We’ll continue our Arkansas Living contributor Q&A series dishing with Rob Roedel, our longtime Let’s Eat restaurant columnist (see page 40). Roedel, senior director of corporate communications for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, has enjoyed the sweet gig of serving up features about family-owned restaurants since 2013.
How do you decide which restaurants to feature? As always, Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas lineworkers know the best local places to eat. I also rely on recommendations from the loyal readers of Arkansas Living.
What’s your personal favorite type of cuisine? My favorite is definitely Southern comfort food, but I have never met a cuisine that I didn’t like.
What’s the best dish you’ve had that you still think about? Easy. Nima’s Pizza & More in Gassville. The owners served me a creative pizza that earned them second place in the International Pizza Competition. But, as I always tell people, my favorite restaurant is the last place that I visited, as the owners are always salt-of-the-earth people who truly care about their communities.
Can you recall dishes that really pushed your culinary boundaries? Avocado fries and fried cauliflower. However, once I tried them, I loved them.
Is there any food — no matter how well it’s prepared — that you just can’t bring yourself to enjoy? I have eaten many, many slices, but I don’t care for carrot cake. Also, I am among the 1% of the world’s population with a gene that makes cilantro taste like soap. While doing mission work in Guatemala, I have eaten many bowls of soap soup as to not offend the residents.
How do you think the Arkansas food scene has evolved over the years, and where do you see it heading next? Arkansans love local, family-owned restaurants and are trending back to wanting to know where their food is grown. People still want to socialize, and a local, family-owned restaurant is the best place to hang out. Locally owned restaurants are just like local electric cooperatives, as they truly care and work for the residents of our communities.
When you’re not eating out, what’s your go-to dish to cook at home? Whatever my wife and daughter-in-law want. Typically, something grilled or smoked, but both of my grandmas taught me how to cook just about anything.
Make it a mouthwatering May!
Jennifer Christman Cia