Dec 23, 2015
LITTLE ROCK, AR -- U.S.-grown rice has a keen supporter in Little Rock chef Brian Deloney, an enthusiastic participant in the USA Rice Federation's restaurant promotion at the 2014 USA Rice Outlook Conference held here earlier this month. Deloney is the owner of Maddie's Place, a Little Rock restaurant that features inventive variations of Southern-style comfort food with a distinctive Creole influence.
Chef Deloney trained under world-famous chef Emeril Lagasse for more than ten years at restaurants from Las Vegas to New Orleans, before returning to his roots in Little Rock to open his own restaurant. Named after Deloney's daughter, Maddie's Place serves Cajun-style dishes including an infamous Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo with Steamed Rice.
Deloney emphasizes his commitment to serving creative dishes with homegrown ingredients such as rice.
"I love buying local ingredients, I do support that," he said. "I like really good, simple food done right with love. Rice is an integral part of our menu, absolutely. We use rice all over the place."
When asked about his preference for using Arkansas-grown ingredients on his menu, Deloney said, "The rice I use comes from Arkansas. Since rice is such a big deal in Arkansas, it is pretty easy to get and a big part of what we do here."
Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446