It's time to recognize that Lexington has become a serious food town. By that I mean it has a thriving food and beverage entrepreneurial community that has, over the past few years, elevated itself reaching a critical mass of exciting food options for locals and tourists alike, which results in regional and even national respect and recognition. The components of this critical mass of activity are varied, and each will be discussed here because they are each a building block for the overall result.
Outstanding chefs
Lexington has a lot of great cooks, food innovators and chefs. However, it’s a mark of a serious food town when it develops and supports a number of chefs whose acclaim and recognition go beyond Lexington and are regional and even national. Three chefs who fit that definition are Chef Jeremy Ashby at Azur; Chef Jonathan Lundy at Jonathan’s at Gratz Park; and Chef Ouita Michel with Holly Hill Inn and affiliated restaurants Wallace Station, Windy Corner Cafe and Midway Bakery.
Unique regional beverage innovation
The depth and breadth of innovation in this area is pretty interesting. Certainly, those locally involved in the bourbon industry contribute to this, with the range of spirits produced and even culinary offshoots from those products. Examples of this are Lexingtonian Tom Bulleit’s Bulleit “Frontier Whisky” Bourbon and Alltech Brewing and Distilling Company with their planned Town Branch Distillery.
In addition to bourbon, the development of wineries in the area further adds to beverage innovation and choice. The greater Lexington area incredibly now boasts 16 wineries. More recent innovation is in the beer brewing area. The development of West Sixth Brewing and other brewery operations in the area, plus Alltech’s Kentucky Ale, are evidence of this, and there are other breweries in planning stages. In addition to all this, there is Winchester’s Ale 8 One, which is a long-proven unique beverage and regional brand.
Culinary and food innovation education infrastructure
Sullivan University’s culinary program, headed by Chef John Foster, has been turning out great culinary talent for years, and this has raised the culinary bar in the region and created an important talent pool. The University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture is a critically important resource to food innovators and those in agribusiness. Additionally they have their Food Systems Innovation Center, which has a market-ready program.
Notable local casual theme and upscale restaurants
Lexington has a lot to offer in terms of its restaurants, with a broad range of options such as A La Lucie’s, Azur, Jonathan’s at Gratz Park, Dudley’s, Merrick Inn, Cole’s 735 Main and Atomic Cafe. Saul Good Pub has grown to two locations with more growth planned, and the Bluegrass Hospitality Group has an impressive array of concepts. The fact that Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse plans to open in Lexington is further proof of Lexington’s stature and viability as a market.
Cool and unique “joints”
There are way too many interesting little food places and bars to name here, but ones that come to mind include Billy’s BBQ, Spalding’s Donuts, Wallace Station, Natasha’s, Alfalfa, Josie’s, Doodles, Al’s Bar, Silks, JJ McBrewster’s BBQ, Parkette, and the recently opened Shakespeare and Company.
Food entrepreneurship talent
Lexington was the home to Jerrico, Inc., which created the Long John Silver’s and Fazoli’s restaurant chains. Fazoli’s is still located here, and the A&W restaurant chain is now headquartered here. Additionally, Thomas & King, a large Applebee’s franchise organization, is located here. The current and former employees of these and other companies in town represent an enormous talent base that feeds other culinary initiatives.
Food truck culture
A relatively new development is the growth of local food trucks and the formation of the Bluegrass Food Truck Association. Food trucks represent a “bottom up” phenomenon that results in food innovation by up-and-comers who are starting out in a low-capital investment fashion and succeeding, literally, at the street level.
Independent coffee shop culture
There is nothing cooler than a good independent coffee shop. The Lexington area is fortunate to have great options, such as Common Grounds, Third Street Stuff Coffee, Coffee Times, The Hub in Danville and the Lock and Key in Georgetown.
Unique food products
Can you say “beer cheese?” It originated in the Lexington area. There are approximately a dozen branded beer cheese products in the area, plus countless home-recipe varieties. There are other unique food products in the area, too, including Lexington Pasta’s variety of fresh, local-made pasta and Bleugrass Chevre Farmstead Goat Cheese.
Other evidence includes the existence of a food tour business such as Bleu Plate Tours (www.bleuplatetours.com).
These elements, plus a thriving local food production community, result in great choices for consumers and the promise of continued food entrepreneurship and innovation. We are not on the level of a Sante Fe yet, but compared to where we were just five years ago, we have evolved enormously.