Ep. 82 - Building Bentonville’s Top Italian Spot

What does it take to create Northwest Arkansas's hottest restaurant? This week, we discover the remarkable journey behind Mezzaluna Pasteria as owners Amy and Chef Soerke join us to share their unlikely path from California to downtown Bentonville.

Their story begins with a single phone call from a friend working with the Walton family. Despite barely knowing where Arkansas was on a map, they accepted an invitation to visit the state. The warmth of the community captivated them immediately, leading to a life-changing decision to expand their Italian concept to what was then just a concrete slab next to Preacher's Son.

But Mezzaluna isn't your typical Italian-American restaurant. As a true pasteria, they focus exclusively on house-made pasta, fresh-stretched mozzarella, and gelato made with 30% less sugar than traditional recipes. Chef Soerke, classically trained in French cuisine with experience in Michelin-starred European restaurants, brings meticulous technique while embracing sustainability. The result? Dishes that many guests with mild gluten sensitivities can enjoy without discomfort, thanks to their imported Italian flour.

What truly sets Mezzaluna apart is its commitment to sustainability as the first certified green restaurant in Arkansas. Their zero-waste philosophy transforms lobster shells into rich bisque and leftover charcuterie ends into uniquely flavorful bolognese. This dedication extends to their team, creating such a positive workplace culture that staff willingly wait months for full-time positions.

Whether you're a culinary enthusiast or simply curious about the businesses transforming Bentonville's food scene, this conversation offers a fascinating glimpse into how unexpected connections can reshape both careers and communities. Listen now to discover the passion and precision behind every plate at this beloved downtown destination.

Transcript

Welcome to the B-Team Podcast

Speaker 1 0:11

Welcome to the B-Team Podcast. I am your host, josh Safran, with my co-host, matt Morris and our permanent guest Rob Nelson. We're here every week to talk to you about all things Bentonville, bourbon and business the B-Team Podcast Be here. Welcome to the B-Team Podcast. I'm your host, josh Safran, with my co-host, matt Morris and our permanent guest Bobby Bobby.

Speaker 2 0:33

Bobby's here. He's here, he's smiling. He's smiling too.

Speaker 1 0:38

Well, not on time. You were after your guests, you're just five minutes late.

Speaker 3 0:41

Yeah, but that's on time. Yeah, it's on time for me. I showed up.

Speaker 2 0:43

That's on time.

Speaker 1 0:46

You're lucky.

Speaker 2 0:46

I had guests at Aeros, I probably wouldn't have shown up.

Speaker 1 0:48

Well, normally I introduce the guests, but because of the fact that you very infrequently bring guests, and these are some of your favorite people in the world.

Speaker 2 0:56

Well, not just that, but it's probably the number one restaurant in northwest Arkansas right now, so this counts for multiple guests.

Speaker 1 1:04

Well, because you brought two of them, it doesn't count as hosting twice.

Speaker 2 1:07

Well, that's how it gets it to count for multiple, but the magnitude of the guests makes a big difference. Yes, but I'm going to be honest with you.

Speaker 1 1:13

You know I'm always honest with you. With all the weight you lost, you can't possibly be spending a lot of time in Mezzaluna. No, their food is amazing.

Speaker 2 1:20

It's fresh ingredients, so it actually helps you eat healthier. It's portion size yeah, that's what he says.

Speaker 1 1:26

I like how he did that. You're also walking back and forth.

Speaker 2 1:30

That is right, so I get my steps in prior and after.

Speaker 1 1:33

Well, why don't you introduce our guests? I'm going to put you on task today.

Speaker 2 1:36

Well, this is Amy from Mezzaluna Hi, and I call him Chef because I could never pronounce his name correctly.

Speaker 1 1:42

Nobody does, nobody does so.

Speaker 3 1:43

I'm going to let you pronounce it Zerkit.

Speaker 2 1:46

Zerkit, zerkit.

Speaker 3 1:47

My dad made it up. No, it's a great name, tourist episode.

Speaker 2 1:51

Now. If Josh didn't put me on the spot, I'd talk to Ange all the time I'm like, oh, we're going to go. You know would make fun of me, so I was like it's my fault.

Speaker 1 2:04

Yeah, I'll spin the table on him. It's easy with him.

Speaker 2 2:08

So well, but and they own the amazing restaurant Mezzaluna.

Speaker 1 2:11

Well, and you introduced us to it. So Rob has this beautiful house downtown. If you haven't been over there, it's huge.

Speaker 2 2:20

He keeps adding on these additions. Whatever, yeah, he's currently on his seventh edition. Yeah.

Speaker 1 2:27

Well, he's got the zip line going from the top down into the pool now, I mean it's amazing Yep, yep. Anyway, tunnel to your house, oh, that would be great, and Shadow Valley, but anyway so he's a local and he continues to say you've got to come to this new restaurant and we've been there multiple times, um, but it is probably the top, one of the top restaurants in town and clearly one of your favorites absolutely 100, I mean before we get into it, though we should oh yeah, sorry, I mean you're clearly way off today well, I'm excited to have you speak earlier on and host, but matt, we're

Speaker 2 2:58

gonna drink some some blue a little blue.

Meeting the Owners of Mezzaluna

Speaker 1 3:00

Now why don't you do your job, since?

Speaker 2 3:01

yeah, I'm just. I'm over here just being quiet so might as well do this.

Speaker 1 3:06

This is a Guess who store pick that was sitting in my closet trying to find something that I could impress you with today, Matt.

Speaker 2 3:13

I thought you were going to say it was sitting near a floorboard.

Speaker 1 3:21

You guys bourbon fans.

Speaker 4 3:22

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 3:23

Okay, yes, all right, matt, he doesn't pour the guests A lot of pressure here. He's pouring the guests first, which is a big deal, yeah which is nice.

Speaker 2 3:31

I mean, that's what you're supposed to do that's a good sound isn't it yeah? I just did a little light pour to make sure that I don't want it to be too much for him. He still poured himself up before. Oh, you want me to pour that? Good, good, good thank you.

