TOPS Louisville: February 2017

February 2017 // Priceless

TOPS Who’s Who // What’s New // What To Do

LO U I SV I L L E

FEBRUARY 2017 Vol. 1 • No. 2

THE COOKIE LADY

MEET YOUR BANKER // ENTREPRENEURS + PROFESSIONALS IN FINANCE

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FEATURES One Smart Cookie | 72

Meet Your Banker | 55 4 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Entrepreneurs & Professionals in Finance | 81

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FUNDAMENTALS at home tour of homes: Living Their Dream

31

Color Catalog: Poised Taupe

46

faces+places Tops Cares: Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies

50

Meet the media: Renee Murphy

92

cuisine

31

Dining: La Chasse

98

Skinny Mom: Copycat Cosmic Brownies

102

Skinny Mom: Cheesecake Strawberries

103

Brasserie Provence: Aphrodisiac Foods

104

TOP 5 Dining: Romantic Night Out

106

life+style WOW Wedding: Hannah + Kirk Dubé

111

Wedding Trends: Barefoot Sandals

114

Outfit of the Month: Queen of Hearts

116

Boutique Spotlight: Boho Hipsters

118

family

98

Super Mom: Chesson Hazelwood

122

In The Buf: A February Worthwhile

126

Dear Tony: Advice from the Edge

127

Pets: Pet Therapy Magic

128

Parties: Warm Up with a Hot Cocoa Bar

129

arts+entertainment Art: Fund for the Arts

132

music: DJ Matt Anthony

135

community

111

6 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

OFF THE RECORD: The South End

138

TOP EVENT: Louisville Heart Ball

139

UK Sports: Keeping the BBN Entertained

140

Sports: Justin Thomas

141

U of L Sports: Love or Hate: They Can’t Say No

142

Sports: Denny Crum

143

Calendar: What to do in Lou

158

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PHOTOS Out & About

12

Speed Museum 90th Anniversary Community Celebration

18

Science With A Twist

20

GLI Annual Meeting

22

Masonic Homes 150th Anniversary Gala

24

Kids Center Open House

144

Fund for the Arts 2017 Showcase

146

KRA Restaurateurs Gala

148

“Gold” Movie Premier

152

Bourbon & B-Sides

154

KDF Royal Court Announcement

155

Aloft Grand Opening

156

18

Event photo captions are typically provided to TOPS by the event organizers.

We do our best to check names and spelling, but we are all human and make mistakes. Please contact pam@topslouisville.com with any corrections and we will make note of it in the next issue.

22

CONTRIBUTORS Photographers

Danny Alexander Jolea Brown Tim Furlong, Jr. Ryan Noltemeyer Antonio Pantoja Louis Tensley Hunter Zieske

8 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Writers

Steve Bittenbender Drew Deener Elizabeth Gerber Susan Gosselin Brooke Griffin Amanda Harper Steve Kaufman

Marsha Koller Buffy Lawson Ryan Lemond Kate Sedgwick Nicholas Siegel Deanna Talwalkar Tony Vanetti

Cover image of Elizabeth Kizito

by Antonio Pantoja Makeup by Meagan Townsend • Joseph's Salon

Have a great idea for a story?

Tell us all about it at info@topslouisville.com

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TOP Marketing Group 100 Executive park, Suite 101 Louisville, Ky 40207 (502) 780-7825 topslouisville.com

Keith Yarber Publisher kyarber@topsmarketing.com

Pam Leet General Manager pam@topslouisville.com

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Niki Dillman

Advertising Account Executive niki@topsmarketing.com

Bryan Lesch

Advertising Account Executive bryan@topslouisville.com

Laurie Pfeiffer Lennon

Advertising Account Executive laurie@topslouisville.com

Vol 1 • No. 2 Julie Mitchell

Advertising Account Executive julie@topslouisville.com

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Rocko Jerome Brand Ambassador rocko@topslouisville.com

The views and comments expressed by the authors are not always that of our editors or publishers. While every effort has been made to ensure th accuracy of the information in this publication, TOP Marketing Group accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or resultant consequences, including any loss or damage arising from the reliance on information in this publication. All images contained in TOPS Louisville magazine are subject to the copyright of the artist or photographer as named, but not limited thereto. Reproduction of any part of this magazine without prior written permission is prohibited.

In January, we profiled a heroic service dog, Barry the K9 in our Fit and Fab Over 40 feature. We were saddened to hear that shortly after, 13-year-old Barry crossed the rainbow bridge. Barry served with the SEALs in Iraq for three years and participated in over 225 combat missions. He was a hero, and a beloved family member.

Our condolences go to the Myers family. RIP Barry.

10 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Correction: An article in the January edition quoted the Omni grocery store at 8,000 sq. ft. The actual size of the space will be 20,000 sq. ft. and will sell high-quality prepared and unprepared foods, other consumables, and grocery items.

photos

OUT + ABout Happenings in the City

Ashlynn Adams and George Tanner of Dillards

Harlem Globetrotters Entertain

Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies

First Friday Trolley Hop

Warm Up Louisville

Celebrating at the B3 Bash

12 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

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photos

B3 Bash Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center | January 21 | b3bash.com | Woody Phillips

Steve and Mariam Applegate

Terry Stewart, John and Mary Eichberger, Don and Lora Howard

Shafta French, Ben Allgeier

Lernan Roberts, Amanda Cleaver

14 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Mrs. Kentucky Tyrana Thompson and husband Tony

Scott Daughtery, Sarah Felty

Katherine and Matt Mitchell

Jimmy and Torri Tacket

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Misty Barbieri, Christina Baker

Peace Kara, John Dayton

Crystal Forbes, Samantha Murphy

Dave Brown, Carrie Jewkes

Casey Dickman, Katherine Dawson, Amanda White, Austin Brooks

Eddie and Michelle Oakley

Adam Barton and Toni Pike

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 15

photos

B3 Bash (Continued)

Christina Kerulis, Jan Davis

Amber Whitworth, Erin Fowler, Michelle Goulet

Mary and Charles Miesel

Marie McCarthy, MaryEllen Sart

16 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Anita Milby, Jenni Hillard

Brian Bliesher, Kristi Marski

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Lizzy Sivori, Lucy Haymond

John and Nancy Stewart

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 17

photos

Speed Museum 90th Anniversary Community Celebration more photos online! topslouisville.com

Speed Museum | January 21 | speedmuseum.org | Ron Morrow

Carly Garcia, Michelle Eichenger

Ghislain d’Humieres, Clara Newman, Rachel Blaustein

Ariel Tillman, Bobby Colbert

Adam Mechuish, Ursula Mechuish, Rowland Jones, Kasey Maer, Karin Soltau, Joern Soltau

