Photo by Theresa Stanley
Tom Evans, general manager and co-owner of Dupree Catering and Events, says The Mane on Main will offer the company a "home field" advantage when it comes to hosting and servicing events.
From the 15th floor of Chase Tower, Tom Evans, general manager and co-owner of Dupree Catering and Events, surveys the hustle and bustle of downtown Lexington. Behind him, a construction crew is equally hustling to complete the city’s newest — and highest — event venue, The Mane on Main.
Located in the former Lafayette Club space, The Mane on Main features rustic-chic décor with a refined, contemporary flair — not unlike the vibe of Lexington itself, which the design is meant to evoke. The space includes the Lexington Room, which can be used for meetings and presentations, as a bridal suite and for more intimate events; as well as the much larger East Side room, which is anchored by a rock-faced bar and can be configured for sit-down dinners, cocktail receptions, buffets or for nearly any purpose a party planner might need. There’s also a separate lounge area and audio-visual equipment to support live music, presentations, slide shows, live auctions and more.
“We can customize the space to any group that may come in,” Evans said.
Every room, including the 3,500-square-foot kitchen, features floor-to-ceiling windows that frame a panoramic view of downtown Lexington and beyond.
The venue’s kitchen is as large as Dupree Catering’s entire current facility on Delaware Avenue, Evans said. The need for a larger kitchen initially prompted the move, but when the opportunity arose to also acquire and build out a unique event space tied to the catering company, Evans and his partners, including Jeremy Ashby of the Azur Food Group, were quick to realize the potential benefits.
“We’ve been an off-premise caterer for 30 years, and catering chefs are often behind the scenes,” said Evans, who, along with his partners, purchased Dupree Catering from founder Harriet Dupree Bradley in 2014 and merged it with Azur Catering to form Dupree Catering and Events.
With The Mane on Main, Evans said the catering company can not only better showcase the talents of Executive Chef Jane Thompson and her culinary team in a more front-and-center fashion, but also enjoy a “home field” advantage when it comes to hosting and servicing events at the venue. The size of the venue — The Mane on Main can host up to 400 people for seated events, or as many as 500 in a cocktail setting — will also allow the company to accommodate larger events that might otherwise locate at one of the area’s hotels.
“We can capture a piece of the business that we weren’t getting before,” Evans said.
Chefs’ tables
When it officially opens on December 1, The Mane on Main will join a growing stable of event venues in central Kentucky that are operated by chefs, catering companies and restaurants. Traditional venues such as private party rooms, country club ballrooms, university facilities, renovated barns and the like are nothing new, but a recent surge in event venues driven by food-service providers highlights several competitive advantages of this trend.
In addition to streamlining the logistics involved with setting up and servicing an event, having a dedicated venue allows a solo chef or catering company to raise their profile among potential clients, who typically prioritize choosing a venue as a first step in planning. Event details and menu planning can also be discussed in the same conversation rather than the multi-person process that’s involved when bringing catering into another space.
Owning a venue also allows for a much more elegant and professional meeting or tasting with a prospective client than the classic “office just outside the kitchen” that a catering-only establishment would have. Additionally, the venue allows for pop-up events hosted by the company, which show off the space, showcase the cuisine and generate revenue.
“To some degree, it’s like a hospitality arms race. Once one or two groups made moves to larger and dedicated spaces, the others felt like they had to do something to keep up or even leapfrog ahead." —Mark Sievers, The Sievers Company
And, with the economic recovery in full swing, planners report the private-events market is again flourishing. Having a culinary-exclusive venue is an attractive point of differentiation in drawing event planners and their events.
“To some degree, it’s like a hospitality arms race,” said Mark Sievers, owner of The Sievers Company, a local business brokerage and consulting company with a focus on the restaurant industry. “Once one or two groups made moves to larger and dedicated spaces, the others felt like they had to do something to keep up or even leapfrog ahead.
“I also think the success of event barns in rural settings like wineries spurred some movement,” Sievers said.
