May 2019 | Kentucky Monthly Magazine

THE FOOD ISSUE

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in this issue

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THE FOOD ISSUE

Featured 12 Kentucky’s Signature Dish Kirk Alliman’s 10 things to know about the Hot Brown

17 Call of the Wild Caught Kentucky couple brings a taste of the Arctic to the Bluegrass

22 Henderson Proud Restaurant owner Casey Todd proves that you can go home again

25 Kentucky Knows Coffee Telling the stories of Kentucky’s spirit, one cup at a time

30 Bourbon’s Beginnings Northern Kentucky is home to historic bourbon adventures

Departments 2 Kentucky Kwiz 4 Mag on the Move 5 Across Kentucky 6 Oddities at the Museum

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7 Music 8 Kentucky Monthly’s Reader Recipe Contest Winners 40 Off the Shelf 44 Field Notes 45 Gardening 46 Calendar

Voices 3 Readers Write 42 Past Tense/Present Tense 56 Vested Interest ON THE COVER A delectable-looking dessert from Henderson’s Hometown Roots restaurant (see page 22).

KENTUCKY

Kwiz

Test your knowledge of our beloved Commonwealth. To find out how you fared, see the bottom of Vested Interest or take the Kwiz online at kentuckymonthly.com.

1. Martha Layne Collins was the first woman elected governor, but she was not the first to serve in Kentucky’s highest office. In 1978, this woman invoked her powers as acting governor and vetoed a repeal of the Equal Rights Amendment.

A. Catherine Spalding B. Thelma Stovall C. Dolores Delahanty

2. Augusta’s Nick Clooney was once a national host on which popular cable network?

A. Smithsonian B. American Movie Classics (AMC) C. Turner Classic Movies

3. The Belmont Stakes is the third jewel of Thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown. It’s also the name of towns in which two Kentucky counties?

A. Bracken and Bullitt B. Evans and Ashtabula C. Bullitt and Butler

4. Buffalo Trace Distillery is named for an ancient buffalo crossing on which waterway?

A. North Elkhorn Creek B. Kentucky River C. South Elkhorn Creek

5. Louisville’s Hunter S. Thompson is credited with creating “gonzo journalism” in a 1970 feature story entitled what?

A. “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail” B. “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved” C. “Where the Buffalo Roam”

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K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

6. The population of Lexington, which was founded in 1775, topped 30,000 in which year?

Celebrating the best of our Commonwealth

© 2019, Vested Interest Publications Volume Twenty Two, Issue 4, May 2019

A. 1875 B. 1900 C. 1925

Stephen M. Vest Publisher + Editor-in-Chief

Editorial

7. Drummer Chris Frantz, who was born in Fort Campbell and grew up in Maysville, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 for his membership in which 1970s group?

A. The Stray Cats B. The Cript-Kicker Five C. Talking Heads

8. Berea College, known today for its ties to Kentucky arts and crafts, was first known for what?

Patricia Ranft Associate Editor Rebecca Redding Creative Director Deborah Kohl Kremer Assistant Editor Madelynn Coldiron + Ted Sloan Contributing Editors Cait A. Smith Copy Editor

Senior Kentributors Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley, Bill Ellis, Steve Flairty, Gary Garth, Rachael Guadagni, Jesse Hendrix-Inman, Kristy Robinson Horine, Abby Laub, Lindsey McClave, Brent Owen, Ken Snyder, Walt Reichert, Gary P. West

Business and Circulation Barbara Kay Vest Business Manager Jocelyn Roper Circulation Specialist

A. Its high tuition B. Being a football powerhouse C. Being the first biracial college in the United States

9. Which future U.S. president led troops in the Battle of Middle Creek, a Union victory near Prestonsburg?

A. James A. Garfield B. Ulysses S. Grant C. Rutherford B. Hayes

10. In the animated film Cars, the Cozy Cone Hotel is based on Wigwam Village No. 6 in Holbrook, Arizona, one of a seven-property chain started in which Kentucky city?

Advertising Lara Fannin Account Executive John Laswell Account Executive For advertising information, call 888.329.0053 or 502.227.0053 KENTUCKY MONTHLY (ISSN 1542-0507) is published 10 times per year (monthly with combined December/ January and June/July issues) for $20 per year by Vested Interest Publications, Inc., 100 Consumer Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601. Periodicals Postage Paid at Frankfort, KY and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to KENTUCKY MONTHLY, P.O. Box 559, Frankfort, KY 40602-0559. Vested Interest Publications: Stephen M. Vest, president; Patricia Ranft, vice president; Barbara Kay Vest, secretary/treasurer. Board of directors: James W. Adams Jr., Dr. Gene Burch, Kim Butterweck, Gregory N. Carnes, Barbara and Pete Chiericozzi, Kellee Dicks, Maj. Jack E. Dixon, Bruce and Peggy Dungan, Mary and Michael Embry, Wayne Gaunce, Frank Martin, Lori Hahn, Thomas L. Hall, Judy M. Harris, Greg and Carrie Hawkins, Jan and John Higginbotham, Dr. A. Bennett Jenson, Walter B. Norris, Kasia Pater, Dr. Mary Jo Ratliff, Barry A. Royalty, Randy and Rebecca Sandell, Kelli Schreiber, Marie Shake, Kendall Carr Shelton, Ted M. Sloan and Marjorie D. Vest.

Kentucky Monthly invites queries but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material; submissions will not be returned.

Kentucky Monthly is printed and distributed by Publishers Press, Lebanon Junction, Ky.

A. Glasgow B. Cave City C. Horse Cave

www.kentuckymonthly.com

VOICES BARBER CLAY

I always greatly enjoy reading your magazine, but the March issue was special, with the excellent story about my good and longtime friend, Clay Tankersly (page 30).

As you shared so well, Clay was 18 years old when he began cutting hair at that same location in 1956, and he is a fixture and well loved here in Wilmore.

Clay and I go back 56 years to September 1963, when I entered Asbury College as a 17-year-old freshman. He was my barber during those four years (1963-1967) and then my four years (1967-1971) at Asbury Theological Seminary. Just think of the thousands of haircuts that he has given those students over all these years.

Even when I was away from Wilmore, I would come back from time to time to visit Clay and get a haircut.

I pastored the Wilmore United Methodist Church from 1987-1991, so we picked up where we left off.

In June 2008, I retired, and my wife, Judy, and I moved to Wilmore, so here we are again with Clay.

Here is a photo of Clay and me, as I gave him a wooden cross at the barber shop, and it hangs there as a testimony of his love for Christ and people.

At every haircut, I give Clay $20 for his granddaughter’s educational fund. He is one of my best friends, and a few years ago, he asked me if I would preach at his funeral.

Thanks again for the excellent article, that brought back so many wonderful memories.

Terry Faris, Wilmore I wanted to tell you that I very much enjoyed reading Kentucky Monthly’s feature story on the Kentucky

barber. It was well-written and a fun read.

I always enjoy reading stories about interesting people. I just hope Kentucky Monthly will publish more stories featuring our state’s interesting people, including those who do regular jobs like being a barber in a small town.

Bob Vlach, Georgetown REMEMBERING MENTORS

As a fellow Georgetonian, class of 1961, I especially enjoyed Bill Ellis’ “Mentoring” article (March issue, page 46). Like him, I fondly recall my classes with Drs. Hambrick, Arnold and Redding.

Because I was a student worker in the English department, I also recall hearing about Dr. Curry’s summer trips to Canada and observing Dr. Spears’ impromptu poetry recitations in front of an office window. Dr. Arnold enjoys a special place in my heart because he encouraged me to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Kentucky, where I met my husband of 56 years, a Transylvania graduate and fellow graduate assistant, who occupied a desk facing mine in a cavernous room in McVey Hall.

Ellis’ article has prompted pleasant memories of that long-ago time and regret that I didn’t show more appreciation for these departed, but significant, teachers in my life.

Doris Barlow Cella, Murray I enjoyed Bill Ellis’ article on mentoring. Of the people who have mentored me in my journey of 69 years, the most important are my dearest 91-year-old mother, Dorothy Ray Taylor Finley; her mother, Sarah Margaret Ray; and my other grandmother, Hazel Davies Taylor.

And I cannot forget two professors at Kentucky Wesleyan College—Ken Ayers and Dan Bradshaw. These professors encouraged me as a single mother at the time of two small children and told me, “Yes, you can do

Readers Write this,” and I did.

Always remember that one’s life is an open book to be read, with bad chapters and good ones. I have learned that one’s actions will always speak louder than words. One never knows who is learning from our actions, so “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, which is in heaven,” Matt: 5:16.

Cynthia Lee Evans, Lewisport COMPLEX CAUDILL

In many ways Harry Caudill epitomizes Appalachian Kentucky (February issue, page 46). Just as the region is fraught with controversy and contradictions—poverty amongst great wealth, environmental destruction amidst immense physical beauty— Caudill, too, was beset by contradiction. No one else could, concomitantly, arouse sympathy for a region and people suffering through no fault of their own and inflame the passions of those same people.

As Bill Ellis suggests in his essay, Appalachia’s problems are complicated and systemic. Just to address those difficulties—let alone solve them— people need to make hard choices and such choices breed controversy.

Caudill, as Ellis shows, made those tough decisions and this made him controversial. Nevertheless, underlying that controversy and contradiction was a sincere desire to do what was best for his home.

Thomas Kiffmeyer, Associate Professor of History, Morehead State University

Correction In the March 2019 issue (page 15) Gary Wilson was misidentified as a partner in the Beehive Augusta Tavern. There are also no plans to fly diners into Augusta from Cincinnati or anywhere else.

We Love to Hear from You! Kentucky Monthly welcomes letters from all readers. Email us your comments at editor@kentuckymonthly. com, send a letter through our website at kentuckymonthly.com, or message us on Facebook. Letters may be edited for clarification and brevity.

n Counties featured in this issue M AY 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY. .

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Even when you’re far away, you can take the spirit of your Kentucky home with you.

And when you do, we want to see it!

Take a copy of the magazine with you and get snapping! Send your highresolution photos (usually 1 MB or higher) to editor@kentuckymonthly. com or visit kentuckymonthly.com to submit your photo.

MAG ON THE MOVE

Bill and Linda Francis

England The Lexington couple toured Buckingham Palace while celebrating their 50th anniversary and traveling with family in London and The Netherlands.

Chris and John Nelson Turkey

T.J. Harris Argentina

Simmie and Lowanda Morris Arizona

The Nelsons of La Grange traveled to Turkey and Greece on a tour of Biblical ruins. This photo was taken in Ephesus, Turkey.

Harris, a Louisville native, is pictured at a vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina, the country’s equivalent of the California wine region. He was on a trip with the University of Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

The Manchester couple visited Arizona’s Grand Canyon, one of the most popular destinations for readers who submit photos for this column.

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K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

BRIEFS

BIRTHDAYS 1 Bobbie Ann Mason (1940), Mayfield-born writer best known for her 1985 novel In Country 1 Chris Coy (1986), Louisville born actor, best known as Martin from The Walking Dead 1 Steve Cauthen (1960), the youngest jockey to win the Triple Crown, in 1978 aboard Affirmed.

4 Butch Beard (1947), retired pro basketball player and coach from Hardinsburg 6 George Clooney (1961), Academy Award-winning actor/director/ producer from Augusta 6 Lee Todd Jr. (1946), retired president of the University of Kentucky 6 Athena Cage (1970), rhythm and blues singer/songwriter from Russellville 9 Brandon Tyler Webb (1979), retired winner of the 2006 National League Cy Young Award from Ashland 9 Elmore Smith (1949), former pro basketball player who played for Kentucky State University 14 Robbie Moriarty (1957), noted jewelry artist based in Louisville 19 Paul Brett Johnson (1947), Lexington-based children’s book author and illustrator 24 Don Brumfield (1938), Hall of Fame jockey from Nicholasville with more than 4,500 wins, including the 1966 Kentucky Derby aboard Kauai King 25 C.M. Bill Gatton (1932), entrepreneur and philanthropist born in Muhlenberg County and raised in Owensboro 25 Tom T. Hall (1936), Olive Hillborn Country Music Hall of Fame singer and songwriter 26 Paul Patton (1937), chancellor of University of Pikeville who served as the 59th governor of Kentucky from 1995 to 2003 30 Wynonna Judd (1964), Ashland-born country music star with 14 No. 1 hits

Across Kentucky

DISTILLERY LUNCH SPOT

uffalo Trace Disillery’s Firehouse Sandwich Stop in B Frankfort is open for the

season. Housed inside the original 1930s firehouse on the distillery’s property, the eatery is just a short walk from the visitors center.

The shop serves several mouth-watering sandwiches bearing clever distillery-related names. On offer are pimento cheese, turkey, ham and cheese, burgers and Frankfort’s own Staxx barbecue. A highlight of the menu is burgoo, Kentucky’s traditional stew. The Firehouse burgoo is made by local Chef Russ Kennedy and was selected as the Best Burgoo in Kentucky by the 2019 USA Today Readers’ Choice Contest.

Visitors to the Firehouse can view authentic fire coats and boots once worn by distillery workers in the 1950s and ’60s and watch barrels of bourbon roll by, down the nearby barrel tracks while enjoying lunch.

The Firehouse also offers boxed lunches, which can be ordered ahead of time and picked up by guests on the go.

For a complete menu and more information, visit buffalotracedistillery.com/ visit-us/firehouse-sandwich-stop.

CURATED COCKTAILS cenic Castle & Key Distillery near Frankfort has introduced S a new experience. Guests first tour the disillery and learn about the development of its Restoration Release Gin. Then, they go to Taylorton Station, a train depot on the property built in 1910 by Col. E.H. Taylor to greet and entertain his guests.

There, guests can taste two cocktails highlighting each of the herbs or botanicals of their choice.

Dubbed the Curated Cocktail Experience, this tour and tasting provide a brief overview of the facility’s history and the current production there, followed by an an up-closeand-fragrant examination of the herbs and botanicals used to create Castle & Key’s unique gin. Guests can purchase additional cocktails, local craft beers, wine, and charcuterie meats and locally sourced cheeses. The food and beverages may be enjoyed while exploring the public spaces of the property, including the springhouse, botanical trail and Glenns Creek.

The 45-minute Curated Cocktail Experience costs $20 and features two cocktails. Plus, guests will be able to keep their cocktail glass as a gift.

For more information, visit castleandkey.com.

M AY 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

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CULTURE

Oddities Oldham County History Center 106 North Second Street, La Grange 502.222.0826 | oldhamcountyhistoricalsociety.org

TRANSLATION

To Wm. S. Bennett: To trouble, expense aside on taking runaway negro soldier to Louisville from LaGrange, collecting money for $15.70. Rec. Nov. 21, 1864 of A.R. Mount adv of Jas Mount due the amount in full, under my hand. W.S. Bennett

Oldham County History Center

BY DEBORAH KOHL KREMER

B

uildings on the National Register of Historic Places, paired with a community of history lovers in a county with unique ties to the past, are the makings for a successful historical society. That is what La Grange has in the Oldham County History Center. This storybook-pretty town is where freight trains still clank down the middle of Main Street several times a day, just as they did 160 years ago.

The Oldham County History Center is made up of several buildings housing precious items from the past.

The well-preserved, historic structures date back at least 140 years, each with an interesting story.

The main building, housing the Peyton Samuel Head Family Museum, is a beautiful, pale blue Victorian home. Peyton Samuel Head was a prominent, wealthy citizen in the late 1800s. His daughter, Louise Head Dodge Duncan, bequeathed the home to the historical society upon her death in 1990.

Today, the museum features artifacts related to local history. The collection includes unique contraband from the nearby Kentucky State Reformatory; a blanket woven by a slave from the area;

and memorabilia from legendary director, writer and producer D.W. Griffith, who was born in Crestwood.

There are links to the Underground Railroad and the Civil War, and from World War II, a Heart Shield Bible— the New Testament covered with metal plates commonly carried in a soldier’s shirt pocket over his heart. Also on campus is the Rob Morris Educational Center, housed in a former Presbyterian Church dating back to 1880. It was the home church of Dr. Rob Morris, who founded the Order of the Eastern Star, a women’s auxiliary of the Masons.

The white frame house on the campus is home to the J.C. Barnett Library and Archives. In 2016, the National Park Service Network to Freedom granted the library and archives Underground Railroad designation because of its collection of family papers and 19th Century Oldham County Court Document Collection. It also has genealogical records, historical photos and a vast collection of local history. The home originally was owned by James Mount, who served as the jailer for Oldham County. According to Nancy Stearns Theiss, executive director of the Oldham County Historical Society, in

Photo courtesy of the Oldham County Historical Society.

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K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

addition to owning slaves, Mount would seek and receive runaway slaves and hold them for a certain period. If no one claimed them, they would be auctioned at the courthouse.

This month’s Oddity, a handwritten receipt to a slave catcher, is a somewhat ironic twist, showing how one family was connected with both sides of the Civil War. The History Center’s collection contains more than 30 handwritten letters to Mount and his wife, Amanda, from their nephew, depicting his Civil War experiences as a soldier for the Union Army. There also are handwritten papers and receipts from Amanda Mount that exhibit her effort to have her runaway slaves returned.

The receipt is dated 1864, and President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, marking the end of slavery (in areas in rebellion). In 1864, Lincoln offered freedom to any slave that enlisted to fight for the Union Army.

