Diamond Chef Arkansas

Congrats to Alyssa Frisby, Kenneth Knowlton and Team Ferneau for winning the 2025 Diamond Chef Arkansas culinary competition!

Congrats to So Restaurant and Bar for winning the Toast of The Tastings recognition!

Congrats to Emily Gray, Community Impact Honoree; Titus Holly, Best in Culinary Honoree and

Veo Tyson, Best in Hospitality Honoree.

We welcomed close to 500 guests who weathered a stormy evening to enjoy restaurant tasting stations, silent and live auction, honoring outstanding culinary and hospitality professionals and welcoming back Diamond Chef award-winning chefs mentoring student teams in the unique culinary competition. Thank you for changing lives of students!

UA-PTC is bringing back Diamond Chef Arkansas in person for the first time since 2019. The event, at the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute on Thursday, April 3, 6 p.m., is a casual celebration of the central Arkansas culinary world and future culinary stars.

Past Diamond Chef winners, chefs:

• Dan Capello
• Jordan Davis
• Donnie Ferneau
• Marc Guizol
• Jason Knapp
• Andre Poirot
• Mary Beth Ringgold

will mentor and coach students in a two-round student competition to discover our 2025 Diamond Chef team.

Activities will take place in a fun environment with the opportunity to vote on the best tasting station, culinary-focused silent auction and close-up viewing of the Diamond Chef competition. Outstanding professionals in the culinary and hospitality fields will be recognized for their service to the community.

Funds raised will go toward culinary education needs, as well as scholarships and student success programs that can benefit all UA-Pulaski Tech students.

Dress for the celebration is business casual.

Diamond Chef tasting stations and their delicious items for you to sample:

• Brood & Barley Bar: ginger shrimp, green apple relish, white bean stew
• Cache Restaurant: pork belly with gouda grits and green beans
• Catering Arkansas: rosemary crusted lam lollipops with sauteed cabbage and a peach chutney drizzle
• Ciao Baci: braised lamb shank, mint chimichurri and Greek salad couscous
  
• Cypress Social: cider braised pork belly, herbed farro, local mushrooms and pepper jelly
• Heritage Catering: chimichurri shrimp with toasted coconut rice cake and pineapple curry sauce
• Red Oak at Saracen: BBQ and cranberry prime meatballs and pina colada cupcakes
• Scoops Homemade Ice Cream: homemade premium ice cream cookies and cream, death by chocolate, cafe latter and strawberry cheesecake
• SO Restaurant-Bar: duck pastrami cassoulet with garlic sausage
• Table 28: Sicilian tuna meatballs, brown butter herb polenta, San Marzano tomatoes, whipped ricotta & baby vegetables 
• The Buttered Biscuit: mini biscuits, gravy and butters/jams
• The Grumpy Rabbit in Lonoke: shrimp & grits with creole sauce & mini tater tots
• UA-PTC Baking Students: Delicious desserts

Vote on your favorite tasting station for a gift of only $10!

Our VIP Lounge includes entertainment by Bijoux, specialty cocktails and the opportunity to sample round 1 competition dishes prepared by culinary students.

Thank you to our Diamond Chef Arkansas Planning Committee!
Leah and Chef Payne Harding, Chairs; Beverly Brister, Jennifer Carroll, Lindsey Copta-Vaughan, Allison and Sean Cox, Brandon Douglas, Kate Evans, Latia Fear, Charity Garner, Todd Gold, Brandi Hinkle, Christie Ison, Leslie Lovenstein, Kelli Marks, Julia Marshall, Montine McNulty, Trisha Shank, Mimi and Jerome Sorenson, Witt Stephens III, Joyce Taylor, Karen Thomas and Justin Villines