Speaker 1 3:56

Do a Cheers, cheers welcome.

Speaker 4 4:04

Yes yes, here's got some heat.

Speaker 2 4:06

She's 120.

Speaker 4 4:08

Yeah, is my nose turning blue.

Speaker 3 4:10

Not yet.

Speaker 1 4:11

That's got some heat. That's not bad, but it has a lot of spices and flavor, and it's just not heat.

Speaker 2 4:20

Yeah, what would Russ say about it? An ice cube would be amazing.

Speaker 1 4:24

Yeah, or a splash of water, yeah.

Speaker 2 4:28

Or a drop or two. Russ would not like a splash, he'd like a drop.

Speaker 1 4:31

Yeah, all right. So I'm going to ask the first question on Mezzaluna. I asked if I could ask this before you guys came in, because the story of how you guys came to be here, because you're not from here, clearly with the accent, you're not from southern Arkansas, definitely not but you guys have a restaurant and a business out on the coast, on the west coast, yes, and so can you share the story, because it's an awesome one as to how you came to the Torre Town.

Speaker 4 4:54

Yeah, so you want me to know. Yes, so we have a restaurant, same name, same owners, mezzaluna Pasteria, and it's in Pacific Grove, close to Camel, by the Sea, on the west coast in California. And, yeah, we have the place around a little over six years now. Right, a little over six years over there, and a couple of years probably. I was like what three years ago, tracy, a good friend of mine that I used to work with in New York City. She's a front of the house person and then she became partners with Wolfgang Puck and did her own thing and everything. One day, long story short, she came to the restaurant, had dinner with her friend and I asked her so what are you doing?

Speaker 3 5:36

right now, so I just moved to Bentonville.

Speaker 4 5:38

I'm like where's that? She said it's in Northwest Arkansas. Okay, where's that? And I know where it's all about, but he'd tell me exactly where Arkansas is without pointing on a map I wouldn't know.

Speaker 4 5:51

I'm like yeah, around here and I said what are you doing over there? So I'm managing, she was managing the restaurants for the Waltons the rope swing group and she bought a house. And she said, she, she loved it there. And I'm like, okay, that sounds really good. And she says, so, what are you doing? Are you want to expand? You want to do? Something else is here. We actually wanted to expand to Phoenix Arizona. So we're looking at houses, we're looking at real estate for commercial real estate. Couldn't find anything commercial real estate. Amy finally found her dream house over there and we got outbid by 150 grand asking price. I'm like, okay, this is like becoming california, so this is maybe a little too late and a dollar short.

Speaker 1 6:33

So or a few dollars short, yeah, with a few 150 000 and and uh, we go.

Bourbon Tasting and Introductions

Speaker 4 6:42

so good, went by and uh, tracy calls me, and she said hey you're just talking to Tom Walton about you and your concept Shout out to Tom Walton. Yeah, shout out Good man and she says, like you know, we were talking and maybe you will be interested. Since you want to expand, why don't you expand to?

Speaker 1 6:58

Bentonville, you said where again One more time, where.

Speaker 4 7:02

Oh no, I remember that one and I'm like okay, but I've never been there, so I don't know, I've never been to Arkansas, I've never been to Bentonville, so I mean that's a long shot, right? And she said, no, don't worry about it, we'll fly you out here. You let Amy know. You know what week you guys can come out here, or Delta it was Americans, or Delta, whatever it was, I don't know United. I thought maybe Tom would have flown you out in his private jet. I thought now we're really winding and dining.

Speaker 1 7:29

Not yet, not yet.

Speaker 4 7:33

And so we came out here and I told Amy you like me, I don't care if we open another restaurant. I know we need to open another one. So whether that might be sounds good to me. She loved it here. We fell in love with the place and especially the friendliness of everybody in Arkansas. Everybody's so friendly and that was so different from what we used in California and it was like it was noticeable big time right.

Speaker 4 7:59

And so, yeah, let's do it. And then we sat down and talked about options and what we can do, and there was really no real estate either. So we got back to square one, like, where are we going to open this thing, you know? But they showed us a concrete slab right on A Street next to Preacher's Sun, where our restaurant is now, and they said, okay, you can pick this location, this corner or that corner. So which one do you want? They said, okay, you can pick this location, this corner or that corner. So which one do you want? So we'll take this corner.

Speaker 2 8:26

And that's it. It's a further walk from your house. That walk is actually 20 steps. Yeah, 20 steps.

Speaker 1 8:30

I mean, that works off to dessert. You guys didn't think about that.

Speaker 2 8:40

It's actually 20 steps for Bobby. Yeah, yeah, well, we didn't know each other, but I mean that's like having two businesses so far away. I mean that took a lot of risk.

Speaker 1 8:49

But the likelihood of somebody finding them and them saying I want to open a restaurant and then them saying I want to go to Bentonville and then making it happen, like so many things have to happen, for that to happen, for the stars to align.

Speaker 3 9:00

Yes, which is incredible, yeah that's true.

Speaker 2 9:02

Because I mean, if you came out here and you didn't like Benville or what the Waltons had to offer, or any of that stuff. You would not most likely be here.

Speaker 4 9:09

Yeah, they wouldn't be here.

Speaker 2 9:10

That's right. But all of us have, like we've said a thousand times, have the same story Rob was just going to have a winter house here, yeah, and then three months later he moved here yeah, exactly, we. Three months later, you moved here yeah, exactly, we were going to just come for college and we, you know we loved it and stayed and 20 years it like has that yeah it's just like you said everyone's.

Speaker 2 9:31

It's like you're living a small town, but we have yeah, we have quite a few amenities for this our population, we have more than most would have, yep are you guys here full-time or are you still operating the restaurant in californ California, going back and forth or what is your time?

Speaker 1 9:46

No, we're here full-time.

Speaker 4 9:47

I mean, we live here, we bought a house. So we bought a house way before we started even building the restaurant, so which was smart. That's a commitment, Because that was I know interest rates not going to be good much longer.