Camp Nelson in Nicholasville was flooded with slaves ready to sign up.

Since Kentucky never seceded, Amanda Mount apparently did not think the law applied to her and paid to have the former slaves returned.

CULTURE

MUSIC

KENTUCKY’S PREMIER ZIPLINE DESTINATION!!

Teacher, Artist, Musician

BY LAURA YOUNKIN

B

eing busy is not unusual, but Lexington-area musician Eric Bolander takes busy to a whole new level. Teaching high school art full time and being a solo musician, band member and dedicated family man would wear many people down, but it just seems to energize Bolander.

Since he has to work in touring during his teaching breaks, Bolander said he put 6,400 miles on his car last June alone. During his recent spring break, he booked eight shows throughout the Midwest.

Bolander and his wife have a 2-year-old daughter, but they also have lots of friends and family nearby.

“We have a big support group,” he said. That helps him fit in all the activities he loves. “The arts are a-calling,” he said. “Not to get all spiritual, but it’s something in you.”

Bolander has a brawny build, impressive tattoos, a full beard and a wonderful, infectious laugh. His joyful approach to life is balanced by his contemplative songs. He does solo shows and also plays with the band Alcatraz Shakedown, and both give him a chance to explore different aspects of his art. The solo work is more Americana, acoustic style, while Alcatraz Shakedown prefers to rock out.

Bolander thinks being born in Garrison, near Morehead, and then spending years in Lexington had an influence on his music. His father was a union carpenter and music fan, although he was not a musician himself. He would invite musicians to his house, and the young Bolander heard a lot of good picking.

“The sounds of Appalachia and the life in small-town, rural Kentucky,” as he put it, have worked their way into the songs he writes. “The sights, sounds, smells that happened back home come into this album,” he said.

He is referring to his latest release, The Wind, which actually is a re-release of a

2017 album with two new songs.

Bolander recently signed with Eastwood Records, which released The Wind in late March, hoping for a bigger audience this time around.

While he hopes to someday play music full time, Bolander said, “I would love to stay in Lexington. It’s my home.” He loves the city, but he also loves the locale. “I could play two shows on my way to Kansas City.” He said he has musician friends in Chicago, who have a hard time getting from city to city easily. Bolander books his own shows, and he tries to make sure to fit in as many as possible. In a hypothetical example, he could play Louisville, Nashville, southern Missouri and St. Louis in just four days.

With all the activity going on, Bolander still finds time to write his own songs. He’ll be able to find time to write while on tour this summer.

Right now, he has other priorities. “I want to spend time with my daughter,” he said. “I want to be there for my family because I know what’s coming up on the weekends and during breaks.”

Occasionally, songs come to him while he is playing with his daughter.

“Sometimes, I have an idea that hits me real quick,” he said. He tries to keep his phone nearby and ready to record, even if it’s just a fragment. Sometimes he plays with fragments over time, and they become complete songs.

If full-time musicianship doesn’t happen, Bolander said he’ll be fine. “I am perfectly content with being a teacher and playing around 80 to 90 shows a year,” he said. And being a teacher, a visual artist, a musician, a family man and a Kentucky National Guard veteran has only enhanced his abilities to do it all. All those roles?

“One hundred percent, they work together,” he said.

To find Bolander’s touring schedule and see videos, visit ericbolander.com.

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FOOD

Cooking PHOTOS BY

Jesse Hendrix Inman

2 0 1 9 K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY R E A D E R R E C I P E C O N T E S T

Tastebud Tantalizers For the 10th consecutive year, Kentucky Monthly asked our readers to submit their most scrumptious original recipes, and they responded deliciously. Prepared by our chef, Ann Currie—along with Chef David H. Dodd, Sullivan University’s executive director of the National Center for Hospitality Studies—the dishes were sampled and scored on appearance, creativity, ease of preparation and, most importantly, flavor.

Our thanks to those who entered recipes and congratulations to the grand-prize winner and finalists!

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K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

GRAND-PRIZE WINNER Maureen C. Berry of Madisonville “Catfish is a Southern staple in most kitchens. And who doesn’t love a fish taco? This recipe elevates the tender fish with nutty, spicy, zingy flavors and just the right amount of crunch from the cabbage.”

With Our Compliments Sesame Seared Catfish Tacos with Ginger Slaw

Grand-prize winner Maureen Berry and a companion will enjoy an exclusive stay at the charming Montgomery Inn Bed & Breakfast in Versailles. Our finalists will receive a gift package that includes a Kentucky-themed cookbook and cookie cutter.

SERVES 4

4 corn or flour tortillas, taco size ½ cup sour cream 1½ tablespoons Gochujang Korean Chili Sauce Dash kosher salt 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds 1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Warm the tortillas—either in the microwave or in a hot skillet—and keep wrapped in foil in the ¼ small napa cabbage preheated oven.

2 tablespoons pickled ginger, 2. Combine the sour cream and Gochujang sauce in a small bowl. Stir chopped until incorporated. Taste and adjust if you want more heat. Cover and ¼ red bell pepper, sliced into refrigerate until ready to serve. slivers 3. Place the napa cabbage, pickled ginger, red peppers, cilantro and 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, parsley in a medium bowl. Toss. Add the rice wine vinegar and olive oil chopped and toss salad with two forks.

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, 4.

Pat the fish dry and remove the bloodline and any residual skin from chopped the back of the fish. Cut the fillets into four equal portions and season 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, fish with salt. Sprinkle the sesame seeds only on the top. plus more if needed 5. Heat a large skillet with the butter and canola oil over medium heat.

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus When the skillet is hot, place the fish topside down. Reduce the heat a more if needed smidge. Resist the urge to move the fish, unless the edges are burning.

1 tablespoon butter Cook two to three minutes.

1 tablespoon canola oil 6. Flip once and cook three to four minutes, more or less, depending on 1 pound skinless, boneless the thickness of the fish. catfish 7. To build the tacos—start with slaw, then add the fish and top with 1 whole lime, cut into wedges Gochujang sour cream. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

Special Thanks To … Ann Currie and Chef David H. Dodd for preparing the recipes and assisting in judging; Jesse Hendrix-Inman for her luscious photographs of the entries; Sullivan University for the use of one of its Culinary Arts Program kitchens for preparation and judging; the Montgomery Inn Bed & Breakfast for providing the grand prize; and Adrienne Correll, Sue-Sue Hartstern, Steve Hartstern, Deborah Kohl Kremer, Sue Siegel and Kay Vest for their judging expertise.

M AY 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

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FOOD

Cooking

FINALIST >>>

Sue Cardwell of Central City “This is a favorite sweet roll recipe that I developed after tasting orange rolls in Alabama.

Orange Rolls DOUGH:

2 packages dry yeast 2 eggs 2/3 cup warm (105 degrees) water 1/3 cup orange juice ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup butter, melted and cooled 4-4½ cups bread flour 1½ teaspoons salt FILLING:

Gruyere Grits, Greens and Bacon SERVES 8-10

6 cups chicken broth

8 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

2 cups Weisenberger grits

2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce

2 10-ounce boxes frozen collard greens

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 sticks butter

6 slices peppered bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 cups heavy whipping cream

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring chicken broth to boil in a large saucepan and stir in grits. Reduce heat and cover. Cook 20-25 minutes until done, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, cook collard greens in microwave according to package directions. Drain and squeeze dry with paper towels.

3. When grits are done, stir in butter, heavy whipping cream and gruyere cheese. Stir in greens. Add Tabasco, salt and pepper.

4. Pour into a greased casserole dish and top with crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese.

5. Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and brown.

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, softened ½ cup brown sugar 1/3 cup orange zest 1/3 cup orange juice 1 teaspoon orange extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups powdered sugar DOUGH:

1. Place first five ingredients in bread machine. Add flour and salt. Set bread machine on “Dough” setting.

2. When dough cycle has completed, transfer dough to floured work surface. Roll out dough into a rectangle about ¼-inch thick.

3. Spread the filling over the dough and roll up lengthwise. Cut into rolls approximately 1-inch wide.

4. Place in a greased dish. Cover with plastic wrap and set in refrigerator 6 hours or overnight.

5. Bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes or until slightly browned.

FILLING:

^^^ FINALIST

1. Beat softened butter in large mixing bowl. Beat in brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice and extracts. Beat in powdered sugar.

2. Save ¼ cup of filling to mix with 1 T of orange juice for frosting.

Libby Morris of Somerset

FROSTING:

Note: This dish may be served as a side or as an appetizer with melba toast.

“I love your magazine … I cook dinner every night, and I always love to try your featured recipes!”

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K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

Mix reserved ¼ cup of filling with 1 T of orange juice and spread over warm rolls.

Triple Indulgence SERVES 3

<<< FINALIST Peggy Calhoon of Greensburg “I created this dessert using some of our family’s favorite recipes. Although it has several steps, it is really simple and makes for a great presentation.”

STEP 2

STEP 3

Mimi’s OldFashioned Custard

Meringue Shells 4 egg whites 1 teaspoon vanilla

5 eggs

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ gallon milk

Dash of salt

1-2 tablespoons flour mixed into 1½ cups sugar

11/3 cups sugar 3-4 drops food coloring, optional

1 tablespoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Cover baking sheets with parchment paper and outline a can or round cookie cutter Grand Marnier or to draw eight 3-inch circles for Kahlua, optional guides for the shells.

2. Separate the eggs and pour the 1. Pour all but one whites into a mixing bowl. Save cup of the milk into a STEP 1 the yolks for another recipe. double boiler and heat until a skim Brownie Rounds Let the whites sit for about an appears. Remove the skim. hour or until they reach room 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), 2. Beat the eggs, combine the mixture softened temperature. Add the vanilla, of flour and sugar, and then add cream of tartar and salt. Beat 1 cup sugar the eggs and the flour mixture into until soft peaks can be formed.

4 eggs the remaining cup of milk.

3. Gradually add the sugar, 2 to 3 1 cup flour 3. Stir the custard mixture until it tablespoons at a time, beating coats a spoon. The preference is ½ teaspoon salt after each addition until they a thickness like that of a sauce, 1 16-ounce can chocolate syrup form stiff peaks. Food coloring not thick like a curd or pudding. can be added at this point.

1 teaspoon vanilla Reaching a temperature of 180 4. If using a pastry bag and tip, degrees should get it to the best 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. use the #20 open star tip and consistency. Increase the cooking Cream the butter, and then pipe onto the circles drawn on time if you would like a thicker gradually add the sugar, beating the parchment paper, forming a custard. Remove from heat. until light and fluffy. Add the shell with an edge, like a shallow 4. Stir in vanilla and marshmallows. eggs, one at a time, beating well bowl. Or just spoon some of the Allow to cool. after each addition. meringue mixture onto each 5. Before serving, you may need to 2. In a separate bowl, combine the circle and, using the back of a whisk the custard mixture if you flour and salt and add to the spoon, form the shell shape. see the marshmallow forming a creamed mixture alternating with 5. Bake for one hour, turn off the top layer. Add a tablespoon or the chocolate syrup, beginning oven and let the shells remain two of Grand Marnier or Kahlua and ending with the flour for another hour. to each serving, if desired. mixture. Add vanilla.

5 ounces Kraft miniature marshmallows

3. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into rounds. (I use a 2½-inch diameter round cookie cutter.)

Note: The brownie rounds can be made ahead and frozen.

ASSEMBLY

Note: This should be made two-three days ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

For Triple Indulgence, place a meringue shell in the center of a dessert plate, place a brownie round within the shell, and top with about ½ cup of the custard for each serving. Top with fresh blackberries, blueberries and raspberries and a mint leaf.

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Kirks Hot Brown Trail Brown Hotel Louisville General Butler State Resort Park Carrollton Greyhound Tavern Fort Mitchell Serafini Frankfort Wallace Station Deli Midway Parkette Drive-In Lexington Suggins Bar & Grill Lexington Hall’s on the River Richmond Boone Tavern Berea Bluebird Stanford Mariah’s Bowling Green The Whistle Stop Glendale Old Talbott Tavern Bardstown Wild Eggs Louisville V-Grits Louisville 12

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KENTUCKY’S SIGNATURE DISH

Ten things to know about the Hot Brown

BY KIRK ALLIMAN

Since moving to the Commonwealth, I’ve learned (and enjoyed!) a lot about Kentucky.

My favorites are its welcoming people, amazing state resort parks, first Saturday of May festivities, wonderful variety of bourbons and the legendary Hot Brown.

I love everything that goes into Kentucky’s Hot Brown open-faced sandwich, from the moist baked turkey, crisp bacon and slightly broiled tomatoes, to its bubbling hot, cheesy Mornay sauce. So, it’s no surprise that the flavorful Hot Brown has become my favorite “go to” meal. This being the case, last fall I jumped on my bicycle and pedaled my way to various parts of the Commonwealth to see what I could learn about Kentucky’s most famous dish. Since the Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville is where the Hot Brown was created—thus the sandwich’s name—that’s where the bike ride began.

Ten things to know about Kentucky’s iconic Hot Brown: 1. Just as all roads led to Rome at the peak of the Roman Empire, so it is that all roads lead to the Brown Hotel for those seeking the epicenter of the Hot Brown world. “Experiencing” a finely crafted, perfectly prepared and elegantly served Hot Brown at the historic Brown Hotel should be on every Kentuckian’s bucket list. As for me, I’ve asked that the Hotel’s Hot

Browns be served at my funeral meal!

It’s not by accident that, of the tens of thousands of meals served at the Brown Hotel each year, the Hot Brown is the most often requested dish.

According to Executive Chef James Adams, who was kind enough to visit when I stopped by, every year the Brown Hotel uses more than 3,000 10-pound turkeys and 5,000 gallons of Mornay sauce to prepare 75,000 Hot Browns for its guests. That’s an average of 200 every day!

This being the case, the Hot Brown and the Brown Hotel are joined at the hip. The hotel celebrates this association, as posters there proudly commemorate the 1926 birth of the Hot Brown. More importantly, Adams is passionate about preserving the hotel’s Hot Brown as the “world’s best.” When it comes to Hot Browns, nothing is left to chance.

2. The Hot Brown began as a midnight snack. Back in the Roaring ’20s, the Brown Hotel drew 1,200 guests to its weekend dinner dances. The band played into the wee hours of the morning. When the dancers needed a break, they headed to the hotel’s restaurant, where an egg-and-ham dish was the long-standing favorite.

Late in the autumn of 1926, Chef Fred Schmidt began to seek a more interesting alternative to satisfy his hungry guests. Looking around the hotel’s kitchen for available ingredients, he decided to top a slice of toast with a scrap of turkey, a dollop of a cheesy sauce, and a couple of strips of bacon (out-of-season tomatoes were not available in the 1920s).

Schmidt assembled this concoction, broiled it a few minutes, added seasonings and—magically—a new dish was born! In no time at all, the Hot Brown was on its way to becoming the legendary dish that now is a Kentucky favorite. Since that fateful night, the Brown Hotel has served more than 1.5 million Hot Browns.

3. The key to the Brown Hotel’s Hot Brown is the homemade Mornay sauce—and it’s a big secret. Although the hotel placed its Hot Brown recipe on its website for all to see, I have concluded that there’s more to the hotel’s fabulous Mornay sauce than meets the eye. Adams admitted as much when he told me that he and three others are the only people in the entire world who know what that is.

After being invited to the hotel’s kitchen to watch Hot Browns being made, I offer a hint: It may have something to do with the proportioning of whole milk to heavy cream, the type of saucepan that is used, and an uncommon seasoning that is sprinkled on each Hot Brown seconds before it’s taken bubbling hot to a dining room.

4. The Hot Brown is a sandwich … or is it a casserole? As I biked from place to place, I kept wondering what I should call the Hot Brown. If it is a sandwich, clearly it is open-faced. But the Hot Brown is so much more than a sandwich. When it emerges from a broiler bubbling hot and picturesque, it looks like a casserole, which is what a few Kentucky restaurants call it. So, which is it: sandwich or casserole?

When I asked Adams, he told me: “If it goes in as one, is magically transformed, and then comes out as the other … then it’s both!” Sounds good to me.

5. Hot Browns are HOT! As in being tremendously popular, throughout Kentucky and beyond. Chefs at every Kentucky restaurant I visited told me that the Hot Brown is their most often requested dish.

The dish’s fame grew outside of the state when popular celebrity chefs such as Bobby Flay, David Chang and Sean Brock featured the Hot Brown on their shows. Tourists, media bigwigs, Hollywood stars and celebrities attending the Kentucky Derby all began making a point of enjoying a M AY 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

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The Hot Brown provided by the Brown Hotel MAKES TWO HOT BROWNS

2 ounces whole butter 2 ounces all-purpose flour 8 ounces heavy cream 8 ounces whole milk ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish Salt and pepper to taste 14 ounces sliced roasted turkey breast 2 slices Texas toast, crust trimmed 4 slices crispy bacon 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half Paprika, to taste Parsley, to taste 1. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined and forms a thick paste (roux).

Continue to cook roux for 2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk heavy cream and whole milk into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in Pecorino Romano cheese until the Mornay sauce is smooth.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. For each Hot Brown, place one slice of toast in an oven-safe dish and cover with 7 ounces of turkey.

4. Set the halves of the tomato alongside the base of turkey and toast. Pour half of the Mornay sauce to completely cover the dish.