Emma Jacobs, Danya Buhtto, Ajit Dishpanda, Tasneem Karim, Nick Grosser, Anna Davis, Diana Rudic

Krystal Hauiland, Aries Hauiland, Josh Cook

18 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Kenya Turner, Greg Tichinor

John Adams, Chris Hartman

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photos

Science with a twist Kentucky Science Center | January 21 | kysciencecenter.org | Ken Parks

Melinda Knight, Val Slayton

Sandra McCain, Sean Weaver

Tami Conroy, Julie Jessee

20 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Dawn and Rich Boling

Russell Smith, Shannon Glisan

Latonya and Rick Hesterberg

Melinda and Dan Arbough

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Dr. Uneeda Bryant, TaQuoya Shegog

Doran and Shannon Meredith

Joe Dininger, Megan Jacobs

Iris Wilbur, Tyler Glick

Dana and Brandon Bibelhauser

Dan Berg, Dr. Jill Berg

Carol Summe, Jo Haas, Kevin Walsh

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 21

photos

GLI Annual Meeting Louisville Palace | February 25 | greaterlouisville.com | Jolea Brown

Rebecca Wood and Brian Jones

Nicholas Pregliasco and John Talbott

Leisje Rietze, Lance Mann, Lisa Columbia. Mike Lorch

Amadore Delatorre and Sydney O’Bryan

George Griffiths and David Adkisson

Celia Manlove, Kim Grifasi, Evelyn Strange, and Josh Strange

22 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Susan Furlong and Nick Johnson

Ryan Miranda, Bryan Flaherty and Daniel Mudd

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Steve Smith, Leah Brown and Louis Waterman

Julie Mitchell and Mike Gleeson

Kathleen McKune, Lori Flanery and Caroline Hafele

Steve Tarver, David Bingham, Tricia Burke and Shea Von Hoy

Jennifer Eberle, Denise Spaulding and Angie Sullivan

Rebecca Wood, Tom Walthall and Lisa Young

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 23

photos

Masonic Homes 150th Anniversary Gala The Olmsted | January 14 | masonichomesky.com | Jolea Brown

Trish and Tom Candler, Mike and Cathy Truax

Nick and Bobbi Jo Cooper, Harold Armstrong

Ann and Mark Rich

24 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Shari House and Felicia Strunk

William Buckaway and Carroll Dorroh

Nicole and Rob Candler

Rita Marsh and John Yates

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Mike and Mary Lou Fitzer, Archie Borders

MoNica Pendergrass and Angela Knuckles

Jonathan and Danielle Palmer

Julie, Callie and Barry Denton

Robert Davenport, Wendell Littlefield, Donald Yankey, John Sammons, Carroll Dorroh and Richard Nation

Courtney Martin and Jessica Vest

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 25

photos

Masonic Homes 150th Anniversary Gala (Continued)

Anne and Archie Borders

Dub and Wendy Newell

Todd and Kristen Lacy, Kathy and Eddie Bitar, Christina Cunningham

Kevin Darst and Chris Biermann

26 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Mary Lou and Mike Fitzer

Keith Johnson, Robin Byrd, Conjuna and Todd Collier

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Judy Parsley, Joyce Ricketts, Shannon Bland and Angela Knuckles

Cindy and Paul Mattingly

Johnny Ware, Robert Newton, Don Croom and Simeon Pullum

Nick and Bobbi Jo Cooper, Harold Armstrong

Cloyd Bumgardner and Cindy Stout

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 27

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AT HOME

Tour of Homes: Living their dream 30 Color catalog: Poised Taupe 46

at home

tour of homes

30 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Living Their Dream Dreams can come true.

The couple found a dream lot, hired a dream architect and built a dream house.

by Steve Kaufman Photos by Tim Furlong, Jr.

A

dream house often starts with an undeveloped plot of land. That gives the homeowners the chance to build whatever they want, detail by detail by detail.

For this Louisville couple, that dream began 11 years ago – with a bad knee.

“We were living in Indian Hills, and we loved the house we were in,” the wife said.

“But it was vertical, with the bedroom on the second floor – and becoming increasingly painful for me going up and down the stairs.”

Her husband saw an 11-acre lot in St. Matthews and fell in love with it. “He showed it to me, and I fell in love with it, too – a beautifully wooded lot full of mature beech and sycamore trees, lots of space and privacy.”

All they had to do was build the house.

“I’d always dreamed of building a home,” she said. “We both wanted a formal house, perhaps Georgian. My husband saw a book in his sister’s house, a coffee table book by an Atlanta architect named William T. Baker, and went wild over it. Just the fine details in all the homes in the book – the leaded windows and the graceful stairwells – we could see what a magnificent architect he was. So we contacted him and flew to Atlanta to meet with him.”

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 31

at home

tour of homes

32 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

B

aker came to Louisville, sat in their kitchen and drew a house based on what they were telling him they wanted.

“He drew my dream home!” she said.

get to build a house and are able to put in the detail you want, it’s a wonderful thing.

It brings out all the creativity you thought you never possessed.”

It was an 18-month process, incorporating what she regarded as a dream team: the architect; the builder, Greg Burrus; Finish Design Woodworking in Jeffersonville, Ind.; Nashville landscape architect Ben Page; Ben Small of Bittner’s; and interior decorator Mandy Culpepper of Atlanta.

The details she sought in the 15,000square-foot home begin immediately as you step through the front door. A formal crystal chandelier descends from the high, floor-through ceiling over a tiled floor of white marble and black granite.

There are arched doorways forward and to the left, and a dramatic curved staircase that begins on the right and swoops up to the second level, passing an elegant grandfather clock halfway up.

Small but important details are everywhere: dentil molding, Greek key inlays in much of the custom woodwork, and two entryway chairs covered in an old world fabric.

What the homeowner truly valued was that they all listened to her, respecting her wishes and opinions and meeting her requests.

“We worked with people we got to know well and trusted, and they were very open to what we wanted,” she said. “When you

When you get to build a house and are able to put in the detail you want, it’s a wonderful thing. It brings out all the creativity you thought you never possessed.”

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 33

at home

tour of homes

T

he large formal dining room to the left is full of the homeowner’s subtle choices. The eight chairs around the round table have tiger-print seat covers. (“I love animals,” she said.)

There are more rounded elements in here, like more arched doorways; a curved, mirrored alcove with crystal sconces; and built-in shelves with curved clamshell tops.

Those shelves were another example of the homeowner being able to get exactly what she wanted.

“I was adamant about that built-in china cabinet. I wanted the shelves carved in a particular way, and the workers stopped the whole production so that they’d get it right.”

