July 2, 2025 • 25 mins
Join us for a delicious conversation in Bentonville, Arkansas, with James Beard Award finalist Chef Rios of Yeyo's. Learn about his farm-to-table approach, which uses fresh ingredients from local, family-owned farms, and discover the inspiration behind his authentic Mexican cuisine.
We also talk about the restaurant's seasonal menu, community projects, and a special grilled cheese sandwich.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the Bentonville food scene and authentic Mexican flavors.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Biju (00:00):
Dining Out Bentonville.
Beyond the menu, behind theflavor.
Chef Rios (00:06):
Ah, chef Rios, Chef Rios, how are you?
So good to see you again, buddy, so happy to have you here.
Thank you for doing this.
Biju (00:11):
Please, sir, thank you.
Chef Rios (00:12):
Have a seat in your own restaurant.
Biju (00:14):
Thanks for doing this.
Chef Rios (00:15):
Thank you, it's a pleasure, it's wonderful.
This is our second timetogether.
Biju (00:22):
It's at least Glad you're here, thank you, hey everybody,
welcome to another episode ofDining Out Bentonville, brought
to you by the lovely folks atVisit Bentonville and with me
your host Bijou.
Today we're here with Chef Riosof Yayo's, and if you're
anybody who's lived here for anylength of time at all, you've
(00:43):
been to Yayo's or you've heardof Yayo's and you've tried to
get in.
But they're so popular, thelines sometimes you come here
there's an hour wait to get in.
You must wait and get in, chefRios.
Thank you so much for doingthis.
We're sitting in this wonderfulextension of your restaurant.
The whole front of it has beenremodeled.
Chef Rios (01:04):
Yeah, yes, the entire restaurant has been remodeled.
We have the ability to now havethis extension via an event
center.
We have a little stage behindus.
I'm going to say this.
It has the all of the elementsof Mexico.
Through the beat lag, oaxaca isrepresented through mats and
the floors, barro Negro, againfrom Oaxaca, and clay and
(01:28):
artifacts from different partsof and regions of Mexico.
We even have some benches madewith the rafter pieces of the
Union Station in Missouri.
Really, yeah, st Louis.
Biju (01:46):
Is that one of the benches back there?
Chef Rios (01:47):
Yes, that's one of them, so we made a bunch of
benches.
Biju (01:49):
That's a huge chunk of wood.
Chef Rios (01:51):
Yeah, it requires about four people to just lift
it.
Biju (01:54):
What other parts of Mexico ?
Chef Rios (01:55):
Well, in reality, the food represents all of Mexico.
We have Mexico City represented, we have Molinegro from Oaxaca,
we la paz, we have rosaritoensenada.
We have seafood on the menu.
We have rabbit from thesouthern part of mexico in in
yucatan.
Biju (02:12):
Okay, did you have seafood on the menu before?
Is that new?
Chef Rios (02:15):
no, that's totally new people.
People wanted seafood yeahforever.
Biju (02:19):
I think of ensenada yeah I think of that whole region, I
think seafood.
Chef Rios (02:23):
So we have ceviches on the menu, we have red snapper
from the coast of the Pacificcoast and Acapulco Bay.
So all those new menu itemsthat are seasonal, we're going
to have a summer menu and a fallmenu and a winter menu, all
very carefully selected torepresent the different regions.
Biju (02:46):
Very regional as you go.
So for folks who have not beenhere yet, you know this is
really a special restaurant.
The Rios family has farms here.
How long have you had yourfarms?
Chef Rios (02:58):
here, the first farm was established in 2006.
2006.
And then we have a second farmthat was established in 2006.
2006.
And then we have a second farmthat was established in 2020.
Biju (03:07):
Wow, and where is this?
Is it also on the east side oftown?
Chef Rios (03:10):
Yes, so Little Flock Road, 24th Street, and Little
Flock, arkansas, which is justmiles from here, and then the
other one, the other second farm, Ruiz Family Farm is located in
Avoca, avoca.
Biju (03:26):
So I've been to the evoca one and it feels like you're 100
miles away, but it's a fiveminute drive.
Chef Rios (03:32):
Yes, correct, so we literally have my dad and my mom
, uh, in-laws, family membersthat work the farm and they
deliver the produce here everymorning.
Um, which is really cool.
It's hard to find that aroundhere, especially when it comes
to Mexican food.
Mexican restaurantsphone-to-table approach.
Biju (03:50):
It's hard to do what you're doing.
So, if you're starting a newrestaurant, the whole idea that
not only are you going to open arestaurant but you're going to
have your own farm and you'regoing to have your own family
supporting the farm, supportingthe restaurant that's impossible
to do unless you havegenerations of family here with
you that have been at it for thelast 20, 21 years here, which
is incredible.
Chef Rios (04:10):
That's incredible.
And what's most incredible, ormost important, is that these
same family members help usestablish a brand, establish,
not diluting any of the recipes.
So, basically, if it's meant tobe spicy, it's going to be
spicy.
If it requires beans, orwhatever it is it requires to
(04:32):
make sure that we can takepeople back to those regions of
Mexico, then that's what we'regonna do.
Biju (04:38):
The food here I've had many times.
Every time friends are visitingwe come here, whether for
brunch or in the evenings.
The food here is so unlike andunexpected for any sort of
Mexican restaurant in the USanywhere, but definitely for
Arkansas.
I think people think Arkansas,they think, oh, bentonville,
arkansas, you're in the middleof nowhere, usa.
How can the food be any good?
(04:58):
But not only is the ethnic foodin general really good here,
but your food is unlike anythingI've ever had in the country,
like around the US, and I'mfortunate I get to try a lot of
food.
What you do here is so theflavors you get from even the
very simplest of the moles thatyou make the really light
chilies roasted and ground intoit.
(05:20):
You get that depth of flavorfrom very, very humble
ingredients.
Why are you doing that?
In Arkansas People just wanttacos, right.
Chef Rios (05:30):
For the most part, that's not.
You know, people wanteverything that's tasty, that
represents a country.
For instance, in our case, wedon't cut corners, so if it's
meant to have a mulatto chili init, we're going to go and find
it and we import.