Sprinkle with additional Pecorino Romano cheese. Place entire dish under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble.

5. Remove from boiler, cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top, sprinkle with paprika and parsley, and serve immediately.

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Hot Brown while in Louisville. And then they would go home and tell their friends and colleagues. Louisville Tourism reports that a large number of foodies travel to the city for the simple purpose of experiencing a Kentucky Hot Brown.

The Hot Brown has been featured in Southern Living, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, NBC’s Today show, ABC World News with Louisville’s own Diane Sawyer, the Travel Channel and The Wall Street Journal. In January 2015, National Geographic magazine named Louisville as one of its top 10 international food cities. Louisville was one of three American cities to receive this recognition. Cincinnati was included for its chili; Buffalo, New York, for its Buffalo chicken wings; and Louisville for its Hot Brown. Truly, the legendary Hot Brown has put Louisville and Kentucky on the world’s cuisine map.

6. The world’s most noted Hot Brown “Throwdown”: The buzz surrounding the Hot Brown reached dizzying heights in 2008 when the aforementioned Flay and his wildly popular Throwdown! With Bobby Flay television food show challenged Brown Hotel chefs to a Hot Brown throwdown. Judges, who were not told whose Hot Browns they were tasting, determined the Brown Hotel’s was better than Flay’s. The prize: bragging rights and a bottle of Woodford Reserve bourbon.

As part of the prestigious 2017 Cookbook Awards—the Oscars of the food world—held by the International Association of Culinary Professionals at its annual conference in Louisville, a friendly Hot Brown “Smack-Down” was held at the Palace Theater. It was an enormously popular exhibition of Hot Brown making. Five hundred professional chefs from around the world enjoyed the rare privilege of sampling the planet’s best Hot Browns.

Kentucky chefs received enthusiastic and highly deserved acclaim.

7. There’s amazing variety in Kentucky’s Hot Brown world. Even chefs who are committed to offering the traditional Hot Brown find ways to innovate the use of breads, sauces, cheeses, meats, tomatoes and seasonings to distinguish their creations. No two Hot Browns that I sampled during the bike ride were the same.

I was fascinated by chefs who are more focused on creating their own rendition of the Hot Brown than in trying to clone the traditional sandwich. When I stopped at the Bluebird restaurant in Stanford, Executive Chef William Hawkins

stated emphatically, “I don’t want my Hot Brown to taste like anybody else’s.

There are plenty of places to go if one’s looking for a good, traditional Hot Brown. There’s no need for me to offer one more. While I am respectful of time-honored recipes, I delight in treating guests to dishes that are unique and intriguing.”

At Hawkins’ Bluebird, the Hot Brown is cleverly named “Hot Blue.” As promised, it was a striking alternative rendition of the traditional Hot Brown.

Visually appealing, light in texture, and distinguished by multigrain toast points, fried green tomatoes, slices of country ham and turkey, smoked gouda sauce, a roasted red pepper coulis and a tomato-bacon-scallion crumble, Hawkins’ Hot Blue is a fabulous dish. It’s worth driving—or biking—many miles to experience.

Seeking variety, I also came upon a breakfast Hot Brown (much like an eggs Benedict), Hot Brown pizza, Hot Brown panini sandwich, Hot Brown tater tots, Hot Brown burger, Italian Hot Brown, Hot Brown crêpe, Hot Brown soup and Hot Brown salad.

There’s even a Cold Brown, created especially for summer dining.

8. Who would have imagined a vegan Hot Brown? I came across this dish at the popular V-Grits Restaurant in Louisville. In this day and age, anything seems possible, but a vegan Hot Brown?

The restaurant’s name—Vegan Girl Raised In The South—describes its owner, Kristina Addington, who told me that she grew up in southern Kentucky eating the traditional Hot Brown. When she became a vegan, one of her goals was to “eat more compassionately without missing out on any of Kentucky’s great dishes,” she said. So Addington set out to create a vegan Hot Brown, as she stated, by “using ingredients that are savory, appealing, animal friendly, and better for the environment and our health.”

When asked how she replaces the Hot Brown’s traditional ingredients without sacrificing flavor, Addington said that a layer of pimento cheese grits is placed at the bottom of an iron skillet, and then a homemade biscuit is placed on top of the grits, followed by a layer of thin slices of vegan turkey. The base of vegan turkey is protein wheat flour, similar in texture to bread dough, and spiced up with typical turkey seasonings. Caramelized onions are added, along with a coconut milkbased white sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes and large strips of seasoned, roasted coconut that taste a lot like bacon. How popular is her version of the Hot Brown? Addington gave me a

V-Grits in Louisville has a vegan Hot Brown! The dish contains pimento cheese grits, vegan turkey, a coconut-based white sauce and more.

[that is, the ordering and arranging of ingredients on the plate, the careful placement of each in relationship to the others] causes colors, textures and flavors to merge … thereby affecting the Hot Brown’s appearance and taste.

It’s basic chemistry.”

thumbs-up, adding, “It’s incredibly popular!” Count me among its fans.

9. A Hot Brown’s presentation affects its flavor. While watching Hot Browns being made and noticing that chefs painstakingly place each ingredient to make the dish visually attractive, I began to wonder if the arrangement of ingredients in the skillet or plate also affected the dish’s flavor. When I asked this question of Dan Robinson, a retired chef, he told me, “Yes, indeed! The artistry of food design

Every chef I talked with underscored the importance of transferring the bubbling hot Hot Brown from kitchen to table as quickly as possible. This immediate delivery enables the sauce, cheese, bacon, turkey, tomato, paprika and other seasonings to merge in front of the diner. Robinson described this melding as the “greatest moment.” As the Hot Brown is served, he continued, “Its smells fill the air with flavor. Nostrils flare, eyes are delighted, and the mouth begins to water … all in anticipation of a dining experience that has been accomplished by an expert chef who artistically created this visual, aromatic and taste sensation. That is what the Hot Brown was, is and always should be. Not just another dish but a memorable, sensual dining experience.”

10. The largest Hot Brown ever! In 1999, the staff at the now-closed

BiScotti Bistro in La Grange decided their best chance at being mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records was to make the largest-ever Hot Brown. They created a mammoth 65-pound sandwich that measured 56 by 28 inches and was 3 inches deep.

Wow! In putting the sandwich together, the BiScotti Bistro staff used 10 loaves of bread, 16 pounds of turkey, 3 gallons of cheese sauce, 200 tomato slices and 2 pounds of bacon.

There’s no record that Guinness officials confirmed the dish to be the largest-ever Hot Brown, nor is there a record of the number of people this enormous dish served.

The Last Word: Hot Browns may not be for those on a diet or trying to lower their cholesterol. But if you are looking for a comfort food that is a delight to view and a pleasure to eat, warms your tummy, and sets you up for a nice nap, the Kentucky Hot Brown is exactly what the doctor ordered. As celebrity Chef Bobby Flay stated: “The only bad thing about a Hot Brown is that you’ll need a nap right after you eat it.” Tell me, what in the world is so bad about that? Q

May 29–August 4

Kirk is served a “Hot Blue” by Chef William Hawkins at the Bluebird in Stanford.

Kirks Favorite Hot Brown Experiences I heartily suggest that readers enjoy a Kentucky Hot Brown whenever they have the opportunity. If, however, you find yourself near one of the following eateries, don’t make the mistake of passing by.

They are certain to provide a memorable Hot Brown experience: Brown Hotel, Louisville This is the most perfect and satisfying Hot Brown

Experience in the entire world! The Brown Hotel knows how to do Hot Browns right. It should, since it’s been serving the dish since 1926.

Bluebird, Stanford Chef William Hawkins’ Hot Blue is a creative and highly enjoyable nontraditional rendition of the Hot Brown. The Bluebird experience is made even more satisfying by a friendly and attentive staff.

Two Rivers Restaurant at General Butler State Resort Park, Carrollton Everything about the Hot Brown experience that I enjoyed here was superb, but the Kentucky Proud bacon and country ham were the stars.

This terrific version of the Hot Brown is offered at all 17 Kentucky state resort parks.

Serafini, Frankfort Serafini presents a splendid ambience in which to enjoy a colorful, flavorful Hot Brown along with a variety of appealing salads. If you are in our state’s capital city and are in the mood for a Hot Brown, Serafini is definitely the place to go.

Suggins Bar & Grill, Lexington Suggins is an informal, cozy neighborhood restaurant and gathering place. Its regular diners are fortunate to have convenient access to a fabulous Hot Brown, which is thoughtfully offered in regular and half-size servings.

Parkette Drive-In, Lexington Featured on the Rachael Ray Show in 2013, Parkette’s popular Hot Brown burger includes two Angus beef patties smothered with creamy Alfredo sauce and topped with three slices of turkey, two slices of bacon, American cheese and a sliced tomato, served between toasted hamburger buns. This is a true gut-buster!

Greyhound Tavern, Fort Mitchell This welcoming family dining venue, full of tradition and gracious sophistication, is the perfect place in northern Kentucky to enjoy a robust Hot Brown—with salty country ham, oven roasted turkey breast or both. Attentive service assures a satisfying experience.

Old Talbott Tavern, Bardstown Dining on a bubbling hot and perfectly seasoned Hot Brown while seated in front of a blazing fire on a cold, rainy afternoon transformed a dreary day into a thoroughly enjoyable occasion.

Other diners in the room agreed that the Talbott Tavern Hot Brown experience is the best in the area.

The Whistle Stop, Glendale The Whistle Stop is highly regarded for countless menu items, such as its remarkable meringue pies. Its Hot Browns also receive enthusiastic acclaim, and for good reason.

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Food The June evening in Stanford was warm, but Jason McKinley could already feel the cool salt air hissing in his ears and hear the slap and churn of the Egegik River. He had a long list of gear to stow before his flight left the following morning, including a new Garmin inReach—the all-important satellite device that would enable him to continue texting his family from remote reaches of Bristol Bay, Alaska.

June 11, 2018 was the last night he would spend with his wife, Mary Beth, and sons, Asa and Boden, for eight weeks. Separation is the hardest part of an already grueling job, but for the McKinleys, it’s part of a larger mission. Their company, Caught Wild Salmon, sells one of the most unique fresh foods available in the Bluegrass—wildcaught, sustainably harvested sockeye salmon.

After processing and packaging, Caught Wild Salmon is distributed throughout Kentucky through Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions, farmers markets, restaurants and retail stores, including Marksbury Farm Market, Good Foods Co-op, Rainbow Blossom Natural Food Markets and more.

The salmon is deep red, full-flavored and tastes fresher than anything you’ll experience short of catching your own. Caught Wild

BY Joel Sams PHOTOS BY Jason McKinley

Kentucky couple brings a taste of the Arctic to the Bluegrass

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Want to catch a taste of Caught Wild Salmon?

Visit caughtwildsalmon.com for a listing of farmers markets, restaurants, Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions and retail stores that carry the

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Salmon isn’t just about the food, though. It’s the culmination of many passions—outdoor adventure, community engagement, and the nonstop undertaking of raising a family while running a business.

“It evolved from adventure, which coincides with lifestyle and spirituality,” Jason said. “Then, it’s moved toward family and providing.

And I hope as the kids get older, it cycles back into adventure and spirituality as a family whole.”

Fishing Salmon fishing was never a deliberate career choice for Jason. He found his way into the business one step at a time. Last year was his 19th season in Alaska. During his first year, he drove to “the end of the road” and found himself at the tip of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, where he lived in a tent and filleted halibut for charter companies.

“I’d wake up in the morning, and there’d be eagles outside the tent and this beautiful snow-capped mountain range and volcanoes in the distance,” Jason said. “That whole life was pretty awesome.”

The life captivated him for reasons that have deepened through the years.

“I just fell into it,” he said of salmon fishing. “It’s exciting. I didn’t know I was going to stay this long. But there is something about being in that unknown and in this cycle of life that’s grander than you; something that’s part of your lifestyle and provides not only financially but spiritually as well.

You’re full-on with nature all the time—not controlled by the clock but by the tide and 22 hours of sunlight.”

The salmon season on Bristol Bay is gruelingly unpredictable, potentially deadly and always rewarding. On the edge of the Arctic Circle, the weather changes with protean intensity. The long days are governed by massive semidiurnal tides (two highs and two lows each 20

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

day). Approximately 1,500 boats jockey for position on Bristol Bay, attempting to predict the movements of salmon that “come when they come, and leave when they leave.”

The first morning on the water is always a nail-biter. For the last eight years, Jason has worked on the Dr. Jack, a boat owned by Capt. Jeff Bowser.

Dry-docked through the winter, it’ll be loaded onto a trailer and backed down a ramp. That’s the crucial moment. If there’s an issue with the boat, it won’t launch at all. If the launch goes smoothly, however, the season will have officially begun.

“That’s where everything starts to happen,” Jason said. “There are a lot of emotions—excitement, nervousness, a little bit of dread. You have this huge season in front of you, and what’s going to happen? There’s excitement in that, just the unknown.”

Jason is paid a percentage of the catch, which is bought per pound by the Big Creek processing plant. The fishing season encompasses two separate business endeavors for Jason.

One is simply the catch, which is purchased by the plant. The other endeavor, Caught Wild Salmon, is the result of Jason and Mary Beth’s marketing genius at work. Jason saves a portion of his catch, has it processed at the plant (flash-frozen for optimal freshness), and brings it home, selling it through a multitude of local food channels.

The fishing competition is stiff on Bristol Bay, with 1,500 permits spread out among five rivers and encompassing “echelons” of fishermen. In spite of heavy fishing, though, Bristol Bay remains pristine and one of the top sockeye salmon runs in the world. “[The Alaska Department of] Fish and Game controls everything,” Jason said. “Before the season, they’re testing the rivers, counting fish and doing estimates.”

Scrupulous conservation practices continue paying off for Alaska. Fishing has not harmed the sockeye population

Pan-Seared Salmon

with Lemon Caper Butter

By Chef Bill Hawkins, the Bluebird SERVINGS: 4

4 6-ounce servings of Caught Wild Salmon Salt and pepper, to taste Non-GMO vegetable oil for searing 2 tablespoons butter, divided 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup white wine (something citrusy, not too sweet such as a sauvignon blanc or pinot gris) 2 ounces heavy cream Juice of ½ lemon 2 tablespoons capers 1. Season salmon lightly with salt and pepper and sear in a nonstick pan with non-GMO vegetable oil.

It is done when the center goes from translucent to opaque.

2. Melt one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over mediumhigh heat, then add garlic and sauté until golden brown. Add wine, then simmer until reduced by half.

3. Add heavy cream, lemon juice and capers, then turn heat up to high and simmer until sauce is reduced by half. Whisk in remaining tablespoon of butter, then taste and add salt if necessary. (Be cautious: Capers are salty.)

Serving suggestion: Pair with Parmesan risotto.

in Bristol Bay. Instead, salmon numbers have grown. Jason recognizes that his industry has a serious conservation responsibility— protecting the resources that offer him a livelihood.

“You want to work with all those sustainable acts—whatever is best for the next run,” Jason said. “Alaska has been so great. They have been the leaders of sustainability and management for so long. Last year was the biggest run in 50 years. On average, it’s a 25- or 30-million run, and last year it was pushing 60 million. It goes through big waves over time, but that’s a wild thing to see.”

Family The books on Jason’s basement shelves provide a few clues to his philosophy of life: Physics: Everyday Science at the Speed of Light, Fifty Favorite Climbs, The Tao of Pooh, The Big Book of Graphic Design, The Journey Is the Destination, The New Dad’s Survival Guide, the Bible. He’s an adventurer at heart and feels the constant pull of the outdoors. At the same time, it’s getting harder to leave the family behind for the fishing season.

In previous years, the whole family has sometimes traveled together. These days, though, as the boys get older, it’s more common for Jason to travel to Alaska alone while Mary Beth runs the business in Kentucky. With the pressures of a growing family, a 9-to-5 job certainly would simplify things, but running a small business allows the McKinleys to pursue their passions—

sustainable food, adventure and (summer fishing excluded) family time.

“This is the crux of the year, having to leave,” Jason said before the 2018 season. “It was actually easier when they were younger. When the babies are in the crib, your heart is still with them, but there’s not as much interaction. But over time, as they grow older and can talk, when you know them, and they know you, and there’s that whole friendship built— that’s harder to leave. This will be the hardest year.”

The fishing season is a grueling experience at home in Stanford, too.

Mary Beth, who runs the office operations of Caught Wild Salmon, looks after the boys on her own in the run-up to the fishing season and during the season itself. She may not be contending with tides and weather, but she’s performing a balancing act that makes the business possible.

“It’s a big deal,” Jason said, “when you up and leave, and there’s still the whole existence of home life and business life going on. She has to take on a lot more roles, and for her to do that on her own is one thing, but throw in two growing, wild little boys, and it’s another thing. Fishermen’s wives are amazing women.”

The hardest year, Mary Beth said, was when Asa was 2 and Boden was a newborn. Up to that point, she had insisted on continuing to run the business during fishing season as if nothing had changed. With two young ones, though, she realized that she would have to “let some things go,” and, more importantly, ask for some

help from parents, family and friends.

“I call in the village,” Mary Beth said. “I’ve had to realize that I can’t be the superwoman. I mean, we are [super women]! But trying to do it all by myself just led to insanity. I started scaling back and doing what I could do as far as running the business, farmers markets, and we have other businesses as well.”

