Secret Spoon Society

10/05/2026

I had a feeling last night was going to feel a little different.

Boy, did it.

At some point it stopped feeling like an event I was hosting and started feeling more like having a bunch of friends over for dinner and sharing something I really love with them.

And then there's Shaun Munday.

There were a couple moments where all I could think was, “Brotha... your Berklee education is showing.”

He'd move through Motown and soul, find a melody somewhere completely unexpected, make the whole room laugh, and somehow make all of it belong together.

To label as talented, feels understated.

At one point, I was plating shrimp cocktail and from the other room I hear:

“Dun-dun.”

I looked around the corner. Heads tilted sideways all over the room.

Are we really doing the Law & Order SVU theme right now?

Yep.

It was that kind of night.

I can plan the menu. Set the tables. Pour the w**e. Book the music. But whatever happens once everybody settles into the room together, that's the part you can't manufacture.

Brance Bess, Ivey Mendoza, and Plusgrand Media, thank you for caring about the details and making a whole lot of work look effortless. 🫶

And to everyone who came, you gave me your Sunday. You climbed those stairs, pulled up a chair, and for a few hours we made something that could only have existed in that room, with those people, on that night.

Thank you.

10/03/2026

Dear Diary…

I wonder if anyone else has the same psychological reaction to Harvest Moon being closed on Saturday mornings that they do to Chick-fil-A being closed on Sundays.

Asking for a friend.

10/02/2026

The tables are set.

Almost.

Four seats between us and SOLD OUT.

Who wants them?

Tapas & Tunes with Shaun Munday
Sunday night at the Candy Loft.

OzarksTix.com

10/01/2026

Well, I guess the secret’s out.

Secret Spoon Society has always started with a pretty simple question: What if?

It’s a little surreal seeing this strange idea of mine reflected back through someone else’s eyes.

When Catherine Frederick reached out about telling the story of Secret Spoon Society, I was grateful that she saw something here worth telling. That she saw some value in this little corner of hospitality I’ve been carving out.

I’ve spent a lot of years in hospitality, mostly working within someone else’s walls. Secret Spoon has given me the chance to follow my own curiosity. To create, experiment, get it wrong sometimes, change my mind, and put people in a room together just to see what happens.

And somehow, people keep showing up.

None of this happened alone. There are people behind this who believed in it before there was much evidence that they should. Who have listened to an unreasonable number of ideas, pushed me creatively, rolled up their sleeves, and reminded me to keep going.

You know who you are. Thank you. Really. 🫶

Thank you to Catherine for seeing a story here worth telling, to Dwain for listening to me ramble about hospitality and all these weird little ideas and turning it into something that feels true to what I’m trying to build, and to everyone at Do South Magazine for giving that story a home.

Give it a read. Grab a copy of the October issue while you’re out.

And if you’ve got some strange idea of your own rattling around in your head, ask what if?

Give it a little room.

You never know who might show up.

Curiosity is key. 🥄

Welcome to the October 2026 issue of Do South Magazine! Do South Magazine - rooted in community and inspired by connection, we celebrate the people, places, and stories that make Arkansas shine. Insid

09/30/2026

There’s always something happening upstairs.

Maybe it’s time to start talking about your holiday party. 🎄

Keep it classic.
Color outside the lines.
Or give us an idea and let’s see where it goes.

Dinner, cocktails, w**e, music, whatever makes the evening yours.

The holiday calendar is open.

[email protected]

Curiosity is key.

09/29/2026

Yesterday was a pretty good reminder that plans can change in about three seconds.

I'm bruised up, the car is aggressively totaled, but I'm here. I'm okay. Personality and sass remain largely unaffected.

And this morning, looking at the calendar for the next fourish weeks, I somehow have several large-scale catering events, three public events, a private gig or two, a food show, a couple collaborations I'm really excited about, and maybe even a little reading material for you guys.

So today, I'm just grateful.

Grateful to be here. Grateful that I get to keep doing this. And grateful that I get to share it with all of you.

Thank you.

Also, fair warning: the next week weeks may get a little loud around here. 🫶

To quote one of my wisest hospitality elders, Andy Crittenden

Love you. Mean it.

09/28/2026

It’s show week 🤙

Peacemaker Music Festival weekend is one of the biggest music weekends in Fort Smith. Two nights at the river, official after-parties at Digs FS and a whole lot of live music packed into a couple of days.

And when Sunday rolls around and you find yourself needing just one more show…

Join us for Sunday Night Soul Church with Shaun Munday.

We’ll begin with a reception at 5:00 before settling in at 6:00 for a tapas-style dinner and an intimate live performance.

One more show before we call the weekend.

Sunday, October 4
Reception | 5:00
Dinner + Show | 6:00
$60

Tickets available at OzarksTix.com.

Curiosity is key.

09/26/2026

Flavor Lab, Vol. II: The Margarita.

Thirty people. A table full of ingredients. Tequila. A little guidance. And permission to get funky.

Completely reasonable.

This is the heart of Flavor Lab.

Curiosity is key. 🥄

🎥 Marco Barron with the high heat here.

09/25/2026

Apparently I’m in a little bit of a green apple phase. 🍏

I’m fine with it.

09/24/2026

Well, this was a fun box to open.

Big thanks to Blaze and the folks at Hull & Bay Cocktail Co. for reaching out and sending over a pretty wild assortment to explore. Arkansas natives now creating some seriously conversational cocktail ingredients down in Florida.

Szechuan peppercorn. Chocolate. Coffee. Oaked cherry. Aromatic. Fig. Pineapple habanero. Jalapeño. Cardamom. Key lime. Fresh orange. Pickle. And their cocktail foamer.

I’ve already cracked into the pickle and pineapple habanero, and both created a natural side eye and a “Say whaaat?!” 🔥🔥🔥

I wasn’t planning on making weird cocktails at 10 o’clock this morning, but apparently my personal Flavor Lab is starting early today.

Check em' out and stock your back bar with these tasties.

What would you do with these flavors?