Episode Transcript
[00:00:11] Speaker A: Hi, everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Southern Fried Podcast, a production of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Man, I've been looking forward to this one because anybody. Well, you can look at me and know that I love food.
I love talking about restaurants. I love talking about the whole food culture. I'm a longtime member of the Southern Food Ways alliance, on and on and on.
And I've got chef Jennifer Maughan here today. And what an exciting story we've got to tell. Jennifer, thanks for joining us.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: Thanks for having me.
[00:00:45] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
Interesting small state story.
The great thing about Arkansas is, you know, there's only two degrees of separation.
Jennifer and I have known each other a long time, but I served for four years as head of something called the Delta Regional Authority in George W. Bush's administration.
And one of my proudest accomplishments there is I created a regional leadership institute with people from eight states.
And Jennifer was actually in one of our first classes back then.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: He was, Absolutely.
[00:01:23] Speaker A: And it's still going strong about the.
[00:01:25] Speaker B: Leadership and, you know, Ouachita graduate.
[00:01:27] Speaker A: Yep, absolutely. Both. We're everywhere. The purple mafia, as I say. So we are all over but Restaurant Fleur, which is just going to be one block from the Democratic Gazette offices where we're taping this right now. I'm so excited.
But before we get into the restaurant itself, Jennifer, I'd like to you to talk a little bit about your journey, because it wasn't a direct journey into the world of food. It's been kind of a roundabout journey. So just a quick, quick tour of your career journey since you finished college.
[00:02:07] Speaker B: Absolutely. So I found my love of food and my passion for food in my grandmother's kitchen, you know, right here in Little Rock.
[00:02:14] Speaker A: You're in Little Rock? Yeah.
[00:02:15] Speaker B: And she had a large family. So our holiday gatherings were large, you know, 30, 40, sometimes 50 people.
And so, you know, everything based on the holidays is based food and gathering around a table. So I was in the kitchen, you know, helping and watching her. She didn't use a lot of recipes, but she, you know, watched her season and taste and. And so that's, you know, where my love for food was grounded. And then as I became a wife and mother, wanted to, you know, I was really self taught, but I always wanted to provide, you know, a warm, you know, cozy meal at my table. That was one of my goals early in life as a. As a wife and mom.
[00:02:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:02:56] Speaker B: And then I started a BL where I share entertaining and family recipes and.
[00:03:02] Speaker A: And at the time, you were working in public relations well, you know, I.
[00:03:06] Speaker B: Had a, I had a nonprofit career, so I did fundraising, pr, you know, marketing, event planning for several nonprofits, and then left that career and started my blog where I could work from home.
[00:03:21] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:22] Speaker B: And, and as that blog grew, you know, on social media and of course, a presence across the world, people were asking me questions about my recipes, you know, how do I modify for this allergy or how do I modify for this restriction?
And they really were starting to grow in popularity. And I thought, you know, I've taken some interior design courses and I, you know, I consider myself an expert entertainer, you know, because, you know, we're in the south and hospitality is key.
[00:03:50] Speaker A: Right, exactly, exactly.
[00:03:52] Speaker B: And I learned from all those family gatherings, growing up, and etiquette classes, because I was raised like a Southern person or gentleman should be.
But I felt like what I was lacking was the education in order to create my own recipes, and that was my goal. And I learned that Pulaski Technical College had this excellent program.
I really, honestly, when I started looking through the course structure, I was blown away that this was right here in Little Rock. And as I took a tour of the facilities and saw the, you know, the, the technology and, and the facilities that they have, I just was very impressed.
[00:04:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:32] Speaker B: So my intent was to get a pastry chef certification because at the time I was sharing a lot of baked goods and cakes and, you know, that sort of thing. And then day one of culinary school, I came home and I said, this is what I'm supposed to do. I want the full degree. I want to pursue this path.
