You bet your biscuit
You bet your biscuit
Gronwald is new Director of Development for the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Service anniversaries honored at Academics Plus, Posey school's new AD plus sports and headlines
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Meetings: The school board for the North Little Rock School District will meet at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the district’s administration building in a regularly scheduled meeting. The Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday night at City Hall.
Events: The 8th Annual Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is next Thursday, Aug. 22, at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. The VIP reception starts at 5 p.m. with the dinner and awards ceremony to follow at 6:30 p.m. Inductees include in the Contemporary Category: JoAnne Bush, Betty Dickey, Jamileh Kamran, Dr. Jacquelyn Williams McCray and Kathy Webb. In the Historical category, Bernie Babcock and Gussie Haynie while the Committee of One Hundred for the Ozark Folk Center is being honored as an Organization. For more, go to ARWomensHallofFame.com. The event will also be livestreamed on Arkansas PBS, at myarpbs.org/arkansasliveplaylist.
Tickets for sale: Tickets are now for sale for this fall’s Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock. To buy tickets, click here. Daily tickets start at $30. Packages will eventually be available as well but not yet.
Upcoming events for the end of summer
The North Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department will host end-of-summer and back-to-school events at the community centers over the coming weeks. These events are free to the public and will have games, activities, school supplies, door prizes, and more.
Today, Aug. 15: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Glenview Community Center will host a Back-to-School Splash Bash at their splash pad at 4800 E 19th Street. Call 501-945-2921.
Christine Gronwald is new Director of Development for the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund
Statewide nonprofit Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund is pleased to announce Christine Gronwald as its new Director of Development.
Gronwald, above, who also serves on the Maumelle City Council, started Aug. 5 and brings 24 years of nonprofit and marketing experience to the organization. In her role, she will lead fundraising efforts to expand support for low-income single parents pursuing higher education.
Most recently, Gronwald served as the Director of Development for the EAST Initiative, where she successfully led fundraising activities and enhanced donor engagement. Additionally, her development background includes positions at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Central Arkansas Library System, and Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute.
Gronwald is also highly involved with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Arkansas Chapter. During her 10 years there, she served as President in 2020 and 2021, was elected to various committees, and remains active with AFP Global.
“I am thrilled to welcome Christine to our team," said Jenn Morehead, Executive Director. "Her impressive experience and results-driven approach give me great confidence in her ability to lead our fundraising efforts. I look forward to the growth and success we will achieve together."
Gronwald earned her Bachelor of Arts in communications with an emphasis in business and a minor in marketing from the University of Arkansas. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from Capella University where she graduated with honors and was inducted into the Delta Mu Delta honors society.
“I hold education at all levels in very high regard,” Gronwald said. “It’s something that has been instilled in me my whole life. My mom was a 40-year educator at Little Rock School District, both as a teacher and a principal. I believe growth through education should be accessible to anyone seeking growth, and ASPSF aligns with those values well.”
A Little Rock native, Gronwald moved to Maumelle in 2014 with her husband, Jason; two stepdaughters, Zoe and Gigi; and their four rescue dogs. She is a member of Rotary International, Maumelle Philanthropists, and the All Inclusive Playground Committee for the city of Maumelle.
Service anniversaries recognized at Academics Plus
Academics Plus Charter Schools recently held a special ceremony to honor service anniversaries of 67 employees with certificates or plaques for 5 years, 10 years and 15 years. This was the first time employees have received official recognition for their service to the school system. It is planned that this will become an annual event.
Retired NFL referee Walt Coleman was the guest speaker at the event and kicked off the morning with a motivational speech that reminded teachers and staff that they "are important" and "stuff happens." He used examples of his experience as a referee who could do no right in the eyes of many radical NFL fans.
Academics Plus has 185 employees with four campuses in Maumelle and Scott.
Tyler Posey new assistant principal and AD at Maumelle Charter
Academics Plus Charter Schools has named Tyler Posey the assistant principal and athletic director at Maumelle Charter High School, according to Rob McGill, executive director. Katie Johnson is the school’s principal.
Posey, above, was most recently the head basketball coach for the high school boys team. He is a native of Sparkman and a graduate of Sparkman High School and Ouachita Baptist University where he earned a degree in mathematics and secondary education. He completed his master’s degree in education leadership at Arkansas State University.
Taking his former job is Dalton Diles, who has served the last two years as the cross country and track coach.
Back-to-School nears for PCSSD, NLRSD
While the first day of school has already passed for Maumelle Charter and Central Arkansas Christian students, that’s not the case for the Pulaski County Special and North Little Rock school districts.
North Little Rock and PCSSD students will be back the following next week, Monday, Aug. 19.
Football is also in the air as benefit games have also been set with CAC traveling to Mountain Home on Tuesday, Aug. 20 while North Little Rock will play at El Dorado on Friday, Aug. 23.
