Spotlight Articles
One of a Kind: TimberRidge Lodge
TimberRidge Lodge is one of a kind. Built almost entirely by Don Henley and his family using cypress from the land that was cleared for the lodge and
surrounding area, and decorated by Henley’s wife Ina Lee, an antique dealer and
world-class scavenger, TimberRidge is unique inside and out. The spacious
lodge and companion bunkhouse sit atop a ridge near Charlotte in eastern
Independence County, surrounded by 700 acres of rolling hills, open meadows,
and spring-fed streams and ponds. Since opening in 2000, Timber Ridge has
established itself as one of the region’s most visited deer hunting locations. When hunting is not in season it enjoys an equally outstanding reputation for hosting weddings, corporate retreats, family and class reunions, and weekend getaways.
Janine Winters Reinvents Breakfast
Janine Winters is at it again. The seemingly tireless chef, entrepreneur, and food educator is now serving breakfast Tuesdays through Saturdays at her cafe and gourmet foods store on Highway 167 just across from the Batesville Airport. Breakfast is just the latest in a string of highly successful Winters’ initiatives. She started and nurtured the Winters Park Herb Farm in nearby Desha, a hydroponic operation that sells fresh herbs to Wal-Mart. If you have ever purchased fresh herbs at Wal-Mart, chances are Janine Winters grew them. With the excess from the fresh herb operation, she launched a line of fresh herbs packed in olive oil under the Winters Park Farm label. She started Cooking Secrets, the areas first gourmet foods and cooking utensils store, then transformed part of that space into Janine’s Cafe, now serving lunch and breakfast five days a week. During it all she published The Perfume of Cooking, offering recipes using her herbs packed in olive oil; appeared frequently on Batesville radio; and wrote a cooking column for an area weekly.
Esta’s and the Fine Art of Retreating
Webster’s Dictionary defines retreat as a place for relaxation, contemplation, meditation, renewal, and rejuvenation. Unlike resorts, which frequently define themselves by the number of organized activities they offer and the size of the crowds at those activities, retreats define themselves by what they don’t have–crowds, traffic, lines, noise, bright lights, more lines. A retreat is where we go, to borrow a phrase from the Frank Sinatra songbook, to “get away from it all.” Or, to use an increasingly common metaphor, a retreat is a place to “recharge our batteries.” A crowded resort is a success; a crowded retreat is a contradiction in terms.
Craftsmanship at the Core of Old World Lanterns’ Success
Craftsmanship is synonymous with life in the Ozarks. Glass blowers, blacksmiths, weavers, potters, wood workers, stonemasons, and broom makers have effectively established “made in the Ozarks” as a brand, suggesting not only “hand made” but also extremely “well made.” Old World Lanterns by Benoit, situated across the street from the Historic Landers Theater Building on Main Street in downtown Batesville, add to the luster of Ozark craftsmanship with an impressive line of handcrafted electric, gas, and propane lanterns. Like so many successful Ozark artisans, Brandon Benoit is building his business by elevating a utilitarian item to the level of art.