I’m so excited to bring you this outstanding program for Megaphone Summit – Foodie Friday 2016, and I look forward to seeing each one of you very soon. After reading about our phenomenal speakers, head on over to Megaphone and register if you’ve not already done so. Hurry! Registration ends soon.

September 9, 2016
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Pratt Place Inn
Fayetteville, AR

Patricia Barnes
Sister Schubert

“I have always believed that each of us has dreams and desires and talents waiting to be uncovered. They start with a tiny see: a seed that we “cast” or plant, so that it can take root and grow. A seed must be cultivated with patience and love,and through faith it will take root and prosper. We cannot see what is taking place underground, yet we anticipate the arrival of that first bud, the spirit of the flower. For each of us, every seed we sow has great potential, but it is up to us to feed our dreams, nurture our ideas, an have faith that our talent will blossom. A seed, however, is just a seed, without hard work and care.

I did not wake up one day and decide that I wanted to be the head of a very successful company, but each step along the path from my kitchen table to the boardroom at Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls helped to prepare me for the next step. I tended each idea, each seed, with careful attention and with faith, and eventually they grew into a company that I am proud of, and I am grateful that it carries my name. I am still learning and growing, and I believe every day brings another opportunity to use the gifts God gave us: faith, hope and love.”
          from Cast You Bread Upon the Waters

Patricia (Sister Schubert) Barnes is a highly successful businesswoman and philanthropist whose generosity literally reaches across the globe. She’ll be sharing the story of her success, of her cooking and of her life. “Never believe that where you are right now is where you will stay. Pray, have faith and try to be of service to others.” These are the words on which Sister has stood for most of her life and are demonstrated daily through her own personal experiences.

Chef Matthew R. McClure
The Hive, 21 C Museum Hotel Bentonville

Named  a semifinalist for “Best Chef, South” for 2014, 2015. and 2016 Beard Foundation Awards, Chef Matt McClure was born and raised in Little Rock, where he realized his passion for food.  After studying at Vermont’s New England Culinary Institute, McClure honed his skills in Boston and worked at a number of restaurants including No. 9 Park under the direction of Barbara Lynch, a 1996 Food and Wine Magazine Best New Chef and a 2003 Beard Award winner for Best Chef of the Northeast.  His next posts were at  Troque, a boutique restaurant and wine bar and  at Harvest located  in the heart of Harvard Square, where everything was based on the region’s freshest seasonal products.  After years in Boston, the lure of his home was strong and McClure returned to Little Rock, where he worked under Chef Lee Richardson at Ashley’s at the Capital Hotel.

During his tenure, McClure developed a deep appreciation for local ingredients, reinforcing his passion for Arkansas’ food culture. Showcasing the region’s farmers and culinary landscape, McClure’s menus are true to the High South, highlighting ingredients such as black walnuts, freshly milled corn meal, hickory smoked hams, peaches, melons and sweet onions.  He describes his food as having Arkansas terroir which means he relies on common locally grown ingredients with their own nuances of flavor determined by the climate and soil in which they were raised. 

Chef McClure will be preparing dishes with ingredients found locally.  “Great local ingredients give me the ability to offer a unique culinary experience, and I am proud to be from this region as well.”

Helen Lampkin and Ashley Pointer
My Brother’s Salsa and Helen’s Table

What started as Helen’s approach to making the ordinary things in life extraordinary became a family owned and operated business focused on sharing gifts of food around the table. 

Helen Lampkin, learned to love cooking as a child while helping her Dad in the kitchen. When her oldest brother gave her a recipe for salsa she put her own spin on it and continued to share her brother’s salsa with family and friends for several years until she finally launched her company in 2003.

The first jar of My Brother’s Salsa hit the store shelves in 2004. Today, this family-owned and operated business has expanded from just her brother’s original recipe to nine different flavors of salsa; including black bean and corn, fire roasted, house, and tomatillo, along with seasonal small batch salsas in cucumber tomato (Mediterranean), Hatch green chile, peach tomatilla, and cranberry orange flavors. The company also recently began making their own line of whole grain organic tortilla chips.

Lampkin said she is also working to rebrand her small-batch salsas under a new sub-brand called Helen’s Table.  She’s developing a whole line of new products, from functional art, to decor, tables, and chile roasters. In her spare time, she makes and sells handmade brooms.

Writers’ Panel
L to R: Madison Hofmeyer, Laurie Marshall, Heather Disarro, Mel Lockcuff, Talya Boerner, Lyndi Fultz, Sarah White

These incredible, proven writers are ready to answer your questions about your writing issues and concerns. Need style advice? How about writing for publication? Want to know how to make your writing attract more clients? How’s your grammar? Can you become a better storyteller, recipe writer, restaurant reviewer or travel writer? Get your questions ready and be prepared to participate in the discussion.

Debbie Arnold, Foodie Friday Planner

Keisha McKinney and Talya Boerner- Registrars
Lyndi Fultz, Kellee Mayfield and Jodi Coffee – Hostesses

10:00               Registration

10:30               Welcome & Introduction of Keynote Sister Schubert

11:45                Helen Lampkin and Ashley Pointer — Entrepreneurship

12:30 – 1:15   Break for Lunch (on the grounds of Pratt Place Inn) 

1:15-2:30         Chef Matt McClure, The Hive, 21C Hotel

2:30                  Snack Break on the Porch

2:45 – 3:45     Writer’s Workshop/Panel