Speaker 2 10:00

Yeah, sorry.

Speaker 4 10:02

Let's buy something now, and even if we didn't live here for another six, eight months or so, right?

Speaker 1 10:08

So you just have a team running the California restaurant. You check in on them.

Speaker 4 10:10

Yeah, I'm a general manager, my kitchen crew and our crew, that most of the people that the workforce over there worked for us for like what? 13 years now. So they're like front of the house and the cooks and prep cooks and everybody that works 13 years. So it's been a while. So I can't get rid of these guys. Fantastic, and the menu is different, right?

Speaker 1 10:33

So to me, when I think of a traditional Italian restaurant, there's the chicken parm and there's the veal santa bucca. You guys are pasta. Now there's proteins and stuff in the pasta. But kind of take us through the menu and the differences, because what you make is so incredible. But it's not your typical Italian restaurant, correct, it's?

Speaker 4 10:52

typical if you go to Italy.

Speaker 1 10:54

Okay.

Speaker 4 10:54

You know, it's a pastaria which is coming over there like a pizzeria would be Like, okay, they focus on pizza. A pastaria which is coming over there like like a pizzeria will be like, maybe, okay, they focus on pizza, we focus on pasta. And it's actually funny story when we got the restaurant in in California, we already had two restaurants back then and then we said let's just travel, let's just travel, let's not do another restaurant. And one of our who was it? Doug right, I'll strength from southern wine and spirits he came by and say, chef, chef, I got some offer for you. I was like, well, what is it? He's like there's a restaurant in Pacific Grove. No, no, we're not going to do another restaurant, we're going to travel, we go to Europe. You know, we want to. You know, have a little time on our hands, more quality of life. And he said, yeah but it Inferred dollar.

Speaker 2 11:38

How?

Speaker 1 11:38

can it be a dollar.

Speaker 4 11:40

And I'm like, all right, which one is it? And then I said, okay, well, I think we should check it out. It's a dollar.

Speaker 1 11:46

Dollar. It's practically a dollar.

Speaker 4 11:48

It costs you more in gas money to go back and forth to the restaurant. Yeah, California for sure, 100%, and so we checked it out. It was a little rundown. Obviously we had to put some money into it and I told Amy we didn't even know what to do with it. We just knew the guy who wanted to get rid of it and he wanted to get out of the lease and I'm like, okay, we'll do you the favor, here's your dollar, we'll take over.

Speaker 4 12:11

And then we didn't know what to do with it, so okay it was a French restaurant but we already had a french restaurant, we already had an american style california cuisine restaurant in carmel and I said, let's just do italian, let's do only pasta, right? And she's like are you crazy? What are you talking about? Nobody eats only carbs, especially this pebble beach and this, and that you know it's like people are like beverly hills but that was my first impression.

Speaker 1 12:35

I said, like it's only pasta.

Speaker 4 12:37

Yeah and she's like you're crazy, it doesn crazy. That doesn't make any sense. I said, no, let's do that Pasta. We make our house-made mozzarella, we do our house-made pasta and gelato and that's it. So let's keep it simple. Little doubt, I know it's not simple, but it's a lot of work.

Speaker 1 12:55

So let's explain You're not Barilla.

Speaker 2 12:57

No, I mean all the preservatives and all the stuff that goes in, and all that stuff you're making the pasta and the bread and the gelato yeah what Americans don't like about that is our pasta, not what you guys make. Because what you make doesn't do to you what our processed stuff does.

Speaker 4 13:16

But what I found out is like, once we did it, I mean it was a risk, right. But I said like, okay, we always can put a stake, we can change the menus and right, be Italian restaurant. You don't have to change the name, you know, we just you know yeah, we'll change the menu items in the money to take less pasta to some house, but it was a big hit from day one. Yeah, the reason why I think? Because everybody says like Well, my perfect excuse to eat carbs and pasta.

Speaker 2 13:38

My perfect excuse to eat carbs and pasta because that's all we got Right, exactly Well, also, as well, too, like your portions are great, yeah, but you know I'm Italian and on Sunday dinners, right you know, we think it's pasta day, and you know my grandmother, my mom, they give you almost a pound of pasta, yeah, which is a lot. I mean it's a mound, like you know. Mean it's a mound, like you know, it's 4 000 calories of pasta and carbs. Right, you go in, you get a beautiful portion homemade. You leave full, you got dessert, you've got the homemade bread with that olive spread, which is a game changer, right so, and the mozzarella bar, and right the mozzarella appetizer and all that.

Speaker 2 14:20

So by the time you work through that and it's all homemade. That's why you're so busy and people just keep on coming back and back and, like I drive by your restaurant 4 45 and there's always people standing outside waiting to get in wow, that's a true testament. Yeah, serious like I I in just in the in just the last five or seven days, people standing outside at 4, 45 as I'm coming home for more did you invite him over to barnelson for a preview but the other day.

Speaker 1 14:49

That's pretty lame for him.

Speaker 2 14:51

You could talk about this right, I was outside in front of your restaurant because I had to pick something up or drop something off and I got there a few minutes early and there was another couple from out of state that got recommended your restaurant. They were there for what? Their 35th or 38th anniversary.

Speaker 2 15:07

Yes, and I made friends with them while they were inside giving your prep meeting or getting ready to open the doors for the day, and I made friends with them. They were like, oh yeah, we got highly recommended to come to this restaurant. We're traveling through northwest Arkansas, we're only here for a night or two, and the few people we talked to said you have to go to Mezzaluna for your anniversary.

Speaker 1 15:28

That's amazing. Matt, just hit on something, though you were coming home at 445. That's not the end of your work, no, no, no, just from the field.

Speaker 2 15:42

I was going to say I mean we start around noon 4 45. He's already rapping. He's in overtime in the field, in the field, yeah that doesn't count office time and emails office time.

Speaker 4 15:54

It's funny because they know that, that's true, I'm like you know.

