Museum bees produce Arkansas’ ‘Food of the Year’ in downtown Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Every year, the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame picks a Food of the Year to celebrate, and this year, Olympians aren't the only ones going for gold.

Honey is the focus, and it might be surprising to learn where, exactly, you can find it.

If you buzz by downtown Little Rock's Historic Arkansas Museum, you'll find everything Arkansas-made. Their gift shop is full of crafts, home goods and handmade items from across the state, including one item made by Arkansas' state insect and the newly crowned Food of the Year: honey. 

"Every year we have a Food of the Year and of course, we want to have a food item that is native to Arkansas," Marty Ryall, director of the Division of Arkansas Heritage, said. "Arkansas is a big producer of honey."

But besides being a Natural State-created item, honey and the bees who make it fit right at home at the museum. Literally. 

"The bees were in the walls of the stairwell going up to the rooftop," Historic Arkansas Museum Executive Director Stephanie Wade said.