Popular chef brings skills to Fort Smith

story by Michael Tilley
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Prominent Chef Will Greenwood has thrown together a meal or two.

He’s cooked for Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Following the 1992 presidential election, Greenwood was one of the three chefs Hillary and Bill Clinton recommended be interviewed for the White House chef position. He was the chef in charge for the 50th anniversary celebration of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Greenwood, an Oklahoma native who grew up in Baltimore, Md., was named the Best Chef in America by the American Academy of Restaurants in 1996 and Chef of the Year in 1994 from the National Restaurant Association.

His experience includes executive chef at the International Trade Center at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., managing principal at Isabella Restaurant in Washington, D.C., executive chef at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C., executive chef at the Sunset Grill in Nashville, executive chef and manager at the Cafe des Artistes in Baltimore, Md., and corporate executive chef at the Historic Inns of Annapolis. (Link here for more info on Greenwood’s background, and link here for a YouTube video about Greenwood.)

Will Greenwood is probably the most famous national chef you’ve never heard of, and within 5-6 months, the cuisine he’s prepared for Presidents and foreign leaders will be served from the kitchen of The Movie Lounge in Fort Smith.

RECRUITING GREENWOOD
Several months ago, Dwight Curry posted a national ad seeking a top-notch chef for the executive chef and food service manager at The Movie Lounge. Curry, along with The Movie Lounge partner and sister Lynn Curry Weidman, were hoping to land a big fish.

“It was. It really was,” Weidman said when asked if they were surprised Greenwood expressed an interest.

She said they brought Greenwood to the Fort Smith area and spent a full week with him talking business strategy and vision. They also toured the area, which included a trip to Northwest Arkansas.

Greg Fernholz, the general manager for The Movie Lounge, said he was “curious” when he first learned Greenwood was interested in the job.

“I think curious is the right word … with someone like Greenwood, you are curious about that (interest in moving to Fort Smith),” Fernholz said.

‘TRULY UNIQUE’
However, Fernholz was not surprised the Curry’s would find a top chef. He said their goal all along has been to do something “truly unique” in Fort Smith.

“We’re not just trying to be the best in the area. We also want to be best in the nation. I know that sounds kind of corny, but if you have that in mind, you can do it and make it happen. …. And there is no reason we can’t do it here because I’d say Fort Smith deserves it as much as anyplace else,” Fernholz explained.

During a June interview, Curry admitted that unique may be a tough sell in Fort Smith. Curry, whose primary business is the lodging industry, argued then that “the high-end properties, the luxury brands are not suffering” during the national economic malaise.

Curry and Weidman are betting that a high-end approach to entertainment and business support in the Fort Smith, known for being a blue-collar town, will fill a niche and attract customers from outside the region.

‘CONCERNED’
Perspective is required in the Fort Smith region where accomplished and veteran chefs are seen only somewhat more frequently than an Ivory-billed woodpecker. And that perspective is that having Will Greenwood and his culinary experience in Fort Smith is, without risk of too much exaggeration, as if Kevin Kline or Brian Dennehy were to regularly perform at the Fort Smith Little Theatre.

Greenwood, who has opened several restaurants, admitted that many in his peer group “were concerned about my professional career” when learning of his Fort Smith plans.

“But I’ve learned from my past experiences to look at every opportunity with a fresh eye before you make a judgment about it,” Greenwood explained. “And after I met them (Curry’s), I realized they are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. It seemed like such a shame to not work for them. … A lot of hotel owners and people in this business, they can often really chew you up. They can be mean.”

The Fort Smith area “is certainly not (Washington) D.C.,” Greenwood noted when asked about the culture shift. But a tour of the Fort Smith area and Northwest Arkansas convinced Greenwood “there are enough of those (amenities)” to fit his lifestyle — which includes playing guitar, viewing different forms of the arts, hiking and gardening.

He is also looks forward to avoiding the intense media scrutiny often part of being a high-profile chef in a large metro area.

“That’s very refreshing to know that you’re not going to be rated by a few critics,” Greenwood said.

CHALLENGES
Greenwood listed three broad challenges in the new job.

“I have to find good fresh meat and produce. That’s usually the number one challenge for any chef,” Greenwood said.

He plans to work with area farmers and see what is available through the seasons. Greenwood is a “firm believer” in the quality and taste differences between locally-grown food and non-fresh or local sources.

“I do plan to go to all the local (farmers) markets. … I’m into supporting the locals as much as I can,” he explained.

Another challenge is in how “experimental the local clientele is” with new food options and presentations. Greenwood said the tour of Northwest Arkansas convinced him there is a large enough market in the two metro areas to push the parameters of what is considered a normal menu.

The menu won’t be entirely exotic, however.

“But, I like a good steak and potato, too. We’ll have that (traditional menu items),” Greenwood said.

Greenwood said his goal is to have a diverse menu providing “familiar foods with an interesting twist,” and to change the menu to keep the experience more dynamic.

Another challenge — although Greenwood sees it as more of an opportunity — is to hire “a crew of cooks who want to learn and are on their way to becoming professional chefs.”

WINE CONNECTIONS
With local and fresh food, experimentation and a stable of good cooks, Greenwood says he believes food at The Movie Lounge will draw people from outside of the Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas metro areas.

“That’s my goal, to have that reputation that people might travel from those distances to eat here,” he said.

Greenwood, who prepared food at the 80th birthday celebration of legendary winemaker Robert Mondavi, also is eager to bring winemakers to Fort Smith and build dinners and events around wine and food pairings.

“That’s what I’m the most proud of,” Greenwood said of his work with the wine industry.

THE MOVIE LOUNGE UPDATE
The Movie Lounge opening has been moved from Thanksgiving to mid-February, Fernholz said.

Main features of The Movie Lounge include:
• A conference-banquet-meeting space, able to cater to 20 to 300 people (this space is in the “Epic Events” side of The Movie Lounge);
• 120-seat restaurant and bar capable of including live entertainment; and,
• Two “high-end, luxury” movie screens capable of seating 85 each, along with a smaller third theater space.

The restaurant area will include an elevated stage area for live music. The uses for the theatre, restaurant and meeting spaces are almost limitless. Patrons in the restaurant will have the option to buy movie tickets at their table if they decide to see a movie. And they could keep their tab open to enjoy a drink or dessert after the movie, Fernholz explained.

The theatres could be used during the day for corporate presentations, lectures and other events. The smaller theatre area is ideal for a large Super Bowl party — although the area will not be open for Dallas Cowboy fans who might be interested in watching the two non-Dallas teams playing in the 2012 Super Bowl — small wedding reception “and any number of company, family or party events,” Fernholz said.

Fernholz said they plan to work with area hotels that do not have adequate meeting space but could use The Movie Lounge facility in their recruitment of corporate meetings to their respective hotels.