The challenges of running a fishing business while raising a family are greater than the McKinleys could have anticipated. But the rewards are great too, and for Mary Beth, satisfaction comes in providing a uniquely valuable product to her community.

“We’re able to bring back a sustainable, wild-caught product to a landlocked state like Kentucky,” she said. “People appreciate that. There’s an awesome community of people here who really appreciate that product and others like it.”

As Jason looks forward to the season ahead this summer, he feels the familiar anticipation and excitement, mingled with a touch of dread.

Changes come for the business as suddenly as foul weather blows up on Bristol Bay, and you can never really tell what’s coming. But somehow, it’s always worth it. Something always draws him back.

“It’s a consuming life,” Jason said.

“You leave the sea behind, but it’s always with you. Even when you feel like you’re physically beaten or you’re just done with it, when it comes around, you start hearing the call of the sea.” Q

Caught Wild at the Bluebird A farm-to-table restaurant in Stanford, the Bluebird is known for offering local, natural and pure food. No wonder, then, that the menu frequently features Caught Wild Salmon, an outstanding culinary offering, both in terms of flavor and health.

“My first motivation was that it’s wild-caught,” said Bluebird Chef Bill Hawkins, above. “It’s coming from sustainable sources. Fish from industrialized fish farms can be loaded with chemicals, but Jason’s fish comes from a properly maintained ecosystem.

There’s an integrity of product.”

As a chef, however, Hawkins knows that it all comes down to taste.

Sourcing fresh, healthy, sustainable food isn’t just a virtuous exercise; it’s also an effort to find the best-tasting products available.

“At the end of the day, it’s a business,” Hawkins said. “I’m trying to sell food, and I do that by creating a product that people want to buy, and to do that, it has to taste good. The Caught Wild Salmon has a rich flavor, a gorgeous color, a firm texture. The coloring is from the food that it eats, not dyes and chemicals dumped into the water. It’s wild, and it’s fed from natural sources.”

Hawkins has personal reasons for pursuing the freshest, healthiest products. After being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, he began eating

cleaner, healthier foods in an effort to boost his health. His new way of eating began influencing his culinary art as well, as he sought out sustainable and healthy options. That journey led to the creation of the Bluebird and an expanding circle of like-minded friends.

“I met Jason and Mary Beth through a business relationship after we came to town, but on a personal level, our families are now friends,” Hawkins said. “Our children can play with their children, and it’s just been a wonderful relationship. It’s a business relationship that’s grown to a personal relationship and has a lot of depth to it. And they’re just truly wonderful people who care a lot about the people they’re serving.”

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If You Go: Hometown Roots 136 Second Street, #100, Henderson 270.212.3653 | hometownrootsky.com

Henderson Proud Restaurant owner Casey Todd proves that you can go home again

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Hometown Roots owner Casey Todd

t’s 6:30 a.m. Shawna Tipton opens the doors to what was once Henderson’s Hotel Soaper. Her footsteps fall on the floor of the 100-year-old building that is now home to a restaurant attracting hundreds daily— Hometown Roots. Tipton begins a day of meal prep, although the first customers won’t walk through the doors for another 10 hours.

But Hometown Roots owner Casey Todd says that time definitely is not wasted.

“We literally make everything from scratch here in-house,” Todd says. “There’s a lot of prep involved, but that’s what truly takes us over the edge and makes our product superior and extremely tasty.”

From smoked meatloaf to deep-fried pimento fritters, the restaurant offers down-home dishes.

“We’re truly Southern comfort food,” he says. “It was what I was raised on.”

Hometown Roots offers more than 150 bourbons as well as 16 beers on tap, 14 of them local craft beers. Todd also has expanded further into the Soaper building’s first floor by opening a coffee bar.

“We’re trying to stay with our local roots. That’s what our name is, but it’s also our philosophy,” he says.

The restaurant opened its doors in August 2018, but the menu and business plan had been a dream of Todd’s for many years.

Having always wanted to open his own restaurant, the Henderson native left his western Kentucky hometown to study hospitality management at the University of Kentucky.

He was able to pay his tuition from the money he made with a shaved ice stand that he had taken over from his brother, Nick (who paid his way to Western Kentucky University), when he was in high school. In addition to running the shaved ice stand, Todd also worked as a fry

By Jackie Hollenkamp Bentley Photos by Jordyn Myracle

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cook at Henderson’s Rookies Sports Bar & Grill.

“That’s where I caught the bug … drank the Kool-Aid, so to speak,” he says.

Over the next decade, Todd worked many jobs in the restaurant and hospitality industry, taking him to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and eventually back closer to home in Bowling Green.

That’s when the call to own his own restaurant became louder. It was the winter of 2017 when he came home to Henderson to spend time with his family and explored potential restaurant locations. But nothing came to fruition until he packed up the car to head back to Bowling Green.

“As I hopped in the car, I took off, and I just couldn’t quite give up on the idea [of opening his own place],” Todd says. “I really wanted to move back home; being close to family was really what I was interested in … I turned around at the riverfront and headed toward the interstate and got caught by a stoplight at Second and Main streets.

I looked over to the right, and there’s a building, and I’m like, ‘Oh! That’s a pretty cool building!’ I pulled over and began peeking in the windows.”

Todd’s plan was set in motion

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when he spent seven days calling the building’s owners, contractors and investors. In April 2018, renovation of the first floor of the old Soaper Building was underway. A few months later, Hometown Roots was officially opened for business.

“We completely gutted the building and built it all back ourselves and really created an amazing space,” he says. “It’s an urban industrial space with concrete floors, steel fixtures and lots of glass windows that look over Second and Main streets.”

Lindsey Lacasto, executive director of the Downtown Henderson Partnership, says it’s apparent Todd knew what he was doing.

“Not only did he put something in there that has been viable; he really invested. He did it right,” Lacasto says. “You can tell that he paid attention to every little detail, and it makes it not just a dining destination, but it makes it an experience destination. You just don’t go there to eat. The ambiance and the atmosphere make it a place where people want to come and visit.

“He chose to move back to Henderson to do his dream, his

passion, his restaurant project, and he chose to do it here when he could have done it anywhere else. Everyone knew in Henderson that he had a great background in the restaurant industry, so knowing he was bringing his talent and his expertise to Henderson was really something that a lot of people were looking forward to.”

They apparently haven’t been disappointed, as the accolades roll in.

Since its opening, Hometown Roots has been awarded Downtown Henderson Partnership’s Downtown Business of the Year, the Henderson Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year and the Favorite Downtown Restaurant Award from Claire and the HOT 96 Morning Show’s first annual HOT Awards.

Todd says that, while the eatery continues to “receive the love” from the community, he’s still surprised by the success.

“Our life—my entire family’s life— turned 360 degrees in about seven days, but it was something we were truly passionate about, something that we had wanted to do for a while,” he says. “It was a great opportunity and an even better opportunity to move back home to be so much closer to family.”Q

Kentucky KNOWS COFFEE

Telling the stories of Kentucky’s spirit, one cup at a time

BY Cait A. Smith PHOTOS BY Rebecca Redding

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“Thanks for coming in.

My name is Tony. Would you like a free cup of coffee?”

L

exington-raised Tony Davis knows how to welcome the regulars, locals and world wanderers who find themselves drawn in by the aroma and spirit of Kentucky Knows.

Situated on the corner of Washington and West Broadway streets, it’s part of a lively strip of downtown Frankfort that sings of local business.

Visitors entering the store are greeted with an entire sensory experience. Kentucky bourbon- and French cognac-barrel woodcrafts fill every corner. Newspaper and magazine articles, blown up on canvas and framed, are propped up on handcrafted easels. A glowing video screen rotates through some 3,000 images. The low beat of music entices customers toward the counter at the back of the store. The fragrances and flavors of the coffee, intermingled with those of a bourbon barrel, herald the sound and sight of the red locomotive chugging down the tracks outside, evoking feelings of Kentucky—and of connection. All of it tells a story.

“I was working on a barrel,” Davis recalls. “My dad had died at a really young age … and I was drinking coffee from his mug … I went to go set the coffee cup on the barrel, and I wasn’t looking, and I hit the chime,” or the lip of the barrel, he explained, “and [the mug] slid down. And I looked around—I thought it was going to fall off—so I grabbed it, and then I set it down [on the barrel], and then I looked, and it clicked. And I thought, ‘How could I create my own label, my own coffee, that tells the story of 26

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Kentucky on this side of the barrel?’

“And, of course, that’s when Kentucky Knows came along, because we’re telling the story of what Kentucky does know, one cup at a time.”

And what better way to tell stories than with coffee?

“My dad drank—I don’t know how he did it—he drank four or five pots of coffee a day,” Davis says. “I don’t understand it, not one bit.” But, he says, “Emotion’s everything,” and loving coffee and his father’s memory go hand in hand.

“Coffee’s a big deal,” he says. “It brings family, it brings strangers together. Conversations are started.”

Stories get told.

And like many great stories, it began with a cowboy.

Nineteen months into trying to create Kentucky’s first real bourbonbarrel coffee, Davis purchased a concrete mixer from Harbor Freight Tools in Lexington. “Essentially, this acted as a tumbler and an aerator for my coffee,” Davis explains. “Twentysix months later is when my coffee started to take shape with my customers, and it all began with Cowboy,” his first flavor of Kentucky bourbon-barrel-aged coffee.

Davis started his business just as many people start things—as a hobby, in his barn. “I had all the wrong tools at that time,” he reminisces, “but I had tools.”

Fast-forward six or seven years and

Davis was working out of the James E. Pepper Distillery off Manchester Street in the heart of Lexington’s historic Distillery District. Six and a half years after that, Kentucky Knows began maturing into what it is today. Davis wrestled through 13 months without a space, working out of his barn and selling product out of his van, before landing where he is now. For the past two years and counting, he has been serving up java in his Frankfort shop.

In addition to Cowboy, Kentucky Knows has grown to offer from the barrel Cinnamon, Kentucky Bourbon, Caramel, Chocolate Chipotle, Bourbon Ball, Bourbon Butterscotch Pecan, Bourbon Butterscotch Cream, Praline and Crème Brûlée barrel-aged coffees.

It also offers a coffee not aged in the barrel called Black as well as Barrel Mo-Ky (pronounced “moka”), a 35-year-old recipe for hot chocolate.

Coffee is sold in quarter-pound, halfpound, three-quarter-pound and 1-pound bags, ranging from $5.50 to $19, and Barrel Mo-Ky is sold in 2-pound bags for $12.

When newcomers walk into Kentucky Knows, the first thing many ask is: “Is this a coffee shop?” “And sometimes I’ll go”—Davis inhales deeply, tasting the coffee in the air— “ ‘Yeah, it’s a coffee shop’—you know, just to get them thinking.

“When people see ‘caramel, barrelaged coffee,’ some of those folks may think, ‘Well, is there bourbon in it?’ and that’s good … because it prompts the question,” Davis says. “It opens the window so that their ears can be

IF YOU GO: Kentucky Knows 337 West Broadway, Frankfort 859.621.5261 | kentuckyknows.com

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told, and that story be conveyed in a different way than they’ve ever been told, as far as with coffee.

“When people come in and they ask if this is a coffee shop, I think they ask that because they’ve never had an experience with the actual owner and with the barrel.”

The thing is, Kentucky Knows isn’t just a place to get a cup of coffee; it’s an experience—and it’s different from any coffee experience to which Kentuckians are accustomed.

Davis sources Arabica coffee beans from the Highland region of Antigua, Guatemala. He uses clean, washed, premium beans, which are then roasted weekly inside a 75-year-old German gas belt-fed Probat drum roaster. The coffee at Kentucky Knows is never more than seven days from the roast, likely much fresher than coffee on any supermarket shelf. And the flavors of Kentucky Knows coffee come from inside the barrel.

“All of our coffee sleeps inside of the Buffalo Trace Distillery bourbon barrels,” Davis says, “long enough to pick up those barrel-aged flavors.”

Kentucky Knows doesn’t offer any pre-ground or pre-bagged coffee.

When people come in, the coffee is specially ground using German Mahlkönig grinders for the type of 28

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coffee maker each customer has and then bagged in front of the customer.

Kentucky Knows grinds for Keurig, French press, espresso, percolator, auto-drip, slow pour and Turkish, and also offers whole-bean coffee.

And “the Knows” stands watch over the whole process. “Our character logo, Kentucky Knows, tells the story of our people, our culture and our history through word of eye,” Davis says.

The idea struck Davis back when he was cutting open the first barrel in his barn. “Just as I cut the last band on the barrel, working from the bottom up, the barrelhead popped off,” Davis recalls. “And when I looked down into the barrel, there was the Kentucky Knows. He’s always been there. It took us to let him out, and now we’re taking it, creating a character from the spirit that’s always aged in the barrel, one cup at a time.”

The body of the character is made from Kentucky bourbon barrel staves.

The eyebrows are made from the ends of the barrel, charred side out, telling the story of the inside of the barrel. In the eyes are Blanton’s racehorse bourbon bottle toppers from Buffalo Trace. The horses are running left, in the counter-clockwise direction of horse racing in America. The long, corncob nose represents the 51 percent or more of corn in Kentucky bourbon, and on the tip of the corn nose is the

original 1792 bourbon bottle topper, referencing the year Kentucky gained its statehood. Just under the corncob “K-N-O-W-S” (nose) are miniature bourbon bottles embedded into the chest, “because Kentucky knows bourbon, horses, and we now know coffee,” Davis says.

In addition to the Knows, Davis repurposes bourbon barrels into handmade woodcrafts. These include small barrels equipped with coffee scoops for housing bourbon-barrel coffee in the home; easels, lights, cutting boards, wooden sunglasses, grills, smokers, tables and stools; the Bourbon Derby, a tabletop or bar-top décor piece featuring the eight racehorses on Blanton’s bottle toppers; and jockey silk jackets, which memorialize the family crest or the name of a farm, horse or jockey as well as the shoes and saddle the horse was wearing during the event. Everything in the shop is handcrafted, down to the coffee bags, which are handstamped with the character logo and the type of coffee.

“So the coffee comes first,” Davis says, “and then we take the barrels and dismantle them and reclaim them into gifts.”

Davis says he owes everything to his humble beginnings, which he calls

KENTUCKY KNOWS TIPS Try microwaving Kentucky Knows coffee that has gone cold. The flavor will not be compromised.

Try Kentucky Knows coffee cold. The flavor gets even better.

Try reusing grounds. Store them overnight in the fridge, then sprinkle one scoop of fresh grounds over the top.

Enjoy coffee over a story.

MORE COFFEE TIPS the foundation of where he is today.

“It definitely teaches you a lot without telling you anything. It’s much later, when you look back and you see … what your story was through those humble, impoverished beginnings—which is really the foundation of success—that you can use it as a … tool.”

Davis strives to treat people like people, not customers. That’s why, he says, “Everybody has always gotten a free cup of coffee. We do that so that you don’t have to pay to be a part of what we do … We sell cups of coffee, and we give away coffee.”

He will be breaking ground on some big plans soon: building a legacy.

“That’s the next chapter for me,” he says, “and one way to be able to do that is to, of course, share the stories.”

Davis aims to continue to “nurture the story of Kentucky Knows, so that my legacy can live on and tell other people and inspire them, to give them hope with whatever dream they may have.”

Kentucky Knows will be spilling over into the two lots on either side of the shop. To the right of the entrance will be a space for serving coffee, two windows where people can order coffee to go, and an outdoor patio. The patio will accommodate firepits for roasting chocolate-dipped, espressobean-stuffed marshmallows, spaces for local food trucks, free Friday and

Saturday movie nights, and fireside chats over bourbon-barrel coffee and Barrel Mo-Ky—all in the spirit of community and storytelling. To the left will be a 2,500-square-foot space containing the coffee roaster and woodworking equipment, overlooked by a balcony and fronted with glass garage doors allowing visitors to watch and participate in the process, Davis says, “so that you can be a part of that and actually see it, experience it, touch it, and then be able to take that experience home with you—and that’s really what it’s about. It’s about experience, I think.”

Davis says once construction is finished, “people will really start to see what I’m trying to convey. It’s going to be more about community and the service and what we’re wanting to offer.

“I want to be a landmark in the community so that when people come to Frankfort, [or] the community wants a place to go [and] they want to have a place to experience and be proud of where they are, instead of driving to Lexington or Louisville, they can stay here. We want to be able to create an experience here so that people write home about it and they tell their family to come visit.”Q

Robusta beans are bitter and acidic. Buy Arabica.

“Freshly brewed” doesn’t mean much if the coffee is not freshly roasted.

Get the right grind for your type of coffee maker. If it’s too fine or too coarse, the water won’t pull the coffee out just right.

Keep your coffee out of the fridge and freezer; it will pick up unwanted odors and flavors.

Typically use one scoop per cup.

Stir coffee clockwise to take everything from the top to the bottom, then stir counterclockwise to take everything from the bottom to the top.

Add unflavored liquid creamer to bring the temperature down, so you can taste what you’re drinking. Hot temperatures mask the palate.

At three minutes, you can start to really taste the coffee. At six minutes, you tip up your cup and drink it. Around nine minutes, people typically throw it out or reheat it.

Brew iced coffee the night before and allow it to cool to room temperature. Store unrefrigerated in a covered carafe for up to two days.