The hand-screened, floral and woodsy wallpaper in the room was another personal choice. “When I saw it, I had to have it,” she said.

“Only later did I realize it was the same pattern that’s in the Pendennis Club, where we were married.

Maybe that’s why I loved it, because it brought back a memory.”

She had a moment of indecision.

How could she put this on the walls with the tiger print on the chairs?

But it was only a moment. “I decided: You know what? I love it!”

It was a principle that guided her entire approach to the house.

“I believe decorating is a representation of a person’s personality,” she said. “When you look at people’s homes, you should see their lives, where they came from, where they’ve been and where they’re going. It’s a flowing, like a river.”

She said she has a hard time with people who say, “This doesn’t really match.”

“It’s not supposed to match, it’s just supposed to flow,” she said.

“When you realize what you are and who you’ve been, you’re not fixing this room for someone else.

It’s an expression of you. A home shouldn’t look like a showroom, it should look like a reflection of your life”

34 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 35

at home

tour of homes

36 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

We laid the house out so as to have afternoon sun inside, and the morning sun outside on our hydrangeas and rose bushes.”

T

he large living room is formal but comfortable, and colorful – like the rest of the house. (“We have 27 different colors in our house, on the walls and ceilings,” she said. “We’re very colorful people.”)

In front of one window sits a baby grand piano that’s not there just for decoration. “My husband loves to play the piano, and will sit down at it just for relaxation,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know that about him. He’s a big, burly, football player-type, so it’s kind of unexpected.”

She said he plays just about everything, from classical to church hymns, Sinatra and jazz.

“I like for him to play Coldplay.”

The windows here, as throughout the house, are large and open, often French doors with arched tops leading to the back. The view was important to them, letting all the colors and drama of the setting pour into the house. And it was carefully planned.

“We laid the house out so as to have afternoon sun inside, and the morning sun outside on our hydrangeas and rose bushes.”

The pool in the back was important, too. This is a swimming family. The colors in the pool – the tile inside and the stone work around – are harmonious to the landscaping. But, she said, her husband didn’t want to be able to see the pool from the back of the house, especially in winter when it has a dark cover on it. So it’s positioned off of the house, where it flows into the cascading back yard that landscaper Page developed, which runs downhill into the trees.

Instead of the pool, the view from the living room is of a small fountain of a boy with a shell.

“It’s just beautiful when it’s lit at night.”

A long gallery crosses the first floor horizontally, passing beneath rows of those arched features that soften the formality of the space.

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 37

at home

tour of homes

A

t one end of the hallway sits an open and modern all-white kitchen, with an elegant two-tiered island topped with white granite. A sense of Finish Design’s custom woodworking is evident in the trim work and cabinetry, and in the beamed ceiling. The kitchen flows into an adjoining family room with lively Christmas-colored window treatments. “That’s our primary room when it’s just the two of us,” she said.

38 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 39

at home

tour of homes

A

t the other end of the hallway, the first-floor master suite, the impetus for the whole project, is filled with sunlight playing off the various shades of green in the room, centered by an elegant four-poster bed.

The his-and-hers master baths are spacious, with equally large walk-in-and-around closets. His is

40 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

darker-shaded, a woodsy wallpaper with a hunting dog theme. Hers is light and mirrored, and filled with elegant materials – granite, verde marble, onyx.

“One of the most fun things for me was picking out all the marbles and granite,” she said. “I wanted onyx in the bathroom, I absolutely love that.”

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 41

at home

tour of homes

T

here are two large gathering spaces in the house. One is on the second floor, where all the guest bedrooms meet together in a large, central room with coral walls, matching furniture and rugs and a walkout onto one of the house’s two rear balconies, where there is a spectacular view of the rear acreage.

42 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

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at home

tour of homes

We do a lot of hosting – Derby parties, Christmas, Thanksgiving. For formal parties, they’re upstairs in the dining room and the hallways. For more informal parties, people like to go downstairs.”

44 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

T

he other is the comfortable and inviting dark-wood-trimmed basement, where the couple does much of its entertaining.

There’s room for sitting and standing, a nice bar with a pressed-tin bartop and honed granite cabinetry, pool table, exercise room and a walk-out to a rear patio.

“We do a lot of hosting,” said the homeowner, “Derby parties, Christmas, Thanksgiving. For formal parties, they’re upstairs in the dining room and the hallways. For

more informal parties, people like to go downstairs.”

So intimate gatherings around the bar, the TV and the pool table?

“Well, we just recently had a party for 120 people,” she said. “We had people all over the house, bars set up both upstairs and downstairs.”

At times like that, it clearly helps that one’s dream house is also 15,000 square feet of space.

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 45

at home

COLOR CATALOG

Poised Taupe Sherwin-Williams

2017 Color of the Year

I

n the last five years shades of grey have been all the rage, but Sherwin-Williams believes that 2017 will mark the beginning of a warming trend.

Poised Taupe is an earthy brown combined with grey tones resulting in a rich, organic neutral that seems to exude warm cocoa, weather-worn woods and the ever-constant passing of time.

This warm tone will work in almost any room in your home—from an inviting entryway to a cozy bedroom.

While this color works beautifully with pure white, it’s substantive enough to be paired with heavily saturated tones such as Sherwin-Williams’ Marea Baja, Bee or Mature Grape. Incorporate these more exotic and bold tones with draperies, pillows and other textiles.

Accent Colors: Smoke Rings Dinnerware Anthropologie

Crewel Embroidered Suzani Pillow Pier 1 Imports

46 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Marea Baja (SW 9185)

Bee

(SW 6683)

Mature Grape (SW 6286)

Actual colors may vary from this printed representation.

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Doctors in Louisville are excited to announce a revolutionary technology available to men with prostate cancer right in their own community. Not only does it mean that cancer patients can stay in their own hometown, they also will need far fewer visits to complete their treatments.

Louisville CyberKnife, located in the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, uses a noninvasive method to deliver high doses of radiation with pinpoint precision. Most patients can immediately resume their everyday activities once they complete a treatment session.

“Many of the technologies available at prestigious cancer centers around the world are available right here at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center,” said Dr. Shiao Woo, the center’s chairman of radiation oncology. Dr. Woo added that CyberKnife is used at such prestigious hospitals as M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital.

While CyberKnife can be used to fight a variety of cancers, it is highly effective in fighting prostate cancer. For men, only non-melanoma skin cancer is more prevalent as more than 176,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition, prostate cancer is the second most common cause of death in Whites, AfricanAmericans, Native American and Hispanic men.

And those numbers aren’t likely to fall anytime soon.

