8.22.26 August Kitchen Table Dinner, Award-Winning Little Rock Chefs coming to Apple Seeds
8.22.26 August Kitchen Table Dinner, Award-Winning Little Rock Chefs coming to Apple Seeds
You won't want to miss our August Kitchen Table dinner featuring two of the best chefs in the region - Jill McDonald and Wendy Schay. These two collaborators will bring their award-winning Southern patisserie style to Apple Seeds courtesy of Happy Egg Co. -- a perfect match since eggs are a foundational ingredient in French cooking! Join us on August 22 at 6:00pm for an unforgettable August Kitchen Table Dinner.
Based in Little Rock and known for blending authentic French pastry techniques with Southern comfort food and local ingredients, Jill and Wendy are the chef and owner duo behind local restaurant favorite, The Croissanterie. The two started selling their beloved pastries at local farmer's markets which grew into a community favorite food truck and eventually into one of West Little Rock's top restaurants. They stayed rooted in the community, sharing signature hospitality and scratch-made menus with the region. As Jill explains, the kitchen is a refuge for stories, care, and shared humanity -- and food carries those memories. We're excited to welcome them to our kitchen to celebrate exceptional food and make an egg-ceptional memory of the evening.
Featured Chefs: In 2015, Chefs Jill McDonald & Wendy Schay crossed paths at the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute. Their bond was instant, forged in the heat of the kitchen and strengthened by shared dreams. They began selling their homemade croissants at farmers' markets in 2019, and the demand exploded. The pair opened a food truck in 2020 but quickly found themselves needing more hands. McDonald & Schay, opened their first brick and mortar restaurant in 2021 in West Little Rock. They were recognized in 2023 as the Small Business of the Year and in 2024 as the Woman Owned Small Business of the Year, both by the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Chef Wendy Schay is a ACF Certified Executive Pastry Chef and has been competing in baking and pastry competitions since 2014 and has been awarded Gold Medals for SkillsUSA Arkansas Commercial Baking 2014 & 2015, a Silver Medal for SkillsUSA Nationals Commercial Baking 2014, Pastry Chef of the Year 2016, and a Bronze Medal for ACF Pastry Chef of the Year 2017. She started teaching at Pulaski Technical College in 2015 and earned the Barbara Peters Award for Teaching Excellence 2016-17, and the ProStart National Restaurant Association Teacher of the Year 2020. Chef Jill McDonald is an ACF Certified Executive Chef and has gained experience over the last 25 years in many local and corporate restaurants. As an educator and also as the Director of Catering at UA Pulaski Technical College (UAPTC), Jill has engaged and shaped many culinary students. Alongside Wendy, they co-coached the UAPTC State High School ProStart Culinary Team 2020 which was awarded a Gold Medal. Together they are unstoppable with the savory pastry combination. Born and raised in Arkansas, their menu is not only built upon the authentic French pastries, but also the Southern cuisine comfort that we all crave.
Event Details:
Saturday, August 22 | 6:00 pm
Multi-course dinner by Chefs Jill McDonald & Wendy Schay
- Chef will create a fresh, farm to table multi-course meal with seasonal ingredients from the Apple Seeds garden.
- Enjoy drinks and conversation with other guests.
- Join our chef in the kitchen to watch the dinner preparations.
- Share in the farm, food, and good company.
Dress for outdoor seating in the Summer weather
The dinner takes place at the Apple Seeds Teaching Farm in Fayetteville, AR.
These dinners are rain or shine. All Kitchen Table Dinner series events are fundraisers with limited seating; we cannot offer refunds for tickets purchased.
Your participation in Apple Seeds' events supports our mission to ignite a lifelong love for fresh food for students across Arkansas!
Please contact carol@appleseedsnwa.org if you have any dietary restrictions or a vegetarian request.
Please arrive at 6:00pm for drinks and conversation. The dinner takes place in the Teaching Kitchen, located at the Apple Seeds Teaching Farm in Gulley Park, Fayetteville.
Parking is available in the Gulley Park parking lot off of Old Wire Road. From there it's a short walk north to the gates of the Apple Seeds Teaching Farm. For drop-offs only, the address is 2648 N. Old Wire Road. Please note that there is no parking available in the driveway.
About the Kitchen Table Dinner Series:
Born out of a desire to build a community around great food, Apple Seeds Kitchen Table Dinner series is designed to recreate the feeling of gathering around a dear friend's table. These dinners aim to bridge the gap often felt between the chef and diners in a typical dining environment, thereby creating a deeper connection to the food on the plate. Through intentional procurement of local, seasonal ingredients, the transparent preparation of the meal, and storytelling by the chef, each plate is transformed from food into an unforgettable dining experience.
The Kitchen Table benefits Apple Seeds’ programs.
Apple Seeds is an educational nonprofit based in Fayetteville, AR. Since 2007, Apple Seeds has provided over 110,000 students with a garden-based education, teaching them nutrition and culinary skills that excite them to eat healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables, positively shaping the healthy eating in our community. Student surveys show improved attitudes toward healthy food and heightened knowledge of nutrition concepts - things that help them make long-term healthy food choices. Immersive, hands-on farm-to-table programs are available through schools, evening cooking classes, and summer camps . For more information visit www.appleseedsar.org