We stone grind, we haveequipment and tools that are
(05:56):
made specially for us so that wecan create those processes and
make sure that we are presentingpeople with what we want,
meaning a full representation ofthe culture in a plate.
And it's not hard.
We just need to make sure thatwe keep our roots where they
(06:16):
need to be, and the base, youknow, the foundation of the
Mexican food is at home, andthat's what you want to present
to people?
Biju (06:24):
That's a great way to say it.
Yeah, foundation of Mexicanfood starts at home and is at
home, and that's why you want topresent to people.
That's a great way to say it.
Yeah, foundation of Mexicanfood starts at home and is at
home.
We're fortunate to get to sharethat with you.
If you're watching andlistening, there's a lot of
noise in the background, a lotof chaos.
They're making 1,000 servingsof food, multiple servings of
different dishes, for an eventtonight at Ledger, just super
(06:44):
close to us, over here, a milefrom here.
A mile from here.
In addition to that, you've gotthis restaurant.
You've got your lovelyrestaurant in Rogers, which I
also love.
You've got the food truckdowntown.
You've got the farms and thefarmer's markets.
What else do you have going on?
That doesn't seem like enough.
You must have more going on.
Chef Rios (07:00):
Well, there's not enough.
We do have a new projecthappening as we speak.
It has to do with themanufacturing of tortillas and
tortilla products.
That is, we used to make thosetortillas here at the restaurant
, so now we're venturing outinto the wholesale part, so
you'll see Yeyo's tortillas inthe shelves sometime soon.
(07:23):
But most important, we are agiving family, so we have Yayos
Gives Back in our website, sothere's an X amount of money
that goes out to single moms,art programs, music programs.
Biju (07:36):
All in the Northwest Arkansas region.
Yes, that's wonderful.
Chef Rios (07:38):
Yes, and then we have partnered up with Two Friends
Bookstores.
Okay, it's a communitybookstore that is a
non-for-profit arm.
We have Casa Magnolia Project.
It's literally one of thehistorical homes in downtown
Springdale.
Biju (07:54):
Yeah.
Chef Rios (07:55):
And this house hosts the bookstore, the ice cream
shop, sweet Dream Creamery wecraft our own ice cream.
We have a coffee shop, a bakery, and in Yeo's, the Blue Demon,
there's a big, beautiful truckthat's called the Blue Demon.
That's yours, yeah, blue Demon.
(08:18):
Okay, yeah, so Yeo's has apresence there as well, and you
know, this is more likecommunity driven, so
incentivized programs to havemultilingual families come and
read books.
Yeah, and we have a piano thatis 125 years old, fully tuned.
People can go in there and playit Dungeons and Dragons Club,
(08:40):
chess clubs, book clubs and allof that stuff.
Biju (08:43):
So the piano, the dungeon, this is all part of the truck,
or it's.
Chef Rios (08:45):
It's part of the house Part of the house.
Biju (08:47):
okay, this house.
Where's the house I?
Chef Rios (08:48):
didn't.
This is.
This house is located at 414Holcomb Street in downtown
Springdale, in downtownSpringdale, so that's the latest
project you can also see havereference to it as the Blue
House on Holcomb.
Biju (09:00):
So I mean, there's so much land to cover on everything
that you're doing.
Is all this on your website,somewhere on the Yeyos website?
Chef Rios (09:07):
Yes, so Yeyos has got all the four locations in there
, including the Springdalelocation, and Casa Magnolia is
totally a different project.
Okay, are again incentivizingthe community with a better cost
(09:29):
coffee at an affordable cost,ice cream at an affordable cost
and we're working with ourvendors to take a smaller profit
margin so we can transfer thisto the community and make it a
little bit more affordable.
Yeah, including pay what youcan bookstore, so if you don't
have money, you can still getbook if you read.
Yeah, so get some.
So, yeah, that is wonderful.
So for folks that have beenfortunate bookstore.
Biju (09:45):
So if you don't have money , you can still get a book, you
can still read.
Yeah, that is wonderful.
So for folks that have beenfortunate to come and check out
the places, obviously a lot ofus started with the food truck
downtown.
We know the trucks, we know theburritos that are bigger than
my head.
They're wonderful.
You sit there, you wait.
It's right in the middle ofdowntown Bentonville.
Is that what started for you?
Was that the first one?
Chef Rios (10:05):
that's correct.
I started this food truck, uh,in 2012, um, and that's the
first one of its kind inBentonville.
Yeah, groundbreakingopportunity for us to showcase
Mexican food, you know, withhigher quality, and making sure
that we were paying attention tothe craftsmanship, how it's
being prepared, the process ofmaking the rice and having
(10:27):
standardized recipes so thatthere's continuity, and stuff
like that.
So that's what we started in2012.
This restaurant where we arenow started in 2017, and then
2019, right before COVID, weopened this restaurant in this
Mezcal bar in Rogers that is abeautiful space, by the way
which we then closed.
Yeah, it's a beautiful place.
(10:47):
It's like a museum of masks.
Yeah, wait, did you close it?
Biju (10:53):
No, we closed.
Chef Rios (10:54):
When we opened this restaurant, we closed because of
COVID Got it, got it.
Biju (11:02):
And then we reopened two years later because that's how
long it took for us to get backin our feet.
So the Yayo's in Rogers withthe Mezcal bar, it's behind Onyx
, it's right in the main drag.
There you go.
If you're looking at the Onyxbuilding, just walk to the left
behind it.
It's beautiful.
You go up some stairs.
It's a gorgeous, intimate space.
I love that space so much.
We have so much more to talkabout and we could go on for
hours.
But also the folks watching andlistening know that every time
(11:22):
we do this, we get to make agreat grilled cheese with the
chef, his interpretation ofwhatever a grilled cheese would
be, with their ingredients,seasonal, fresh, his favorite,
it doesn't matter.
We get to share something thatis in the format, remotely, of a
grilled cheese, which alsomakes me think of two things.
Chef Rios (11:40):
One.
I like the remotely part.
That's what we're going to dotoday.