And then about a month in of my culinary journey, I told my husband, I think I want to open a restaurant. He was like, no, no, that's not what we're doing.
You have a great job.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: That's right. That's right.
[00:05:06] Speaker B: You know, you're, you're able to work from home. You know, you have a great income. You know, you've got this huge blog that you've spent, you know, many years building and, you know, social media presence. You know, all that was a lot of work.
[00:05:18] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
[00:05:19] Speaker B: It's a full time career.
[00:05:21] Speaker A: It is, it is.
[00:05:22] Speaker B: But the more I dove into the culinary classes, I decided to also get the culinary degree. And, you know, this is sort of a fun part of my journey that I haven't gotten to share a lot.
But, you know, I have six kids. They're from right now ages, you know, almost 16 to 5.
[00:05:41] Speaker A: Oh, I told you before we started taping, you're the busiest person I know.
[00:05:46] Speaker B: Well, you know, I.
[00:05:48] Speaker A: Two kids wore me out raising.
Can you imagine that times three?
[00:05:52] Speaker B: Right.
Well, you know, I knew that I was going to be my own boss, so my GPA didn't matter. You know, it didn't matter because I wasn't going to have to turn that into anyone or submit a resume to anyone because I was playing, planning to, you know, either pursue the blog or open a restaurant. But I decided I wanted to pursue excellence and achieve a 4.0 so I could show my kids that a working mom, a busy mom, managing a home, a career, a blog, you know, that I could stay up late, I could be dedicated, I could work up, you know, wake up early in the mornings. And I graduated with Highest honors point zero with my pastry degree, my culinary degree.
That's a 120 hour program.
[00:06:35] Speaker A: Yeah. And before I let you go on, I want to back up just a second because I so love writing about things in Arkansas where people will say, man, I didn't know that in areas where we.
To use the old saying, punch above our weight class as a state and that Pulaski Tech program, I'm great friends with chef Jamie McAfee. And Jamie convinced me years ago, he said, look, you know, people see it from the interstate, but they don't really know what's going on there.
And it's, it's as good as some of the top programs in the country that get a lot more publicity. So I did want to bring that out.
[00:07:16] Speaker B: It is, you know, that, that's a great point because even to be certified by the acf, the, you know, American Culinary Federation, I've been on campus through the process of recertification, and it is very serious, and they have very high standards. And now that my, you know, my, my culinary career and education has progressed to studying in France and being at the number one culinary institute in the world. I've seen their facilities, their technology, their equipment, their standards for sanitary, sanitary and, and all of those concepts, sustainability and. And Pulaski Tech is absolutely a top culinary institution in the country for sure.
[00:07:58] Speaker A: All right, I'll go back to the career journey a little bit. I want to.
So you graduate, top your class from that program, but let me, let me.
[00:08:09] Speaker B: Tell you why that matters.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: Okay? Okay. Okay.
[00:08:11] Speaker B: Because it really transitioned into how I ended up in France. So I received the Paul Bash Whip. I think they call it the French Whip Scholarship.
[00:08:22] Speaker A: I, I love it. I love it.
[00:08:23] Speaker B: And we all know Paul Bags and what he's done for the culinary institute industry in Arkansas.
[00:08:29] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:29] Speaker B: And when I Was reading his bio to send a thank you note to thank him for the scholarship.
I noticed he'd studied all over Europe in different restaurants and different, you know, had different learning opportunities. And I thought, okay, if I'm going to open a state of the art, you know, iconic restaurant in Little Rock, that's what I need to do.
[00:08:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:50] Speaker B: So I started looking at programs and applied for the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Advanced pastry certification. And they told me, their American office told me we don't usually accept non Le Cordon Bleu graduates, but because of your gpa.
[00:09:07] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:09:08] Speaker B: And your resume. Yeah, we're going to accept you.
[00:09:11] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:09:12] Speaker B: So I was able to go to, you know, Paris and study. I was there for about nine days and learned how to make the true French authentic brioche and croissants.