Speaker 2 16:01

I mean, if we going to get a seat at the bar, have a chance of getting a seat at the bar at Mezzaluna. I've got to cut my days short because I've got to be there at 515. Well, we've only been able to come. I think we've been there twice yeah.

Speaker 1 16:16

But it sounds like Rob's been going a lot more. Oh yeah, Not getting the invite.

Speaker 4 16:20

It's Angie and I's go-to.

Speaker 2 16:22

There's a lot of times where it's just her and I at home. The kids are off to college and their own lives and all that stuff. Angie and I are like you feel like cooking? I'm like no, not really. I just walk down to Mezzaluna and split a dish of pasta and a bottle of wine and it's a no-brainer. And many times that's what we do.

Speaker 1 16:40

You know what I like and we sit at the bar. You know what I like about this place. I moved here 14 years ago and if you wanted italian, you went to olive garden and and no disrespect to all you know, but no disrespect to all of them like right, everybody's got their own thing. And when I bring in my family from new york and I'm like, hey, let's go out to italian, I get the eye roll.

Speaker 2 16:57

But this is a place that, as a New Yorker, you're proud to bring people here to say this is more reflective of what we grew up having. Yeah, Like Sergey said, it's like going to a pastoria in Italy, which not a lot of people are doing that concept that I know of.

Speaker 1 17:15

You're one of one in town. There's other Italian restaurants, but nobody else is a pastoria.

Speaker 2 17:26

Let's keep it that way. Yeah, you have a hundred percent. Well, and your location is, oh, the location is amazing. Yeah, yeah, we lucked out.

Speaker 4 17:29

But I'm saying like, like, I said you know, we, we signed up for that. What? Two and a half years for three years prior, before we even sight unseen.

Speaker 1 17:36

Like there's a vision in tom's, it was on a piece of paper concrete yeah it was a concrete yeah, okay was it working directly with Tom and Stewart, or was it working with? No, I was like.

Speaker 4 17:46

You know it's like this the rope swing group, the rope, not the ropes, and but the blue crane yeah you know David's Wayne, the main guy over there so what, buddy?

From California to Bentonville Story

Speaker 2 17:58

what do you all want to share about your restaurant for the viewers? Like, what are you some of your favorite dishes or most popular dishes, or whatever you want to share?

Speaker 4 18:08

what? Why don't you talk about your wine? That was a house for Amy you know, it's like getting the same or similar wines that we have in California very easy yeah, you text, your prepare and it comes the next day. It was a little challenging over here because there was not that much of a variety of choices Italian and California and American wines and so forth.

Speaker 2 18:30

And I'll share a story after you share about the wines, because when the first time you and I met. We talked wine.

Speaker 4 18:37

Yes, I've got to stop talking because otherwise I can't drink.

Speaker 2 18:40

That's right, yeah, it's wine.

Speaker 4 18:41

Yes, I've got to stop talking, otherwise I can't drink. That's right.

Speaker 3 18:43

Yeah, it's been a challenge, so we want to offer people good wine, good food with good wine at a reasonable price, and it's been challenging getting it here in Arkansas. So just being patient and working with the distributors and just not giving up on, we really want to get this product and we're passionate about wine and we'll wait for good products so we can offer that to our guests and it's just. It's been great.

Speaker 4 19:13

It's been great but challenging. It's funny. So when we first opened and I look at the wine list, I'm like what's all this red stuff lined out over here? Oh, this is all the wines that we want to have but we can't have. I'm like what it was like what? Half the menu, maybe more. That was the story I was going to share.

Speaker 2 19:36

One of the first times, angie and I came in and I was like, oh, you know, we're going to get a bottle of wine and you know, just share it. And I think you came to the table to help and that's the story. You said, hey, a lot of these we don't have yet, but I am fighting to bring these into this restaurant and I will get them, which I think you've accomplished. Quite a few of them, not all of them, but I think you've accomplished a few right.

Speaker 2 19:57

Yes, few of them Not all of them, but I think you've accomplished a few right.

Speaker 3 19:58

Yes, yeah, almost, I'd say about 80%.

Speaker 2 20:02

Yeah, well, that's pretty cool. Now I'll share another story with you and Josh will edit it out if needed.

Speaker 1 20:07

Shout out to Josh Shout out to Josh.

Speaker 2 20:12

So the other night we came into the restaurant and we were sitting at the bar and I think we who were you there with?

Speaker 3 20:21

Just.

Speaker 4 20:21

Angina when do you get?

Speaker 2 20:22

the call and you guys are always too busy. Matt's traveling somewhere at one of the colleges of many that he owns.

Speaker 1 20:29

And you.

Speaker 2 20:30

I don't even know what you're doing, you're doing what?

Speaker 1 20:32

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 20:33

You're getting ready to open up another business as well, too, right? So Angie and I walk down there. There we're sitting at the bar and you know, typically if we don't order wine, we'll get a vodka soda. And we had this whole conversation about fever tree. Shout, fever tree, how you won't serve a cocktail without fever tree. What's fever tree? It's the, the premium mixer for cocktails so club sodas uh itics, it's those little bottles. What else do they have All kinds of different stuff, like ginger beer, all the different varieties of tonics.

Speaker 2 21:10

We left and we like to bounce around a little bit. We go to bounce around to another place and we order another vodka soda. I was like I think it's vodka, something else, and I send the drink back, which I never do and uh, they're like, okay, we're gonna fix it for you. And I was like I bet you it's because they don't use Fevertree and it made such a huge difference from Fevertree going to, like, you know, just a pistol club soda, pistol off the gun or something like that. So, yeah, you've ruined us.

Speaker 4 21:52

We can only come at vodka soda at your place. But tell them the story about Fevertree. Since you're talking about Fevertree, that is a whole other game changer now, because they changed from one distributor to other distributors and they had a beautiful distribution in place. With what was it Southern? Southern, Southern pretty much all over the United States and this stuff comes from England and having a distribution system in place obviously is very important.

Speaker 2 22:19

Yeah, Southern Wine Spirits is everywhere.

