What do you get when you mix two Arkansas natives with design backgrounds and a mutual appetite for experiencing global cultures? A culture-inspired supper club concept called The Local NWA.
Friends, Hannah Morehart and Chef Meleah Minard met in New York City through a mutual connection. Minard had moved to the city to work in UX design while Morehart focused on apparel. Their serendipitous meeting spurred a special bond that blossomed into shared experiences around the world and ultimately, one of Bentonville’s first supper clubs.
It was during her season in New York that Minard decided to pursue her culinary dreams.
“I became a chef in 2021; I call it my COVID freak out,” she joked. “I went to Leiths School of Food and Wine in London. When I decided to go to culinary school, I knew I didn’t want to work in restaurants, per se; I liked the private chef game, and supper clubs are huge over there.”
“When we became great friends in New York, one of our big things was traveling,” Morehart added. “We would go to Europe together, and those were the experiences we wanted to bring to Arkansas with the supper club.”
When life and career brought the two back to Northwest Arkansas, Minard presented the idea for this creative side project to Morehart, whose response was a swift, “Heck yeah!”
“I have a super creative mindset, but even outside of apparel, I’ve always been someone to throw the party, host, come up with a theme, and connect people,” Morehart said. “We always talked about doing something creative outside of work, and when she came back from London, she was telling me about these dinner clubs.”
The partnership they landed on merged Chef Minard’s culinary background with Morehart's passion for designing experiences. Their signature twist: each event is themed around a different country they’ve visited or have a connection to.
“Our first was England – specifically London pub flair – which was fun and more approachable,” said Morehart. “Now we’ve done quite a few countries, and each supper club, we’ve had people either from that country or with a family tie to that country.”
“Bentonville is the perfect spot to do something like this,” Chef Minard added. “There are so many people here from other cities and countries, but there are still a lot of people who have never left. When I was in school in Europe, I had a bunch of cultural influences, but I still have my southern roots, so I like to call myself a southern chef with global flair.”
Take their Spain-inspired September event, for example: The five-course menu included traditional tres pintxos served on cornbread, a classic paella prepared shrimp boil style, and finished with a sangria cobbler.
Sobremesa, the title of the evening’s menu, is a word that describes the relaxing period of meaningful conversation that happens after a meal. For this event, the sentiment was felt from start to finish. The seating assignments, painstakingly curated by Morehart, perfectly merged couples, friends, and solo guests of all ages, backgrounds, and personal interests.
“We both feel super energized when we travel to different places, so I think that has been a good tie-in to bringing people together and giving them that fun escape,” Morehart explained. “When I started traveling, every time I was in a space of people who were from different places and backgrounds, there was a different type of connection.”
The Local NWA’s bi-monthly supper club events host up-to 30 guests and feature a five-course menu planned and prepared by Chef Minard. She prioritizes sourcing NWA produce and meats from Prairie Woods Farm in Sulphur Springs, Jim’s Meat Market in Bentonville, and Richard’s Country Meat Market in Fayetteville.
“Food brings people together,” said Chef Minard. “Whether it’s our supper club or someone else’s, we want people to have fun in the city they’re living in.”
While Chef Minard is managing the menu, Morehart is curating the theme, color palette, decor, music, and seating, adding non-cheesy conversation starters to the back of each name card.
“When we decided to do this, it was the perfect mix of her handling the food and my passion for curating spaces for people to feel comfortable. There are more supper clubs coming up, and it’s so fun because everyone has their own vision for a different experience. I love spending my money on experiences, and we want Bentonville to have more of these amazing experiences.”
For event updates, follow @TheLocal_NWA on Instagram.
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When purchasing a ticket from The Local NWA, guests are required to indicate any food allergies or aversions before checkout so Morehart and Chef Minard can effectively accommodate their experience with care. Each event is signed off by the Arkansas Health Department.
Whether it's our supper club or someone else's, we want people to have fun in the city they’re living in.
When we became friends in New York, one of our big things was traveling. We would go to Europe together, and those are the experiences we wanted to bring to Arkansas with the supper club.