So that's what's coming. Yeah, for sure.
[00:09:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:24] Speaker B: The true method. And I studied under the world leading chefs in this department. So, you know, the, in, in Europe, there's a, there's a master chef designation. Takes them years of study and competitions in order to be considered a master chef. And so my professors there had the collar. So you'll have to look into this.
If you haven't heard of this concept.
[00:09:50] Speaker A: I've got to tell you, talking about making things the real French method. One of the things I look forward to but worries me at the same time. And we'll get to the restaurant later, but it's the coffee and pastries in the morning because as I said, you're a block down the street. I love coffee, I love pastries.
Like so many people my age, I fight the battle, the bulge, but all good things in moderation. Right? Right, Jennifer? It's all about moderation.
[00:10:16] Speaker B: Yes. Well, then to continue the career.
[00:10:19] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:10:20] Speaker B: After that, as you know, MasterChef, no doubt. MasterChef was casting and I wanted to get into that.
[00:10:28] Speaker A: I was hoping you'd get into your TV career, if you will.
[00:10:31] Speaker B: Yes. And you know, I'm a person of faith.
And so we prayed heavily over that opportunity because we knew it would be difficult for mom to be away. And thankfully we have a village, we have family, grandparents who are very involved in our lives. And I'm so thankful for that because I couldn't do what I do absolutely without that circle around me. But the interesting part of that story is I found out late in the process about the opportunity to apply. And so by the time I got the opportunity, it was an 80 question application and resume and background check and 10, you know, food photos that, of course, I wanted to look absolutely professional, and a two minute audition tape. So again, wanted to approach that from a professional perspective to put my best foot forward. And then so I got it all, my package all together and submitted the night of the deadline. Okay.
[00:11:27] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:11:27] Speaker B: 10Pm on the night of the deadline.
And so we prayed, Lord, open or close the door. We prayed in my living room.
The next day at 1pm, I got a call from MasterChef.
[00:11:38] Speaker A: Ah.
[00:11:39] Speaker B: So, you know, I called my husband. I said, the Lord has opened the door.
[00:11:42] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:11:44] Speaker B: So then, you know, I think many of us know, you know, my amazing experience there, but I made it through 17 cooking challenges, you know, had some, you know, had some difficulty, but also, what a lot of the challenges.
[00:11:58] Speaker A: You made all of Arkansas proud, let me tell you. You know, we Arkansans kind of adopt our own, you know, and pull together.
[00:12:04] Speaker B: And, you know, I knew that about my home state and. And, boy, did everyone come through because I still to this day get stopped at the grocery store, get stopped on, you know, the corner. Walking into the restaurant. People stop and they're like, you know, we're just so excited about the restaurant. So proud of you. So it means a lot. But the great thing from that experience is, and this is really cool.
So had I won MasterChef, I would have been under a five year contract where basically they would receive 20% of my food and beverage proceeds. And you rest five years? Yep. They had an option in there. You know, it was two year minimum. But they could also, if you did really well, you know, they could increase that to five year. And so my attorney said, we don't want to win. We want to be second runner up.
[00:12:51] Speaker A: Interesting. Yeah.
[00:12:52] Speaker B: But if I had won, I would have received $250,000. And what I love about my story is as I started meeting with investors and raising funds, you know, capital funds for the concept, we raised over 2 million.
[00:13:07] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:13:07] Speaker B: In capital funds and bank contributions towards the project. So, you know, I like to say this, but you don't have to win to win. Exactly.
[00:13:16] Speaker A: You definitely were a winner there. Now, now I'm going to go back to the first, because I loved how you described your grandmother. I was lucky. I had two great cooks for grandmothers, and they both lived into their 90s.
And so I had them my whole childhood, all the way through college. Like your grandmother, I never saw them use recipes. You know, a little of this, little of that. Wonderful.