Speaker 4 22:21

We need three cases of this we expect that to be here tomorrow, but then all these crazy things happen and Amy will tell you about that.

Speaker 3 22:29

So they gave the rights to another company. So the other company asked them well, what's our usage in the state of Arkansas? So Southern gave them a number. So they gave them the wrong number, clearly, and all of a sudden we can't get Fever Tree. Well, we need to get Fever Tree. So we had to start ordering it from Amazon because we couldn't get it, and it's so important. So finally they got it in and they said I said we need three cases of these nine different fever tree products and you guys are getting us like one case every other week. So they finally got in these shipments.

Speaker 2 23:08

You go through that in a night.

Speaker 3 23:10

Yeah, so they got in these shipments and they're like okay, we got the 20 cases of club soda, I'll take it all. You want all 20? I'll take all 20 cases. And then they get in the tonic. Okay, we got in the Mediterranean tonic for you. We got in 18 cases, so I'll take it all so we took. So they just can't keep up with yeah, with your demands yeah just your demand and everyone else yeah, so you remember my train room yeah, when you came to my house, yeah, Okay, you can't walk in there, that's

Speaker 1 23:40

a fever tree. It's a fever tree.

Speaker 3 23:43

From the front to the back to the top.

Speaker 2 23:46

Wow, you know what? If anyone's listening to this that knows anyone from fever tree, we'd love to have you here on the podcast and we could fix this.

Speaker 1 23:54

It feels like a black market. They could start selling feverree at like a 3X 3X. Amy won't do it. It's like COVID, we're hoarding it she saves it for her cocktails.

Speaker 2 24:03

I mean right Period, that's it. You'd rather not make the cocktail.

Speaker 3 24:06

That's it. That's it, yeah, it's important.

Speaker 2 24:09

Yeah.

Speaker 1 24:11

Can we go talk about the menu a little bit? I want to hear about the mozzarella, your top three pasta dishes, and what's in it. And then we're going to talk gelato, gelato.

Speaker 4 24:20

My favorite topic Tarmazoo, ooh, tarmazoo. He likes that one.

Speaker 1 24:26

All right, let's talk, mozz, let's talk mozz. Mozzarella, let's talk about that. So it's very cool the way that you guys do it. Yeah, I'm going to toss it over to you.

Speaker 4 24:45

So we stretch on mozzarella, mozzarella, you know. So we buy the curd, you know you have to have water, and then you know, put the salt and you make it fresh every day, so that makes a difference, instead of being sitting in water and preservatives or anything like that. So we make it fresh every day and then we do a burrata. Burrata is it's, it's a mozzarella. Basically, you take a mozzarella ball while it's still warm and stretchy, you poke a hole in it and that's. You put something in there that's called stracciatella.

Speaker 4 25:02

Or you put a spoon of ricotta and a spoon of mascarpone and then you close it up and put it in a little bag and it all becomes happy and marries. Once it's cold, it has a little firmer layer on the outside and a very soft layer on the inside, so that's a burrata.

Speaker 2 25:23

And then we have a that's Gary's favorite.

Speaker 4 25:25

Yeah, then we have a buffalo, mozzarella and buffalo. We're not talking Yellowstone Buffaloes. You know these are water buffaloes and I think the story is and I never Somebody told it to me once I never researched, researched it, that the facts checked out but the king of Venice, a long long time ago, got a present from an African royal family that came to visit and I think he brought him eight water buffaloes. That was his present to the king of Venice and he's like what are?

Speaker 3 26:00

we going to do with these?

Speaker 4 26:02

That's not going to make a tagliata fiorentina or anything like that. There's no meat on these guys. What are?

Speaker 3 26:08

we going to do with this. So they used the milk made mozzarella and fell in love with it.

Speaker 4 26:12

Interesting story. And that's where the buffalo mozzarella comes from Interesting. I didn't know this Another great advantage of buffalo mozzarella is, if you're lactose intolerant, you can certainly eat that, because it doesn't have any lactose Interesting, so that's very interesting too. Then we have what else we have. We have the buffalo, we have the burrata and we have the outstretched mozzarella, and that's the appetizer dish that you bring to dinner.

Speaker 4 26:40

Yeah, so it comes on different dishes. We have like the buffalo mozzarella with prosciutto and grilled peaches. Right now we have a tray mozzarella which has a little bit of each with some pickled cauliflower and so forth, little crostinis, and so we have it on several dishes. I'm getting hungry. That sounds amazing. Absolutely, that sounds amazing.

Speaker 2 27:01

Absolutely. That sounds amazing. And then I know you wanted to talk pasta, but before we get to the pasta, we can't skip something that's very important between the appetizer and the pasta. You make homemade soup daily as well, too, so tell us about the soup.

Speaker 4 27:23

Number one. We're a certified green restaurant. We were the first. What does that mean? Certified green restaurant in the state of Arkansas and obviously in Bentonville. That means we follow all kind of criteria of no waste. We don't want to have any waste, so you know it comes to energy efficient equipment. Obviously, the way you build your restaurant with sustainable materials and paints and so forth.

Speaker 1 27:45

Olive garden. Chance no, Shout out.

Speaker 4 27:55

You know, mostly organic. If you can, you know, buy your food from a close radius, you know the smaller, so you don't have that carbon footprint, you know. But unfortunately, obviously we buy our Reggiano Parmigiano from Italy, we got our prosciutto from Italy, but we offset it with other things. And then it comes to recycling and so forth, so we compost all our food scraps.

Speaker 1 28:11

That's fantastic. There's no scraps when we eat there, by the way. Yeah, that's good, I can promise you. We got our potato peels, carrot peels, onion peels, that sort of thing.

Speaker 4 28:22

And whatever leftovers bone from our clam chowder or something like that, or bones from our stocks that we make, and so forth. So we compost all that and we recycle with a separate company, all our glasses, all our glass bottles, from the liquor to the wine and water and everything else, so that all gets recycled as well. We recycle all our cardboard separately and we, what else we do? Oh yeah, all our metal cans and plastic cans, but whatever comes to our restaurant, that's amazing.