CAC's benefit game will kickoff at 5:30 p.m. while North Little Rock's will start at 6 p.m.
PCSSD | First day of school: Monday, Aug. 19
For the district's back to school guide, click here.
NLRSD | First day of school: Monday, Aug. 19
For the district’s back to school guide, click here.
For the open house schedule by school, click here.
You bet your biscuit
If it seems like central Arkansas is getting overrun with brunch spots, you’d be correct.
In the last couple of years, the open-for-breakfast, closed-after-lunch spots have actually multiplied. There seems to be no bottom to the area's desire for bottomless mimosas, so here we are, awash in choices.
And, as a matter of fact, this story was originally planned to run last year, after some delicious reporting, but news of yet another spot opening up pushed the biscuits to the back-burner.
Brunch spots have seen a boom for several reasons.
Working from home means you might have a little more time to be leisurely in the morning, as instead of hitting the road for your morning commute, you go get some pancakes instead before starting your work day.
Also, just generally speaking, brunch food tends to be less expensive than going out to eat dinner.
Post COVID socializing, especially on weekends has also led to viewing brunch as a meal and a show. or at least a low-stress version of the date night classic.
In a trade publication, Bill Long, the CFO of Snooze Eatery, a national chain of brunch spots, called the meal, “an affordable indulgence.” Which is mostly true. While you can run up a tab, especially if you make it boozy, the brunch check isn’t as much as you might spend for dinner at a nicer spot.
Doing only morning fare can also be highly profitable for the restaurants as you need only one shift to work the kitchen and wait tables, so the staffing isn’t as big or as expensive. Food costs are also less for the vast majority of brunch items.
So, some caveats, in our survey of brunch spots. First, while you don’t have to drink, the spot does need to have a bar. It creates the amusing spectacle of the top-hat-wearing day drinker we spotted on one outing, bellied up and elbows up at the bar.
A true brunch spot opens in the morning and is closed by 2 p.m., 3 at the latest. So, by definition, if it serves dinner, it isn’t a brunch spot.
Finally, all of this is subjective anyway. We aren’t including popular hotel breakfast brunches, like, say the Capital Hotel, or just regular old breakfast spots, like At the Corner or Blackberry Market in North Little Rock. We are also not surveying restaurants that don't typically serve breakfast but do have a brunch service on the weekend.
Also, just in terms of geographic distribution, all these places, with one downtown exception, are in west Little Rock. Why? Well, putting on our GIS hat and armed with a breakdown of annual income by zip, we get … never mind. The reality is spots tend to cluster, whether it is car dealerships or hotels or boozy brunches.
Delicious Temptations
11220 N. Rodney Parham Road #8
Chances are you’ve been here, as it is the OG of Little Rock brunch. In our first round of reporting, it was undergoing renovation and serving a reduced menu. Then a second visit after its near doubling of floor space just confirmed why it remains a mainstay.
The food is good and the portions are absurdly large (this will be a theme throughout), with a second meal packed in a takeout clamshell. The downside is, no matter when you go, you’re going to be waiting to get a table, and the pacing of service is leisurely to the point of allowing a couple of hours to be seated, order and get your pancakes.
Not a chain. The strawberry butter smeared on fruit bread or pancakes is luscious. If some version of a benedict is your favorite brunch, they have a bunch. The cup of fresh fruit actually has a mix of fruits, rather than lots of cantaloupe topped with a couple of berries (a pet peeve of the wife’s).
Pro tip: Order the bacon. It is exceptional.
Big Bad Breakfast
101 S. Bowman Rd.
306 Main St.
Little Rock has two locations of the Oxford, Mississippi based chain known colloquially as BBB and started by celebrity chef John Currance. Having been to the original, I’ll say the one in Oxford is better than either Little Rock spot. It might be because of the Snack Bar menu, or maybe it is because you saw the Ole Miss football coach working through a stack of pancakes while you were there and you found it amusing.
For this reporting, we made multiple visits and can confirm the Bowman Road location, which used to be a bank, seemed better than the Main Street joint that used to be a fish restaurant. The bruleed grapefruit is a real treat and having it always makes you wonder why you don't eat grapefruit more.
The seasonal menu changes, so it might be avocado toast or the skillet you liked on a previous trip may not be there on the menu.
Pro tip: If the weather is pleasant, ask to sit outside on the patio. You won’t have to wait as long for a table, or if you’re dining solo, you can sit at the bar.
The Toasted Yolk Cafe
17406 Chenal Parkway
Toasted Yolk kicked off the brunch spot reporting early in 2023. A visit was also made this year, and both times the food was good and, again, the portions were incredibly large. To the point that the biscuits and gravy were served on a platter instead of a plate and contained three biscuits, split, with roughly a gallon of sausage gravy. That may be a slight exaggeration but it feels right.
