A taste of Siloam Springs

ROGERS -- Northwest Arkansas got a taste of Siloam Springs last weekend thanks to Fratelli's Wood-Fired Pizzeria.

The Fratelli's crew attended the inaugural Northwest Arkansas Food Festival where they distributed around 118 pizzas to those who attended, said Tom Leadabrand, Fratelli's co-owner. At the event the crew used a mobile wood-fired oven to hand out more than a thousand individual slices for free for people to sample at the Walmart Amphitheater in Rogers. They were the only booth at the event that served pizza.

"It is an honor to be out here," Leadabrand said during the event. "They asked us to be a part of this big event. It is a first chance for us to really get to do anything outside of our building, so we are going to see how that goes."

And it went well, Leadabrand said as he reviewed the event from last week. He added that several people he met at the food fair have come to Fratelli's -- which is located in downtown Siloam Springs -- to try some of their product. He also said it was the first time he has gotten to make his pizza outside of the walls of the restaurant, and that he really enjoyed it.

"I hope they do it again and I hope we get to be a part of it again," he said. "Their show, as a whole, was probably a great success. Everybody seemed to really be having a good time with it and we got a lot of positive feedback."

The festival was the first of its kind and was done in conjunction with the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship played at Pinnacle Country Club. Walmart and Kraft foods were also large sponsors. More than 30 different restaurants came from all over the Northwest region of the state to provide free samples to the festival goers, said Harry Hardy, the event director.

"The event benefits the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank," Hardy said. "Right before we opened the gates tonight we made a presentation to the food bank on behalf of Walmart, Kraft, and the LPGA tournament for $50,000. This is the first time so we limited the numbers just to test out the event and make sure we got it right this year."

Carla Hall, the co-host of ABC's "The Chew" and author of multiple cookbooks also attended the food fair.

"I have never been to Arkansas, this is my first time," Hall said. "I think it is amazing how the food scene has grown in big cities, small cities, and medium-size cities, so I am always excited to see what people are doing in their town."

She added that Arkansas is beautiful and that she is definitely coming back.

Another foodie, Lindi Fultz, attended the fair and in between bites of her margarita pizza she mentioned that she loved the event and would not mind another one in the fall.

"I do a food blog about Northwest Arkansas food," Fultz said. "It is really just about exploring your own backyard and I just went over here to Fratelli's, and it was the first time I have ever tried them. I was like, Siloam Springs is pretty close by so I need to go out there and check it out."

Fultz's blog is NWA Foodie and she said it is about what is local and fresh as much as eating well.