Speaker 1 28:51

You guys don't have to do any of this. So no, we don't have to do any of it. That's fantastic that you do it.

Speaker 4 28:56

We chose all our restaurants that we ever owned ever were always certified clean.

Speaker 1 29:01

That's a good trendsetter. If you could be more. We were the first one in Fantastic. You said the first one in the state.

Speaker 4 29:07

Yeah, first one in the state, first one in Bentonville.

Speaker 1 29:08

That's incredible.

Speaker 4 29:09

Shortly after, we saw some restaurants at the airport that joined on a lower level, like an entry level being sustainable, which is nice Because we don't want to be the only one.

Speaker 2 29:18

And that takes time and training, yes, of course, and cost, yeah. I mean, you've got to train your staff and train everybody to follow the protocol.

Speaker 4 29:28

So we don't buy plastic forks, things. We buy everything that's compostable. You know we don't use plastic or styrofoam for people who want to take their doggy back home.

Speaker 1 29:37

So you're bringing some of the California here.

Speaker 4 29:39

So we do everything that's already been recycled. Craft papers even comes to paper towels in the kitchen that you wash your hands with. We don't use bleach, we use craft. It does cost a little more because it's not that popular and it's not that much of a demand, obviously. But we save on other ends because we know waste. That's where the soup comes in. Let's get back to the soup. So we buy whole lobster from Maine fresh.

Speaker 4 30:07

We get them twice a week. We cook them, we break them out. Now we have all the shells. What do we do with the shells? We use stocks for the sauce for the pasta dish that we use it in, but we also make our lobster bisque, so we don't have any waste. So they are all the shells from the lobsters being used 100%, so there's no waste whatsoever. We use a lot of mushroom in our dishes, but when you use mushrooms, you trim the mushrooms right.

Speaker 4 30:33

You have the little caps on the bottom and some are a little harder, some that you don't wanna use, some that don't look that great. So we store all that and then we make a mushroom soup and we also make a mushroom bolognese. So we don't have any waste on mushrooms, Then we do all our charcuterie that we have. You know, when you slice charcuterie, prosciutto, salami, coppa, speck and all the good things that we have- Eventually it comes to a point you slice this much left and you can't slice it anymore.

Speaker 4 31:01

So what are you gonna do with it? Well, you're gonna throw it out. We don't throw it out, we grind it up and make a pork bolognese, which is even more flavorful if you just would use regular pork, you know, because all the cured meats in there, the mortadella, sounds of cheese. And then we add ground pork to that.

Speaker 2 31:19

that so is that in the ragu? Yeah, and that's why that's my favorite dish rich and flavor you get all these flavors you.

Speaker 4 31:27

You can't put it in by seasoning, right? Yeah, it's impossible, you know. But so that's what I'm saying. We don't really have any waste and that's what you know. That's where we save some money on that. We can spend money on recycling and all the other things. Right it Smart. It's like an offset.

Speaker 1 31:41

So what are your top two or three dishes that you must have for the first time? As I come in, and I know they're- all amazing.

Speaker 4 31:49

When it comes to pasta, my first choice is always the rigatoni buttock. It's my favorite.

Speaker 4 31:54

That's what I cooked with Pino Longo, my old boss in New York City, when I first started cooking Italian food. That was in 1990, 1991, when I moved to New York City. I was French-trained traditionally, you know, classically-trained cooking. I worked in three Michelin-star rated restaurants. I was a pastry chef in a three Michelin-star rated restaurant in Munich and one Michelin-star rated restaurant, etc. Restaurants, etc. Etc. Etc. So I have this wealth of knowledge and nobody wanted to hire me. Number one I didn't speak any English, that didn't help. And the only guy who hired me was this guy, pino Longo, with this Italian restaurant, and said okay, well, I never cooked Italian, you know, check it out. And the chef back there, mark Straussman very funny guy, New Yorker, you know, real New Yorker.

Speaker 1 32:43

How you doing hey, forget about it. Jewish New Yorker? Oh, even better.

Speaker 4 32:46

How you doing More short, heavy guy and he worked in some of the hotels that I worked in Germany. So you saw it on my resume. It's like, oh, I worked there, I worked over there, and he spoke a little German. I was like okay. And he said I already hired somebody. This is a girl she was training yesterday. She's pretty good, but I'd rather have you. But I don't want to be mean and tell her okay, I found somebody else, you've got to go. So why don't we do this? We do a competition. And I said what's a competition? He's like who makes the best mashed potatoes? German? Like who makes the best mashed potatoes German, he did not favor me at all.

Speaker 2 33:33

So she made mashed potatoes. I made mashed potatoes. Clear winner done. I got the job.

Speaker 4 33:40

I'm gonna need a text message when you make that famous mashed potato as a special one night or something we do it for family food.

Speaker 2 33:42

That's a great thing. Well, that's neat that you were a pastry chef. So my middle daughter that's what she. She loves to make pastries and stuff. So what made you switch to kind of doing it at all.

Sustainable Practices and Zero Waste

Speaker 4 33:55

I was always in the kitchen like a chef. But then you know, in Germany you do your apprenticeship. It's a three-year apprenticeship which is like boot camp, which was brutal, to say it nicely. I mean, it was rough, it was crazy.

Speaker 4 34:11

First one in last one out every day, you know, and once in a while, you know, once a week we had to go to school and learn all the other things, and sometimes they cancel school and when there's no school, you're supposed to go to work. You know that's your sixth day going to work. I'm like, yeah, maybe Chef doesn't know, you know. So, the next day I go to work and Chef says hey. Sergey, how was school?

Speaker 1 34:33

yesterday oh great.

Speaker 4 34:34

What did you learn?

Speaker 2 34:35

Oh yeah, we did this.

Speaker 4 34:37

Good luck at the schedule. Look at the schedule.

Speaker 3 34:39

No day off next week done so much for that, but you know but uh, uh, you also learn pastries.