Biju (11:44):
You're up for another James Beard Award.
Chef Rios (11:46):
Yes.
Biju (11:47):
When is that happening?
Chef Rios (11:47):
this week, that happens on June 16th, at the
Opera in Chicago.
Yeah, and we have been invited.
We're, for the first time infive nominations, a nominee like
an actual finalist.
We've been finalists but we'rein the shortlist and I get to
(12:08):
wear my bow tie and be a formaldressed attendee and hopefully
we can bring that home.
Biju (12:14):
So I know most folks watching know how important and
how prestigious a James BeardAward is, not only for the
restaurant itself but for thewhole community.
Anybody prestigious a JamesBeard Award is for not only for
the restaurant itself but forthe whole community.
Anybody getting a James Beardnod, anybody winning a James
Beard Award really elevateseveryone in the community and
brings more eyeballs and moreattention to us and more
(12:34):
interest in the culinary scenehere.
And I can't imagine anybodybetter than you to receive it
and to carry the torch.
And because you're alreadydoing so much for the community
and the food here is sowonderful and so lovely and it
just you know.
You can tell that it comes fromthe heart, which then also
brings me back to you know theway that you speak about
(12:55):
standardizing recipes,standardizing menus, the way
that you look when you walkEvery single time I've seen you
in the last couple of years youlook exactly like this.
You know you're like, you'realways sharp on point, ready to
go.
There's got to be a militarybackground in there somewhere
there is, there is a militarybackground.
Chef Rios (13:12):
I try not to bring this to work so much, because
then I will militarize thisplace and that's scary.
But there's certain things youknow, like making sure that the
tables are neat, making surethat people are doing the right
thing, making sure that we havecontinuity, that we follow rules
and recipes and that we don'tjust do things to do them and
(13:37):
you served in the US Army.
Biju (13:37):
They have a purpose.
Yes, when you were a youngerman and for folks that didn't
grow up in military families orstrict families.
When you're a kid it sucks whenyou're going through it, but
later in life you realize itactually makes life easier.
Yeah, when you have a certainset of parameters and guides for
everybody, we're all workingoff the same notes.
It makes everyone's lifesimpler.
Chef Rios (14:04):
It makes the whole experience better.
It's a lot about teamwork andcreating teams that are capable
of overcoming obstacles that arecommonly coming to us.
So it allows you to domentorship.
It allows you to do a lot ofthings that normally and
everyone can do this, but whenyou have a military background,
there's this pronounced way ofdoing things.
(14:27):
It has to do with like, hey,you know, don't do that because
you know that's not right.
You don't do that becausethat's not right.
Or hey, come, let me teach youa thing, or let me teach you a
couple of things, so that youcan, let me show you a better
way.
Yeah, and become good citizens.
People.
You know, we mentors, uh, inthis industry period, um and we,
(14:48):
I love to see success storieswithin my teams and that's
that's really what I focus onwhen I think military, you know
yeah, and it's a good point.
Biju (14:57):
Whether you want to or not , at some point in your life, at
some age, you are mentoringpeople.
Good or bad, you're mentoringpeople.
Other people are looking to youfor inspiration, for advice,
for direction, and you know Ipersonally, I know you do we do
the best we can to be a goodinfluence on people and it
definitely shows here.
Looking at the new menu,there's a lot of new items, more
(15:21):
seasonal I saw rabbit on there,seafood which I hadn't seen
before.
Tell me about that Is the wholenew menu.
Is it regularly changing?
Is it a set menu for the year?
What do you think?
Chef Rios (15:31):
Yeah, it's just another step of showcasing
Mexican cuisine by the regions.
So very pronounced places.
You know we have the, you knowthe peninsula, the Yucatan
Peninsula.
We have the Pacific, fullyrepresented through our seafood,
Acapulco Bay.
So very, very, very much thingsthat remind me of something
(15:54):
that I had in the past, thatkind of stuck with me and I said
, man, this, everyone shouldknow this and have this.
So the idea behind the seasonalmenu is not only to offer the
staples that people like andknow, but also enrich people and
(16:14):
the bounty that Mexico has interms of food.
Mexico is a big country.
Yeah, and it's one of the bigcountries in the world that has
for history With massiveculinary history and the
ingredients and everythingchanges so much.
And I want to showcase this topeople.
There's more than tacos,there's more than carnitas,
(16:35):
there's more than al pastortacos, which are staples.
I mean, no one can live withoutthose anymore, you know.
But I think there's so muchmore for people to see and know.
Yeah, so, um, the processes,the ingredients.
You know.
Rabbit is on the menu.
We eat it in mexico.
We eat feta cheese in mexico.
We come feed in mexico.
We do all this great stuff.
Biju (16:56):
Uh wait, you eat feta cheese yeah, like like goat
cheese, goat cheese, yeah, andyou do a dry aging on it, so
it's kind of rumbly.
Chef Rios (17:03):
Yes, yeah, so all of those things.
It's like we do have cotija,you know, the Romano cheese
version of you know, or Parmesancheese.
Asadero is from the northernpart in Chihuahua, the northern
part of Mexico, from Zacatecasto the borderlines.
(17:24):
But we have all of those thingsand people need to know that.
Yeah.
Biju (17:29):
And what better place to experience it than here?
That being said, I think it'stime for us to go in the kitchen
and make it real cheese.
Let's go.
Let's go and see what we can do.
Chef Rios (17:38):
I love this.
I'm going to show you how to doa grilled cheese sandwich.
The real grilled cheesesandwich.
Oh, the real grilled cheeseFrom Mexico.
So, rather than using thetraditional, you know, sourdough
or something like that, we'regoing to use the Toledo bread,
which is very much a Frenchbread.
It will have a little bit ofthe crust on the top, nice, and
(18:02):
it's kind of hard, but it'sgonna get really beautifully
done here.
So we're gonna start with alittle bit of butter, nice, we
like this already and we'regonna place it face down first.
We're gonna be using adifferent kind of cheeses.
Normally you would use Gruyerecheese or something like that,
(18:23):
but we don't carry that here, soI'm going to make it with what
we have.