“When we look at the leading cancers, we predict (through 2020) that the greatest increase in the number of new cases will be for prostate cancer in men,” said Dr. Hannah Weir, an epidemiologist with the CDC. What makes this type of cancer difficult to treat is that the prostate gland can shift in position as fluids pass through the bladder and air passes through the rectum. Whereas traditional radiation therapy cannot account for any shifting by the prostate, the robotic technology guiding CyberKnife can track the tumor’s exact location.

Your Prostate, Your Cancer, Your Choice

Since the robotic arm moves around the patient for the duration of the treatment, there is no need for any incisions or ports. Patients leave their treatments pain free and with far fewer side effects than those who receive traditional treatments.

Al Bissmeyer, of Simpsonville, said he chose CyberKnife because he did not want to endure more than 40 radiation treatments in a span of just over two months.

“Louisville CyberKnife required only five visits,” he said. “It saved me time and was very convenient.”

This is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from your professional healthcare provider. Contact your professional healthcare provider to find out if CyberKnife® is right for you. No case is typical. Results will vary by patient and there is no guarantee other patients will experience these results.

For more information about Louisville CyberKnife and to determine whether it is right for you or your loved one, call 1-888-CYBERME or visit LouisvilleCK.com.

FACES+PLACES

T ops cares: Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies

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Teaching Kids Their Own Strength Center helps children find independence

By Steve Bittenbender Photos by ChocolateBox Photography

T

here’s an air of excitement circulating around the Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies these days.

For starters, the local non-profit organization recently celebrated the acquisition of the Louisville Pediatric Therapy Center – formerly known as Easter Seals of Kentucky – by hosting an open house at the purchased facility on Bluegrass Parkway in Jeffersontown. Now the organization has two facilities, the other located in the Kosair Charities building on Eastern Parkway, where special needs children from across Kentucky and the surrounding states can receive the outpatient therapy services they need.

And as the Center has grown, it also is getting ready to start a training and orientation program for people wanting to volunteer with the organization.

Because of health regulations and privacy laws, the Kids Center cannot allow volunteers to work directly with the more than 1,200 patients, who range in age from newborns to 21 years old, who use the Center’s facilities. Kids come to the Center’s facilities to receive physical therapy to help them build up their strength, endurance and balance. They also come to receive therapy to help them become more independent, by learning how to move around rooms and to dress and feed themselves. Children also can learn speech and language skills necessary to help them communicate with their families and loved ones.

larly and sanitize the toys and other equipment so that they’re ready for the kids to use the next time, Fenske said. That’s not the only way volunteer can help out at the facilities, said Fenske, who has been with the Center for nine months.

“We can always use help more on the office side,” she said. “Filling in at the reception desk, helping out with mailings and typing and filing.”

While volunteers can’t work directly with patients in therapeutic sessions, there’s still plenty of ways people can help ensure area kids get the quality of care they need, said Sue Moore Fenske, the Assistant Executive Director for Advancement for the Center.

Like most non-profits, the Kids Center relies on fundraisers to provide physical, occupational and speech therapy services to kids across the region. Fenske said the Center has three major fundraisers and there’s always a need for volunteers to ensure the events are a success.

For example, on the Center’s clinical side, it needs volunteers to come in regu-

Every June, the Kids Center hosts a Walk & Roll, a two-mile trek that concludes a

50 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

three-month fundraising campaign. More than 100 teams, ranging from families to youth groups to companies, raise funds for the Center during the campaign.

In November, the Center will hold its annual Champions for Kids Breakfast, where people can listen to children and adults give first-hand accounts of how the Kids Center’s programs impacted them.

Additionally, the Kids Center hosts an annual fashion show, but this year’s event will be a little different, Fenske noted.

“For the first time in a very long time, we’re going to do a gala event,” she said.

“We’re going to build that around (the fashion show) event we’ve been doing for the past 13 years. Our kids are the models in the fashion show.

presented by

“It started out as a therapy event, where the therapists would use that fun opportunity to be in the spotlight to encourage their patients to work just a little bit harder and get a little bit closer to that therapy goal. Instead of using their wheelchair, in the fashion show, they may be able to use their walker.

Or instead of using their crutches, they might not need them at all.

The Kids Center has seen some changes in its marketing department, as Fenske is currently the marketing staff member with the longest tenure.

As such, the department has been laying the ground work on revamping the volunteer program.

“We haven’t to this point actively been recruiting volunteers because we have been rebuilding the program so that it will include some training before we bring folks in,” she said, adding that the training will give volunteers information about Kids Center’s

history and the services it provides.

Those training sessions will begin this spring, Fenske said.

The acquisition not only increases the number of patients served by the Kids Center, it also expands the organization’s capacity for growth. Both the Eastern Parkway and Bluegrass Parkway facilities are accepting new patients, and the Center’s staff and board are working on ways to expand services this year Kosair Charities approached the Kids Center about making the acquisition because the charitable organization had long been a contributor to both groups, which provided the same types of services in the community. Bill Smithwick, the center’s executive director, said the move reduced administrative overhead and presented the opportunity to provide services to more kids.

Imagination Station–a sensory therapy room– at Home of the Innocents

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 51

faces + places Tops cares faces+places

presented by

Both Kosair and the Louisville Scottish Rite Foundation helped make the acquisition a reality by providing grants to the Kids Center to help cover some of the costs related to the merger.

“This was an obvious opportunity to provide increased support for these critically important health care services that allow children to grow and thrive,” said David Owen, chairperson of the Louisville Scottish Rite Foundation Board. “The Louisville Scottish Rite Foundation is very happy to have the opportunity to work with Kids Center to continue to deliver important speech therapy care to prepare children for successful futures.”

For more information about the Kids Center, visit kidscenterky.org or call 502-584-9781.

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healthy smile, healthy heart

Taking good care of your teeth and gums can be a key factor to good heart health. Regular brushing, flossing and dental visits are more important than ever for your mouth, heart and overall wellness.

Delta Dental of Kentucky is honored to Go Red in February and support the American Heart Association. We are proud of our Director of Marketing Services, Ruth Devore, who went Red. She changed her lifestyle improving her overall and heart health!

www.DeltaDentalKY.com 800-955-2030

People choose their banks for a variety of reasons. Maybe you opened an account for the rate and stayed for the exceptional customer service. Or perhaps you love the ease of your bank’s mobile app. Either way, your bank president has a hand in your personal banking experience. And beyond the dollars and cents, Louisville’s top bankers are valuable community contributors who give their time, talent and treasure to truly make this Possibility City.

