Theresa Stanley
The Summer Kentucky Darling Burger
We believe in the power of food.
Whether it’s sharing recipes or highlighting new restaurants in our magazines, food and its ability to foster culture and community has always been a driving force of Smiley Pete Publishing. That focus has increased incrementally in recent years as we’ve moved into the business of producing large-scale food festivals and other culinary events, starting with Crave Lexington Food and Music Festival in 2013. This month, one of our flagship food events, Lexington Burger Week, celebrates its fifth year, and we wanted to take the opportunity to share this essay written by Lexington community member Ryan Koch, who put into words – better than we could – the ripple effect that events like this can have.
We also recently heard from a couple who had their first date at Burger Week a year ago, and are this year celebrating their one-year anniversary – and pending wedding! – at the event. We’ve previously highlighted a pair of brothers who save up vacation days for Burger Week, to ensure that no burger goes uneaten. We are always amazed by the handful of folks who turn in completed passports (completed as in they tried all 40+ burgers being served). And we know there are hundreds of burger-related triumphs and community stories that never make it to our desk.
Lexington Burger Week is a feat of strength in many ways – not only in the massive organization efforts on behalf of our own staff, with Smiley Pete’s resident “Burger Queen” Theresa Stanley at the helm, but with the incredible time, energy and general hustle expended by service industry folks all over town, busting their butts to feed the masses. (A reminder to please be kind to restaurant staff – and tip generously!) As we enter the fifth year of what many people call “The Best Week in Lexington,” we want to say a resounding THANK YOU to the farmers and producers; the servers, cooks, hosts and bartenders; the sponsors and partners; and to you, the community we love and who we do this for.
Lexington Burger Week takes place July 8-14, 2019. Click here for a full list of this year's participating locations and burger descriptions.
Bon appetit, burger fans!
-Smiley Pete Staff
Thanks a Lot, Burger Week
By Ryan Koch
Yes, I received the emails. I saw the posters. I understood that someone had declared last week to be some new holiday season called Burger Week, and that I was expected to go out and dutifully eat one or several hamburgers, photographing my food along the way. But since I am such free-thinking and modern man, I quietly rebelled. I, for one, would not be getting involved. And I took some little pride in my resolve. I continued to walk right by the posters and scroll past the burger-centric posts.
However, my partner did not share my resolve. The steady drip of photos and nudges did their work. On Thursday morning, my wife, Jodie, told me in so many words that a certain photograph of a hamburger had compelled her to make the following bold decision: We would be eating at County Club that evening, and that our daughter and I could meet her there at six. I grinned (maybe I grimaced) at the announcement and said, Yes, darling; let it be so.
DeeDee and I learned a couple of key lessons about the dinner hour that day. We observed that 6 p.m. in Lexington in July is every bit as hot and sunny as 2 or 3 p.m. in Lexington. That is to say very hot. We also found that 6 p.m. seems to be just the time when throngs of Burger Week people converge on the burger purveyors. We were not alone in this family decision of ours. We had joined the crowd.
As we sat at our sunny table, Jodie made eye contact with another mom. We welcomed this woman and her daughter to join us, as there were no other tables available. They too were hot and tired from a busy summer day. We did not know these folks, so some initial small talking ensued. They had not been to this place, so we told them what we liked. DeeDee spoke up for the deviled eggs. We all tasted the sauces on the table to see what would best suit our fries. We heard about the young woman’s day at an amusement park and her school. We heard about her siblings. I don’t know how it happened, but as we drank our sodas and ate our burgers and shared a table, somehow, we were restored.
I am ashamed at how often and how completely I forget about the power of food. Because of food we had this really lovely and surprising meal with strangers. Because of food we forgot about the heat, and we transcended all the inconveniences of a summer day. Because of food with these neighbors we were not allowed to focus on our own family, but to broaden our circle of care just a bit. Because of food this all seemed very natural, common and good. We did not photograph our food; we made no family selfies. We did not write a review. In our way we said yes to Burger Week, and this human moment was our reward. Once again, the joke was on me.
~Smiley Pete Publishing staff