Okay, a little bit of MontereyJack, some sharp cheddar, a
little bit of sautéed vegetables, grilled onions, tomatoes, and
then a version of the tartarsauce from Baja California.
Biju (18:42):
Okay, I'm going to stay out of the way so you can do
this.
Yeah, my hands are out of thetartar sauce from Baja
California.
Okay, I'm gonna stay out of theway so you can do this.
Yeah, my hands are out of theway.
Yes, that looks incredible.
Chef Rios (18:49):
Yes, I wanna eat this cheese.
It's gonna be super refreshing,sharp.
The cheese is gonna be a littlebit on the sharp side, almost
pungent.
It'll take a little bit of timeto get this done.
Okay, I love it.
I have a.
It'll take a little bit of timeto get this done okay.
Biju (19:03):
I love it.
I have a feeling, whateverhappens here, it's going to be
good.
Chef Rios (19:09):
Well, we're going to use a little bit of the
vegetables again.
Biju (19:12):
Nice, nice.
Chef Rios (19:13):
We could use this with pork chook, which is our
grilled pork, and it could be anal pastor seasoning, it could
be carnitas, more like on theside of the cubano, you know, oh
, yeah, yeah.
So we can make it in so manydifferent ways, but for this
occasion we're gonna make itwith, just like, the blistered
(19:36):
tomatoes, caramelized onions,the sauce, ah.
Biju (19:39):
Yeah, okay, I love this very much.
I know you're going out for aJames Beard Award.
How many times have you beennominated?
Chef Rios (19:47):
This is my fifth nomination and the very first
time ever that I'm actuallymaking as the nominee.
Okay, got it, got it sofinalist.
Fifth time as a finalist, onetime this year as the nominee,
and you were Along with ChefCooper and Wright Wright.
Biju (20:07):
Wright's Barbecue.
Yeah, wright's Barbecue.
So you were definitely one ofthe first, if not the first,
chef in the state of Arkansasmany years ago to get nominated
or to get a nod from James Beard.
Chef Rios (20:20):
Yes, this shows consistency, basically.
So we were the first chefs, thefirst chef in the state of
Arkansas, along with MattMcClure I don't know if you
recall, matt McClure is now inVermont, I believe.
Oh, nice, if I recall, hi chef,hey Matt, he's doing great
(20:40):
things.
He's actually one of the IronChef or one of those big shows.
So just say thank you for allhis mentorship, because he was
one of the first ambassadors ofthe culinary scene here as well,
along with Mike Robbershaw andMatt Cooper.
Oh, wow.
Biju (20:57):
So it's pretty cool to think that going from having one
chef from the entire stateyears ago to having three chefs
from right here gettingnominated this year from James
Beard, that's pretty special.
Let's see how a whole, a wholecommunity and the whole you know
community of chefs andrestaurants has really come up a
long way in the last few years.
Chef Rios (21:18):
I agree.
Well, it shows again.
It shows consistency.
It shows that we're doingsomething right here in
Northwest Arkansas and talent iscoming in.
It's pouring in from all partsof the world.
So I believe that there's a lotof talent here in the Northwest
Arkansas region and more andmore coming every day.
Biju (21:35):
So we need more of you coming this way so you can work
with fine gentlemen like this,you know, and help us yes, help
us continue to grow.
All right, I'm going to bereally quiet and really still,
what do you?
Chef Rios (21:49):
got.
So we got the crema sauce.
It has some capers, it hastarragon, oh man.
It has more caramelized onionsand some peppers.
Biju (22:02):
So it's like a really extra tartar sauce.
Yes, it's a.
Yes, I like it Toucheshappening.
Chef Rios (22:10):
Yeah, nice and very good cheese.
And I put this right on topBeautiful.
Yeah, it has an extra sharpcheddar.
We're gonna put some extra inthere because I love it so much.
And then we finalize with alittle bit of Monterey and
cheddar, just regular cheddar.
(22:31):
Put this in here.
Biju (22:33):
What are the chances this is gonna make the menu at some
point, maybe a special menu,maybe a brunch special.
Chef Rios (22:38):
I think this is good for when, after a bike ride,
like you normally do, and thenjust a snack, great, wonderful,
and we can make differentversions.
Like I said, we got somechicken, we can do chicken, we
can do pork, we can do alfalfa.
Biju (22:56):
You got shrimp, you got lobster, you got all kinds of
stuff.
Chef Rios (22:58):
Yeah, but this is more like family meals.
We normally do this for likefamily meals, and we actually
have a italian day.
We have a chinese day.
Biju (23:09):
Yeah, we make chinese food near daniels for for our
employees, the staff for thefamily meals, and if you, if you
, if you've never worked at arestaurant, the family meal is
usually the best meal happening,but you can only get it if you
work in the kitchen.
Chef Rios (23:24):
So we're gonna turn the temperature down just a bit
so it becomes crispy andbeautiful.
We don't want it to smoke toomuch.
Look at this, hey Chef.
All right, ready, we're gonnaget this out.
Nice grill marks on there.
Biju (23:40):
Nice grill marks.
Chef Rios (23:43):
Nice and crispy, look at that Feel that I'm gonna
share this.
Biju (23:48):
This Beautiful All right Lots of cheese.
I did not touch yours by theway oh that's good Chef.
Thank you, buddy Cheers.
This is beautiful Look at thisEnjoy.
Huh, mmm, nice and crispy yeah.
Chef Rios (24:09):
That bread is crunchier than it is crisp.
Biju (24:11):
It's a.
The texture is really good andthe good thing about Toledo
bread it's versatile.
Chef Rios (24:19):
You can make tortas out of this.
Yeah, you can make grilledcheese sandwiches like this,
because the nice thing aboutToledo bread, it's versatile.
You can make tortas out of this.
You can make grilled cheesesandwiches like this.
Biju (24:27):
Because it's nice and dense but it's crunchy without
being hard.
Chef Rios (24:31):
Yes, oh man, that's good.
So you will hear the crunch inevery bite, but it's not hard.
Biju (24:38):
That's what makes tortas so special too.