So there's your base now. You've been trained in France, so that Kind of Arkansas grandma base French training.
How do you describe your style?
[00:13:55] Speaker B: I love that. Well, so When I left MasterChef, I was looking for a European program that would give me, you know, had a great foundation from Pulaski Technical College, but I wanted to step it up and get that Michelin star training. And so.
And I'm going to get to your.
[00:14:14] Speaker A: Question, but I'm going to start. No, no. This important background.
[00:14:17] Speaker B: Yes.
So I found out about this program. They were only accepting 10 people across the globe.
And I applied. Gordon Ramsay committed when I left MasterChef that he would support my career forevermore. Gave me his personal cell, his personal email, his personal assistance info. And so he sent in a recommendation letter for me again, after looking at my Resume and my 4.0 and all that, they were all so impressed. And through another lengthy interview process, I received one of those 10 spots. Was the only American to get to complete the expert diploma at Ecole Di costs. You know, people from Italy and Germany and Serbia all over the world, you know, were there in that program with me. And we studied for five weeks under a two Michelin star chef. And talk about standards and kind of going from Gordon Ramsay, you know, to being under a true French chef and what their expectations are, and they were high. You weren't late.
[00:15:18] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:15:19] Speaker B: You were prepared, you were early. You were early ready.
[00:15:22] Speaker A: If you're on time, you're late, as the old say go. Yeah.
[00:15:26] Speaker B: So.
But what that gave me was a new foundation and really taking, you know, they call it a naturalist approach in France. And this is something that's really growing across all Michelin star kitchens. If you look at it looks good trend.
[00:15:41] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:41] Speaker B: And it's taking a product like something as simple as a, you know, parsnip or a carrot, and it's truly honoring the. The true nature of the vegetable, however you plan to cook it. And so what I want to do in my kitchen and my style and what I want to present to, you know, Little Rock, and as we grow, we plan to open, you know, restaurants across the country. And so what I want to present is have that naturalist concept where you are tasting the absolute top flavor profile of that vegetable or protein or recipe, that dish.
But I want to meld that with some of the Southern notes and flavor profiles that we have and that we know and we love and trust here.
So it might be like my grandmother, where we're working on a recipe, and you might not ever get to taste that dish again, because it's something that's truly magical that we create together by recognizing just the natural flavor profile of the carrot parsnip or the duck or, you know, the venison.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:52] Speaker B: You know.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:53] Speaker B: So that's. That's kind of.
[00:16:54] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:16:54] Speaker B: That's my concept is I want to present some.
Some French dishes that I want an American twist and really more of a contemporary, modern approach with gastronomy.
[00:17:08] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
Going back in your selection of downtown for your first restaurant, you mentioned Paul Bash and the scholarship. I've written, enjoyed writing some of the history through the years about how Little Rock became such a good dining city. And I think you will agree, for a city of only 200,000, talk about punching above your weight class. And of course, a lot of it goes back to banker Finley Benson deciding he wanted a very good restaurant on his new tower, which at the time was first commercial bank building. Goes all over Europe, hires people like Paul Bash for Jacques and Suzanne.
Those people end up going out on their own.
And I think you'll agree with me, Little Rock over the last couple of decades certainly has had a really great dining scene. Again for a city of only 200,000 people.
[00:18:09] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely.
We love many restaurants here in Little Rock. And what I want to bring that I feel like is different is, you know, I have got nostalgia at the French laundry.
[00:18:22] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:18:23] Speaker B: Three Michelin star. Le Louis 15 in Monaco, France. Three Michelin star restaurant. Gordon Ramsay in London. Three Michelin star. And one of the things that I want to present is that type of hospitality and experience.
But the key is, for me is that I don't want it to feel stuffy.
[00:18:42] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly.
[00:18:43] Speaker B: I want it to be your Tuesday night meal when you want a good meal. You know, I don't want it not.
[00:18:48] Speaker A: Just a special occasion restaurant.
