This year’s Cooks Tour will feature four homes in the Deauville neighborhood of Chenal Valley: In each home, executive chefs from some of Little Rock’s best-known restaurants will prepare dishes for tour participants to taste. The chefs for this year’s tour are all owners of their own restaurants. They are: Michael Selig of Vermillion Water Grille in the River Market, Scott McGehee from Boulevard Bread Co. in the Heights, Mark Abernathy of Loca Luna and Bene Vita in Riverdale, and Evette Brady from 1620 Restaurant in west Little Rock.
Michael Selig of Vermillion Water Grille in the River Market.
Michael Selig, Executive Chef & Co-Owner Vermillion Water Grille
Michael Selig trained at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island and worked at several restaurants and resorts in Washington, DC. He came home to Little Rock in 1996 as executive chef for the Excelsior Hotel. In 2002, he opened Vermillion Water Grille in the River Market district.
http://www.vermillionwatergrille.net/
Mark Abernathy of Loca Luna and Bene Vita in Riverdale.
Mark Abernathy, Executive Chef & Owner Loca Luna & Bene Vita Restaurants
Mark Abernathy, a Little Rock native, created popular Little Rock restaurants Juanita’s, the Blue Mesa Grill, LocaLuna, and Bene Vita. Mark has represented Arkansas in the Salute to Southern Chefs six times, and has been featured in Southern Living, Bon Appetit, and Gourmet magazines, USA Today and the Atlanta Journal. He is host of Today’s Cuisine for KATV Channel 7.
Evette Brady from 1620 Restaurant in west Little Rock.
Evette Brady, Executive Chef & Owner 1620 Restaurant
Little Rock native Evette Brady attended the Fox Valley Culinary Institute in Wisconsin. She has held various positions at Restaurant Jacques & Suzanne, Le Casse Croute, and Alouette's. Since the opening of 1620 in 1990, she has been the restaurant's executive chef.
Scott McGehee from Boulevard Bread Co. in the Heights, the River Market, and at UAMS.
Scott McGehee, Executive Chef & Owner Boulevard Bread Company
After attending the University of Arkansas, Scott McGehee was an honors graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. After culinary school, Scott earned the opportunity to apprentice, then become chef, at Alice Waters’ famed Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California. In 1999, Scott opened Boulevard Bread Company, and was recently recognized as one of the top restaurants in Little Rock by Southern Living in the magazine’s September 2002 issue. Scott recently opened River Market and UAMS medical center locations of Boulevard Bread Company.
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