She was a fourth-generation beekeeper living her family’s nomadic life of migratory beekeeping around the country. She spent some of her childhood in Nebraska and watched the corn threshers come and go in season, many who chose that region because of her grandmother’s and mother’s good cooking waiting for them when they came in from the field. Her dream was to open a diner to honor her mom by feeding common folk with uncommonly good food they could afford.
He grew up in a house with multiple aquariums, but his goal was open space. He went to the U of A in the mid-‘80s to major in electrical engineering and minor in psychology, working toward his dream to become an astronaut, the one big leap to his ultimate hope to discover a new life form.
When Audrey Marquis and Sean McCanless met in 1997, she was the dining room manager and wedding coordinator at the Crescent Hotel. Her dream had yet to come true and his dream of exploring space never got off the ground; but he had a fervor for ichthyology, and his desire to find a new life form had been fulfilled in a very unexpected way.
“I’d skipped classes to collect every kind of fish in our lakes and rivers,” Sean said. “And one time while spelunking I found an albino cave crayfish. I took it to an expert who added it as a sixth known species to the existing five. That fulfilled my dream of discovering a new life form… plus I got credits for mapping and exploring caves when I had actually skipped classes to do it.”
“Sean and I actually met when he and his dad were looking at the Crescent’s water system,” Audrey explained. “He was sharing how sad he was and being in the middle of moving, and I just made a statement ‘It sounds to me, you need to meet a nice lady,’ and he responded, ‘Do you know any?’ and I said, ‘well, you never know.’ He came over for dinner and we married two years later.”
During 26 years of marriage there has been a lot of back-and-forth support. Sean founded Sean’s Fishy Business in 2005, a successful water garden and pond construction, maintenance and supply, and aquarium supply and maintenance service. He grew the plants for water gardens and also worked at the Eureka Springs Farmers’ Market for 17 of those 26 years.
And finally, a scant month ago, Audrey opened Betty Jo’s Eatery at the Biz-Z-Bee Super Flea, on Hwy. 21 N in Berryville. She’s already had 39,000 views on Facebook and there’s rarely a day with any food left over. But that’s no surprise. She’d been exposed to different food cultures in her early travels and learned from her grandmother and her mom, Betty Jo, how to make food that’s good for you also be beautiful, delicious and affordable.
One Facebook comment even referred to the pictures on Betty Jo’s Eatery page as “food porn.” Her delightful menus are created new each day depending on the morning’s harvest picked fresh and delivered from Bishop Gardens.
Here’s a whet for your whistle from the August 2 menu:
Spaghetti squash two ways: Neiman Marcus chicken: 1) Off the bone chicken in creamy-herb sauce with crumbled bacon, melty sharp cheddar, green onions, topped with butter crackers.
Or 2) Tossed in our fresh, bright pesto. Layered with our 7-day marinara, Bishop Gardens cherry tomatoes and roasted eggplant, dotted with ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan. Served with your choice of side and a crustini. $12
Sides: Cornbread salad with broccoli, celery, tomatoes, black olives, Bishop Gardens cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, multi-colored sweet peppers, corn and sweet peas layered in our creamy-herb dressing. Or Vicki’s German pasta salad.
Quiches: Deeply caramelized onions and butter, sautéed portabella mushrooms topped with grated Parm and Asiago. Or Creamy Cajun crawfish and corn. Both served with an array of fresh fruit and a scone. $10
Many locals will remember Pauline’s Eatery when the Biz-Z-Bee was called Honey & Spice. It began with seating for 4 to 10 people and expanded to seating for 50 in three months by word-of-mouth alone. Betty Jo’s Eatery is that kind of food, served with Audrey’s generous touch.
“In April 2000 my mom, Betty Jo, set out to honor her mom’s dream and opened Pauline’s Eatery,” Audrey said. “Grandma got to see her dream come true! Mom’s lunches were always fresh, delicious and affordable. It was very important to her that grandma could afford to eat at her eatery, and she wanted to feed the hard-working people and farmers, too. Staying true to her philosophy, Sean and I believe the same way! When you dine with us, you are supporting our community and local farmers. Thank you!”
Dreams do come true.
Prices range from $10 – $12 for a full meal including entree and sides heartily stuffed with vegetables and fruits, home-made breads or scones. There are no phone-in orders, and it’s “first come, first served” just north of the junction of 21 and 221 two miles north of Berryville.
Hours are 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Dine outside or inside the Biz-Z-Bee and browse the “amazing community market” of vendor booths.