You get every bite, you get alittle, and the onions are nice
and sweet, the cheese has alittle bit of heat, or the blend
it's beautiful.
Well, thank you, chef.
One more time, thank you, thankyou.
Come to Yayo's.
Say hi to this guy.
Dining Out Bentonville.
Beyond the menu, behind theflavor.
Chef Rios (00:06):
Ah, chef Rios, Chef Rios, how are you?
So good to see you again, buddy, so happy to have you here.
Thank you for doing this.
Biju (00:11):
Please, sir, thank you.
Chef Rios (00:12):
Have a seat in your own restaurant.
Biju (00:14):
Thanks for doing this.
Chef Rios (00:15):
Thank you, it's a pleasure, it's wonderful.
This is our second timetogether.
Biju (00:22):
It's at least Glad you're here, thank you, hey everybody,
welcome to another episode ofDining Out Bentonville, brought
to you by the lovely folks atVisit Bentonville and with me
your host Bijou.
Today we're here with Chef Riosof Yayo's, and if you're
anybody who's lived here for anylength of time at all, you've
(00:43):
been to Yayo's or you've heardof Yayo's and you've tried to
get in.
But they're so popular, thelines sometimes you come here
there's an hour wait to get in.
You must wait and get in, chefRios.
Thank you so much for doingthis.
We're sitting in this wonderfulextension of your restaurant.
The whole front of it has beenremodeled.
Chef Rios (01:04):
Yeah, yes, the entire restaurant has been remodeled.
We have the ability to now havethis extension via an event
center.
We have a little stage behindus.
I'm going to say this.
It has the all of the elementsof Mexico.
Through the beat lag, oaxaca isrepresented through mats and
the floors, barro Negro, againfrom Oaxaca, and clay and
(01:28):
artifacts from different partsof and regions of Mexico.
We even have some benches madewith the rafter pieces of the
Union Station in Missouri.
Really, yeah, st Louis.
Biju (01:46):
Is that one of the benches back there?
Chef Rios (01:47):
Yes, that's one of them, so we made a bunch of
benches.
Biju (01:49):
That's a huge chunk of wood.
Chef Rios (01:51):
Yeah, it requires about four people to just lift
it.
Biju (01:54):
What other parts of Mexico ?
Chef Rios (01:55):
Well, in reality, the food represents all of Mexico.
We have Mexico City represented, we have Molinegro from Oaxaca,
we la paz, we have rosaritoensenada.
We have seafood on the menu.
We have rabbit from thesouthern part of mexico in in
yucatan.
Biju (02:12):
Okay, did you have seafood on the menu before?
Is that new?
Chef Rios (02:15):
no, that's totally new people.
People wanted seafood yeahforever.
Biju (02:19):
I think of ensenada yeah I think of that whole region, I
think seafood.
Chef Rios (02:23):
So we have ceviches on the menu, we have red snapper
from the coast of the Pacificcoast and Acapulco Bay.
So all those new menu itemsthat are seasonal, we're going
to have a summer menu and a fallmenu and a winter menu, all
very carefully selected torepresent the different regions.
Biju (02:46):
Very regional as you go.
So for folks who have not beenhere yet, you know this is
really a special restaurant.
The Rios family has farms here.
How long have you had yourfarms?
Chef Rios (02:58):
here, the first farm was established in 2006.
2006.
And then we have a second farmthat was established in 2006.
2006.
And then we have a second farmthat was established in 2020.
Biju (03:07):
Wow, and where is this?
Is it also on the east side oftown?
Chef Rios (03:10):
Yes, so Little Flock Road, 24th Street, and Little
Flock, arkansas, which is justmiles from here, and then the
other one, the other second farm, Ruiz Family Farm is located in
Avoca, avoca.
Biju (03:26):
So I've been to the evoca one and it feels like you're 100
miles away, but it's a fiveminute drive.
Chef Rios (03:32):
Yes, correct, so we literally have my dad and my mom
, uh, in-laws, family membersthat work the farm and they
deliver the produce here everymorning.
Um, which is really cool.
It's hard to find that aroundhere, especially when it comes
to Mexican food.
Mexican restaurantsphone-to-table approach.
Biju (03:50):
It's hard to do what you're doing.
So, if you're starting a newrestaurant, the whole idea that
not only are you going to open arestaurant but you're going to
have your own farm and you'regoing to have your own family
supporting the farm, supportingthe restaurant that's impossible
to do unless you havegenerations of family here with
you that have been at it for thelast 20, 21 years here, which
is incredible.
Chef Rios (04:10):
That's incredible.
And what's most incredible, ormost important, is that these
same family members help usestablish a brand, establish,
not diluting any of the recipes.
So, basically, if it's meant tobe spicy, it's going to be
spicy.
If it requires beans, orwhatever it is it requires to
(04:32):
make sure that we can takepeople back to those regions of
Mexico, then that's what we'regonna do.
Biju (04:38):
The food here I've had many times.
Every time friends are visitingwe come here, whether for
brunch or in the evenings.
The food here is so unlike andunexpected for any sort of
Mexican restaurant in the USanywhere, but definitely for
Arkansas.
I think people think Arkansas,they think, oh, bentonville,
arkansas, you're in the middleof nowhere, usa.
How can the food be any good?
(04:58):
But not only is the ethnic foodin general really good here,
but your food is unlike anythingI've ever had in the country,
like around the US, and I'mfortunate I get to try a lot of
food.
What you do here is so theflavors you get from even the
very simplest of the moles thatyou make the really light
chilies roasted and ground intoit.
(05:20):
You get that depth of flavorfrom very, very humble
ingredients.
Why are you doing that?
In Arkansas People just wanttacos, right.
Chef Rios (05:30):
For the most part, that's not.
You know, people wanteverything that's tasty, that
represents a country.
For instance, in our case, wedon't cut corners, so if it's
meant to have a mulatto chili init, we're going to go and find
it and we import.
We stone grind, we haveequipment and tools that are
(05:56):
made specially for us so that wecan create those processes and
make sure that we are presentingpeople with what we want,
meaning a full representation ofthe culture in a plate.