BY KATE SEDGWICK

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 55

Photo by Danny Alexander

MEET YOUR BANKER

Bill harrod President & CEO • First Harrison Bank FIRSTHARRISON.COM

B

ill Harrod is president and CEO of Corydon, Indiana’s First Harrison Bank and First Capital, Inc. His motivation, he says, is, “Seeing customers and employees being successful.”

He is a board member of Blue River Services, a non-profit that helps people with disabilities overcome barriers to independence.

He helped start Leadership Harrison County, a program with the mission of, “developing servant

56 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

leaders for tomorrow,” as well as Harrison County’s Habitat for Humanity.

His career started in 1978. Within eight years, he had become part of the management team that worked to turn around Mutual Trust Bank in New Albany. The formerly troubled institution was eventually sold to First National Bank in Louisville.

“I was hired as the President and CEO of Harrison County Bank in

Palmyra, IN, in 1992,” he says, eight years before a merger with First Federal Savings Bank when it became First Harrison Bank. Under Harrod’s leadership, the bank has purchased two smaller banks and now has assets of $740 million.

Harrod and his wife Kim, married 38 years in May, have two grown daughters who are married and live out-of-state. He loves cooking and collects bourbon. His advice for 2017? “Be positive!”

Photo by Danny Alexander

MEET YOUR BANKER

Adrian Brown Market President • German American Bank GERMANAMERICAN.COM

A

drian Brown is the market president of German American Bank, headquartered in Jasper, Indiana.

“What motivates me the most is seeing our team take pride in doing good work and feeling proud of our progress,” he says.

Asked for one word to describe himself, he responds, “Driven.” For fun, he enjoys target shooting, IU sports and outdoor cooking.

“My focus has mostly been on the

lending side with the last 10 years focusing on commercial lending,” he says.

“I have been fortunate,” Brown says. “My career path has been lined with terrific mentors who took an interest in my career and development. I started my career at Fifth Third Bank in Louisville. I then moved to First Harrison Bank prior to my move to German American. I have the perspective of working for

the large super regional bank and the small community bank.”

“We create value for our clients when we are able to solve problems,” Brown says of his work. “Many times when we do that we make a difference by helping a person/business get from point A to point B.” He looks forward to continued success for German American Bank as it grows deeper roots in the community.

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 57

Photo by Greg Stanfield

MEET YOUR BANKER

Mike Gleeson Regional President • MainSource Bank MAINSOURCEBANK.COM

“

B

eing grateful for my good fortune and being available to others is a daily focus of mine,” says Mike Gleeson, regional president for MainSource Bank. Mike gives time and financial support to several area non-profit organizations and mentors team members regularly.

Prior to becoming a banker, Mike worked in retail and owned part of a successful flower/gift business. He

58 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

states, “Commercial banking is fun and rewarding. You learn a great deal from your clients, play a small part in their success and are active in the community.”

Gleeson has been married to Nina for 29 years, who he credits as the most influential person in his world and his daughter, Elle is the pride of his life. Mike enjoys golf, grilling out and spending time with his family. When

asked for just one word to describe himself, he answers, “Passionate.”

“I have been fortunate to have worked with many talented team members and without question, I would not be in the position I am now without them,” he says. Mr. Gleeson’s words of advice are, “Find a profession you are passionate about and you will exceed your own expectations. Enjoy the journey.”

Photo by Conrhod Zonio

MEET YOUR BANKER

David Bowling CEO • Citizens Union Bank CUBBANK.COM

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avid Bowling, CEO of Citizens Union Bank (CUB), was a partner in a public accounting firm for 25 years. “Ten years ago, I decided to get off the road and joined CUB,” he says. He was named bank president in 2008, and CEO in 2013.

“Community banks serve a vital role in the broad economy and local communities,” he says. “We provide lending and other financial resources to businesses, farmers, and families that the larger

banks are not interested in serving.

“We also provide financial and leadership support throughout our local communities to various civic and charitable organizations.”

Mary Ann has had the greatest impact on my life.” The couple has been married for 36 years; they have four children and five grandchildren.

For fun, he enjoys travel, golf, hunting and spending time with his family. He loves to sing, but says he’s not very good at it.

Bowling serves on many community boards including the Louisville Sports Commission, The Kentucky Council on Economic Education, and the Kentucky Bankers Association.

“I have had many professional mentors,” Bowling says,”but clearly my wife

His advice to others is, “Never stop learning and asking good questions.”

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 59

Photo by Conrhod Zonio

MEET YOUR BANKER

Barry Brauch President & CEO • American Founders Bank AFBUSA.COM

B

arry Brauch, president and CEO of American Founders Bank, says, “American Founders Bank is the bank for business owners. Being a locally-owned, small, community bank, we can make decisions quickly, right here in Louisville and be responsive to a business owner. We have focused our resources to delivering products and services to business owners.”

daughters together: Lydia, 16, Sophia, 13, and Grace, 5. They adopted their youngest from India at age 2. Paperwork issues kept them there an entire month.

“It was a wonderful time,” he says.

He and his wife, Anita, have three

“We do not change our course at the

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“Bankers are often maligned for being greedy or careless, but American Founders Bank is different. We work closely with our clients and will be there with them through thick and thin.

whim of a faraway headquarters. We do not make Wall Street salaries. We are risking our own capital and exercise prudent practices. We are involved in the communities we serve and support them with our time and money.”

Brauch is a board member at the Kentucky Derby Festival and Kentucky Blood Center and says his family and their accomplishments are a huge inspiration to him.

Photo by Greg Stanfield

MEET YOUR BANKER

Steven E. Trager Chairman & CEO • Republic Bank REPUBLICBANK.COM

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hairman and CEO of Republic Bank, Steven E. Trager, practiced law before joining Republic Bank in 1987. After 25 years, he attained his current position in 2012.

Trager says his father, Bernard Trager, was the most influential person in his life, describing him as, “That rare individual who achieved great success through hard work but was always there for his family and others in need.”

A family man at heart, Trager enjoys spending time with his wife, Amy of 32 years, along with their children: son Kevin and wife Andy, and daughter Emily. His mother Jean, sister and nephews are also big parts of Trager’s life.

Trager serves on the board of Fund for the Arts, the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, and the Bellarmine Board of Trustees, and has chaired several local organizations including the Kentucky Bankers Association.

Asked about his proudest accomplishment, he says it’s the bank’s success, what it represents for those who worked hard for it, and what they can, in turn, do for those in need.

He wants people to know, “Some bankers get a bad rap but so many of us make a practice of doing the right thing on a regular basis. And if you look at who is supporting the good things happening in our communities Republic and other banks are always at the top of the list.”

