Join us on Friday, August 8th at 6:00pm for an unforgettable evening of delicious food at our August Kitchen Table Dinner featuring Chef Brian Busker! Chef Brian will craft a meal that tells his story with every dish, with a focus on local food drawn from Northwest Arkansas. The thriving NWA community of farmers, ranchers, chefs, and humans who appreciate it has become his muse, reinvigorating his desire to cook and passion for food. For this dinner, Brian will adopt a Japanese Farmhouse approach to the night, with fresh flavors prepared over an open fire. This food style brings out the best in the natural taste of our vegetables, with an emphasis on simple but gorgeously adorned courses. This dinner is rooted in connection, driven by enthusiasm, and guided by the seasonality of ingredients that thrive right here in our region.

Busker has a culinary career spanning 30 years, including an 8-year stint as the Executive Chef for Nobu Matsuhisa at his iconic restaurants Matsuhisa in Vail, Aspen, and Denver, CO, renowned for its innovative blend of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines. Brian has had the opportunity to collaborate with many celebrated chefs, including José Andrés, Aitor Zabala, and Jamie Bissonnette.

Come ready to savor the flavors of summer, gathered around a shared table under the stars.

Featured Chef - Chef Brian Busker’s culinary journey began on the Eastern shore of Delaware, where he grew up and spent the summers crabbing, fishing, and gardening with his mom, and the winters hunting and cooking with his Italian-American family. Here he planted the roots of a lifelong passion for curating unique dining experiences inspired by the bounty of locally sourced ingredients.

With hospitality experience from coast to coast—Hawaii, Florida, California, NYC, and beyond—a knowledge base from both the Le Cordon Bleu affiliate school in Orlando and the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, as well as time at a 3-Michelin starred restaurant in Paris, Chef Brian brings a global perspective to his craft.

In 2024, Chef Brian and his wife Christina (a native Arkansan) launched Arkansas Harvest, a boutique farm-to-table catering and private chef service based on Tulip Creek's five-acre Farm in Hiwasse, AR. Their menus are written around what they grow, preserve, ferment and pickle, highlighting Arkansas' seasonality. For Brian and Christina, the endeavor is about more than just cooking - it's about building connections between the land, the farmers, the food, and the communities who are sustained by it. With a focus on regenerative agricultural practices and sustainable farming, they're helping to empower other local farmers and enrich the region’s food culture. 

Get your tickets for Friday, August 8th below and enjoy a boutique farm to table experience at the Apple Seeds Teaching Farm!

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.

Event Details:

Friday, August 8th, 2025

6:00 PM

Your chef will create a fresh, three course meal with elements from the garden.

*Dress for outdoor seating in the Summer weather!

Enjoy the food, farm, and company.

The dinner takes place at the Apple Seeds' Teaching Farm in Fayetteville, AR.

Seating for this event will be located outdoors under the pavilion. 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 inspire healthy living through garden-based education for students around Northwest Arkansas and beyond!