And it's not hard.
We just need to make sure thatwe keep our roots where they
(06:16):
need to be, and the base, youknow, the foundation of the
Mexican food is at home, andthat's what you want to present
to people?
Biju (06:24):
That's a great way to say it.
Yeah, foundation of Mexicanfood starts at home and is at
home, and that's why you want topresent to people.
That's a great way to say it.
Yeah, foundation of Mexicanfood starts at home and is at
home.
We're fortunate to get to sharethat with you.
If you're watching andlistening, there's a lot of
noise in the background, a lotof chaos.
They're making 1,000 servingsof food, multiple servings of
different dishes, for an eventtonight at Ledger, just super
(06:44):
close to us, over here, a milefrom here.
A mile from here.
In addition to that, you've gotthis restaurant.
You've got your lovelyrestaurant in Rogers, which I
also love.
You've got the food truckdowntown.
You've got the farms and thefarmer's markets.
What else do you have going on?
That doesn't seem like enough.
You must have more going on.
Chef Rios (07:00):
Well, there's not enough.
We do have a new projecthappening as we speak.
It has to do with themanufacturing of tortillas and
tortilla products.
That is, we used to make thosetortillas here at the restaurant
, so now we're venturing outinto the wholesale part, so
you'll see Yeyo's tortillas inthe shelves sometime soon.
(07:23):
But most important, we are agiving family, so we have Yayos
Gives Back in our website, sothere's an X amount of money
that goes out to single moms,art programs, music programs.
Biju (07:36):
All in the Northwest Arkansas region.
Yes, that's wonderful.
Chef Rios (07:38):
Yes, and then we have partnered up with Two Friends
Bookstores.
Okay, it's a communitybookstore that is a
non-for-profit arm.
We have Casa Magnolia Project.
It's literally one of thehistorical homes in downtown
Springdale.
Biju (07:54):
Yeah.
Chef Rios (07:55):
And this house hosts the bookstore, the ice cream
shop, sweet Dream Creamery wecraft our own ice cream.
We have a coffee shop, a bakery, and in Yeo's, the Blue Demon,
there's a big, beautiful truckthat's called the Blue Demon.
That's yours, yeah, blue Demon.
(08:18):
Okay, yeah, so Yeo's has apresence there as well, and you
know, this is more likecommunity driven, so
incentivized programs to havemultilingual families come and
read books.
Yeah, and we have a piano thatis 125 years old, fully tuned.
People can go in there and playit Dungeons and Dragons Club,
(08:40):
chess clubs, book clubs and allof that stuff.
Biju (08:43):
So the piano, the dungeon, this is all part of the truck,
or it's.
Chef Rios (08:45):
It's part of the house Part of the house.
Biju (08:47):
okay, this house.
Where's the house I?
Chef Rios (08:48):
didn't.
This is.
This house is located at 414Holcomb Street in downtown
Springdale, in downtownSpringdale, so that's the latest
project you can also see havereference to it as the Blue
House on Holcomb.
Biju (09:00):
So I mean, there's so much land to cover on everything
that you're doing.
Is all this on your website,somewhere on the Yeyos website?
Chef Rios (09:07):
Yes, so Yeyos has got all the four locations in there
, including the Springdalelocation, and Casa Magnolia is
totally a different project.
Okay, are again incentivizingthe community with a better cost
(09:29):
coffee at an affordable cost,ice cream at an affordable cost
and we're working with ourvendors to take a smaller profit
margin so we can transfer thisto the community and make it a
little bit more affordable.
Yeah, including pay what youcan bookstore, so if you don't
have money, you can still getbook if you read.
Yeah, so get some.
So, yeah, that is wonderful.
So for folks that have beenfortunate bookstore.
Biju (09:45):
So if you don't have money , you can still get a book, you
can still read.
Yeah, that is wonderful.
So for folks that have beenfortunate to come and check out
the places, obviously a lot ofus started with the food truck
downtown.
We know the trucks, we know theburritos that are bigger than
my head.
They're wonderful.
You sit there, you wait.
It's right in the middle ofdowntown Bentonville.
Is that what started for you?
Was that the first one?
Chef Rios (10:05):
that's correct.
I started this food truck, uh,in 2012, um, and that's the
first one of its kind inBentonville.
Yeah, groundbreakingopportunity for us to showcase
Mexican food, you know, withhigher quality, and making sure
that we were paying attention tothe craftsmanship, how it's
being prepared, the process ofmaking the rice and having
(10:27):
standardized recipes so thatthere's continuity, and stuff
like that.
So that's what we started in2012.
This restaurant where we arenow started in 2017, and then
2019, right before COVID, weopened this restaurant in this
Mezcal bar in Rogers that is abeautiful space, by the way
which we then closed.
Yeah, it's a beautiful place.
(10:47):
It's like a museum of masks.
Yeah, wait, did you close it?
Biju (10:53):
No, we closed.
Chef Rios (10:54):
When we opened this restaurant, we closed because of
COVID Got it, got it.
Biju (11:02):
And then we reopened two years later because that's how
long it took for us to get backin our feet.
So the Yayo's in Rogers withthe Mezcal bar, it's behind Onyx
, it's right in the main drag.
There you go.
If you're looking at the Onyxbuilding, just walk to the left
behind it.
It's beautiful.
You go up some stairs.
It's a gorgeous, intimate space.
I love that space so much.
We have so much more to talkabout and we could go on for
hours.
But also the folks watching andlistening know that every time
(11:22):
we do this, we get to make agreat grilled cheese with the
chef, his interpretation ofwhatever a grilled cheese would
be, with their ingredients,seasonal, fresh, his favorite,
it doesn't matter.
We get to share something thatis in the format, remotely, of a
grilled cheese, which alsomakes me think of two things.
Chef Rios (11:40):
One.
I like the remotely part.
That's what we're going to dotoday.
Biju (11:44):
You're up for another James Beard Award.
Chef Rios (11:46):
Yes.
Biju (11:47):
When is that happening?
Chef Rios (11:47):
this week, that happens on June 16th, at the
Opera in Chicago.
