Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – Nominations are open through Sept. 30 for the 2026 Arkansas Food Hall of Fame.
The program, hosted by Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, recognizes food establishments that represent the state’s culinary heritage and those who share those meals with visitors.
According to Arkansas Heritage, several Northeast Arkansas communities have been finalists in recent years, including Blytheville, Walnut Ridge, Batesville, and Cherokee Village.
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To celebrate the program’s 10th year, Arkansas Heritage said it hopes to receive nominations from all 75 counties.
Nominations are open for long-standing restaurants, restaurateurs, food-themed events, People’s Choice favorites and now-closed beloved establishments. Nominations will be accepted online here.
“Arkansas’ food traditions tell the story of our communities, our people and the places that make our state special,” said Shea Lewis, Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, in a press release. “Arkansas Food Hall of Fame is about the total culinary experience of yesterday and today, celebrating people, hospitality, tradition and most importantly food. As we celebrate ten years, we invite Arkansans to nominate their favorite places and people that make the Arkansas culinary scene vibrant.”
Categories include:
- Arkansas Food Hall of Fame: Recognizing long-standing restaurants that help create our food culture.
- Restaurateur of the Year: Honoring a chef, cook and/or restaurant owner with significant impact on local food and the larger culinary community.
- Food-Themed Event: Honoring a community food-themed event or festival that shares unique food traditions.
- Gone But Not Forgotten: Remembering past establishments whose legacy has helped shape the state’s food legacy.
- People’s Choice: Celebrating the restaurants or food trucks that have captured the public’s attention and appetite, including new discoveries or beloved institutions.
“Your nominations are the foundation of the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame because they help us discover and recognize the food establishments that make up Arkansas’ culinary scene,” said Marty Ryall, Director of the Division of Arkansas Heritage, said in a news release. “We encourage Arkansans across the state to share their local restaurants, food events and restaurateurs whose stories deserve to be remembered and shared for generations to come.”
Award finalists will be announced later this year. Winners will be announced in early 2027, where honorees will be inducted into the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame.
More information about the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame can be found here.
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