[00:18:49] Speaker B: I don't want it to be the anniversary and birthday dinner, you know, and so that's one thing that I'm excited about is taking all these. You know, in the last year, our goal, my husband and I, we. We set a goal to eat in as many Michelin star restaurants as we could.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:19:02] Speaker B: You know, New York, California, France, you know, all over France. And so I think we hit 15 in about a year. But the goal was, was looking at flavor profiles, presentation, hospitality, literally where they place the fork, you know, the champagne cart, the cheese cart, the bread cart, all of those experiences, you know, what type of tours do they offer to their guests. And so, you know, some of the things I'm excited about in Restaurant Floor is we're going to have a wine cellar that has a Table for two. You know, for neat exclusive tastings. We're going to have the original bank vault, you know, from the early 90s.
[00:19:41] Speaker A: Built as a bank building in 1904, right?
[00:19:44] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:19:45] Speaker A: Was the boy building. Now the Bob Brooks Justice Center.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: Yes.
That vault will be my chef tasting table for 1212 where we will have a wine club where you'll have exclusive access to some very high end wines if you book in our chef table room.
And then of course we have space for 50 to 60 for special events. You know, think rehearsal dinners, corporate Christmas parties, you know, that sort of thing.
And then the speakeasy bar that has, where it's very intimate. We've got 30 seats, some room for standing. Very intimate.
[00:20:25] Speaker A: Neat.
[00:20:26] Speaker B: Not releasing the name yet, but you're going to love it.
[00:20:29] Speaker A: Okay. Okay.
[00:20:30] Speaker B: We've got some plans there that tie in to Little Rock.
[00:20:34] Speaker A: Little Rock history.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: And then of course the pastry shop will, you know, utilizing my training, you know, in France, we will have macarons and truffles and all the different types of French style breads.
But then also craft coffee, juice bar. And we're going to have a little, a bar set up that's facing Capitol and all the big grand windows where you can just.
[00:21:02] Speaker A: You're tempting me in a big way now.
[00:21:03] Speaker B: I know. And you're. And your pastry and just have a quick bite and then just go on your way just like you would experience in a, you know, in a cafe or a pastry shop in France.
[00:21:14] Speaker A: And part of the bigger picture, I'm so excited about you coming here is that.
And I've got a column coming up. I think it's a week from Sunday, a couple weeks from Sunday. I stay ahead. But on the revitalization of downtown Little Rock, if you go back to when the art center opened two years ago and add the projects that have been done since then are being done right now or are coming, such as the $200 million expansion of the Clinton Center. I came up with a figure of over a half billion dollars. That's just downtown of investment.
And I don't think most Arkansas, even most little block residents, those that live out west where I live, realize that as somebody who works down here every day, it's really exciting to watch when downtowns in so many cities across America are struggling right now.
[00:22:16] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. Well, as I think you know, one of our goals is to bring Michelin guide to Arkansas.
[00:22:22] Speaker A: Absolutely. And they just released. Jennifer knows this, of course, but just this week have released their first guide on the American South. Cause I follow restaurants I like in New Orleans, for instance, and they're popping up on my Facebook all the time now on the new Michelin Guide.
[00:22:38] Speaker B: So, yeah, so I've spoken with the governor, I've spoken with the tourism department. So we are putting our heads together on, you know, we might pull together some private funding. You know, of course, there is a cost to bring the guide to a city or a state. And so we're, you know, hoping by possibly 2027 we can have our own, you know, Arkansas Michelin Guide.
[00:22:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:59] Speaker B: So that's certainly, certainly the goal. That part of that goal is because I want Restaurant Flora to be a source of food tourism for the state.
[00:23:08] Speaker A: And food tourism is big, as you know. Again, a lot of people don't realize that.
People who know me say, well, that figures. But for instance, when I was married 39 years ago, now dating myself, but 39 years ago, guess where we honeymooned? New Orleans. I just mentioned because I wanted to eat in a different great restaurant every night for like six straight nights.