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Photo by Danny Alexander

MEET YOUR BANKER

Patrick Daily President • The New Washington State Bank NEWWASHBANK.COM

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atrick Daily is the president of The New Washington State Bank, where he’s worked since 2003. He became president this January, and is grateful for the guidance of the bank’s former president and current CEO, Patrick Glotzbach.

Daily has been in banking since 1984, previously serving as president of Heritage Bank, maintaining his position through a merger, when it became Community Bank.

“I’ve volunteered for almost every-

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thing,” he says, “but the one non-profit organization I’ve hung with the most is New Hope Services in Jeffersonville.”

The organization provides vocational training and care and support for adults with developmental disabilities. They also offer family services and counseling.

Daily has served on the board of the non-profit since 1998. “One thing we’ve really been able to help them with is real estate.” The organization helps connect

low-income families with needed housing.

Daily and his wife Chanda married 21 years ago, when he became stepfather to her daughter, Lauren, now 28. The couple has also adopted three children together: Christian, 15, and Ella and Caleb, both 13. They are excited about the recent arrival of their granddaughter, River.

Asked to describe himself in a single word, Daily says, “Persistent.”

Photo by Danny Alexander

MEET YOUR BANKER

Larry W. Myers President & CEO • First Savings Bank FSBBANK.NET

L

arry W. Myers is president and CEO of First Savings Bank. He’s been banking since 1982. He worked as a commercial lender and served as area president of National City Bank of Southern Indiana before joining First Savings Bank as CEO in 2005, and being named president and CEO in 2006.

Myers’ greatest influence is his wife, Debbie, who he says is, “a great motivator, counselor, and supporter.” Mr.

and Mrs. Myers have three children together, Harrison, Hunter, and Madelynne – who was just named 2017 Miss Kentucky USA. Mr. Myers says they are his proudest accomplishment.

He’s worked with the Boy Scouts for over 20 years, and in his son’s group, ten out of 11 boys attained the rank of Eagle Scout. They’re all in college now, and Myers says, “I can’t wait to see what they accomplish.”

Myers calls banking a “very personal business,” explaining that life is complicated. “We get married, we get divorced, we have children, we start businesses, we have businesses that stumble. All of those events need someone who can understand the situation, help create strategies to achieve goals and hold you accountable. A good community banker will do just that.”

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Courtesy Photo

MEET YOUR BANKER

Chris Bottorff Southern Region President and Chief Sales Officer Centra Credit Union CENTRA.ORG

C

hris Bottorff is the southern region president and chief sales officer of Centra Credit Union. He started in banking as a teller, working summers during college more than 30 years ago. He is a lifelong resident of Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Bottorff and his wife Lisa, part time program coordinator for Leadership Southern Indiana, have two children, Haley, currently at IU, and Trey, a high school junior.

64 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

He says his father is still his greatest influence, “He was the person and leader I strive to be,” he says, citing his ethics and morality. “I give him credit for the husband, father, and friend that I aspire to be.”

Chris Bottorff serves on the boards of many local organizations including Metro United Way and New Hope Services. He is also member of the Downtown Louisville Rotary Club.

Asked for one word to describe

himself, he answers, “Commitment.”

In his leisure time, Bottorff enjoys running, tennis, golf, hunting, and reading, but especially spending time with his family.

“I enjoy helping people achieve their goals,” Bottorff says of his work, “whether that is a business owner looking to expand, an individual wanting to upgrade their home, or an employee seeking to advance their career.”

Photo by Greg Stanfield

MEET YOUR BANKER

Ja Hillebrand President • Stock Yards Bank & Trust SYB.COM

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resident of Stock Yards Bank & Trust (SYBT) and Stock Yards Bancorp, Inc., Ja Hillebrand, has been with the bank for more than 20 years.

Notably, in 2003, he directed the then 99-year-old institution’s expansion into the Indianapolis and Cincinnati markets.

In 2008, Hillebrand attained his current position and was appointed to the bank’s board of directors.

A lifelong Louisvillian, Hillebrand is

heavily involved in the community, serving as president of the SJ Kids Foundation board, financial secretary of the St. Joseph Children’s Home board, Fund for the Arts board, Boy Scouts of American, Lincoln Heritage Council board, among others.

Hillebrand was the 2011 chairman of the Kentucky Derby Festival and 2016 chair of the March for Babies benefiting the March of Dimes.

Despite all his accomplishments, he says his proudest are his children: daughters

Madeline and Kelsey, and son, Tanner.

In his free time, Hillebrand enjoys family time at the lake, following Louisville Athletics, and traveling.

His wife, Lynn, says the one word that describes him is “Positive.”

His advice is, “Pursue excellence in your personal and professional life; with focus and passion, and you will always exceed the expectations of others and often exceed your own expectations.”

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Photo by Greg Stanfield

MEET YOUR BANKER

John T. Taylor Chairman, President & CEO • PBI Bank, Inc. PBIBANK.COM

J

ohn T. Taylor, chairman, president, and CEO of PBI Bank, Inc., has over 30 years’ experience in both regional and community banks prior to attaining his current position with PBI Bank in 2012.

“A mentor told me to get into community banking to start my career because it was like a paid education in business. I fell in love with banking as a career,” he says.

66 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Taylor and his wife Sara have five children combined. His proudest accomplishment is raising them to be good citizens.

hundreds of thousands of dollars to prevent premature births. He serves on the board of directors of the Kentucky Bankers Association.

What motivates him, he says, is “Being a part of an amazing team that has a desire to do special things.”

Asked what he would like people to know about his profession, he says, “Community banking continues to bring valuable solutions to individuals, business and communities; helping each to grow and improve quality of life.”

Taylor is involved with The March of Dimes, recently co-chairing their Signature Chefs Auction which raised

Photo by Greg Stanfield

MEET YOUR BANKER

Jason E. Stuecker Market President • Forcht Bank FORCHTBANK.COM

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ason E. Stuecker, market president at Forcht Bank worked in many departments where he was, “privileged to learn and work alongside the best at Stock Yards Bank,” before attaining his position with Forcht.

as a way to persevere, and strive to better ourselves while being mindful of the needs of others,” he says. “My wife and I raise our children with the same values and I look to her as my most trusted advisor.”

He and his wife of 11 years, Adrea, have two children together, Hampton, 8, and Hadley, 5.

Stuecker serves on the Bellarmine MBA advisory board, and was a past treasurer for the March of Dimes, as well as being an active parishioner at Holy Trinity Parish.

“My parents raised me and my siblings to enjoy challenges, embrace hardships

He wants people to know that, “Banking and life are all about building relationships. It gives you the opportunity to have a significant impact both economically and socially in overall community development.”