Yeah, and we have been invited.
We're, for the first time infive nominations, a nominee like
an actual finalist.
We've been finalists but we'rein the shortlist and I get to
(12:08):
wear my bow tie and be a formaldressed attendee and hopefully
we can bring that home.
Biju (12:14):
So I know most folks watching know how important and
how prestigious a James BeardAward is, not only for the
restaurant itself but for thewhole community.
Anybody prestigious a JamesBeard Award is for not only for
the restaurant itself but forthe whole community.
Anybody getting a James Beardnod, anybody winning a James
Beard Award really elevateseveryone in the community and
brings more eyeballs and moreattention to us and more
(12:34):
interest in the culinary scenehere.
And I can't imagine anybodybetter than you to receive it
and to carry the torch.
And because you're alreadydoing so much for the community
and the food here is sowonderful and so lovely and it
just you know.
You can tell that it comes fromthe heart, which then also
brings me back to you know theway that you speak about
(12:55):
standardizing recipes,standardizing menus, the way
that you look when you walkEvery single time I've seen you
in the last couple of years youlook exactly like this.
You know you're like, you'realways sharp on point, ready to
go.
There's got to be a militarybackground in there somewhere
there is, there is a militarybackground.
Chef Rios (13:12):
I try not to bring this to work so much, because
then I will militarize thisplace and that's scary.
But there's certain things youknow, like making sure that the
tables are neat, making surethat people are doing the right
thing, making sure that we havecontinuity, that we follow rules
and recipes and that we don'tjust do things to do them and
(13:37):
you served in the US Army.
Biju (13:37):
They have a purpose.
Yes, when you were a youngerman and for folks that didn't
grow up in military families orstrict families.
When you're a kid it sucks whenyou're going through it, but
later in life you realize itactually makes life easier.
Yeah, when you have a certainset of parameters and guides for
everybody, we're all workingoff the same notes.
It makes everyone's lifesimpler.
Chef Rios (14:04):
It makes the whole experience better.
It's a lot about teamwork andcreating teams that are capable
of overcoming obstacles that arecommonly coming to us.
So it allows you to domentorship.
It allows you to do a lot ofthings that normally and
everyone can do this, but whenyou have a military background,
there's this pronounced way ofdoing things.
(14:27):
It has to do with like, hey,you know, don't do that because
you know that's not right.
You don't do that becausethat's not right.
Or hey, come, let me teach youa thing, or let me teach you a
couple of things, so that youcan, let me show you a better
way.
Yeah, and become good citizens.
People.
You know, we mentors, uh, inthis industry period, um and we,
(14:48):
I love to see success storieswithin my teams and that's
that's really what I focus onwhen I think military, you know
yeah, and it's a good point.
Biju (14:57):
Whether you want to or not , at some point in your life, at
some age, you are mentoringpeople.
Good or bad, you're mentoringpeople.
Other people are looking to youfor inspiration, for advice,
for direction, and you know Ipersonally, I know you do we do
the best we can to be a goodinfluence on people and it
definitely shows here.
Looking at the new menu,there's a lot of new items, more
(15:21):
seasonal I saw rabbit on there,seafood which I hadn't seen
before.
Tell me about that Is the wholenew menu.
Is it regularly changing?
Is it a set menu for the year?
What do you think?
Chef Rios (15:31):
Yeah, it's just another step of showcasing
Mexican cuisine by the regions.
So very pronounced places.
You know we have the, you knowthe peninsula, the Yucatan
Peninsula.
We have the Pacific, fullyrepresented through our seafood,
Acapulco Bay.
So very, very, very much thingsthat remind me of something
(15:54):
that I had in the past, thatkind of stuck with me and I said
, man, this, everyone shouldknow this and have this.
So the idea behind the seasonalmenu is not only to offer the
staples that people like andknow, but also enrich people and
(16:14):
the bounty that Mexico has interms of food.
Mexico is a big country.
Yeah, and it's one of the bigcountries in the world that has
for history With massiveculinary history and the
ingredients and everythingchanges so much.
And I want to showcase this topeople.
There's more than tacos,there's more than carnitas,
(16:35):
there's more than al pastortacos, which are staples.
I mean, no one can live withoutthose anymore, you know.
But I think there's so muchmore for people to see and know.
Yeah, so, um, the processes,the ingredients.
You know.
Rabbit is on the menu.
We eat it in mexico.
We eat feta cheese in mexico.
We come feed in mexico.
We do all this great stuff.
Biju (16:56):
Uh wait, you eat feta cheese yeah, like like goat
cheese, goat cheese, yeah, andyou do a dry aging on it, so
it's kind of rumbly.
Chef Rios (17:03):
Yes, yeah, so all of those things.
It's like we do have cotija,you know, the Romano cheese
version of you know, or Parmesancheese.
Asadero is from the northernpart in Chihuahua, the northern
part of Mexico, from Zacatecasto the borderlines.
(17:24):
But we have all of those thingsand people need to know that.
Yeah.
Biju (17:29):
And what better place to experience it than here?
That being said, I think it'stime for us to go in the kitchen
and make it real cheese.
Let's go.
Let's go and see what we can do.
Chef Rios (17:38):
I love this.
I'm going to show you how to doa grilled cheese sandwich.
The real grilled cheesesandwich.
Oh, the real grilled cheeseFrom Mexico.
So, rather than using thetraditional, you know, sourdough
or something like that, we'regoing to use the Toledo bread,
which is very much a Frenchbread.
It will have a little bit ofthe crust on the top, nice, and
(18:02):
it's kind of hard, but it'sgonna get really beautifully
done here.
So we're gonna start with alittle bit of butter, nice, we
like this already and we'regonna place it face down first.
We're gonna be using adifferent kind of cheeses.
Normally you would use Gruyerecheese or something like that,
(18:23):
but we don't carry that here, soI'm going to make it with what
we have.
Okay, a little bit of MontereyJack, some sharp cheddar, a
little bit of sautéed vegetables, grilled onions, tomatoes, and
then a version of the tartarsauce from Baja California.
Biju (18:42):
Okay, I'm going to stay out of the way so you can do
this.
