Bluewood Brewing in Benton Park is taking over its own kitchen as B. McArthur’s Neighborhood Taco Shack departs

Bluewood Brewing at 1821 Cherokee St. in Benton Park has announced it will soon take over operations in its own kitchen as B. McArthur’s Neighborhood Taco Shack’s last day at the brewery will be Saturday, March 30.

Chef Ben McArthur has been running his eponymous food detail at the brewery for the past year, and he'll be available to help train new staff and fine-tune the menu as Bluewood’s new concept is solidified, but will depart as soon as possible.

“It’s going to be chicken-focused,” said co-owner Jerry Moberg. “We love chicken.”  More specifically, expect fried and grilled chicken, sandwiches, tacos, a build-your-own burger, and sides like loaded fries, and a possible mac and cheese. And chicken, he added, will be good for Benton Park since there isn’t that much of it in the area.

“We’re hammering out the details,” Moberg said, in between conducting interviews for the new food team, which likely will consist of a kitchen manager and one or two line cooks. 

“McArthur was a one-man show. Having more people in the kitchen will mean we can always have coverage – food always available while we are open, in other words,” Moberg said. 

Moberg and co-owners Cameron Lund and Grant Lodholz opened Bluewood – known for its artisan ales – in September 2019. They leased out the kitchen from the start, with previous tenants including Mac’s Local Eats and Burger 809. “We’re guys, we’re all into beer and just wanted to focus on that,” he said.

Moberg was vague about opening day but said he doesn’t want the kitchen to stay dark for long. “With any luck, it’ll only be a couple of weeks.” In the meantime, visitors are welcome to bring in their own food. Sounds like a picnic.