Asked for a word of advice, he says, “Keep working hard and don’t get distracted by things that you cannot control. Follow your passions and do something that you love—it makes succeeding much easier.”

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 67

Photo by Danny Alexander

MEET YOUR BANKER

Charles P. Denny Regional President • PNC PNC.COM

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harles P. Denny is PNC’s regional president for Greater Louisville, Southern Indiana, Western Kentucky, and Tennessee. He started his career in finance in 1980.

As a native Louisvillian, Denny has deep ties in the community, and advocates for education, quality of life, and economic growth. He is active on 11 boards at the moment, including 21st Century Parks and The Parklands of Floyds Fork, University of Louis-

68 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

ville College of Business, the Gheens Foundation, and University of Louisville’s Board of Overseers.

He has received numerous awards, receiving the University of Louisville Athtletics Hickman-Camp award, and being inducted into the Kentucky Business Hall of Fame in 2016.

He says it would surprise people to know that he once had a job as a lead guitarist.

Asked what he does for fun, Denny

replies, “I love to do anything and everything with my wonderful wife, Donna. We enjoy spending as much time as possible with our children and grandchildren. I like to work out and read.”

The couple’s son and daughter-in-law, Josh and Carolyn, have four children together.

His words of advice are, “Stay focused, look for ways to help others, do your best, stay strong, and be optimistic.”

Photo by Greg Stanfield

MEET YOUR BANKER

David Wombwell Market President • U.S. Bank USBANK.COM

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avid Wombwell is market president of U.S. Bank. Before joining the national bank 17 years ago, he built a solid foundation, working with both a regional and a smaller, community bank in the private and commercial banking sectors.

Wombwell believes that banks are, “cornerstones of their communities,” not only for the business they support, but the capital and time they volunteer to local initiatives.

“At U.S. Bank, we say we’re in the business of ‘making possible happen,’” he says, “and that means helping people take little steps on their way to achieving great things.”

fantastic children, and to be married to the woman who helped them turn out so well,” says Wombwell of his wife, Amy, and children, Allie, Sarah, and Jim.

Wombwell chairs the board of the Greater Louisville Sports Commission and serves on the GLI and Red Cross boards, but when asked what he’s most proud of, he says his family.

Asked for a word of advice, he says, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good... I hope we celebrate every victory and each step forward without being distracted by the occasional setback or disappointment.”

“I am grateful to be father to three

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faces+places

Single or Married without Children “

Money Moves by the Milestones Louisville-area financial planners help you map your future with direction for every life stage

By Susan Gosselin

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mericans may be in big trouble when it comes to having enough money saved for retirement. According to a recent survey reported by Money Magazine, 56 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement, and as many as a third of all Americans have no retirement savings at all. Only 13 percent of Americans have saved $300,000 or more for retirement, an amount which, at the low end, would only qualify as a “nice start” on a nest egg that is supposed to supplement social security for as many as 20 or 30 years.

But, according to Louisville financial planners, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s never too late to make the right money moves, especially when you tailor your savings, spending and investing goals around your life’s milestones. They offer these general tips to consider, depending on where you are in your life:

70 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

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eople often don’t realize this, because they have so many goals for themselves during this period. But when you are at this stage of life, you will have more disposable income than you will at almost any other time of your life,” said Don Garton, CFP at Advantage Investment Management. “You could be in your 50s before you have this kind of financial freedom again. Use it wisely,” he said.

All the financial advisors interviewed for this story recommend you: • Create, as quickly as possible, an emergency fund equal to three to six months of your living expenses.

• Put in the amount necessary to trigger an employer match in your 401K plan, if it is offered.

• Set up a ROTH IRA, to allow your retirement investments to accumulate tax-free.

• Save between 9 to 10 percent of your income for retirement (IRAs and ROTHs combined.)

• Pay off debts from student loans as quickly as you can, without shortchanging your retirement savings.

• Create short-term liquid savings for short-term goals, like buying a new car, saving for a down payment on a home, or funding a vacation, so you have the money before you purchase.

• Keep in check with a “spending plan” that allows you to spend certain amounts for entertainment, coffees, clothes, and such.

“I also recommend that younger people don’t over-invest in real estate early,” Gorton added.

“When you are young, renting makes sense, so you can keep yourself flexible for job moves, joining households or other disruptions. It also keeps your money liquid for other important savings goals.”

Children at Home

Empty Nesters Going Into Retirement

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• Buy a house only when you have a 20 percent down payment, to avoid having to purchase mortgage insurance.

While the answers to those questions vary widely for every empty nester, in general, planners recommend you:

ith college costs projected to continue skyrocketing, it can be easy to panic over the enormous expenses that are involved with day care, K-12 education/activities, family health insurance, and of course, college savings. But financial planners say that with some strategic planning, parents can use this period of time to advance against their goals, and provide a good example of financial responsibility to their children. They recommend you:

• Adjust life insurance to cover five years worth of your family’s expenses. In general, they recommend term life insurance, which terminates around retirement age.

• Consider disability insurance to cover your family should you become unable to work, potentially even supplementing plans provided by your employer.

• Evaluate potential new mid-range financial goals, such as creating a fund to pay for a child’s wedding, or a trust fund. If you are handing over money to your child, ask your advisor about the Uniform Transfer to Minor Act (UTMA), which allows you to save tax-preferenced up to your child’s 21st birthday.

• Start saving for your child’s college education as soon as they are born, preferably in Roth 529 plans, which will allow your investment to grow tax deferred.

“Remember, you or your child can get a loan to cover college costs, but there are no loans for retirement,” said Robert Sprawls, ChFC, CLU. “Too many people make the mistake of underfunding their retirement accounts at this time, and it is a mistake. Remember, your money will do most of the work for you if you just give it enough time. If you can manage a 10 percent return on your money, it will double every seven years. It’s important to keep your retirement savings consistent, so you don’t have to play an expensive game of catch up later,” he said.

hen your children have left for career and/or college, experts say it’s your last chance to make your dreams of a secure retirement a reality. “Saving aggressively should be at the top of your list. But so should talking to your spouse and family about the specifics of how you want to live in retirement,” said Scott Dingle, CLFC, financial advisor and insurance specialist for Ameriprise. “How long do you want to continue working? Where would you like to live? How much will that lifestyle cost from month to month? You need to come to that agreement now, figure out what kind of financial commitment that takes to get from point A to B,” he added.

• Don’t count on downsizing to cut your expenses or pad your savings. When people buy a smaller home, they make an even, or close to even trade on price, experts say. Downsize only to reduce the stress and incremental expenses of maintaining a large home.

