Lexington, KY - For the past several years, Kentucky Proud has served as the state's premiere marketing showcase for local foods produced by local growers.
Now, in what is being billed as the "event of the year for everyone who loves food, cooking and entertaining," those local foods will be the focal point of the first-ever Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show.
The event will take place at the Lexington Center and Rupp Arena October 3-4 and will include a host of chefs demonstrating their cooking techniques, seminars and workshops, along with more than 100 exhibitors including cookbook authors, Kentucky Proud producers and growers, specialty food companies, cooking-related equipment and product retailers.
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay will highlight the show with two live performances. Flay, the owner of several restaurants, host of Food Network's "Boy Meets Grill" and "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," and author of many cookbooks, is no stranger to Kentucky. For the last two years, he has been the official host and spokesman of the Kentucky Derby Party program and Web site, and has become a regular at the Derby.
Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer, who will cut the ribbon to officially open the show, has made the Kentucky Proud movement a priority of that office for nearly six years, overseeing the growth of the program from a couple of dozen participants to approximately 1,500 members.
"I am thrilled that Chef Bobby Flay is coming back to Kentucky for The Incredible Food Show," Farmer said. "We will have one of the world's most famous chefs and fresh, healthy, delicious Kentucky Proud foods all under one roof. This will be the biggest event of the year for Kentucky food lovers."
The event is the brainchild of Lexington Center Event Manager Theresa Lloyd, who identified food as a natural conversation piece for many people.
"I realized that when people talk about their holidays or vacations, they talk about where they ate and what they ate. And of course, as far as recognizing the popularity of the Food Network, it's widespread, spanning all demographics - men, women, all ages, even if you don't cook," she said. "So, that got me to thinking that perhaps there's something here in Lexington we could do that would get people out to support Kentucky products that are made here - value-added products from the farm."
Lloyd added that the idea of educating people on cooking quality food was part of the thought process that went into planning the show and Kentucky Proud was the obvious first sponsor to approach with the event.
"They have a collective membership of farmers and folks that make products here in Kentucky, whether it is grown or made here," she said. "I used to have a small farm and made a value-added product on that farm. I have been to several wholesale food shows where distributors show up and you hope they take on your food. I took that idea and brought it to more of a retail level, reaching the public directly so they could come in, sample a variety of products and be able to purchase them right on site."
Lloyd also said local sponsors have played a major role in stepping forward to participate, including the culinary program at Sullivan University, which will present a variety of cooking demonstrations on one the show's stages. In addition, other sponsors include Joseph-Beth Bookseller, which will host an array of local cookbook authors, ADI appliance distributor and Lundy's Special Events.
Sullivan will also offer a brunch made with Kentucky Proud products on the second day of the show for the first 300 people that come through the door.
"It sort of snowballed into all these companies that are involved in food or cooking in one way or another, and they saw the value in having a show like this because it helps their business as well," she said. "It brings a new and exciting event to the community that we haven't had before."
While the fanfare of a celebrity chef and numerous demonstrations and authors is a huge enticement for the general public, at the heart of the show will be Kentucky agriculture, the diversity it represents and the variety of products available locally.
"There are products being made in this state that are of quality and people need to take a look at them," said Lloyd.
One of the local presenters at the show will be Barbara Napier, the proprietor of Snug Hollow Farm Bed & Breakfast in Estill County. Napier, a vegetarian, grows much of the food she serves at the inn and will show attendees there is more to vegetarian eating than salads and bread.
"This is an incredible opportunity to showcase our most valued possessions - our gardens and our food," she said. "A garden is a valued asset in the mountain culture where we grow it, cook it, eat it, dry it or can it. It's that simple."
Napier also said that all the latest phrases, such as eating and buying locally and natural gardening, are part of daily life in Kentucky and just come naturally. "I personally think a fried okra throwdown would be great," she said.
Along with Napier, other seminar offerings and workshops that are currently scheduled include: Cheesemaking with goat farmer and cheese producer Susan Miller of Bleugrass Chevre and Kenny Mattingly of Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese; What's Brewing - Coffee Selection with Mark Newberry of Marco's Coffee; Apples 101 with Cindy Peake of Bramble Ridge Orchard; Everyday Cooking Skills and Sharpen Up - Knife Sharpening Skills, both presented by Sullivan University Culinary School chefs; and Kick, Pass, Run, Tailgate - Tailgating Ideas with Kelli Oakley, co-author of Kentucky TALEgating.
Cookbook authors to be featured for book signings and meet-and-greet opportunities in the Joseph-Beth Bookseller kiosk include: Sharon Thompson, Flavors of Kentucky; Rita Smart, Bennett House Cookbook; David DominÈ, Adventures in New Kentucky Cooking; Jayna and Kelli Oakley, Kentucky TALEgating; Linda Alison-Lewis, Kentucky's Best; Michelle Stone, Derby Entertaining; Paula Cunningham, Another Serving; Joy Perrine, Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book; and Gary West, Eating Your Way Across Kentucky: The Recipes.
Tickets are available at the Lexington Center Ticket Office, Ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster Outlets. General admission is $12 for adults and $5 for children 4-12. Children 3 and under are free. While the general admission tickets include cooking demonstrations, food- and entertainment-related presentations and product sampling on the exhibit floor, additional tickets are required for Bobby Flay presentations. Those two shows will take place in Rupp Arena at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, with ticket prices ranging from $35 to $75. The $75 ticket includes an autographed copy of Bobby Flay's book Mesa Grill.
For a complete list of seminars, book signings and exhibitors, visit the Web site at www.theincrediblefoodshow.com.