15 United
Chef Ouita Michel outside Holly Hill Inn in Midway. / Photo by 15 United
Zim’s and the Thirsty Fox, a new restaurant from Ouita Michel, is set to open late summer on the ground floor of Lexington’s historic courthouse building, which is being renovated into event space, offices and mixed-use retail.
“Zim was my great grandfather—Aaron Rufus Zimmerman—but everyone called him Zim,” Michel said. “He was a really gregarious guy. He loved to farm and he loved to garden.”
Serving three meals a day and open seven days a week, the restaurant’s interior will feature a color palette of green, red, yellow, blue and orange, with original hardwood flooring and lots of natural light streaming in through large windows overlooking the farmer’s market, Michel said.
A folk art motif will carry through the space, which will be decorated with original works from Kentucky folk artists.
Michel’s great grandfather will “probably be personified as a folk art rooster or a grasshopper,” she said. “He used to always think of himself as a grasshopper when I was a kid.”
The menu will comprise the best of Wallace Station and Windy Corner Market, two existing casual eateries in the Ouita Michel family of restaurants, along with some new items.
“We’ll be serving po’ boys, paninis and our steamed vegetable baskets, along with great plated breakfasts with items like stone-ground grits, country ham and Stone Cross Farm breakfast sausage,” Michel said.
“We want this to be a really fun, family-oriented destination,” she said. “I’m super excited about it.”