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Bourbon’s Beginnings Northern Kentucky is home to historic bourbon adventures

By Stephen M. Vest | Photos by Amanda Hankinson

I

t’s fitting that a museum with one of Kentucky’s best genealogical libraries would be home to a permanent exhibit that takes bourbon back to its roots. If you want to find out where Kentucky bourbon began, you need to look at where Kentucky began, and that would be Limestone, a frontier settlement on the Ohio River known today as Maysville.

Pioneer Simon Kenton fled Virginia into “the wilderness” in 1771, thinking he had killed a man in a jealous rage.

For the next dozen years, he explored the Ohio River valley and tussled with river pirates and the Shawnee. By 1783, he had returned home to collect his extended family—including his supposed victim—and brought them to Cain-tuck. Over the next 50 years, Maysville was Kentucky’s primary 30

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port, and the Maysville-to-Lexington road, today the Simon Kenton Highway, was the most substantial road west of Pittsburgh.

“Everything came together here,” said C.J. Hunter IV, executive director of the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center, which drew nearly 19,000 visitors in 2018. “We had the road, the river, the corn, the wheat and the limestone-filtered water.”

In 1821, Platt Stout and Gilbert Adams, a pair of Maysville merchants, were the first to use the phrase “bourbon whisky” in an advertisement. It appeared in Paris’ Western Citizen newspaper. Paris is the county seat of Bourbon County, which once included a much larger swath of north-central Kentucky, including Maysville.

“We’ve done our research because we didn’t want to claim something that wasn’t true, but when you look at the history of bourbon, its journey started here,” Hunter said.

In 1826, five years after the Stout and Adams ad appeared, 7,100 wagonloads of goods traveled the Maysville Road headed for points downriver. Of those shipments, 2,300 were of barrels of whiskey.

With the way bourbon has revolutionized Kentucky’s tourism industry in recent years, it should come as no surprise that a place like Maysville wants to stake its claim on the spirit. In March 2018, the Gateway Museum began renovating the adjacent Limestone Building, and in October, the museum opened the Old Pogue Experience. It includes a six-category

exhibit and a tasting room for products produced by The Old Pogue Distillery near Maysville, which is located on the original site of the historic H.E. Pogue Distillery that opened in 1876.

“We’re fortunate to have some outstanding items that represent the early days of bourbon,” said Marla Toncray, a former newspaper reporter who serves as the museum’s curator of special exhibits. “Some items came from our collection; others came from the community or Old Pogue. It all helps to tell the story.”

Sections of the exhibit show bourbon’s frontier origins, its near demise during Prohibition and its ongoing renaissance.

Old Pogue was not Maysville’s first distillery. Local legend claims one

distillery was in operation as early as 1790. O.H.P. Thomas ran the Old Time Distillery around 1869, and when Pogue bought it in 1876, it was the third of the more than 1,500 registered distilleries that have existed in Kentucky. If unregistered distilleries were included, that number easily would be doubled.

MAKE A B-LINE FOR FUN The Gateway Museum’s Old Pogue Experience is a part of the B-Line, a new branch of the popular Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The B-Line includes four distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour: from east to west, Old Pogue (Maysville), New Riff Distilling (Newport), Boone County Distilling (Florence) and the Neeley

Family Distillery (Sparta).

The tour is rounded out with five bourbon-centric bars and five restaurants featuring bourbonenhanced culinary delights. The bars include Newport’s Prohibition Bourbon Bar and The Globe in Covington. Covington’s MainStrasse Village is home to the Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar, Bourbon Haus 1841 and the Wiseguy Lounge. The restaurants include Maysville’s Chandler’s on Market, the Purple Poulet in Dayton, Coppin’s in the Hotel Covington, MainStrasse’s Bouquet Restaurant and Burlington’s Tousey House Tavern.

More information can be found at findyoursippingpoint.com. Q

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BetterInTheBluegrass.com

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K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY â&#x20AC;¢ D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9

TRAVEL KENTUCKY COOL HISTORY

And Palate Pleasers Kentucky’s oldest family-operated country inn honors their 100th anniversary in 2019. Recipient of the 2015 James Beard America’s Classic, the Beaumont Inn celebrates this milestone with award-winning southern classic culinary cooking. Their Old Owl Tavern serves over 100 varieties of bourbon, its own signature Kentucky Owl Bourbon Whiskey and offers personalized bourbon tastings by appointment.

Continue your fill of heritage and culinary discovery at Shaker Village with seed-to-table dining. Indulge your sweet tooth at the Kentucky Fudge Company’s café and soda fountain set in a restored apothecary. And throughout the year, enjoy foodie festivals and local grown goodness.

Authentic and historic, postcard-pretty Harrodsburg also bustles with a dynamic mom-and-pop restaurant scene. Savor the culinary options and stay in a historic inn, a lake house rental, a golf resort or a choice of over 300 hotel rooms.

Surrounded by the bourbon and craft distilleries of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, Harrodsburg provides an official stop at the Beaumont Inn. Lemons Mill Brewery put Harrodsburg on the Brewgrass Trail and Olde Towne Distillery gives you the chance to sip some moonshine.

Harrodsburg, “The Coolest Place in History,” is home to Old Fort Harrod State Park, Bright Leaf Golf Resort, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill and Dixie Belle Riverboat. harrodsburgky.com

WINE AND WHISKEY Taste the Unique Flavors of Bullit County on a Spirited Trail Explore the flavors of Kentucky through the Wine and Whiskey Trail.. The trail highlights four award-winning wineries, Forest Edge, MillaNova, Wight-Meyer and Brooks Hill, and two iconic bourbon brands, Jim Beam and Four Roses. And when the trail is complete, connoisseurs are awarded a uniquely designed souvenir glass. travelbullitt.org D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

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TRAVEL KENTUCKY

REAL KENTUCKY FLAVOR Bourbon, Food & Heritage

It’s no secret that Bardstown is a bourbon epicenter. Sip and savor at a distinguished collection of world-famous distilleries and a number of newer craft distilleries. Willett Distillery specializes in handcrafted, small-batch and single-barrel selections of distilled spirits while Lux Row blends timeless craft and modern innovation to create some of Kentucky’s most regarded bourbon brands. Top off your bourbon adventures with a visit to Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center. Follow the history and production of bourbon and learn with your taste buds with an educational tasting housed inside a giant barrel.

Pair your whiskey experiences with classic southern dining.

Kurtz Restaurant dishes up home-cooked, skillet-fried staples and has been doing so since 1937. And Mammy’s Kitchen &

Bar is a local favorite with bourbon pork chops and a relaxed atmosphere.

For a dose of deep history, stay at the Old Talbott Tavern.

Built in 1779, this historic stone building is one of the oldest western stagecoach stops in America. It’s hosted kings and presidents, pioneers and renegades. Period antiques are paired with modern amenities for a welcoming stay.

Explore more than 16,000 acres with miles of hiking and biking trails in the Berheim Arboretum and Research Forest. For fantastic views, take the elevated Canopy Walk and climb the fire tower. See Kentucky produce at the Edible Garden and then taste the bounty at Isaac’s Café. Make your get-away an adventure in Bardstown. visitbardstown.com

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ADVENTURE IS HERE

MOUNTAIN VIEWS

In the heart of outdoor adventures, amid the beauty of the Daniel Boone National Forest and on the shores of Laurel Lake is Corbin, Kentucky. Home of Cumberland Falls and the Original Kentucky Fried Chicken, your paradise awaits. Explore Mother Natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playground in Corbin. corbinkytourism.com

Discover mountains, music, and moonshine in Prestonsburg.

Explore through miles of mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding trails on the scenic Sugarcamp Mountain and Jenny Wiley State Park. Paddle within the Appalachian valleys during Paddlefest, and golf amongst the clouds on the 18-hole mountaintop StoneCrest Golf Course. Delight in all that Prestonsburg has to offer, where Appalachian adventure and eastern Kentucky charm welcomes you. prestonsburgky.org

BRING IN SUMMER

EXPLORE KENTUCKY

Welcome the summer season in beautiful Mt. Sterling. The historic downtown is alive with unique shopping, dining and fun events. Take a walking tour of historic sites, visit the Arts Center for exhibits and performances and sample freshmade bourbon balls at the Ruth Hunt Candy Factory. Golf scenic Indian Creek and enjoy southern hospitality all in this charming city. Located only minutes east of Lexington on I-64 at Exit 110. mtsterlingtourism.com

The cool, crisp waters of the Kentucky River are ripe for adventure. Explore by canoe, kayak and stand up paddleboard.

See Buffalo Trace like no one else with a paddling tour. Or, get river history and environmental education tours on a 45 passenger pontoon boat aboard the KSU Thorobred.

Round out your time on the rivers with Rockin Thunder River tours where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll travel through 4 locks in a passenger jet boat that is bound to leave you with memories for life. visitfrankfort.com

Less Screen-time for More Time Outdoors

With Scenic Views

Outdoors Fun

By the Deck of a Boat!

TRAVEL KENTUCKY CRUISIN’ THE HEARTLAND In Elizabethtown

They say life is a highway, and we want you to come enjoy the ride with us on July 2627, 2019. That’s right, Cruisin’ the Heartland is back and will be in Historic Downtown Elizabethtown. Cruisin’ the Heartland is also recognized as one of the nation’s top cruise-ins by Chevy Classics Magazine. So mark your calendars to come cruise with us as we celebrate 10 years of Cruisin’ the Heartland! For more information please visit Etownevents.com. Find more information about the City of Big Surprises on our website. touretown.com

RELAX AND UNWIND

ADVENTURES FOR ALL Explore, Shop & Dine

Conveniently located halfway between Louisville and Cincinnati, Carrollton is perfect for summertime adventures.

Drop a line and catch fish in the Ohio and Kentucky Rivers, enjoy fresh air with camping trips at Two Rivers Campground and General Butler State Resort Park. Celebrate Independence Day with music, activities for the entire family and fireworks at Point Park. Wrap up your trip with evening strolls on the River Walk and watch all your worries melt away. visitcarrolltonky.org

Vibrant events, unique experiences and family-friendly fun combine in Grant County. Have a larger-than-life adventure at Ark Encounter, a life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark. Sip local vintages at Brianza Gardens and Winery or have dinner and a show at Stage Right Musical Theatre Company. There’s an event for every season, from Derby Day to Country Pumpkins Fall Fest to Country Christmas. visitgrantky.com

Plan an Outdoor Escape

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BIRTHPLACE OF BEER CHEESE Culinary Adventures

Nestled in Kentucky’s legendary Bluegrass Region, just minutes east of Lexington on I-64, Winchester brings together signature culinary experiences and outdoor vistas. Tour where Ale-8-One, Kentucky’s official soft drink, is made. Explore foodie stops including Blackfish Bison Ranch, Creative Coffees Roastery, Hamon Haven Winery, Harkness Edwards Winery and the famous Beer Cheese Trail. Dine in one-of-a-kind venues such as Winchester’s first firehouse, a post office from the 1800s, an historic grocery store, and dining options overlooking the Kentucky River. And don’t miss out on food-filled festivals.

Visit the renowned Beer Cheese Festival (6/8/2019), the BBQ Festival, or any of the many fall celebrations.

Beyond culinary greatness, get outdoors and enjoy adventures for the whole family. Canoe the Kentucky River, hike nature preserves, challenge your skills on the golf courses, relax on scenic drives, or head out biking, hiking and nearby zip lining. Winchester is an exciting reflection of Kentucky’s culinary excellence and adventurous “unbridled spirit.” tourwinchester.com

SCENIC ESCAPE

Lakes and Mountains The Appalachian Mountains dip down and become the foothills of the Cumberland Mountain range, creating a relaxed atmosphere and scenic escape. A visit to Clinton County includes laketime at one of the two major lake-resort favorites: Lake Cumberland to the north and Dale Hollow Lake to the south. Fish for stripers or smallmouth, pleasure boat, scuba dive, or try your hand at water skiing and wakeboarding. For a unique stay that isn’t found everywhere, rent a luxury houseboat. Houseboats come with all the amenities of home and the added bonus of waking up on the lake. Every season brings beauty, from lush spring flowers to summertime sun, fall foliage and crisp winter air. Fish year-round or simply come out to relax and escape. The marinas and towns are ready to provide you with everything you need. You just have to get here– where the mountains touch the lakes. Come stay for awhile. clintoncoky.com

TRAVEL KENTUCKY WAY UNDERGROUND Is the Vacation Location

In Cave City, it’s 56 degrees year-round in underground caverns. It’s where Dinosaurs Roam and Mike’s House is a Mystery. It’s where you can sleep in concrete Wigwams, fly by Zip Line and play on a Witbit. It’s the perfect place to paddle, hike, bike and explore above and below ground!

Adventure into Cave City to visit Mammoth Cave National Park, the second oldest tourist attraction in the United States and one of Kentucky’s premiere attractions. The park is a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. It boasts 53,000 acres of natural preserve land and the longest cave system in the world.

Cave City is also a fun place to hunt for souvenirs and antiques in flea markets, horseback ride, canoe and enjoy easy access to numerous museums, historical and cultural attractions, including agri-tourism, vineyards and farmer’s markets. Whether you are looking for cabins, campgrounds or hotels, Cave City has a large variety of lodging accommodations to meet your needs.

Cave City is easily accessible on Interstate 65 between Louisville and Nashville. With nine caves offering over 21 different tours for all experience levels, including two that are handicap accessible, Cave City is the place to have a truly cool time. cavecity.com

LISTEN IN

GO ALL IN ON LAKE CUMBERLAND

Music Lives Here

Don’t Stop at One Adventure

Central City’s rich heritage ranges from rock n’ roll to country, from folk to rockabilly, and from classical to jazz. Celebrate the inimitable harmonies of the Everly Brothers, the thumbpicking style of Merle Travis, stories set to the music of John Prine, and the perfect pitch from Jim Walker’s flute when you visit Central City, Kentucky—“Where The Music Never Ends”. cityofcentralcity.com/explore/tourism

Live the unsalted life on Lake Cumberland in SomersetPulaski County. After you’ve played on the lake, come into town to see classic cars during Somernites Cruise weekend.

Explore dozens of eateries and immerse yourself in Civil War history. Try a flight of locally brewed craft beer or test your limits on the speed slide at the waterpark. Whatever activities you choose, we have only one request: Go all in for an unforgettable stay. lctourism.com

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PACK YOUR GEAR

Explore Your Adventurous Side It’s all about the outdoors in Hopkins County. Adventure seekers hunt and fish the rich landscape. Kayak rivers and lakes, bike trails and get your adrenaline pumping on ATV rides. Pop into town for a weekend getaway filled with shopping, dining and exploring the arts. Each season brings fairs and festivals that light up the town. From geocaching and horseback riding to live concerts and traditional BBQs, there’s always something to do.

History buffs enjoy the coal mining and railroad history of the town.

Historic red brick buildings fill the downtown area with charm and museums preserve the enduring spirit of early founders. Soak in the history.

For more outdoor escapes, take a hike through the 265 acres of Madisonville’s nature park. Kentucky’s natural beauty comes alive at Mahr Park Arboretum. Native flowers bloom in the spring, enticing wildlife and anyone who loves the outdoors. Hike miles of paved hiking trails past ponds and through towering, mature trees. Families enjoy the playground, dog park and disc golf. A kayak launch provides easy water access and the surrounding beauty calms even the busiest lives. Whether you’re blazing new trails or unwinding with some locals, you’ll find good times and great people. visitmadisonvilleky.com

TRUE KENTUCKY CHARM

BLUEGRASS BEATS

Enjoy small-town charm rooted in deep history. MayfieldGraves County embraces its heritage while looking toward the future. Experience the energy of the rodeo May 11 and keep horsing around by hoofing it to the Pearl of the Purchase Horse Show May 18. Come any time of year to experience living history, local arts and many outdoor activities all in Mayfield-Graves County. visitmayfieldgraves.org

Begin your Bluegrass journey in Ohio County by exploring the Bill Monroe Museum. The museum pays homage to the Father of Bluegrass and the music he created. Visit other bluegrass historical sites including the Bill Monroe Homeplace and Uncle Pen’s Cabin. And stick around for live bluegrass music and dancing at the Rosine Barn Jamboree, every Friday night, where the soul of bluegrass is in every tune. visitohiocountyky.com

Summer Activities and More

History in Every Song

CULTURE

Off the Shelf

Culinary Classic The Hot Brown: Louisville’s Legendary Open-Faced Sandwich

By Albert W.A. Schmid, Indiana University Press, $15 (H)

(P)-Paperback (C)-Clothbound (H)-Hardback

A Tasty Tour The Basics The Essential Pantry: Streamline Your Ingredients, Simplify Your Meals

By Maggie Green; photos by Sarah Jane Sanders, Indiana University Press, $30 (H)

This diminutive book celebrates the delicious, hearty, cheesy concoction created at the famous Brown Hotel in the 1920s. The Hot Brown has become as synonymous with Kentucky as Thoroughbred racehorses and bourbon.

Basically, it is an opened-faced turkey sandwich, covered in Mornay sauce, bacon and tomatoes, but there are different versions and different ingredients, depending on whom you ask.