Speaker 4 34:49

That's, that's part of the education that you do. And then uh, but always like uh, if I worked as a pastry chef, maybe I did it like for a year and then I just got tired of it because it's just so mechanical and you gotta follow the rest If you're making a souffle. You cannot, oh, let me take this, this, this and make a souffle. No, you gotta weigh every little thing and it has to be super precise. And if it's not a hundred percent precise, Make sure you show this clip to Mallory.

Speaker 2 35:16

Well, I haven't like. I like the weather has to be.

Speaker 4 35:19

If the weather is all right yeah, aromatic pressure when you make chocolate and then we read it as a whole situation, you know, yeah, chocolate will not set at a certain barometric pressure. Wow, you gotta change the temperature and that's a science, it's a it's a whole. It's exactly. It's a chemistry, science, whatever, and cooking is different. Oh, I found these beautiful tomatoes at the farmer's market. Look at this. Oh yeah, that's just awesome.

Speaker 1 35:41

Look how you're lighting up there. You're so glad. Now you're like now you're cooking. Yeah, you don't need a recipe.

Speaker 4 35:48

You know you need the fundamentals of cooking but you don't need a recipe.

Speaker 4 35:51

You know pastry is different. So all our gelatos we're talking about gelato. Obviously, we do have recipes that we have to stick to. However, I use about 30% less sugar than they even do in Italy. Why? Because pastry chefs don't really go by taste. They go by recipe and then like okay, that's what it's supposed to taste like. I make sure it always tastes that way. As a chef, you taste food and it's like well, maybe it needs a little more salt, salt, maybe we should put a little more this, maybe a little more that or this. So it's like what, if I take sugar out of the because it's cold, right, it kind of freezes your tongue, right, and like, if you over sugar something, all you like very sweet cakes like we have in america.

Speaker 4 36:33

It's just like all you taste is sugar, yeah, and you get full really quick. You're like, oh, I can't even finish this cake, it's so much sugar or it's too salty or whatever. So I take out the sugar, I take 10% out. Oh, it tastes better. 20%, 30%, 40%, no, no, that's not a dessert anymore. So 30% less sugar than Was the sweet spot no pun intended. What it does. It's sweet, sweet, but it also accentuates the flavor of whatever you have.

Speaker 1 37:04

So now you taste the pistachios.

Speaker 4 37:05

You taste the chocolate, you taste the vanilla, you taste all the the other things, the berries, the lemon so good or the mushroom gelato that we have mushroom gelato candy cat mushroom gelato.

Speaker 2 37:18

I've never tried that, which tastes like pistachios or molasses.

Speaker 4 37:22

It's delicious, yeah, super good. It's amazing. And you know gelato is healthier because it has less sugar. Yeah, you're not going to get as full on your walk-on, you're worried about your diet.

Speaker 2 37:34

That's it.

Speaker 3 37:35

It's 30% healthier. It tastes better.

Speaker 2 37:37

Have two and it's 30% healthier.

Speaker 1 37:40

It tastes better.

Speaker 4 37:40

Have two and you have room for this, use the Italian flour from Italian flour pasta. And we have a lot of people come in there like not CVX, but you know they have a low tolerance to gluten. And they ask me. They say it's like look, chef, tell me the truth. I want to know. And because our kitchen is open, they come frequently, frequently, just talk to me what I'm cooking and it says like you know, been to Italy, a pasta I have no problem. I come over any pasta.

Speaker 1 38:05

I could say what kind of flour?

Speaker 4 38:07

use no, we use flour from Italy.

Speaker 2 38:09

It's really really fine top quality, the best you can buy so like like a double where there's a double zero, but that is just the grind of the fine is how fine it is.

Speaker 4 38:19

But you gotta use the right duro wheat, the right quality of flour and you know it's like if you make, you buy a regular flour at the store and you make a pound of pasta dough, you wrap it in plastic and you forget about it for two days in your refrigerator.

Speaker 4 38:35

You take it out and it's like whoa, what happened to my pasta dough? It all has these little black spots on it because it oxidizes With our flour. I can leave it for a month in the fridge and it will look exactly the same. Isn't that crazy? It doesn't oxidize and it's easier on your digestion, Right, you know. And because it doesn't have all the Monsanto stuff, GMOs and the extra high gluten you eat a slice of bread over here. It's like two loaves in Germany. That's where your body overloads and that's where people become gluten intolerant or get celiac because your body just shuts down. It's a security, it's like a safety measure.

Speaker 2 39:16

So Jenny and Dave our family. They go to Italy quite a bit and Jenny always comes back and says I can't believe how good I feel when I'm over there and I could eat whatever I want and as soon as I come home it's like someone flipped the switch and I think it has a lot to do with that?

Speaker 4 39:34

It truly does.

Speaker 2 39:38

I'm just going to have to walk down to Mezluna more often.

Speaker 1 39:42

I mean you're there five days a week.

Speaker 2 39:43

Yeah, how long can you be there? You're walking past the 54445.

Speaker 3 39:47

Oh, that's Bob, that's Phil, that's Mike Come on over.

Speaker 2 39:51

Rob's like I could probably make it today. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. You'll Probably see us there later tonight. Well, and I love going in there because you're out working the crowd and asking how everyone is and it like I don't know it just makes you feel good. Amy runs a fine oil machine in the front of the house.

Chef's Background and Gelato Secrets

Speaker 3 40:14

Oh, it's a tight ship. It's good she probably keeps you in the back.

Speaker 2 40:19

She's like don't be coming out here. Man, You're being very modest there in the corner. This is not the Amy I know.

Speaker 1 40:26

Well, the kitchen is open, though, too right you can see into the kitchen, which is cool. So you can see you back there. So you can't yell at the chef Throw stuff at you, Roll things around.

Speaker 4 40:35

Hey I don't like my food.

Speaker 1 40:38

But, Amy, I know you're quieter on the podcast, but when you're there you are moving stuff around. Yeah, you are the boss when they're there.

Speaker 3 40:49

Yes, a big boss, yes yes yes, I love it, I really love it. You all have created an amazing team as well. There too.

