Attorney General Tim Griffin today announced that he has nominated Executive Chef Payne Harding, owner of Cache restaurant in Little Rock, to represent Arkansas in the 20th Annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off on August 3, 2024, in New Orleans.
“Arkansas, with its abundance of quality ingredients and unique culinary traditions, has produced some of the best chefs around. I look forward to Chef Harding continuing the tradition of Arkansas chefs participating in this competition, which is hosted by my good friend Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser,” Griffin stated.
He added, “Chef Harding’s attention to detail—both in the running of Cache and his use of ingredients—has made his restaurant a ‘go-to’ place in Little Rock. I fully expect him to apply that same level of skill in this competition and help highlight the culinary excellence that Arkansas has to offer the nation.”
Harding opened Cache in 2014. He is a 2009 graduate of the University of Central Arkansas and a 2012 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. In 2019, he was named a Certified Executive Chef by the American Culinary Federation.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin:
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the representative for Arkansas’s Second Congressional District on several House committees including Ways and Means, Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Ethics, and Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin has been an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for over 28 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2005, he was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.
Currently serving as Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana, his previous assignments include Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Liberty (née Bragg), North Carolina; Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon; U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Arkansas; Special Assistant to President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel for Government Reform and Oversight Committee; Associate Independent Counsel under David M. Barrett during HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros investigation.
Griffin graduated from Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, Tulane Law School in New Orleans and attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). He resides in Little Rock with his wife Elizabeth and their three children.
###