In The Hot Brown: Louisville’s Legendary Open-Faced Sandwich, Albert W.A. Schmid relates the history of the dish and features the recipe from the Brown Hotel. As with most recipes, things evolve, and chefs like to put their own spin on them. Schmid includes ways to serve the Hot Brown cold, with pasta, over cornbread and various other options.

Schmid, a chef and educator as well as a writer, is formerly a professor at Louisville’s Sullivan University. He has written several books, including The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook, Burgoo, Barbecue, and Bourbon: A Kentucky Culinary Trinity, The Old Fashioned: An Essential Guide to the Original Whiskey Cocktail and The Manhattan Cocktail: A Modern Guide to a Whiskey Classic.

If your pantry is stocked with the right ingredients, you can make anything. Food and nutrition expert Maggie Green starts of her cookbook, The Essential Pantry: Streamline Your Ingredients, Simplify Your Meals, with a list of essentials such as spices, dry goods, canned goods, dairy items and frozen foods, and then goes on to show what you can make when you have all the fixings.

Green’s easy-to-follow recipes and light, conversational writing style teamed with beautiful color photos can help anyone get a meal on the table. Sectioned into categories like soups, salads, sides and suppers, the book also includes a list of basic equipment every kitchen needs.

From pan-charred corn to zucchini and carrot pancakes, to oven-fried Sriracha honey hot chicken, the dishes certainly aren’t boring, even when the ingredients are common ones.

Green, who lives in Fort Wright, is a professionally trained chef and a registered and licensed dietitian.

She has written several cookbooks, including The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook and The Essential Plant-based Pantry, companion to this cookbook.

Additionally, she was the lead editor of 75th anniversary edition of Joy of Cooking.

DEBORAH KOHL KREMER

DEBORAH KOHL KREMER

Editor’s Note: For more on Kentucky’s famed Hot Brown, see page 12.

40

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

Famous Kentucky Flavors: Exploring the Commonwealth’s Greatest Cuisines

By Cameron M. Ludwick and Blair Thomas Hess; photos by Elliott Hess, Indiana University Press, $15 (P)

Kentucky has plenty to explore—historic sites, scenic landscapes, natural wonders, famous venues and unique cuisine.

In Famous Kentucky Flavors: Exploring the Commonwealth’s Greatest Cuisines, authors Cameron M. Ludwick and Blair Thomas Hess take readers on a journey that highlights the Commonwealth’s most appetizing foods, including specialities such as beer cheese, spoonbread, burgoo, Hot Browns, barbecued mutton, Derby day pies, bourbon balls and more.

For each dish spotlighted, the authors include its history, a recipe and suggested eateries that serve it. Many of the dishes originated in Kentucky, and there are numerous festivals across the state that pay homage to them as well as other favorite local foods.

Ludwick and Hess focus on these as “road trip” destinations within the chapters and also list them in a handy food festival calendar.

Elliott Hess’ photos of the featured foods and festivals add visual interest to the book, which is part of the authors’ My Old Kentucky Road Trip four-book series. In addition to writing books, Ludwick—a Kentucky native now living in Austin, Texas—and Hess, a Frankfort resident, blog about their excursions. Check them out at myoldkentuckyroadtrip.com.

PATRICIA RANFT

An emotional exploration of the

power of love and the

bond of family Praise for a Patriot United With Flavor A Baker’s Passport: Recipes for Breads, Savory Pies, Vegetarian Dishes, Tarts, Cakes and Cookie Classics

By Susie Norris (Food Market Gypsy), CreateSpace Independent Publishing, $40 (P)

“This quiet language unites people all over the world.” And it’s one of our favorite languages … food! Cookbook author Susie Norris, a native of Ashland, specializes in European desserts and chocolates. She taught baking and pastry at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts and ran an award-winning artisan chocolate business in Los Angeles.

Each recipe in the book notes the country or place of origin along with a brief background. With more than 200 recipes, readers are bound to learn a little something.

This is also encouraging for people like me, who tend to stay away from recipes of things they cannot pronounce or have never heard of before.

Norris’ Hot Brown recipe appears on page 73. The Hot Brown is one of Kentucky’s well-known secrets and a popular theme in this issue of the magazine.

And there’s an entire section dedicated to pies, plus plenty of vegetarian recipes.

A Baker’s Passport, Norris’ third cookbook, is based on her blog at foodmarketgypsy.com, which is a perfect mix of travel adventures and culinary insights. Check it out for more of her tasty travels.

REBECCA REDDING

Political Quickstep: The Life of Kentucky’s Colonel Charles S. Todd

By Sherry Keith Jelsma, Butler Books $24.95 (H)

Sherry Jelsma and her husband received a bargain when they bought their 19th century-built house in Shelby County back in 1983. The disintegrating structure had character, largely because of its noted history. It had been the home of Col. Charles S. Todd and his wife, Letitia, who was the daughter of Kentucky’s first governor, Isaac Shelby. Todd had an illustrious career as an American military leader, farmer, businessman and writer from the early to mid-1800s.

His life story became a passion for Jelsma, enough for her to write a sturdy biography of Todd.

In Political Quickstep: The Life of Kentucky’s Colonel Charles Todd, Jelsma has drawn from her strong background in the study of history to produce a meticulously researched look at Todd’s life.

The author notes that along with Todd’s national influence and many successes, including serving as America’s ambassador to Russia, he and family also experienced profound hardships.

His political appointments often meant long periods, even years, away from home. There were times when personal financial debt was overwhelming, and he was forced to adapt to the loss of slave-owning rights for his farming enterprises. The family also lost their grandson in the Civil War. Jelsma, in conclusion, praised Todd as being “nurtured on patriot’s milk” and born “into the elite group that led Kentucky from a wilderness to a border state.”

STEVE FLAIRTY

Darcie and Walter Goodwin join a Shaker village to

escape a cholera epidemic,

but when Walter dies, Darcie has little choice but to stay with the Shakers. Can the arrival of widower Flynn

Keller and his headstrong daughter offer Darcie the hope of happiness?

AnnHGabhart.com

Available wherever books and ebooks are sold.

A P R I L 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

41

VOICES

Past Tense/Present Tense

Kentucky Food: Snow Hill and Buzzard Roost Style in the Mid-20th Century

BY BILL ELLIS

B

efore such fare as sushi, moo goo gai pan, huevos rancheros, calamari and pizza reached Kentucky, there were meals of souse meat, brains and scrambled eggs, catfish, country sausage and soup beans and cornbread.

I have not learned to appreciate sushi or calamari, but neither did I like souse meat or brains and scrambled eggs when I was growing up on Snow Hill in the 1940s and ’50s.

I have written before about the delights of the varieties of soup beans and cornbread, so I will not belabor the subject for a while. I love catfish, mostly fried in cornmeal with a side of cornbread and beans of about any variety. Country ham, sausage and bacon are a delight to my old palate, but they also worry my heart specialist and my internist.

My mother and father loved oysters, mostly fried with a cornmeal batter, but fresh on the half-shell on occasion. Back in the really old days, before I was born, churches and other organizations would hold “oyster suppers,” often featuring oyster stew.

This was possible because railroads ran so often that you could buy Chesapeake Bay varieties of oysters in any month that ended in a “r”— September, October, etc. Shucked oysters came in a round, pint-sized paper container from the A&P on 42

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

Main Street in Shelbyville. I developed a taste for oysters first by eating only the cornmeal coating Mother prepared. Now, I can eat a dozen or more and not be filled.

Pop developed a love of tamales from his Army days at Camp Hood, Texas, where such south-of-the-border fare could be bought from vendors along the roadside near Copperas Cove. Later, Mother bought them in a can at a local grocery long before a Hispanic restaurant appeared in our neck of the woods.

As Mexican and Chinese restaurants proliferated, I have grown to love huevos rancheros, or ranch eggs, with a red sauce on top and carnitas (pulled pork) with a green sauce. However, I prefer black beans to refried beans. Mexican and Chinese rice I love in about any variety.

Before I ever heard about “chicken fingers”—not knowing that the creatures even had hands—I loved chicken legs and wings. I recall that my Grandmother Stratton always ate the chicken necks. I don’t remember anyone fighting with her to eat the necks. Because of a problem with gout, I only rarely eat fried chicken livers and onions.

Showing my plebeian background, I still like a fried bologna sandwich with a little mustard, a peanut butter and sliced banana sandwich, or peanut

butter and crackers with a side of sweet pickles. On the hottest summer day, not wanting to heat up the kitchen at noon, my mother made sandwiches of canned sliced pineapple with mayonnaise on white bread.

At Camp Hood, Pop learned to like hamburger gravy on bread, toast or biscuits. Those of you who have been in the military will recall this staple being called S.O.S. (I will not divulge the meaning of these letters.) I love it.

I still prefer my mother’s chili, which contained red or kidney beans, hamburger, chili powder and lots of spaghetti. It was rather soupy, quite unlike the Cincinnati variety. I was once told this recipe should be called Depression Chili, owing to the idea that the spaghetti added to the volume for a large family or gathering.

I love hamburgers and hot dogs. My mother fried hamburgers in an iron skillet and would add green onion tops at the end. When in season, what can be better than a sandwich with a large slice of white onion, or an onion and tomato sandwich?

Yellow mustard has always been my favorite condiment. My family tells the story that when I was about 4 years old, they stopped one day for a meal at the old Colonel Restaurant and bus stop just outside Clay Village in Shelby County. Someone asked me what I wanted. “Why, I think I’ll have a

GRAND VICTORIAN INN mustard sandwich,” I replied.

You’ve noticed it does not take much to please my palate or appetite. Finding an olive-nut sandwich on a menu is a delight.

Being spoiled as an only child had its advantages. Whenever Mother made a pie she always baked “pie strips” with sugar on top. I ate these hot out of the oven before the evening meal. If there were leftover mashed potatoes, we had small fried potato pancakes the next day, usually with a side of applesauce.

Both of my grandmothers, whom I called MaMaw, were great country cooks. Grandmother Stratton fried small biscuits in a hot skillet. With real country butter, churned with her own hands, she offered homemade apple butter, jam or jelly. My mouth still waters. She always made “Baptist eggnog” for our annual Christmas Eve gathering at the Stratton farm on Buzzard Roost Road. Grandmother Ellis made luscious deep-dish cobblers, including cherry and peach, but my favorite to this day is rhubarb pie or cobbler.

All the women in the family, including Aunt Mary McCarty, excelled in making salmon croquettes with red gravy, usually accompanied by peas and mashed potatoes. Before electric refrigerators, many farm families also ate canned mackerel in one form or another to add some variety to the diet, especially in wintertime.

“Fish are fish,” people say, but what is better than fried crappie or bluegill?

I like to fly fish for trout on the Cumberland River, but trout somehow still seems foreign to my taste buds.

Charlotte and I moved into a Lexington condo three years ago. I miss only three things: my two asparagus beds, my rhubarb bed and the multitude of birds that inhabited my backyard and garden.

As I wrote some years ago, our family meals were always accompanied by sweet ice (not iced) tea. I once estimated that Mother must have made at least 10,000 gallons for Pop and me over the years. Although she did not like cold tea, it always tasted the same.

Well, enough of the old days and the preferred foods of Historian Bill.

Besides soup beans and cornbread, are there other meals that you still relish from your upbringing? I can’t wait to share a PB and J sandwich with my great-grandchildren.

Readers may contact Bill Ellis at editor@kentuckymonthly.com

Park City, 270.590.1935 grandvictorianinnky.com

THURMAN LANDING AND GUEST HOME Sonora, 270.949.1897 thurmanlanding.com

MONTGOMERY INN B&B Versailles, 859.251.4103 montgomeryinnbnb.com

THE BLUE HERON B&B AND RETREAT CENTER Richmond, 859.527.0186 blueheronretreat.com

SNUG HOLLOW FARM B&B Irvine, 606.723.4786 snughollow.com

WOODBURY LODGE B&B Morgantown, 270.999.1683 woodburylodgebb.com

HALCOMB’S KNOB FARM B&B Paint Lick, 859.925.9936 halcombsknob.com

FARM HOUSE INN B&B Parkers Lake, 606.376.7383 farmhouseinnbb.com

SOUTHERN GRACE B&B Brandenburg, 270.422.7974 southerngracebb.com

WENDOVER B&B AND RETREAT CENTER: HISTORIC HOME OF MARY BRECKINRIDGE

find your kentucky getaway Something special awaits Kentucky Monthly readers at these charming retreats...

Wendover, 606.672.2317 wendoverbb.com

THE GUESTHOUSE; ROSECREST FARM Paris, 859.987.7500 rosecrestfarm.net

MAPLE HILL MANOR Springfield, 859.336.3075 maplehillmanor.com

BOURBON MANOR B&B Bardstown, 502.512.0122 bourbonmanor.com M AY 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

43

OUTDOORS

Field Notes

PFDs Save Lives …

When They Are Worn

BY GARY GARTH

N

early three decades ago on a relatively warm winter afternoon, my brother, nephew, a family friend and I were paddling a pair of rented canoes on Missouri’s Current River. We were on a float friendly section of the river, Class I water. The friend and I were in one boat; my brother and nephew in the other canoe. The afternoon was overcast but comfortable: no wind and temperatures near 60 degrees.

We were about halfway through the four-hour, half-day float and had entered a long, placid pool. I was in the stern of the trailing boat. We pulled alongside my brother and nephew, talked for a few seconds, and decided to stop at the next gravel bar, which entered the river from the left about 60 yards downstream. My friend and I moved into the lead and angled toward the left bank.

The water began to be shallow. I dug in with the paddle to push us toward the bank when I heard the splash. I turned and looked upriver.

My brother and nephew’s canoe had capsized. My brother was clinging to the canoe, one arm wrapped around the stern thwart, his head barely above water. My nephew, who was 15 at the time, was bobbing between the canoe and the bank, flaying wildly.

We furiously back-paddled and, in and the rush and chaos of the moment, somehow flipped our own boat. Under the best of circumstances, I am a poor swimmer. None of us was wearing a life jacket, although the outfitter had supplied each paddler with a PDF

(personal floatation device) as regulations required and suggested they be worm. I scrambled for a toehold. My feet touched the gravel just as I came within reach of my nephew. We struggled up the gravel tongue and onto the gravel bar. My brother had managed to hold to the canoe until our friend reached him.

Fortunately, the boat had drifted toward the shallows of the gravel tongue, enabling him to get a foothold.

Had it floated a few feet toward the river channel, this story would have ended differently.

We had been foolish yet fortunate, or lucky, if you believe in luck. Some people I loved and I were spared a second chance. Most paddlers, who use their life jackets as seat cushions— as we had—and are upended are not as fortunate.

In 2018, officials for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources investigated 33 drowning deaths. Ten were boating related.

Every accident has a story, and every story is heartbreaking.

Water is an indiscriminate killer.

Victims ranged in age from 3 to 89, and locations spread from the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to the North Fork of the Elkhorn and South Licking Rivers to a city lake and a strip pit. There was one common denominator: None of the victims was wearing a life jacket.

Unfortunately, this heartache extends to every state.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, nationwide there were 658 reported

boating-related fatalities in 2017.

Drowning was the leading cause of death (when a cause of death could be determined, 76 percent of all boating accident victims drowned). Of those who drowned, 84.5 percent were not wearing a life jacket.

It’s boating and fishing season in Kentucky. Consider this a life-saving plea: Wear your life jacket or PFD, which they are now commonly called.

Yes, some can be bulky and hot, although the CO2-powered vests (and belts), properly adjusted are unobtrusive and comfortable. They save lives. I wear mine.

Think you’re a strong swimmer?

Maybe you are. But probably not as strong as you think.

Don’t take my word for it. Shane Carrier is the assistant director of law enforcement for Fish and Wildlife Resources. He also oversees boating safety for the state agency and has seen more than his share of boating accidents that ended badly.

“I encourage everyone to wear a PFD while on the water, regardless of their swimming ability,” Carrier said.

“Many people feel they have a better swimming ability than they actually do. This gives them a false sense of security, and they feel they don’t need to wear their PFD. “I see many people fishing alone this time of year without wearing a PFD. If they fall and hit their head and go overboard, they are likely to drown if the fall renders them unconscious. If I am by myself fishing, I never take my PFD off.”

Readers may contact Gary Garth at editor@kentuckymonthly.com

44

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

OUTDOORS

Gardening

Grow Your Own Jack o’ Lanterns

BY WALT REICHERT

T

here is something magical about a pumpkin patch. Ask Linus, who waited for the Great Pumpkin to rise from the sincerest patch. Or maybe Cinderella, who got to the ball inside a pumpkin that became a carriage.

Happily, it doesn’t take magic to grow pumpkins, but it does take a little bit of skill and attention to detail, plus no small amount of real estate. Pumpkins grow on vines that can spread up to 15 feet in every direction. You can get pumpkin varieties that are a little more compact, but they are not going to be plants you grow in a container on the patio.

FOOD VS. FUN First, some definitions. Pumpkins actually are a subset of fruits we call winter squashes. (In fact, canned “pumpkin” is actually winter squash.) Pumpkins and winter squashes are members of the cucurbit family that also includes cucumbers, cantaloupes, summer squashes and watermelon.

Winter squashes are usually used for food and include Hubbards, butternut, acorn, buttercup and cushaws. They were important foods for our ancestors, who grew them because they could be stored without processing for several months after harvest. Their flesh provided nutritious soups, stews and pies. Early farmsteads also grew winter squashes for livestock feed. Native Americans grew winter squashes as part of their Three Sisters gardens that also featured beans and corn.

