When I scheduled an interview with chef Tyler Rogers last October, I expected to discuss his ongoing work at Hail Fellow Well Met in Johnson. As it turned out, our meeting took place on his last day at the high-design cafe concept from Onyx Coffee Lab. We discussed his career in the kitchen — which began in Magnolia, Arkansas, and includes high profile stints in California and Chicago — and his plans to one day open his own restaurant in Fayetteville. In the meantime, Rogers has accepted a role as the executive chef of the restaurant at Stonebreaker, a soon-to-open boutique hotel on Markham Hill close to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
It’s a remarkably quick ascent for the kid from Magnolia. Who could have known that an after-school job at a catfish shack would lead to such success?
A resume built on real world experiences
Rogers’s first kitchen job was at Hudgie’s, a Magnolia dive that was family-owned and specialized in whole fried catfish. He used the money he earned as a fry cook to fill the tank of the ’66 Ford Mustang he and his father renovated together.
He would go on to earn an art scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock but decided after a semester in the capital city that college wasn’t for him. Thus began a series of jobs (and moves) that would define his life’s calling.
Soon after leaving school, Rogers started a food truck with his brother, Jason Rogers, and chef Jeffrey Palsa. “TheFoodTruck” was originally located at Bernice Garden in Little Rock’s SoMa district and was among the first trucks to regularly rotate around town. The format was upscale deli sandwiches. A roasted lamb sandwich with red onion marmalade called “Clarice” was a customer favorite.
Despite some success with the truck, Rogers decided to enter the brick-and-mortar restaurant scene to gain experience in large-scale kitchen operations.
“My goal was to try and work with the best chefs I could find and learn from them,” Rogers said. “I tried the culinary school route at one point, but real-world experience was what I decided to pursue. You can have all the knowledge in the world but that knowledge doesn’t always translate to working on a line where it’s repetitive tasks for 12 or more hours a day.”
After shutting down the food truck, Rogers worked at several restaurants in Little Rock, including the legendary Capital Bar & Grill. In October 2016, he landed at The French Laundry in Yountville, California, where he worked under the famed chef Thomas Keller, where Rogers picked up on leadership behaviors that would benefit him when he later became a kitchen lead. He remembers Elliott Bell in particular, the executive sous chef at The French Laundry, as a man who never lost his composure. “He was a good teacher and very gentle with his staff,” said Rogers. “He didn’t demand respect. He earned it naturally because of the way he led his team.”
Rogers went on to work for chef Grant Achatz at Alinea in early 2018, a prestigious and acclaimed spot in Chicago’s Lincoln Park that Rogers describes as “avant-garde, modern cuisine.”
We had an edible balloon for the last course, and I had to work the balloon station at the end of every service. That part was fucking awful, but I learned a lot while I was there.”
But the experience in the fast-paced Chicago food scene was sink or swim. Rogers worked long hours, which took a toll on his health and well-being. He has an underlying condition that affects his immune system, which can be aggravated by stress. One night, after a particularly busy shift, his lung collapsed. He rushed to a nearby emergency room for help. Gasping for air, he might have wondered why he chose one of the most stressful jobs in the world.
Coming home
On top of all that, Rogers wanted to be closer to his parents, who were growing older and still lived in south Arkansas at the time (they have since moved to Little Rock). So, he returned to the Natural State in late 2019, just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic, and landed a job with a restaurant in nearby El Dorado, a city benefiting from massive investment dollars from Murphy Oil. But the restaurant closed when the virus accelerated and businesses shuttered. That spurred Rogers to move to Northwest Arkansas, a place he was familiar with and seemed to have ample opportunity.
“I used to go to Fayetteville for Razorback games when I was younger,” he said. “It has always been a fun town. I love the ‘Keep Fayetteville Funky’ aspect of it. The town has changed a lot over the years, but it still has that vibe.”
Rogers relocated to Northwest Arkansas without a job lined up. He took an assignment cooking for a sorority on the University of Arkansas campus. The food service company that contracted with the sorority was looking to do something more upscale than what most campus kitchens offer.
“I tried my best with those girls, but they didn’t want any part of it,” said Rogers. “All they wanted was chicken Alfredo. It only took a week in that job to feel like I lost my soul.”
Fortunately for Rogers, Onyx was searching for someone to run the food program at Hail Fellow Well Met, their new cafe concept in Johnson. Being an offshoot of Onyx, priority was placed on coffee in the beginning. A walk-up counter and bakery offerings signified the approach. As a step beyond, a simple but elegant brunch drove customer traffic well into the afternoon hours. The menu (which has changed some since Rogers departed) features Instagrammable dishes that are familiar yet strange — rice grits and lobster, a red flour biscuit and gravy with truffle cheese and pickled apple, colorful blue yogurt topped with granola, fruit and edible flowers. Just before Rogers’ departure, a full dinner service was introduced, which allowed him to further showcase his layered-flavor approach to familiar dishes.
“I like to find something relatable, like a braised meat or robust sauce that reminds you of something you had as a child,” said Rogers. “Then I’ll use other ingredients with strong flavors on top of that familiar dish to create something new. People were leery of what we were doing in the beginning, but it eventually caught on.”
In retrospect, and looking ahead
Rogers’s last day at Hail Fellow Well Met was October 27. His team threw a going away party for him a few hours after I interviewed him on the cafe’s patio. He was sentimental about closing that chapter of his career.
“When I got here, I just wanted to put it all on the line and build a name for myself,” he said. “I feel like I did that. This place has thrived, which means I did something right. I’m not walking away sad, with my head down low. I’m proud of what we accomplished while I was here.”
Rogers isn’t ready to open his new place yet, but he knows exactly what he wants it to be. Named for his daughter, Maggie’s will be a cornerstone of the community. The kind of place that sells fresh flowers from local growers at the counter each day. The kind of place that adults can find their inner child in a non-pretentious environment that is both smart and affordable.
And he absolutely has his heart set on downtown Fayetteville.
“There are some great restaurants in Fayetteville,” he said. “But, I think the town has more room for something between upscale and the college crowd. It needs to be affordable and approachable, but still high-quality and inspiring to eat.”
Rogers has struggled to find the right location for Maggie’s, but an interesting opportunity has presented itself, and he has embraced the twist of fate. His new role will be building out the food program as the executive chef at Stonebreaker, a soon-to-open boutique hotel on Markham Hill close to the university.
According to a story posted on Talk Business & Politics, Hay Creek Hotels and Restaurants, based in New Hampshire, recently acquired the property and plans to open a 78-room hotel on the 200-acre plat once known as Pratt Place Inn & Barn. The venue is a popular setting for weddings, and in recent years hosted events tied to the Fayetteville Roots Festival.
“Tyler’s impressive resume and deep appreciation for Arkansas’ agricultural bounty perfectly align with our vision for Stonebreaker’s restaurant,” said Gary Sims, CEO of Hay Creek Hotels, in a recent press release. The restaurant is slated to open in August, with other parts of the property opening in phases.
Even with the new gig, Rogers said the vision for Maggie’s is alive and well.
“I’m still planning on opening my own space when the time is right and the pieces fall in place the way I want,” he said. “I’m naming it after my daughter, so there is no option for me other than perfection!”