The catalyst for Brayan McFadden to leave the Philadelphia area and open a restaurant in North Little Rock’s Argenta neighborhood is a familiar one: He wanted something to call his own.
McFadden, co-owner with his cousin Jess McMullen of Brood & Barley, said: “I wanted a place that I could open that was me,” adding, “It was a good opportunity to own my own spot, to make a little bit of money.”
Five years after opening Brood & Barley, not only does McFadden have his own spot, he’s made a real place for himself in the community, serving on the North Little Rock Advertising & Promotion Commission and hosting a podcast, “Heaping Spoonful,” sponsored by the Ben E. Keith Co.
McFadden, 45 but turning 46 next month, grew up in Horsham, Pennsylvania, 16 miles north of Philadelphia. He began his career in the restaurant industry almost 33 years ago, when, at age 13, he took a job washing dishes in an Italian restaurant. It was the summer, and McFadden’s friend came to his house saying a local restaurant needed dishwashers.
“My dad was at the end of the table — and at that time I didn’t have a choice — my dad was like, ‘What are they paying?’ He was like, ‘Well, Mr. McFadden, they’re paying $10 an hour, under the table.’
“I didn’t know what ‘under the table’ meant at all,” McFadden said. “But, like I said, I’m 45 and at 13 years old, $10 an hour under the table was pretty good back then. My dad said, ‘He’ll be there.’”
But when McFadden started the job, he had an experience that many restaurateurs and those who work in the industry can surely understand. “I walked into that kitchen and I was there for 15 minutes, and my whole world lit up. And I was like, ‘OK, this is not what I expected, but I love it.’”
McFadden had found his calling.
He spent about 18 months as a dishwasher, graduating to prep work and eventually cooking at the restaurant.
McFadden went on to work at a Jewish delicatessen and an Irish pub, serving as a line cook and “just sucking up everything that I could, information-wise.” Constantly learning new aspects of the business is a theme in his career. McFadden realized that he eventually wanted to own his own restaurant and needed to learn the business side of the industry, so he entered culinary school.
Paying his own way, he attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia while working two jobs. During culinary school, McFadden also had an internship at the William Penn Inn in Gwynedd, Pennsylvania. The inn, founded in 1714 and an institution in the state, offered him a job once the internship ended.
He worked his way up at the inn, making salads, desserts, working the grill and saute. The inn then offered McFadden a position as banquet chef, and though the role lacked the prestige of line cook, it paid more. He took the job. It was challenging but satisfying, McFadden said, recalling a bride so happy with the food she came back to the kitchen to tearfully thank him. He was there for almost nine years and then met his now-wife, Chrissy Prange.
He eventually landed at a gastropub called Fries Rebellion Kitchen & Taphouse in Quakertown, where he worked as a restaurant manager and bartender and which served as something of an inspiration for Brood & Barley.
And finally, McFadden found himself at Spinnerstown Hotel & Restaurant, founded in 1750 and family-owned by John and Susan Dale, who were mentors. There, he ran the wine, beer and spirits program and honed his front-of-house skills.
Then Cousin Jess called. McMullen, at that time a co-owner of Flyway Brewing Co. in North Little Rock, was looking to open a second Flyway Brewing taproom, and he reached out to McFadden. (Brood & Barley is no longer affiliated with Flyway.)
He and Chrissy came down to North Little Rock and liked what they saw of Argenta. They moved to Arkansas with their twin sons on Jan. 17, 2020. “Then the world fell apart,” McFadden said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. But McMullen and McFadden forged ahead and opened Brood & Barley, at 411 Main St., on June 26, 2020.
McFadden said about 80% of Brood & Barley’s menu comprises items he had cooked for years and enjoyed, and the rest is a collaboration.
A Philly cheesesteak sandwich is, of course, on the menu, but McFadden is also proud of putting his own spin on regional items. “I had never had a crawfish until I moved to Arkansas,” he said. Housemade pierogies with crawfish cream were the result, “and it’s become a very popular dish of ours.”
As for McFadden’s venture into civic participation, he was appointed to the A&P Commission in January 2023. “When it comes to North Little Rock, North Little Rock is up-and-coming, and there are a lot of things going on. And I am very nosy. I want to know what’s going on. And I want to know where this money is going, and if I can have any say in where it’s going, I want it.”
About eight months ago, McFadden also began hosting the “Heaping Spoonful” podcast, a twice-monthly visit with restaurateurs, chefs, growers and others involved in the restaurant industry.
The pandemic and its after-effects made judging Brood & Barley’s business success difficult, and McFadden said he and McMullen consider 2024 their “first true year.” He added, “We hit just like a steady level. … But I’ve been very happy with 2025.”
So was moving to Arkansas five years ago the right decision? “Oh, yeah, 100%,” McFadden said. “We fell in love with Arkansas.”
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