The winter squashes we call pumpkins are usually round to flattened, typically orange but now often bred in white, green, red and blue. Pumpkins come with a large seed cavity (the better for inserting a lighted candle at Halloween) and in varieties that include the ‘Jack Be Little’ that can be held in the palm of your hand and ‘Atlantic Giant’ that can reach weights of 1,000 pounds or more—and hundreds more types and sizes in between. You might even try the ‘Rouge Vif d’Etampes’ variety that was the “model” for Cinderella’s carriage.

CULTURE Pumpkins and winter squashes need a long, warm growing season to mature their fruit. And they like a garden soil that is as rich and full of organic matter as you can get it.

Pumpkin seeds can be sown directly in the ground starting in mid- to late-May, although if you are growing for Halloween, you might want to put off sowing until early- to mid-June, so the pumpkins do not mature too early. Or you can start transplants indoors a week or two before setting outside. Do not even think about planting pumpkins before Derby Day; the soil is just too cold. Space plants about 4 feet apart in rows that are at least 8 feet apart.

I am not a fan of black plastic in the garden, but growing pumpkins with plastic is not a bad idea. The black plastic will provide some additional warmth to the soil and, more

important, will keep down weeds. Keeping weeds out of the pumpkin patch is a nightmare once the vines start growing and interweaving. Plastic solves that problem. You will have to be vigilant about watering the plants during dry spells if you use plastic that is not permeable.

BAD GUYS All members of the cucurbit family are prone to insect and disease attack, so you will have to be on the lookout for trouble almost as soon as the plants emerge or go in the ground.

Cucumber beetles, squash bugs and stink bugs are the insects that do the most damage in Kentucky. The insects can be tricky to control because chemical sprays that kill them can also harm the bees that are doing the necessary job of pollinating.

One insect control strategy that does not harm bees is to cover the plants while they’re still small with floating row covers that let in sunlight and water but keep out insects.

The row covers will have to be removed for a few weeks when blooms appear to enable the bees to do their job, but then they can be covered up again. If you use chemicals, such as malathion or permethrin, to control insects, spray in the early morning and just before sundown to do as little harm to bees as possible.

Diseases of pumpkins include powdery mildew, downy mildew and anthracnose. These are bigger problems for commercial growers than for home growers and are more troublesome in wet summers than dry ones. Home gardeners can use fungicide sprays of copper or chlorothalonil every couple of weeks to ward off diseases.

Be sure to follow label directions.

HARVEST AND STORAGE Winter squashes and pumpkins will tell you when they are ripe: The vines will start to yellow and die, and the fruits will reach their full color. Use a sharp knife or pruning shears to cut the fruits from the vines, discarding any that show signs of softening or decay. Knock off any excess dirt from the fruits.

“Cure” the fruits by storing them in a warm place with good air circulation for a couple of weeks, and then move them to a cool, dry place—like a basement—for long-term storage. Do not allow them to freeze. Wiping the fruits with a mild bleach solution (one part bleach to nine parts water) will eliminate any surface microorganisms that can cause decay in storage.

Properly cured and stored, winter squashes can hold until the gardening season starts again next spring.

Pumpkins, on the other hand, are more likely to soften by Christmas, so go ahead and use them to ward off the ghosts and goblins at Halloween.

Readers may contact Walt Reichert at editor@kentuckymonthly.com M AY 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

45

CALENDAR

Let’s Go

MAY 2019 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

1

<<< Ralph Steadman: A Retrospective, University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington, through May 5, (859) 257-6218

5

8

Cinco De Mayo, Morehead

Lee Cockerell – Creating Business Magic,

Conference Center, Morehead, (606) 780-4342

12

WEDNESDAY

Ashford Acres Bed and Breakfast, Cynthiana, (859) 234-5236

13

MOTHER’S DAY

14

Disaster Preparedness Workshop,

THURSDAY

Rupp Arena, Lexington, through May 21

19

3

4

Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880

Ragged Edge Community Theatre, Harrodsburg, through May 5

Downs, Louisville, (502) 636-4400

10

11

Shelby County Community Theatre, Shelbyville, (502) 633-0222

Beaver Dam Amphitheatre, Beaver Dam, (270) 298-0036

Jersey Boys,

9

Paris Storytelling Festival, downtown Paris, (859) 707-6890

17

27

downtown Frankfort, (502) 223-2261

MEMORIAL DAY

28

Kentucky >>> Shakespeare Festival, Big Four Waterfront Park, Louisville, through Aug. 4

Marvelous Wonderettes,

Angel Street,

<<< Lower Town Arts & Music Festival, Lower Town neighborhood, Paducah, through May 18, (270) 443-8783

23

Mountain Laurel Festival, Pine Mountain State Resort Park, Pineville, through May 26, (606) 337-3066

26

Frankfest,

22

SATURDAY

2

McCracken County Public Library, Paducah, (270) 442-2510

ONE: The >>> Alltech Ideas Conference,

FRIDAY

24

Art in the Park, Woodford County Park, Versailles, through May 25, (859) 873-0981

Kentucky Derby, Churchill

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,

18

SpringFest, downtown Glendale, (270) 369-6188

25

Mill Springs Cornbread Festival, Mill Springs Park, Monticello, (606) 348-3064

29

a guide to Kentucky’s most interesting events 46

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

BLUEGRASS REGION 1-5 Ralph Steadman: A Retrospective, University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington, (859) 257-6218, finearts.uky. edu/art-museum 1-5 Pushing the Envelope: Mail Art from the Archives of American Art, University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington, (859) 257-6218, finearts.uky.edu/art-museum 1-6 Great Kentucky Cover Up Quilt Exhibit, Kentucky Artisan Center, Berea, (859) 985-5448, kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov 2 Thursday Night Live, Cheapside Park, Lexington, every Thursday through Oct. 10, downtownlex.com 3 Oaks Day Celebration, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, (502) 696-5926, buffalotracedistillery.com 3 Bourbon Archaeology, Thomas D. Clark Center for History, Frankfort, (502) 782-8118, history.ky.gov 3-5 Kentucky Derby Weekend, Fort Boonesborough State Park, Richmond, (859) 527-3454, parks.ky.gov 3-5 Marvelous Wonderettes, Ragged Edge Community Theatre,

Harrodsburg, raggededgetheatre.org 4 Derby Day Breakfast, Waveland State Historic Site, Lexington, (859) 272-3611, parks.ky.gov 4 Kentucky Derby Simulcast, Keeneland Race Course, Lexington, (859) 254-3412, keeneland.com 4-5 Fiber to Fabric on the Frontier, Fort Boonesborough State Park, Richmond, (859) 527-3131, parks.ky.gov 5 Guided Nature Tour, Josephine Sculpture Park, Frankfort, (502) 352-7082, josephinesculpturepark.org 5 True Grit, The Grand Theatre, Frankfort, (502) 352-7469, grandtheatrefrankfort.org 6 Tasting Party, Harrodsburg Historical Society, Harrodsburg, (859) 734-2364, harrodsburghistoricalsociety.org 8 Lee Cockerell – Creating Business Magic, Ashford Acres Bed and Breakfast, Cynthiana, (859) 234-5236, ashfordacresinn.com 9 Paris Storytelling Festival, downtown Paris, (859) 707-6890, parisstoryfest.com

9 Pink: Beautiful Trauma World Tour, Rupp Arena, Lexington, (859) 233-4567, rupparena.com 9-26 Dearly Departed, Carriage House Theatre, Lexington, (859) 257-4929, StudioPlayers.org 10-11 Herpetology Weekend, Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Slade, (606) 663-2214, parks.ky.gov 10-11 Spring Campers Yard Sale, Fort Boonesborough State Park, Richmond, (859) 527-3454, parks.ky.gov 11 Down to Earth Community Benefit Plant Sale, Woodland Christian Church, Lexington, (859) 266-3416, downtoearthky.com 11 Ladies Day, downtown Lawrenceburg, (502) 598-3127 11 Lee Rocker in Concert, Grand Theatre, Frankfort, (502) 352-7469, grandtheatrefrankfort.org 11-12 Mayfest Arts Fair, Gratz Park, Lexington, (859) 425-2590, downtownlex.com/mayfest-arts-fair 11-12 Bluegrass Birding Festival, McConnell Springs, Lexington, (859)

wearables | jewelry | pottery | quilts | floral | wood | watercolors | mixed media

MAY 24TH | 6–9PM MAY 25TH | 9AM–4PM 140 PARK STREET

Versailles, KY ARTINTHEPARKVERSAILLES.ORG M AY 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

47

CALENDAR

Let’s Go

BLUEGRASS REGION

LOUISVILLE REGION Ongoing Making Time: The Art of the Kentucky Tall Case Clock, 1790-1850, Speed Art Museum, Louisville, through June 18, (502) 634-2700, speedmuseum.org Ongoing Shining a Light: (The) Many Faces of Homeless Women, Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville, through July 14, (502) 992-5334, alicenter.org

225-4073, bluegrassbirdingfestival.com 17 Gallery Hop Reception, Living Arts and Science Center, Lexington, (859) 252-5222, lasclex.org

Trail Distillery, Danville, (859) 402-8707, wildernesstrailky.com 25-26 Spring Trade Days, Fort Boonesborough State Park, Richmond, (859) 527-3131, parks.ky.gov

Ongoing Hunter S. Thompson’s Campaign for Sheriff, Frazier History Museum, Louisville, through Sept. 1, (502) 753-5663, fraziermuseum.org

17-18 Broadway Days Festival, 100 West Broadway, Harrodsburg, (859) 734-2364, mercerchamber.com

26 Frankfest, downtown Frankfort, (502) 223-2261, downtownfrankfort.com

1 Biscuits & Bourbon, Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville, (502) 637-1111, derbymuseum.org/Events

18 History Harvest, Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center, Lexington, (859) 259-4224, imh.org

30 Midway University Spotlight Awards, Midway University, Midway, (859) 846-5873, midway.edu

1-3 Kentucky Derby Festival Chow Wagon, Waterfront Park, Louisville, kdf.org

18 Jessamine Piece Quilters Annual Quilt Show, Nicholasville Christian Church, Nicholasville, (859) 887-1292, jesspq.org

31 Wildman Days Street Festival, downtown Lawrenceburg, through June 2, (502) 598-3127, wildmandays.com

1-4 Harlan Hubbard’s Watercolors, Frazier History Museum, Louisville, (502) 753-5663, fraziermuseum.org

June 1 Southland Street Fair, Southland Drive, Lexington, southlandstreetfair.com

3 Jammin’ at Jeptha, Jeptha Creed Distillery, Shelbyville, every Friday throughout the summer, (502) 487-5007, jepthacreed.com

18 The Jeanne Penn Lane Celebration of Kentucky Writers, Boyle County Library, Danville, (859) 238-7323, boylepublib.org 18 Best of Kentucky Dinner Series Tapas & Tunes, Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, (859) 879-1812, woodfordreserve.com 18-19 Francisco’s Farm Art Fair, Midway University, Midway, franciscosfarm.org 19 Steel Magnolias, The Grand Theatre, Frankfort, (502) 352-7469, grandtheatrefrankfort.org 19 Steven Curtis Chapman, Lexington Opera House, Lexington, (859) 2334567, lexingtonoperahouse.com 19-21 ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, Rupp Arena, Lexington, alltech.com 23-27 Memorial Day Weekend, Fort Boonesborough State Park, Richmond, (859) 527-3454, parks.ky.gov 24-25 Art in the Park, Woodford County Park, Versailles, (859) 873-0981, artintheparkversailles.org 25 Wilderness Trail Cruise In, Wilderness

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K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

June 3 Teddy Bear Tea, Waveland State Historic Site, Lexington, (859) 272-3611, parks.ky.gov June 6-9 Great American Brass Band Festival, downtown Danville, (859) 319-8426, gabbf.org June 7 Picnic in the Park, Old Fort Harrod State Park, Harrodsburg, (859) 734-3314, parks.ky.gov June 7-8 Bluegrass BBQ FEST, Courthouse Plaza, Lexington, (859) 266-6537, bluegrassbbqfest.com June 7-9 Birthday Party Weekend, Fort Boonesborough State Park, Richmond, (859) 527-3454, parks.ky.gov

3 Kentucky Oaks, Churchill Downs, Louisville, (502) 636-4400, kentuckyderby.com 4 Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, Louisville, (502) 636-4400, kentuckyderby.com 4 Battle of the Bluegrass Pulling Series, Grayson County Fairgrounds, Leitchfield, (270) 259-5587, graysoncountyfair.net 4 Plant Fair & Spring Fling, Grayson County Middle School, Leitchfield, (270) 259-5587, visitLeitchfield.com 9 Derek Hough, Louisville Palace, Louisville, 1-800-745-3000, louisvillepalace.com

June 7-15 It’s a Grand Night for Singing! presented by the UK Opera, Singletary Center for the Arts, Louisville, (859) 257-4929, finearts.uky.edu

10 Angel Street, Shelby County Community Theatre, Shelbyville, (502) 633-0222, shelbytheatre.org

June 7-21 Kong’s Night Out, Pioneer Playhouse, Danville, (859) 236-2747, pioneerplayhouse.com

12 Mother’s Day Excursion, My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, Bardstown, (502) 348-7300, kydinnertrain.com

June 8 Kentucky Hemp Days, downtown Cynthiana, (859) 234-5236

18 Barnyard Fun, Oldham County History Center,

La Grange, (502) 222-0826, oldhamcountyhistoricalsociety.org

Crestwood Civic Club, Crestwood, (502) 807-9020

18 Spring Fling Art Thing, Pewee Valley Woman’s Club, Pewee Valley, (502) 802-3727

June 1 Annual Wine and Cheese Tasting Festival, My Old Kentucky Home State Park Rotunda, Bardstown, (502) 348-4877, visitbardstown.com

18 Eddie Miles Music Legends Concert Series, Angelic Hall, Lebanon, (270) 6992787, kentuckyclassicarts.com

June 1-2 Colonial Trade Faire,

Oldham County History Center, La Grange, (502) 222-0826, oldhamcountyhistoricalsociety.org June 6 Historic Costumed Walking Tour, downtown Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown, Thursdays through September, (270) 765-2175, touretown.com/events

18 Bourbon Excursion, My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, Bardstown, (502) 348-7300, kydinnertrain.com 18 Kilgore House and Garden Tour, various locations, Louisville, kilgoregardentour.org 18 SpringFest, downtown Glendale, (270) 369-6188, glendalekentucky.com 18-19 Art in the Park, James D. Beville City Park, Leitchfield, (270) 259-5587, gcaartinthepark.org 18-19 Tour of Homes & Design Show, Norton Commons, Prospect, nortoncommons.com

MAY 19-21, 2019 | LEXINGTON, KY

23-26 Abbey Road on the River, Big Four Park, Jeffersonville Indiana, arotr.com 25 Pickin’ on the Porch, Oldham County History Center, La Grange, (502) 222-0826, oldhamcountyhistoricalsociety.org 25 BBQ, Blues & Bikes Festival, Public Square, Elizabethtown, (270) 765-2175, bbqbluesfest.com

Hear from inspirational speakers, including Bear Grylls

Network with peers from across town and across the globe

Learn from industry leaders

Enjoy world-class entertainment

25 Leitchfield Memorial Day Procession & Ceremony, Centre on Main, Leitchfield, (270) 259-5587, visitleitchfield.com 26 Penatonix in Concert, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, (502) 690-9000, kfcyumcenter.com 29 Tom Segura: Take It Down Tour, The Brown Theatre, Louisville, (502) 584-7777, kentuckycenter.org 29 Waterfront Wednesday, Big Four Waterfront Park, Louisville, louisvillewaterfront.com 29-31 Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Big Four Waterfront Park, Louisville, through Aug. 4, louisvillewaterfront.com

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June 1 Art & Garden Market, M AY 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

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CALENDAR

Let’s Go

Bring Wild Imaginations to Life

June 6 Tavern in the Garden, The Brown-Pusey House, Elizabethtown, Thursdays through September, (270) 765-2175, brownpuseyhouse.org June 7 Jeptha Games, Jeptha Creed Distillery, Shelbyville, (502) 487-5007, jepthacreed.com June 7-9 Day Out with Thomas, Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven, (502) 549-5470, kyrail.org

NEW Snow Leopard Pass & Colobus Crossing exhibits!

June 8 The Stephen Foster Story Opening Night, J. Dan Talbott Amphitheatre, Bardstown, (502) 348-5971, stephenfoster.com June 8 Live From Here with Chris Thile, Iroquois Amphitheater, Louisville, (502) 368-5865, iroquoisamphitheater.com

2019 Season Presented by

Tickets at LouisvilleZoo.org

“Committed to exceptional animal care, providing a fun, safe and engaging family destination and saving wildlife.”

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS IN THE BLUEGRASS! OUTDOOR THEATR

Five Different Shows Summer 2019 June 7 – August 17 E & CA MPGROUND

Special Comedy Weekend Starring Etta May August 23 & 24 Home-cooked dinner featuring hand-rubbed, hickory smoked BBQ!

Live theatre under the stars!

Dinner 7:30pm Show 8:30pm (ET) Come to Historically Bold Danville, and experience Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theatre!

Make your reservations now!

