — Hot Springs’ Ohio Club.

A panel of food profession­als, food writers and foodies selected the 10 Hall of Fame finalists — the other seven are AQ Chicken House and Neal’s Cafe in Springdale; Bruno’s Little Italy and Star of India in Little Rock; Feltner’s Whatta-Burger in Russellvil­le; Kream Kastle in Blythevill­e; and the Ohio Club in Hot Springs — from 1,450 submission­s from all 75 Arkansas counties.

The Heritage Department launched the Food Hall of Fame program in 2016 to “recognize Arkansas’s legendary restaurant­s, proprietor­s and food-themed events across the state,” according to the Heritage department. Visit ArkFoodHOF.com.

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