Scott McGehee: Proprietor of the Year Arkansas Food Hall of Fame | Arkansas Food Photographer

You may not know his name, but if you live in Arkansas, chances are you’ve eaten at one or more of his restaurants: Big Orange, Local Lime, Heights Taco & Tamale, Lost Forty Brewing and ZAZA Fine Salad & Wood Oven Pizza Co.

Scott McGehee is the executive chef behind Yellow Rocket Concepts restaurants which are some of the most popular in the state. McGehee was recently named Proprietor of the Year by the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame.

I spent an afternoon in early March photographing McGehee for a recent feature in Arkansas Living Magazine, published by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. You can read the current issue of Arkansas Living here.

Scott McGehee is the executive chef behind Yellow Rocket Concepts

I met McGehee at Big Orange Burger in Little Rock’s Midtowne district. We had a relatively tight schedule and a lot to photograph. I wanted to photograph him at three different locations without taking up too much of his time. He told me he allocated three hours for the photo shoot and I was thrilled to have this much time. If you know Scott, he goes at 90-to-nothing.

We started with a portrait of him at the bar and then moved on to photographing a trio of their signature burgers and a bowl of their famous cheese dip. Cheese dip runs in his blood and in his family…literally. His father, Frank was the co-creator of white cheese dip and was a partner in Little Rock’s Blue Mesa Grill and Juanita’s.

A trio of burgers from Big Orange (from left): the Smashed Avocado Turkey Burger, theFarmer's Burger and the White Truffle & Pecorino.

From Big Orange, we headed to Heights Taco & Tamale Co. for a taste and preview of their offerings.

Lastly, we headed over to ZAZA Fine Salad & Wood Oven Pizza Co. ZAZA is my personal favorite. I could eat the ZAZA Italian Sausage Pizza ALL DAY. EVERY DAY. I wanted to get a few cooking shots in additional to the portraits and styled food photos so McGehee donned his apron and whipped up a classic Pizza Margherita.

There is no better way to cook a pizza than in a wood-fired oven. Period. Go ahead, argue your case.

For fans of his restaurants who live in Northwest Arkansas, your wishes are coming true. Bentonville Taco & Tamale Co. is coming soon. The menu will feature an Ark-Mex menu designed by McGehee. The menu is also expected to include fan favorites. The new restaurant will be located on the Bentonville Square at 101 W. Central Ave., and is projected to open in fall 2020. This restaurant marks the 10th restaurant location for Yellow Rocket Concepts.

One last note, I can say with honestly, Scott McGehee is a really nice guy. And he is generous. Extremely generous. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, McGehee vowed not to lay off any of his employees by working hard to maintain curb-side pickup at all restaurant locations. McGehee also has been providing meals almost daily to area healthcare workers.

Desserts! With 8 Broads in the Kitchen | Arkansas Food & Drink Photographer | Karen E. Segrave

Who doesn’t like desserts?

Seriously…Who out there does not like desserts?

The 8 Broads in the Kitchen do not like desserts, they LOVE them. And their latest cookbook is a testament to all things desserts!

I first met one of the Broads, Kristie Rosset, many years ago when she was the owner and innkeeper at Lookout Point Lakeside Inn in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Lookout is one of the finest Bed & Breakfasts in Arkansas. I had photographed at Lookout many times over the years for various reasons and clients. Sadly, Rosset has since sold Lookout and is now happily enjoying retirement and lots of time with her grandchildren.

Rosset called me in the spring of 2018 when the Broads were in the beginning stages of revamping their Desserts! cookbook. I could not wait to be a part of the project.

Most of the Broads flew to Arkansas and we photographed selected recipes at Rosset’s home over two days in the fall of 2018. I sampled just about everything I photographed and the chocolate crinkle cookies pictured above were my favorite.

In addition to photographing the desserts, the publisher requested photos of the Broads cooking together, laughing and loving life. These ladies are full of sweet and a little bit of sass!

Part of the project was not only to style and photograph selected recipes, but to also photograph the Broads as they cooked and laughed together…which they did. A LOT! The cookbook was published in fall of 2019. You can buy a copy here on Amazon.

