Oven & Tap Bringing local sustenance to the table words by Mallorie Boggs You know it’s a good restaurant when the first Google review starts with “Love this place! Try the olives. Seriously. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.” (Norma, from 3 weeks ago). That’s just one of many rave reviews of Oven & Tap. Located on Main St. this from-scratch, farm-to-table restaurant is a feature in Bentonville, Ark.’s food and social scene. Behind the must-try olives, you’ll find the Founder, Owner, Creative of Oven & Tap, Chef Luke Wetzel. “I started Oven & Tap to share my vision of hospitality with the Northwest Arkansas area,” said Luke. “I named the restaurant Oven & Tap because it’s exactly who we are; no strings attached.”
photo courtesy of Luke Wetzel
Oven & Tap is centered around wood-fired cooking and a vast selection of libations. Luke carried this style of cooking from his time in the San Francisco Bay Area working at Chez Panisse. “Wood-oven cookery encourages a simplistic and honest style of food, which aligns with my food philosophies.” The menu can be described as “southern fare with an Italian flair”. As a native to Arkansas, Luke took his southern upbringing and mixed it with his passion for Italian food. “Italian cooking is the school of cooking I subscribe to as a cook/chef/restaurateur. It’s the essence and the soul of the two cuisines that inspire the restaurant.” No matter which way you look at it, Southern or Italian, both inspirations have a commonality: local products. Luke seeks local resources to bring back to his eatery every chance that he can. His passion for local sustenance led him to connect with a local Berkshire producer, “We partnered with Bansley Berkshire Ridge Farm on Day 1 and they are part of Oven & Tap’s uniqueness and success”. Sean and Carol Bansley’s registered Berkshires are the source of numerous Berkshire pork items on Oven & Tap’s menu.
photo courtesy of Oven & Tap 28 \ Experience Berkshire
Luke has used Berkshire pork everywhere that he’s cooked. “Berkshire pork has been in the cooking industry narrative for as long as I can remember,” said Luke. “Each kitchen shares the same sentiment of its meat-to-fat ratio”.
