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Real, authentic, honest-to-goodness butcher shops are few and far between these days, so when I heard about a new one—White Hall Fresh Market—I did not hesitate to make the 45-minute drive from Little Rock to check things out. What I found was a beautiful new shop in a retail strip on Sheridan Road about a mile off Interstate 530. The store, which opened in December 2019, is owned and operated by Joey Coleman.
“I worked as a market manager at local grocery chains for the previous 15 years. I was topped out on pay, vacation time, and my bonuses began to shrink, so I took about a year to plan this out, and here we are,” says Coleman.
While White Hall Fresh Market is not massive in size, it is packed with a wonderful assortment of meats, including USDA Prime Beef, ribs, sausages, chicken, and a variety of seafood. In fact, their daily seafood boils have become a big hit in the area.
“While at Brookshire’s, I saw that steaming seafood in this area was a big thing. We all pitched our ideas together as to how to take it to the next level, and it is doing great. As far as what comes in it, the sky is the limit. We have a huge variety of seafood and sides that you can use to custom-build your own boil. We have a few suggestions, but we want our customers to get exactly what they want.”
I did not partake in the seafood boil this time, instead opting for one of the Philly cheesesteak baked potatoes from the hot bar along the side of the shop. Yes, White Hall Fresh Market offers a daily hot bar, with rotating items like boudin nachos, shrimp stuffed potatoes, chicken tacos, and seafood gumbo, just to name a few. There is also a fresh salad bar right in the center of the shop.
Before heading out, I had to get some meat for my trip home. The hand-trimmed tomahawk steaks with insanely beautiful marbling caught my eye, but so too did the selection of fish, including a massive hunk of ahi tuna. Two pounds of it were sliced off and ended up in my cast iron skillet later that night for a quick sear.
In the end, what struck me most about this butcher shop, besides the overall selection of quality meats, was the personal service. It is a family business, and they are invested in their loyal customers.
“The support from the White Hall and Pine Bluff communities, along with the surrounding communities, have been nothing short of mind-blowing. I am very humbled by the support and honored to serve our communities.”
You would not find any complaints from me if they decided to serve the Little Rock community with a second shop one day. Until then, I will just have to make the drive to White Hall.
White Hall Fresh Market
6715 Sheridan Rd (White Hall)
Phone: 870-550-0162
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
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