1-866-KYPlays (1-866-597-5297) pioneerplayhouse.com visitdanvilleky.com

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K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

June 8 Blooming Bardstown Garden Tour, Marketplace and Silent Auction, Nelson County Extension Office, Bardstown, (502) 348-9204, bloomingbardstown.com June 15 Bourbon City Street Concert, North Third Street, Bardstown, (502) 3484877, bardstownmainstreet.com

NORTHERN KENTUCKY Ongoing Scaled to Perfection: Gallery of Miniatures, Kentucky Gateway Museum, Maysville, through May 31, (606) 564-5865, ksbminiaturescollection.com 1 Party on the Purple People Bridge, Newport on the Levee, Newport, Wednesdays through July 31, purplepeoplebridge.com 1-12 Northern Kentucky Sports Legends Exhibit, Behringer-Crawford Musuem, Covington, (859) 491-4003, bcmuseum.org 2 Six@Six Lecture: Is It Safe to Go to Work? Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center, Covington, nku.eventsair.com 3-4 Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Falcon Theatre, Newport, also May 9-11 and 16-18, (513) 479-6783, falcontheater.net 4 Junkfest, Main Street, Augusta, (606) 756-2183 4-5 Live Music, Elk Creek Vineyards, Owenton, every Friday and Saturday night throughout the summer, (502) 484-0005, elkcreekvineyards.com 18 Big Bone Annual BioBlitz, Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, Union,

(859) 384-3522, parks.ky.gov 25 Trick! presented by the Falcon Theatre, Newport, (513) 479-6783, falcontheater.net June 1 Art in the Garden, downtown Augusta, (513) 310-5652, augustaartguild.com June 1-2 We Are Monsters, The Carnegie, Covington, (859) 957-1940, thecarnegie.com June 13-16 Italianfest, Newport riverfront, (859) 292-3666, newportky.gov June 15 Big Bone Lick Discovery Days, Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, Union, (859) 384-3522, parks.ky.gov

WESTERN KENTUCKY Ongoing Fantastic Fibers Exhibition, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, through June 7, (270) 442-2453, theyeiser.org 2 The Man Behind Paducah’s City Hall, McCracken County Public Library, Paducah, (270) 442-2510, mclib.net

SIZzLIN’ SUMmER SOUNDS ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE ADMISSION!

Tracy Lawrence & Joe Nichols Friday, June 14

Charlie Daniels Band Thursday, July 4

Grand Funk Railroad Friday, July 19

Sister Sledge & The Gap Band Friday, August 2

for King & Country Saturday, July 6

877-243-5280

www.visitmadisonvilleky.com

4 First Saturday Hike, Pennyrile State Resort Park, Dawson Springs, (270) 821-4171, parks.ky.gov 6 Postmodern Jukebox, Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville, (270) 824-8650, glemacenter.org 10 Country Music Superstar Charlie Pride, Carson Center, Paducah, (270) 908-2037, thecarsoncenter.org 10 J.D. Wilkes and the History of the Barn Dance, Badgett Playhouse, Grand Rivers, 1-888-362-4223, badgettplayhouse.com 10-11 Owl Weekend, Lake Barkley State Resort Park, Cadiz, (270) 924-1429, parks.ky.gov 10-11 International Bar-B-Q Festival, downtown Owensboro, (270) 926-1100, bbqfest.com 11 Iron Mom Half-Marathon, downtown Paducah, paducahironmom.com 11 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Beaver Dam Amphitheatre, Beaver Dam, (270) 298-0036, beaverdamtourism.org 12 Mum’s Day in the Garden, Western Kentucky Botanical Garden, Owensboro, (270) 993-1234, wkbg.org

M AY 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

51

CALENDAR

Let’s Go 12 Mother’s Day Brunch, Farmer and Frenchman Vineyard, Henderson, (270) 748-1856, farmerandfrenchman.com 14 Disaster Preparedness Workshop, McCracken County Public Library, Paducah, (270) 442-2510, mclib.net 17-18 Lower Town Arts & Music Festival, Lower Town neighborhood, Paducah, (270) 443-8783, paducah.travel 18 Hike to Wilderness Lake, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247, parks.ky.gov 18 Kids to Park Day, Columbus-Belmont State Park, Columbus, (270) 677-2327, parks.ky.gov

Colonial Cottage Restaurant 3140 Dixie Highway, Erlanger 859-341-4498 thecottagenky.com

(270) 298-0036, beaverdamtourism.org June 8 Gary Owen - Ventriloquist and Comedy Hypnotist, Badgett Playhouse, Grand Rivers, 1-888-362-4223, badgettplayhouse.com June 8 National Trails Day, ColumbusBelmont State Park, Columbus, (270) 677-2327, parks.ky.gov June 15 Old Crow Medicine Show, Beaver Dam Amphitheatre, Beaver Dam, (270) 298-0036, beaverdamtourism.org

SOUTHERN KENTUCKY

19 America’s 50th Anniversary Concert Tour, Carson Center, Paducah, (270) 908-2037, thecarsoncenter.org 23 PJ Masks Live, Carson Center, Paducah, (270) 908-2037, thecarsoncenter.org 23-24 Adult Fiber 2-Day Workshop, John

HorticultureJames Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247, parks.ky.gov Meets Humor Get ready for gardening season with this down-home collection of 24-26 practical Cinema Systers Film Festival, advice and personal anecdotes from Maiden Alley Cinema, Paducah, Kentucky Monthly’s gardening columnist, Walt Reichert. Organized by the seasons, (270) 442-7723, cinemasysters.com each chapter offers color photography and straightforward tips for everything from combating critters to pairing plants.

30-31 A Gentleman’s Guide to Love The Bluegrass State’s green thumbs have and Murder, Market House Theatre, proliferated, thanks to Walt’s encouraging and down-to-earth morsels Paducah, through June 16, of gardening wisdom.

shopkentuckymonthly.com 888-329-0053

WW_fullpg.indd 51

(270) 444-6828, markethousetheatre.org

Horticulture meets humor in gardening columnist Walt Reichert’s collection.

June 1 Ohio Valley Fly Rod Club Demonstration, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247, parks.ky.gov 1/9/15 10:40 AM

o o o o o

To order: kentuckymonthly.com 1-888-329-0053

June 1 Rods & Ribs, Lu-Ray Park & Amphitheater, Central City, (270) 754-5097, cityofcentralcity.com/ event/rods-ribs-bbq-festival

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3 Challengerfest, Beech Bend Park, Bowling Green, (270) 782-0800, beechbend.com

991 4/6/15 3:32 PM

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Then you’ll love Kentucky Monthly Magazine. Visit kentuckymonthly.com or call 1-888-329-0053 to subscribe Q 52

2 Jersey Boys, Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880, theskypac.com

www.kentuckymonthly.com

onthly.com

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1-30 A Culture Carried: Bosnians in Bowling Green, Kentucky Museum, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, (270) 745-3369, wku.edu/ kentuckymuseum/exhibits

APRIL 2015

MAY 2015

JUNE/JU

1-28 Arte Cubano Exhibit, Kentucky Museum, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, (270) 745-3369, wku.edu/kentuckymuseum/exhibits

K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

June 1-2 Clement Gem, Mineral, Fossil, & Jewelry Show, Fohs Hall, Marion, (270) 965-4263, clementmineralmusuem.org June 7 Canvas and Clay, John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, (270) 826-2247, parks.ky.gov June 8 Bret Michaels Concert, Beaver Dam Amphitheatre, Beaver Dam,

4 Opening Day at Beech Bend, Beech Bend Park, Bowling Green, (270) 782-0800, beechbend.com 4 Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Center For Rural Development, Somerset, (606) 679-6394, centertech.com 7 The Golden Dragon Acrobats, Southern Kentucky Performing Arts

Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880, theskypac.com 11 2nd Saturday Songwriters Circle, Dueling Grounds Distillery, Franklin, (270) 776-9046, duelinggroundsdistillery.com 11 Lost River Sessons Live! Capitol Arts Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880, theskypac.com 11 Kentucky Orchestra: Air Supply, Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Bowling Green, (270) 904-1880, theskypac.com 17-18 BB&T All-American Soap Box Derby, Phil Moore Park, Alvaton, (270) 782-0800, soapboxderby.org/ bowling-green/about-us/races/bbtsoap-box-derby.aspx 18 Old Mulkey Flint & Stones, Old Mulkey Meetinghouse State Historic Site, Tompkinsville, (270) 487-8481, parks.ky.gov 24-27 Memorial Day Weekend Celebration, Nolin Lake State Park, Mammoth Cave, (270) 286-4240, parks.ky.gov 24-27 Memorial Day Weekend Celebration, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Jamestown, (270) 343-3111, parks.ky.gov 25 Somernites Cruise Car Show & Shine, downtown Somerset, (606) 679-6394, somernitescruise.com 25 Mill Springs Cornbread Festival, Mill Springs Park, Monticello, (606) 348-3064, monticellokychamber.com 31 Taylor County Fair, American Legion, Campbellsville, through June 8, (270) 789-8720, taylorcountyfair.org 31 Franklin’s Summer Nights Concert Series, Goodnight House, Franklin, fsrenaissance.org/summer-nights-concerts June 1 Kids Outdoor Day, Green River Lake State Park, Campbellsville, (270) 465-8255, parks.ky.gov June 6-8 Old Mulkey Celebration of Quilts & Quilting, Old Mulkey Meetinghouse State Historic Site, Tompkinsville, (270) 487-8481, parks.ky.gov June 13-15 17th Holley National Hot Rod Reunion, Beech Bend Park, Bowling Green, (270) 782-0800, nhramuseum.org June 15 Old Mulkey Writers in the Park, Old Mulkey Meetinghouse State Historic Site, Tompkinsville, (270) 487-8481, parks.ky.gov

MAY EVENTS MAY 3 First Friday Downtown Ashland MAY 3 Guy Penrod, Russ Taft, Jason Lovins Paramount Arts Center MAY 3 Ashland Alliance Spring Golf Outing Bellefonte Country Club MAY 4 Callihan’s Paint Party Callihans Pub and Grill MAY 5 Eastern Kentucky Guitar Show Boyd County Community Center MAY 9 Josh Turner Paramount Arts Center MAY 11 Wing War Ashland Tennis Center MAY 24 Red, White, and Rock Concert Boyd County Community Center

M AY 2 0 1 9 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

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CALENDAR

Let’s Go

EASTERN KENTUCKY 3-5 Nature Photography Weekend, Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Corbin, (606) 528-4121, parks.ky.gov 4 Diamond Rio Concert, Renfro Valley Entertainment Center, Renfro Valley, 1-800-765-7464, renfrovalley.com 5 Human Being Tour, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com 5 Cinco De Mayo, Morehead Conference Center, Morehead, (606) 780-4342, thecrso.com 7 Not Your Average Joe, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623, macarts.com 9 Josh Turner, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com

HockensmitH's Fine Art editions Gallery & Press

146 East Main • Georgetown • KY 502.8 63.229 9

40324

The Chrysalis Project Traveling Exhibition 24 giclée images Visual and Poetic Interpretation of the Monarch Life-Cycle

John S. Hockensmith

10 The Music Man, presented by the Paramount Players, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com

Faulkner Originals

11 Tygart Creek Paddle Excursions, Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill, (606) 286-7009, parks.ky.gov

Ltd. Editions Giclée

11 Apple Blossom Festival, various locations, Pikeville, (606) 432-5063, tourpikecounty.com

Award Winning Book

11 Carcassonne Square Dance, Carcassonne Community Center, Carcassonne, (606) 633-9691

The Gift of Color

11 Cumberland Valley Cruise-In, Depot Street, Corbin, (606) 528-8860, cumberlandvalleycruisein.com 17 The Scared Scriptless Tour, Mountain Arts Center, Prestonsburg, (606) 886-2623, macarts.com 18 Tour De Kingdom Come Bicycle Rally, Kingdom Come State Park, Cumberland, (606) 589-4138, parks.ky.gov 18 Spring Cruise In, Greenbo Lake State Park, Greenup, (606) 473-7324, parks.ky.gov 18-19 Friends of Cave Run Lake, Claylick Boat-in Campground, Morehead, (606) 780-4342 19 Multiplicity, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, (606) 324-0007, paramountartscenter.com

Henry Lawrence Faulkner

Gallery Artists Chip Dumpstorf Jerry Stone Michele MacDonald Robert Clark

23-26 Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival, Pine Mountain State Resort Park, Pineville, (606) 337-3066, kmlf.org

Diane C. Maroscia

June 1 Paw Patrol, Eastern Kentucky Expo Center, Pikeville, (606) 444-5506, ekec.us

and others

June 5 REO Speedwagon, Eastern Kentucky Expo Center, Pikeville, (606) 444-5506, ekec.us

For additional Calendar items or to submit an event, visit kentuckymonthly.com.

Submissions must be sent at least 90 days prior to the event.

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K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY • M AY 2 0 1 9

Giles Prett

Jim Brancaccio Visit our gallery in the center of historic downtown Georgetown or go online

www.FineArteditions.net

MARKETPLACE

M A R C H 2 0 1 9 â&#x20AC;¢ K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY

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VOICES

Vested Interest

Posts from the Past

D

id you know that Dawson Springs once had 30 hotels? Did you know that, in the early 20th century, Notre Dame traveled to Kentucky to play football, but it wasn’t against the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville or even Centre College—it was against Saint Mary’s. Yes, Saint Mary’s College in Marion County.

These and other obscure facts can be gleaned from the massive collection of postcards archived by Carl Howell, a retired attorney, and Robin Milby, whose song “I Wonder How Barabbas Felt” rocketed up the gospel charts.

“It’s saving a piece of the past— especially the out-of-the-way places— that I enjoy,” said Howell in his home office outside of Hodgenville, surrounded by the more than 20,000 postcards he’s collected.

Howell’s family once owned Hodgenville’s popular Nancy Hanks Lincoln Inn, and his collection grew out of his interest in all things Lincoln. “I STEPHEN M. VEST Publisher & Editor-in-Chief have one of the largest [Abraham] Lincoln collections around, and I also love baseball. [He played first base at Lindsey Wilson College before leaving Kentucky to work for J. Edgar Hoover at the FBI.] I also have a strong interest in railroads and train stations.”

After working with the FBI, Howell returned to his hometown to practice law with his father and still lives in Hodgenville. Most of his vintage postcards were published prior to 1925.

Milby started collecting postcards featuring aspects of home life, ministry,

gospel quartets and churches.

He occasionally travels in the South, performing music with his wife and three daughters.

“We each collect the things that are meaningful to us,” Milby said.

In 2011, Howell and Milby crossed paths at an estate auction and started going to postcard shows together.

Who knew there were shows devoted to deltiology (postcard collecting)? “Well, there aren’t as many as there once were, but we found we had something in common and started meeting here at Carl’s house every Tuesday night.

When you find someone who loves something you do, you look forward to sharing,” said Milby, who also lives in LaRue County.

The common interests they shared were Kentucky and history. The result was Kentucky’s 120 Counties: A Postcard Album (1900-1925), published by Butler Books. It includes at least four postcards from each county. “As you can imagine, some counties were much harder to find than others,” Howell said. “We learned early on that some counties didn’t have photographers—even the newspaper didn’t have a photographer.”

At its zenith, a postcard, which could be mailed for a penny, was the early 20th century version of a text message, which—depending on the recipient’s location—could be a sameday delivery. Cincinnati’s Kramer Art Company created postcards from 70 Kentucky counties, and Glasgow photographer Adolph Rapp (not to be confused with Adolph Rupp) traveled most of central Kentucky taking photos of street scenes and significant buildings.

Some counties have an abundance of images, and the challenge there was what to exclude rather than having enough to include.

It was a different world. In the 1910s, major cities had postcard stores—nothing but postcards.

Kentucky had 2,900 post offices— Pulaski County alone had 96, which is more than the total number of churches it has today.

The width and breadth of the collection is what struck me. There is a postcard of the well-known 1921 Centre College football team that upset Harvard 6-0, considered one of the biggest upsets in sports history.

There is the obscure “Ada Crawley Burchett with the two Riddle boys” following a successful evening hunt in Cumberland County in 1925.

Another one that caught my attention was dated 1919 from Leslie County of Sgt. William Sandlin of Breathitt County, a decorated World War I hero, and “131-year-old” John Shell. If that’s true, Shell was born a year before George Washington became our first president and was 73 at the outbreak of the Civil War. When Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, Shell would have been 75, or as Lincoln might put it, “three score and 15.”

Readers, and those looking for a speaker for a church or civic group, may contact Stephen M. Vest at steve@kentuckymonthly.com KWIZ ANSWERS: 1. B. Thelma Stovall; 2. B. AMC; 3. A. Bracken and Bullitt; 4. B. The Kentucky, north east of Frankfort; 5. B. Derby; 6. B. 1900; 7. C. Talking Heads; 8. C. While it was integrated at the time it was founded, Berea later was forced by the state and then the U.S. Supreme Court to segregate; 9. A. Garfield; 10. C. Horse Cave was the original location, which closed shortly after No. 2 opened in Cave City.

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WRITE SOMETHING Participating in the arts, including writing, can improve your critical thinking ability, resiliency and neural connectivity of the brain, self-awareness and memory processing. *Americans for the Arts Social Impact Explorer Fact Sheet

K E N T U C K Y

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www.artscouncil.ky.gov

what can

ART

do for you?

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