[00:23:30] Speaker B: Absolutely. We certainly travel for food. And, you know, because of the show, as a master chef and also because of my large audience, we have, you know, people that, I mean, almost every day someone comments on my social media. I'm coming from Mississippi. I'm coming from Kentucky, Louisiana.
[00:23:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:45] Speaker B: San Francisco. I have people that will come from France, you know, to come, you know, to come to the restaurant opening. So we, you know, even the restaurant opening, I've got MasterChef. Even from previous seasons, MasterChef contestants that have all said they're coming when we open.
So I think it's going to be a really exciting time for Little Rock, specifically in Arkansas as a whole, when we open.
[00:24:08] Speaker A: And, you know, one of the great things is what you want in a downtown is what economic developers like to call a 24 hour downtown. You want people actually living there, walking the streets at all hours. And you're, you're going to be bringing new life at night to a part of downtown.
Now, there's some action a few blocks away, but a part that's been pretty dark at night here.
And I know my friends right down the street from you, for instance, at the Arkansas Repertory Theater, are so excited about your restaurant because they've kind of been a stalwart of this part of downtown for all these years, but they haven't had much company at night. And you're gonna be giving them great company.
[00:24:58] Speaker B: Yes. We've talked about doing some fun things together.
[00:25:01] Speaker A: Oh, that's great.
[00:25:01] Speaker B: You know, surrounding their, their calendar. So we're going to be talking about that as we get closer, closer to opening. And. And so, yes, I'm very excited about, about being a part of that. And, you know, another component of our restaurant goals is sustainability and locally sourcing. And I think that's important for the state as well and the region because we're going to be partnering with local farmers and highlighting and really focusing on seasonality. So our menu will be constantly changing just depending on what we're harvesting. And we're also building out this next spring we'll start construction and you know, the whole program. But we're building out our own garden that I'm not sure the size yet, but we will be, we'll have a bee program. So we'll have infused honeys that will be, you know, harvested and just local honey provided for the restaurant. So that honey butter that we offer with those beautiful rolls will be, you know, something that is locally produced. Yeah, we will have a chicken program and all of our herbs and a lot of our produce. We want to come from this garden. And you know, one of the things my two Michelin star chef at Ecole Di Cost told me in front of Brian, so this was a special moment.
[00:26:14] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:26:15] Speaker B: He said, she is absolutely a two Michelin star chef. She will have. He said she will have. I've seen her work for five weeks. I've seen her passion, her work ethic, her skill.
She has it. She will have two stars. She said. Now the third star comes when you have your own garden, when you locally source, when you focus on sustainability and the overall business, you know, profile, social media, the presence, you know, that sort of thing. So I'm excited to hear that affirmation from someone who has been in the industry for so long, but also excited for what that can do for our state. Yeah, having Michelin star restaurants here will be a big deal.
[00:26:53] Speaker A: Well, one thing that excites me, you obviously bring the ability as a chef, but based on what you have done before.
You mentioned social media. You do bring the social media, the PR background at the same time because people have to know you're there. They have to know what you're doing.
It has to become a thing.
And that seems to me a very unique combination. Most great shifts hire good PR people. You're your own PR person.
[00:27:27] Speaker B: Well, it is interesting that I feel like my entire career path from really my time at Ouachita, the experiences I gained there and then through event planning and being on the client, when meeting with the State House to do their chef tastings, I was the client. So I saw that whole process and learned through it. And now getting to, you know, be on the other side, where I'm planning my own hospitality in front of house experience.
And so, yes, it is absolutely a very interesting career path, but I think what it's done is made me well rounded to do what, you know, to accomplish our goals.
[00:28:04] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
This is an inside joke. I know there are Washingtonians probably listening that'll get it. When you said your time at Ouachita, I thought you were about to tell me what Walt in the dining hall was one of your inspirations.