Yeah, my hands are out of thetartar sauce from Baja
California.
Okay, I'm gonna stay out of theway so you can do this.
Yeah, my hands are out of theway.
Yes, that looks incredible.
Chef Rios (18:49):
Yes, I wanna eat this cheese.
It's gonna be super refreshing,sharp.
The cheese is gonna be a littlebit on the sharp side, almost
pungent.
It'll take a little bit of timeto get this done.
Okay, I love it.
I have a.
It'll take a little bit of timeto get this done okay.
Biju (19:03):
I love it.
I have a feeling, whateverhappens here, it's going to be
good.
Chef Rios (19:09):
Well, we're going to use a little bit of the
vegetables again.
Biju (19:12):
Nice, nice.
Chef Rios (19:13):
We could use this with pork chook, which is our
grilled pork, and it could be anal pastor seasoning, it could
be carnitas, more like on theside of the cubano, you know, oh
, yeah, yeah.
So we can make it in so manydifferent ways, but for this
occasion we're gonna make itwith, just like, the blistered
(19:36):
tomatoes, caramelized onions,the sauce, ah.
Biju (19:39):
Yeah, okay, I love this very much.
I know you're going out for aJames Beard Award.
How many times have you beennominated?
Chef Rios (19:47):
This is my fifth nomination and the very first
time ever that I'm actuallymaking as the nominee.
Okay, got it, got it sofinalist.
Fifth time as a finalist, onetime this year as the nominee,
and you were Along with ChefCooper and Wright Wright.
Biju (20:07):
Wright's Barbecue.
Yeah, wright's Barbecue.
So you were definitely one ofthe first, if not the first,
chef in the state of Arkansasmany years ago to get nominated
or to get a nod from James Beard.
Chef Rios (20:20):
Yes, this shows consistency, basically.
So we were the first chefs, thefirst chef in the state of
Arkansas, along with MattMcClure I don't know if you
recall, matt McClure is now inVermont, I believe.
Oh, nice, if I recall, hi chef,hey Matt, he's doing great
(20:40):
things.
He's actually one of the IronChef or one of those big shows.
So just say thank you for allhis mentorship, because he was
one of the first ambassadors ofthe culinary scene here as well,
along with Mike Robbershaw andMatt Cooper.
Oh, wow.
Biju (20:57):
So it's pretty cool to think that going from having one
chef from the entire stateyears ago to having three chefs
from right here gettingnominated this year from James
Beard, that's pretty special.
Let's see how a whole, a wholecommunity and the whole you know
community of chefs andrestaurants has really come up a
long way in the last few years.
Chef Rios (21:18):
I agree.
Well, it shows again.
It shows consistency.
It shows that we're doingsomething right here in
Northwest Arkansas and talent iscoming in.
It's pouring in from all partsof the world.
So I believe that there's a lotof talent here in the Northwest
Arkansas region and more andmore coming every day.
Biju (21:35):
So we need more of you coming this way so you can work
with fine gentlemen like this,you know, and help us yes, help
us continue to grow.
All right, I'm going to bereally quiet and really still,
what do you?
Chef Rios (21:49):
got.
So we got the crema sauce.
It has some capers, it hastarragon, oh man.
It has more caramelized onionsand some peppers.
Biju (22:02):
So it's like a really extra tartar sauce.
Yes, it's a.
Yes, I like it Toucheshappening.
Chef Rios (22:10):
Yeah, nice and very good cheese.
And I put this right on topBeautiful.
Yeah, it has an extra sharpcheddar.
We're gonna put some extra inthere because I love it so much.
And then we finalize with alittle bit of Monterey and
cheddar, just regular cheddar.
(22:31):
Put this in here.
Biju (22:33):
What are the chances this is gonna make the menu at some
point, maybe a special menu,maybe a brunch special.
Chef Rios (22:38):
I think this is good for when, after a bike ride,
like you normally do, and thenjust a snack, great, wonderful,
and we can make differentversions.
Like I said, we got somechicken, we can do chicken, we
can do pork, we can do alfalfa.
Biju (22:56):
You got shrimp, you got lobster, you got all kinds of
stuff.
Chef Rios (22:58):
Yeah, but this is more like family meals.
We normally do this for likefamily meals, and we actually
have a italian day.
We have a chinese day.
Biju (23:09):
Yeah, we make chinese food near daniels for for our
employees, the staff for thefamily meals, and if you, if you
, if you've never worked at arestaurant, the family meal is
usually the best meal happening,but you can only get it if you
work in the kitchen.
Chef Rios (23:24):
So we're gonna turn the temperature down just a bit
so it becomes crispy andbeautiful.
We don't want it to smoke toomuch.
Look at this, hey Chef.
All right, ready, we're gonnaget this out.
Nice grill marks on there.
Biju (23:40):
Nice grill marks.
Chef Rios (23:43):
Nice and crispy, look at that Feel that I'm gonna
share this.
Biju (23:48):
This Beautiful All right Lots of cheese.
I did not touch yours by theway oh that's good Chef.
Thank you, buddy Cheers.
This is beautiful Look at thisEnjoy.
Huh, mmm, nice and crispy yeah.
Chef Rios (24:09):
That bread is crunchier than it is crisp.
Biju (24:11):
It's a.
The texture is really good andthe good thing about Toledo
bread it's versatile.
Chef Rios (24:19):
You can make tortas out of this.
Yeah, you can make grilledcheese sandwiches like this,
because the nice thing aboutToledo bread, it's versatile.
You can make tortas out of this.
You can make grilled cheesesandwiches like this.
Biju (24:27):
Because it's nice and dense but it's crunchy without
being hard.
Chef Rios (24:31):
Yes, oh man, that's good.
So you will hear the crunch inevery bite, but it's not hard.
Biju (24:38):
That's what makes tortas so special too.
You get every bite, you get alittle, and the onions are nice
and sweet, the cheese has alittle bit of heat, or the blend
it's beautiful.
Well, thank you, chef.
One more time, thank you, thankyou.
Come to Yayo's.
Say hi to this guy.
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Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.