Speaker 2 40:56

Service is always a 10. Thank you, yeah, for sure, the team is the best.

Speaker 1 41:00

I was going to ask you how are you finding most of the restaurant people? We've had a lot of restaurants come through here and they all say the same thing it's hard to keep staff, it's hard to keep people, not to find them. Every new restaurant is opening up and everybody is bouncing around to different places. So how have you guys? Done such a good job with your staff.

Speaker 3 41:20

We just think it's all about our people. We treat our people like we want to be treated and we think that is the key to having the best.

Speaker 2 41:26

I shared the story about the bartender.

Speaker 3 41:27

Yes.

Speaker 2 41:28

All right. So Angie and I were there one night shocker sitting at the bar.

Speaker 1 41:33

It was a Tuesday, it was a Wednesday, it was a Thursday.

Speaker 2 41:37

It must have been a Tuesday because Abigail was off.

Speaker 2 41:40

Yes, and there was a certain other person behind the bar and we started chatting with him, a very friendly guy, and his story, which I thought was amazing, was he worked at another local restaurant and he wanted to work for your restaurant. So bad for such a long time, he finally got his foot in the door and accepted a part-time position for one day a week until more opportunity opened up for him. And I think and correct me if I'm wrong I think he did this for six or eight months until that opportunity presented itself and now I think correct me if I'm wrong he works there pretty much full-time now.

Speaker 1 42:20

Well, in fairness, he asked them what days you weren't there, and that was the only day he wanted to work.

Speaker 3 42:26

That was why he only worked one day a week.

Speaker 1 42:27

That's why I only work one day. Bobby's here every day. There's a good chance Rob won't be on Thursday. They're like he never comes on Thursday. He never comes Thursday. That's my shift. That's the true story, buddy.

Speaker 2 42:41

Yeah, that's the true story, I mean, but did I get all the facts pretty close at least? Yes, I mean that says a lot about the culture of any business right, Whether it's a restaurant.

Speaker 1 42:52

Particularly a restaurant yeah especially in a restaurant.

Speaker 2 42:54

You could go anywhere to work. That's awesome.

Speaker 4 43:01

Obviously you all could tell. This is my guess not to mention all the money they make.

Speaker 2 43:04

Yeah, let's be real. Yeah, you're busy every single night. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's awesome we're coming up on time.

Speaker 1 43:10

Couple things before you go address website, instagram, facebook, tick tock like. Give us the best ways to find you guys and I'll put it right up on the screen under your picture. I know that you guys don't need more business, but you always want more business.

Speaker 3 43:24

Yeah, you always want more business. All right, metzalunaposteriacom. Okay, and yeah, we're on Instagram, we're on Facebook and I think that's about it. Tiktok, tiktok, not so much, not so much, not so much.

Speaker 1 43:41

And where will everybody find you? I know where you are because Bobby practically walks there every day.

Speaker 3 43:47

But what's the location? 215 Northwest A Street.

Speaker 1 43:51

Okay, so if you're going through the square and neighborhood market's on your right-hand side, or Pucassan's on the left you're right across the street Parking. Where do people park market's on your right hand side or your son's? On the left, you're right across street parking where? Where do people park?

Speaker 3 44:01

parking. That's a full parking garage, perfect, across the street. Yeah, the best, the best parking for downtown people don't know that, but that's important.

Speaker 1 44:10

People hate going to some of the downtown restaurants.

Speaker 4 44:12

They can't park, you don't have to park all the way in the back and walk out of the restaurant. You'd walk right, go right into the parking garage.

Speaker 2 44:17

Yeah, yeah take the elevator down, hit the little button on the crosswalk and boom, you're there.

Speaker 1 44:22

That's super important.

Speaker 2 44:23

No Parking downtown is not easy.

Speaker 1 44:25

No, or they could park at Bar Nelson and walk. All right, yeah, it's only $20.

Speaker 2 44:30

I'll valet. I'll start a valet service.

Speaker 1 44:36

In in. Well, thank you guys for coming in. The one last thing for it. We've had 70 somewhat, episodes. We had a list before we open of the places that we wanted to have on. And Rob, every week. Rob, where are you with Mezzaluna? When are we getting him in? I'm working on it, rob. When are you getting Mezzaluna in? I'm working on it every single week.

Speaker 2 44:57

Is that true?

Speaker 1 44:57

When is Mezzaluna coming in? It's all about timing.

Speaker 2 45:03

And we'll cut this out. But when you texted me yesterday and you're like, oh, what time should we be there today, I'm like, oh my God. I'm like, Amy, it's Thursday, not Wednesday.

Speaker 1 45:12

Oh man, I mixed up lots of things.

Speaker 3 45:14

Oh, we're not cutting this out.

Speaker 4 45:16

Rob has one job to bring Mezzaluna and he almost screwed it up is what I'm hearing right now.

Speaker 2 45:23

The problem is Josh takes all this really serious and Rob and I don't. It's hard because he's trying to wrangle us.

Speaker 1 45:31

Guys, get a guest to come in and please get Mezzaluna.

Speaker 2 45:35

He sent me that text. I'm like, oh God, here we go we're not going to be able to make it which I didn't say, that text. I'm like, oh god, here we go. We're not gonna be able to make it.

Speaker 1 45:42

Which I didn't say, oh sharon, because you're here now I'm like oh, josh is gonna kill me. Yes, because we like we always break each other stones a bit and then it's all right. Guys podcast coming up. Where are we? Where are we with guests? Crickets, like if we were talking about something funnier, they'd all chime in with gifts and memes. Where are we with guests I don't hear from for two days. Gifs and memes. Where are we with guests? I don't hear from them for two days.

Speaker 2 45:59

Guys, we just set the phone down. We're like whoa Wasn't in my contract.

Speaker 1 46:07

Cheers guys, Thank you so much for coming in Mezzaluna.

Speaker 2 46:10

We love you guys, appreciate you guys, cheers.

Speaker 4 46:12

Awesome.