We had this legendary guy. I mean, he was beloved by students named Walt Keogh that ran the dining hall.
We were in college.
[00:28:25] Speaker B: I love that.
[00:28:26] Speaker A: Many years. Many years. That's where I was afraid you were going for a minute.
The dining hall was known as Walt's Place.
[00:28:33] Speaker B: I love it. It was. Yes. Good memories.
[00:28:36] Speaker A: All right, so I know getting those stars is one thing, but kind of look into your crystal ball. Where do you see this all going five years from now? 10. 10 years from now, even.
[00:28:50] Speaker B: We hope to have one day, 20 units across the U.S. wow. You know, we want to be in every major foodie, you know, city, you know, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago.
You know, we'll go to Texas, of.
[00:29:02] Speaker A: Course, New York, But Little Rock would still be home.
[00:29:06] Speaker B: Well, that was. That was very important to me.
[00:29:08] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:08] Speaker B: Born and raised. You know, it was. Born in Little Rock, raised in central Arkansas. I wanted Little Rock to be my flagship. I also wanted a location that I could feel proud to ask Gordon Ramsay to walk in my door.
[00:29:21] Speaker A: Oh, and the building restoration is so beautiful. $35 million they spent.
[00:29:27] Speaker B: And, you know, we looked in west Little Rock. We looked in the Heights. We were almost pretty close in both locations.
And, you know, we might. We are looking at a fast, casual.
[00:29:36] Speaker A: Oh, that's maybe in another part of town.
[00:29:38] Speaker B: And so, yeah, so we may have some drive throughs where you can get those beautiful fre pastries, you know, made.
[00:29:43] Speaker A: That's exciting.
[00:29:44] Speaker B: And gourmet sandwiches to go, that sort of thing.
So we. We will likely have some fast, casual options in town. But when I, you know, when I walked up to that building, I thought, this is it.
[00:29:54] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:55] Speaker B: So we've got to make this work. You know, it isn't. It is an interesting space. It's small.
[00:30:00] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:01] Speaker B: For. We've got a small kitchen. But, you know, one thing that I've learned through all my stages across, you know, the globe is that people in the culinary industry are adaptable you know, whereas in Gordon Ramsay, in order to get down to the pastry prep kitchen, you had to walk down this very narrow, steep staircase and then duck under the ceiling to get into the kitchen. And, you know, we just did it every day, you know. You just ran down there?
[00:30:27] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:30:28] Speaker B: And so just like that, you know, my staff might have to go downstairs to the walk in, down to the basement, you know, but we're going to make it work.
[00:30:35] Speaker A: When I was touring that building about a year ago, before the opening with Chris Moses, and he told me, off the record, Jennifer, he knew we knew each other.
I think we're about to announce this. I think I literally high fived him.
I love it.
[00:30:50] Speaker B: Well, you know, he's the one that is, you know, the origination of being at the building, because he said, I need you to trust me and come see this space. And I was like, you know, you know, I live in Ferndale. I live out in West Little Rock, and I've got babies, you know?
[00:31:06] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:31:06] Speaker B: But again, we walked up and it was done. And, you know, as we are in the process of demolition right now, we keep, you know, leveling floors and finding that original tile from the 1980s. Oh, wow. And so our plan is to honor that building as much as we can. Restore as much as we can.
And so when you walk inside restaurant floor, I think you're going to see that tile floor.
You know, we're going to see some of the molding that we can, you know, not. Not fully restore, but replicate. So I'm excited about that.
[00:31:38] Speaker A: All right, well, I could talk all day about this, but I need to let the busiest person I know get on her way. Jennifer, thank you for joining us.
[00:31:45] Speaker B: Thank you for having me.
[00:31:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Chef Jennifer Mon of Restaurant Fleur coming soon to downtown Little Rock. Thank you for joining us for another edition of the Southern Fried Podcast, a production of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