Creating a unique experience
Having a unique space, such as the octagonal Round Barn or a medieval-style castle, can lock in business even before the menu is discussed.
“When a meeting planner is considering Lexington, one of the most frequently asked questions is, ‘What kind of unique venue could we host an event at?’” said Marci Krueger-Sidebottom, vice-president of sales and services with VisitLEX. “They want to have a unique ‘memory-maker’ event that represents the fabric of the destination that they are in.”
According to Krueger-Sidebottom, planners are often inquisitive about the prior use of a building and its relation to the city’s history. The Barrel House Events Center at The Venues of the Grand Reserve in Lexington’s Distillery District is a prime example, showcasing Lexington’s bourbon heritage.
Photo by Bill Straus
Co-founders Jill Bakehorn, left, and Kelly King Bakehorn operate five unique event spaces as part of The Venues of the Grand Reserve.
“People want to come in to a state and taste what they’re known for,” said Jill Bakehorn, co-owner of The Venues of the Grand Reserve and Bluegrass Catering. “[What] people know about Lexington is bourbon and horses and basketball, so in the event space it comes down to bourbon … they want to see bourbon on the menu.”
At The Kentucky Castle, which was rebranded after its sale to new owners this past July, rentable spaces include the ballroom, the keep’s rooftop and two outdoor terraces. Private events and the venue’s on-site restaurant are serviced by Executive Chef Jason Walls.
Making room for more events
Culinary-exclusive venues aren’t just the realm of chefs and catering companies. Both Bluegrass Hospitality Group (BHG) and Shakespeare & Co. have recently added or expanded their dedicated event spaces.
BHG closed its popular Sal’s restaurant on Tates Creek Road to create Malone’s Banquets. Then, after a recent expansion and renovation, the venue was rebranded as Malone’s Prime Events & Receptions.
“Malone’s is a place where meals and milestones are shared,” said Leela Foley, digital media manager at BHG. “In order to provide a destination truly worthy of these celebrations and accommodate larger parties, we decided to nearly double the size of our banquets space.”
Photo by Theresa Stanley
Event space at Malone's Prime Events & Receptions can be configured to accommodate smaller groups and larger crowds.
The second floor of Shakespeare & Co.’s downtown location is divided into the “Romeo Room” and the “Juliet Room,” with the same eclectic, Victorian tea party-esque decor as the restaurant. Because the rooms have such a strong personality and design, wedding planners often don’t add any decorations, said Lauren Untch, sales and marketing manager for Shakespeare & Co.
Added-value experiences
For some clients, one site is not enough. Chef Vanessa Ziembroski’s primary venue is the Winchester Opera House, but she also owns nearby satellite properties, The Historic Church and the outdoor space at Moundale Manor. Brides often choose to have the ceremony at Moundale with dinner and dancing at the Opera House, according to Natalie Johnson, bridal consultant and events coordinator for The Winchester Opera House.
The ballroom also serves as an automatic rain-plan location and because the catering and both properties are within a single company, final decisions on location can be made last minute. Johnson and her team strive to make the event-planning experience as seamless as possible, with wedding coordination services included in the rental cost and a fully operational florist and wedding decor shop on site.
At Wild Thyme Cooking School & Catering in Lexington, Chef Allison Davis regularly hosts cooking classes and instructional events alongside her catering and venue-rental offerings. She often incorporates all aspects into one occasion.
“A vast majority of our events incorporate culinary education in some capacity, simply because I love sharing my knowledge and passion for food,” Davis said. “We can host a chef’s table experience, a hands-on cooking experience, a combination, or a sit-down plated dinner in our separate dining space.”
Through exclusive venues allowing for cooking lessons, event-planning assistance, customizable menus and more, Lexington’s catering industry is growing in capacity and complexity. And with the venues themselves ranging from historic Kentucky to Victorian eclectic, a downtown destination on high and an actual castle, Lexington’s new chefs’ tables are ready to serve up a one-stop hospitality experience.