Tomatoes: Flavors of Summer

I am an unashamed lover of all things tomato. Well, except for tomato juice. That's just plain nasty.

But give me a vine ripe -- preferably home-grown beauty -- a salt shaker, and I have a meal that's perfect for any time of the day or night.

I typically plant three or four tomato plants each spring. I'd grow more, but my husband is allergic to them. Good! More for me. But honestly, the past two seasons have been dismal when it comes to my tomato harvest. Dismal is a generous term. It was downright pathetic. I successfully grew a whopping three, count 'em three, Purple Cherokees (my favorite) and five black cherry tomatoes.

I'm blaming an abnormally cool April that immediately went into a sweltering May with little rain and it stayed like that all summer long. Even with ample irrigation, my crop was pitiful.

According to Wikepedia, the tomato originated in western South America. While many people think it's a vegetable, genetically, it's a fruit. Tomatoes are the edible, often red, berry of the nightshade Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant. There are more than 3,000 varieties of heirloom or heritage tomatoes in active cultivation worldwide and more than 15,000 known varieties.

Fruit. Vegetable. Whatever you call it, they're downright delicious.

If you had a bumper crop, send some my way.

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Tomato cucumber salad:

This simple salad could not be any easier to prepare. Dice up your favorite cherry tomatoes, add cucumbers (something we did grow in abundance this year), add cubed feta and your favorite herbs (fresh thyme and oregano, all home grown) and toss with Italian dressing (Good Seasons seen here) and salt and pepper to taste.

Tomato cucumber salad

Slow-roasted Beefsteak Tomatoes

The secret to roasting tomatoes....low and slow. These beauties were roasted on a sheet pan in a 200-degree oven for about two hours. I don't really set a time. I usually eyeball them to tell when they're done. Cut beefsteak, or any large meaty variety, into wedges and arrange on a sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, your favorite herbs (thyme and oregano), drizzle with olive oil (go light) and a balsamic glaze. Once they're done, add more herbs.

The recipe possibilities for these are endless. After I pulled them from the over, I ate 10 standing over the pan.

Slow roasted tomatoes

Caprese

The only thing simpler than the tomato cucumber salad seen above is caprese: a salad of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. I sliced up red beefsteaks and yellow tomatoes and added fresh mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil and a balsamic glaze. Garnish with fresh basil.

The red tomatoes came courtesy of my brother-in-law who has a badass garden and grows hundreds of pounds of vegetables a year. The yellow variety compliments of my mother-in-law. The basil came from my garden. I also made four jars of pesto this year, but that's a blog post for next year.

Caprese

Bruschetta

Some of the best bruschetta I've ever consumed was in Italy. Ever since then, I've been on a quest to find good bruschetta here in the states.

Bruschetta originates as an antipasto (starter dish) from consisting of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt.

I took mine a step further and topped by adding herbed ricotta, roasted cherry tomatoes and topped with fresh herbs, olive oil, balsamic glaze and S&P (salt and pepper). I started with a good crusty, ciabatta. I sliced it on the diagonal and brushed with olive oil. After a few minutes of stove-top searing, I spread a nice thick layer of herbed ricotta followed with the roasted tomatoes and garnish as desired.

This is perfect starter for your next dinner party or even a light dinner all for yourself.

Bruschetta

Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

I broke my own rule on roasting for this dish. Instead of roasting low and slow, I opted for high and fast. I cranked the oven up to 500-degrees.

Using my $2.00 flea market, cast iron skillet, I added a variety of cherry tomatoes, peeled, whole clove garlic, fresh herbs and a generous amount olive oil. After only 10 minutes, I finished them under the broiler on high for a few extra minutes. The high heat causes the tomatoes to burst, releasing their juices and making it's own sauce.

Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

Once the tomatoes were done, I added a few more fresh herbs and served them atop thin spaghetti topped with shaved Parmesan and S&P to taste. You could also use angel hair if preferred.

Blistered Cherry Tomatoes with Thin Spaghetti

Blistered Cherry Tomatoes with Thin Spaghetti

Whatever tomatoes are leftover will keep in the fridge for a solid two weeks. If they last that long.