Was it meant to be shared, cheese dip style, with the table? Maybe. Was it? No. No, it was not. Was it good? Yes, yes it was.
Pro tip: You can make a reservation, but you will not be seated until your entire party is there.
The Buttered Biscuit
17815 Chenal Parkway F101
The newest entry to the Little Rock brunch scene, and the reason why this story got pushed back. It was worth the wait.
First off, The Buttered Biscuit is very loud. All hard surfaces with nothing to dampen the noise of a full house keeps the volume at the level of a sports bar the space used to be. No chicken wings on this menu though as the hot and huge biscuits were the star. The biscuits also come with a choice of some tasty spreads, essentially compound butters, and the honey orange butter allows you to indulge your inner Pooh and Paddington with its mashup of honey and orange marmalade.
As a coffee drinker, but not the sophisticated kind, the vagaries of the tasting notes are lost on me. Tastes like chocolate with a hint of cinnamon, sure, OK, whatever. Just hot coffee, some half and half and a Splenda or two, if I’m feeling froggy.
Then I had the coffee here, from Onyx Coffee Lab in Rogers, and the menu described it as thick and syrupy with hints of raspberry. Boy howdy did they nail it. It was, as they say, a damn, fine cup of coffee.
Pro tip: No reservations but you can put your name on the online waiting list in advance and it can cut down your wait time significantly. It was pleasant enough to sit outside but in the brutal summer heat, it could be awful.
Sports
Upcoming Travs games
At Wichita, now through Sunday, Aug. 18.
Opponent - Northwest Arkansas
Tuesday, Aug. 20, 6:35 p.m.
No promotions scheduled
Wednesday, Aug 21, 6:35 p.m.
Less Likes More Love Night, Presented By Snapchat
Thursday, Aug. 22, 6:35 p.m.
$3 Thursday: Enjoy $3 Beer Garden Tickets and Concessions deals, including Hot Dogs, Soft Drinks, Cotton Candy, and a Select Canned Beer & Seltzer!
Friday, Aug. 23, 7:05 p.m.
Fireworks Friday - Música Latina
Saturday, Aug. 24, 6:05 p.m.
Kids Run the Bases: Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game!
Sunday, Aug. 25, 1:35 p.m.
Operation: Military Appreciation: Service Members get $3 off General Admission and Field Reserved tickets by presenting a Military ID (only available at DSP Box Office) | Presented By Mid-South Ford Dealers
Family Sunday: Get $2 General Admission tickets by presenting a physical or digital church bulletin (only available at DSP Box Office)
Kids Run the Bases: Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game!
At Amarillo, Aug. 27 - Sept. 1
Opponent - Corpus Christi | Last regular season home stand
Tuesday, Sept. 3, 6:35 p.m.
No promotions scheduled
Wednesday, Sept. 4, 6:35 p.m.
No promotions scheduled
Thursday, Sept. 5, 6:35 p.m.
$3 Thursday: Enjoy $3 Beer Garden Tickets and Concessions deals, including Hot Dogs, Soft Drinks, Cotton Candy, and a Select Canned Beer & Seltzer!
Friday, Sept. 6, 7:05 p.m.
Fireworks Friday - Fans' Choice
Saturday, Sept. 7, 6:05 p.m.
Cal Raleigh Bobblehead Giveaway: Presented By Hardee's | First 1,000 Fans (one item per person)
Kids Run the Bases: Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game!
Sunday, Sept. 8, 1:35 p.m. | Last regular season home game
Brunch at the Ballpark: Get a special Brunch ticket (**available at a later date**) that comes with a Field Reserved seat! Pre-game buffet will include select breakfast foods, juice, coffee, and soft drinks. (Alcohol will be available for purchase separately.) Food will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ticket Offer: Operation: Military Appreciation: Service Members get $3 off General Admission and Field Reserved tickets by presenting a Military ID (only available at DSP Box Office) | Presented By Mid-South Ford Dealers
Family Sunday: Get $2 General Admission tickets by presenting a physical or digital church bulletin (only available at DSP Box Office)
Kids Run the Bases: Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game!
At Northwest Arkansas - Sept. 10 - Sept. 15: End of regular reason
Playoffs
Pandemic deaths unknown
The state Department of Health again didn’t have a Covid report available for this week and numbers for the year haven’t been updated since last week. The state’s dashboard says there’s been 294 Covid-related deaths in 2024. The virus has now killed 13,938 Arkansans since the pandemic began four years ago. That would mean the pandemic death toll has now passed Marion’s 13,635 people, the state’s 29th largest city.
Covid toolkit
There’s now a one-stop shop to learn about vaccination sites and other Covid related information. Click here to learn more.
If you don’t want to get sick and die, there’s some things you can do:
Get vaccinated
Get boosted
Wear a mask
Avoid crowds