11 taste of the south | OCTOBER 2019
Sideboard
dishing with
Can you tell us a little
more about what high
South cuisine is? It all goes
back to the subsistence
farmers who have dotted
the Ozark Plateau region
for generations. They’ve
grown and collected our
area’s unique crops, like
Arkansas Black apples and
morel mushrooms, and
combined those flavors
with traditional Southern
dishes in ways you can
only find here.How would you describe
Arkansas’ role in the
Southern food landscape?
This state has such a great
culinary story to tell, and
I’ve made it a personal goal
to help bring Arkansas
back to the forefront of
Southern cuisine. There
are a lot of good people
doing good things here that
don’t get enough credit.
We’ve let someone else tell
our story, but we’re starting
to find our voice again.You left Arkansas and
spent time training in
New England. Do you see
anyinfluencefromthat
timeinyourmethods
now?Absolutely.Having
accesstopeoplewho
thinkdifferentlyabout
foodissoimportantwhen
you’relearning.Thereis
anincreasinglydiverse
populationinthisindustry,
andyoucanwitnessthe
influencethathasona
kitchenwhenyou’reinbig, new places. But when
I came back home, I got
to rediscover all these
ingredients I grew up using
with a whole new skill set.
That alone made the entire
journey worth it.What ingredients are you
looking forward to using
this fall? As summer turns
to fall, we have these great
crops coming in daily
like apples, squash, root
vegetables—the list can
go on and on. At the same
time, we’re starting to roast
and braise more and more.
It’s just such a delicious
time of year to cook and
enjoy the ingredients
available to you.What are you cooking this
season? Homier recipes
like braised cabbage and
squash gratins are usually
on the top of my list. They
just really speak to the
season and allow you to
layer in a variety of different
flavors that you can then
take time to truly savor.The Hive’s MATTHEW MCCLURE reflects
on Arkansas’ unique culinary identityCHEF’S TOP TIP
Make the most of
your area’s locally
sourced ingredients.
We have a plethora
of fantastic produce
at our disposal in the
South, so take your
time and learn all
the ways to put it to
work in your kitchen.Matthew McClure is the award-winning
executive chef behind The Hive, one of Bentonville’s premier
restaurants for refined country cuisine. He is also one of
Arkansas’ chefs kick-starting a revival of “high South” cuisine,
a style that originated in the northwestern part of the state.
What was once a dying art is seeing a resurgence that Matthew
believes is long overdue.