Chef Jennifer Hill Booker

Chef Jennifer Hill Booker has taken her Southern culinary heritage, her belief in healthy, seasonal foods and her classic French training to create a unique cuisine — Modern Southern Healthy Cuisine with a French Accent. ​ 

Chef’s cooking style is a modern reinvention of Southern cuisine that incorporates the traditional use of seasonal ingredients, important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, with French culinary techniques she learned from her training at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Paris, France. 

Her website, ChefJenniferHillBooker.com provides information about healthy eating, culinary trends, travel, and recipes that reflect her culinary point of view of Modern Southern Healthy Cuisine with a French Accent.  

Accolades 

• President Les Dames d’Escoffier International-Atlanta Chapter
• No Kid Hungry-Atlanta Society Member
• The James Beard Foundation Impact
• The James Beard Foundation Food Waste Advisory Committee Member
• The James Beard Foundation Chef’s Boot Camp for Policy Change Alum
• Georgia Grown Executive Chef for Georgia Department of Agriculture
• Georgia Explorer for Georgia Department of Tourism and Travel
• Founder Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology’s Chef Jennifer Hill Booker Culinary Arts Scholarship

Chef Travis McConnell

Travis McConnell moved to Bentonville in 2016. Originally from Labette, Kansas, his adoration for food derives from his early childhood experiences on the family farm, enjoying their dynamic and the culture of their home kitchen.

Chef Travis received formal training at the New England Culinary Institute. Before leading as Executive Chef at Pressroom and his current role as Recipe and Development Chef at Ropeswing, he worked at well-known establishments including Higgins restaurant & bar, Boccalone Salumeria, Revival Bar + Kitchen and The Capital Hotel. It was at each of these businesses that he developed a love for the craft of whole animal butchery & old-world meat curing. Chef Travis also developed his own whole animal – based business, Butcher & Public, which was developed with sustainability, supporting AR farmers and seasonal menus in mind. Having lived on both coasts and many locations in between, he was excited to settle in Bentonville, recognizing the vast potential for growth within the hospitality industry as well as a great platform to support local farms.

Chef Travis attributes his approach to the many great chefs whom he has trained under. “I still think of them in daily situations; the professionalism & and the calm, cool attitude to their work was admirable,” he says. “I strive to be better daily and be more like them through continued organization and thoughtfulness.”

When Chef Travis isn’t working, find him cycling or spending time with his family. He enjoys making pasta and sharing his love for cooking with his son. Bentonville wasn’t always home for Chef Travis, but he enjoys raising his family in the prospering environment and has grown to love the community.

Chef Rafael Rios

Rafael Rios is founder and executive chef of Yeyo’s Mezcaleria y Taqueria, the third business in the group of Rios Family-owned restaurants. The business started as a local farm when his father, Don Yeyo, started growing tomatoes, cilantro, carrots, and peppers in 2012. The farm quickly became a mission to change the perception of Mexican food with a farm-to-table approach while sourcing from local farmers and creating a space where guests can share art, history, meet new people, and be inspired to create. Rafael’s vision for Yeyo’s is to expand the presence of Mexican culture and enlighten the community of the roots beneath the food, beverage, art, and entertainment. 

The Rios family is making a difference by integrating into the community and hospitality industry in Northwest Arkansas. “Hospitality means making people that you connect with happy in a genuine approach to improving the quality of life.” As a veteran owned business, The Rios family wanted a connection with the community that is deeper than collaborations with local farmers and businesses. “Yeyo’s Gives Back” is focused on giving back to art and music programs, veteran affairs, mental health, and food insecurity. They honor these programs because it is a part of the community that they identify with the most.