• Pay off your mortgage if you don’t believe you will have the cash flow to make the mortgage payments in retirement.

• Take advantage of IRA “catch up” provisions for people over 50, which raises the maximum you can contribute yearly an extra $1,500 in an IRA, and an additional $6,000 in a 401K. • Consider whether long-term care insurance is right for you. If you think you will have enough income in retirement to fund $75,000 a year for a spouse in a nursing home, then it may not be needed. If you can’t, paying off a longterm care policy by the time you retire may help you cover yourself should you need expensive care.

• Determine how aggressive you need to be with your portfolio in retirement.

The standard advice is to move 80 percent of your investments into low-risk fixed income like bonds or annuities, with 20 percent in stocks. However, if you still need to grow your money in retirement, having a more aggressive portfolio is not necessarily a no-no, experts say.

• In retirement, consolidate and simplify your investments as much as you can, for simplicity of management.

• Keep your children informed and your estate plan updated every two to three years, including naming a power of attorney and healthcare advocate.

• If you don’t wish to draw down your principal, don’t plan to take out more than 4 percent of your total investments every year. This will allow your money to continue growing, so it will continue to work for you, no matter how long you live.

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One Smart Cookie

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By Steve Kaufman Photography by Antonio Pantoja Makeup by Joseph’s Salon & Spa

Elizabeth Kizito, Louisville’s Cookie Lady, walks around with a basket on top of her head.

That’s marketing. What really counts is what’s inside her head.

There’s the face of a woman staring out from the package of Kizito Cookies.

She’s an African woman with a big smile on her face, eyes sparkling, and a basket on her head.

You might think she’s portraying a character, but most Louisvillians know that that smiling, happy face is the real Elizabeth Kizito, who once traveled the streets of downtown Louisville, and now shows up at the Kentucky State Fair and Slugger Field, with a basket-full of cookies propped on her head.

She’s the real thing, not a fabricated image of a cultural stereotype.

It’s true, as her promotional material says, that she was born under a banana tree in the Ugandan town of Nansana. In fact, she says, she probably was wrapped in a banana leaf after local midwives administered to her mother.

But let’s separate the myth from the reality. Nansana was a typical Ugandan village – not small or poor or remote, not primitive or uneducated. In fact, it’s less than 20 miles from the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

Her house was small, but not a hut. Babies were born outside all the time because, Kizito says, “The houses were not large ones, like here in the U.S., and not too many hospitals in the 1950s. So women went outside to give birth, and then the mother and baby were brought inside.”

So she grew up in a small Ugandan house, and now owns a home in the Cherokee Triangle.

She still speaks in a heavy African accent, but she’s a graduate of Eastern New Mexico University, with a degree in Environmental Health. And her homemade cookie business, which began on a streetcorner in downtown Louisville, is now a nearly half-million-dollar enterprise.

Kizito – the real thing, not a Madison Avenue fabrication – is still going strong at 62, still baking, still smiling, still balancing that basket on her head. She’s also a shrewd, marketing-savvy entrepreneur.

She was the oldest of her father’s 36 children, born to an assortment of mothers. He was a businessman – he owned a bakery and a brick factory, among other things – and

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One Smart Cookie

cookies at home and bringing them in for her co-workers.

“The other girls would say, ‘Oooh, these are good, we wish you would make more so we could buy them from you.’ ” Though her father had owned a bakery, she had never baked before. But someone had given her a fresh-baked chocolate cookie and the taste astonished her. high school in Denver, hosted by an American family.

What had she expected from the U.S.?

“What I saw on TV,” she laughs. “My favorite programs were ‘The Flying Nun’ and ‘Bonanza.’ I don’t think I expected to see nuns flying, but I did expect to see cowboys everywhere.

“And I thought everyplace would be like Detroit – crowded, car factories and snow all the time.” life in Uganda, as she remembers it, was a good, happy time.

It was the 1950s and ’60s, and Idi Amin was still an officer rising through the ranks of the Ugandan Army. (Until 1962, it was the Colonial British Army.)

She attended a Catholic boarding school with the intention of becoming a nurse or a teacher.

“My mother became pregnant when she was 14 or 15,” Kizito recalls. “And my father’s promise to her – since he had interrupted her schooling – was that her daughter would be educated.”

Kizito came to the U.S. in 1972, to finish

74 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Denver must have been a refreshing Rocky Mountain high, the snow notwithstanding.

She planned on returning to Uganda after college, to work on health and environmental problems in her home country. But Idi Amin was firmly in control by then and there was a war going on back home.

Instead, she got married to a man she met in college and came back to his hometown of Louisville with him. What did she know about Louisville?

“Fried chicken and Muhammad Ali.” She waited tables at a downtown restaurant called Charlie’s, and began baking

“In Uganda, we never had homemade chocolate chip cookies,” she says. “We’d get packaged cookies, like Chips Ahoy.”

She started with a recipe from a cookbook, but discovered she had a knack.

Word of her cookies spread from her co-workers to the restaurant’s customers, and soon she was being asked to make more of them, and every day.

So she did, for a while, until 1983, when she became pregnant and knew she was going to need more money than she was making in the restaurant.

Debbi Fields often told the story of starting her homemade cookie business because she was the bored housewife of a successful businessman. Elizabeth Kizito wasn’t bored – she was desperate.

“In Uganda, people bring their baked goods and crafts to the streets and the marketplace,” she says. “So I decided to do the same.”

She picked out a street corner at Fourth and Broadway and went to the city for a permit.

“They told me, ‘That’s going to be hard, nobody has ever done that here,’ ” she says, “but I said, ‘Well, I’m pregnant and

One Smart Cookie

need money. I don’t know what else I’m going to do.’ ” She refused to be discouraged. She felt the $160 for the permit was “pretty cheap – all I had to do was bake cookies and show up.”

She soon moved to Fifth and Jefferson, to take advantage of the courthouse crowds, setting up a cart and a table. That first day, she made 50 chocolate chip cookies. She sold them all. And she got some attention.

“I got written up in the newspaper,” she recalls. “The article called me ‘the cookie lady.’ That day, I came to my corner and there was already a large crowd waiting for me. They’d read about me.”

Add the benefit of media exposure to Kizito’s growing business education.

Which was followed by the benefit of offering merchandise assortment. Kizito’s second husband, Todd Bartlett, said, “you need to make other things, like oatmeal raisin cookies. And then someone mentioned snickerdoodles. I’d never had a snickerdoodle before, but it was pretty easy to make and everyone liked them.”

She now has 13 different flavors of cookies, plus brownies and macaroons. muffins and biscotti. “People asked for them, and so I began to add peanut butter, sugar cookies, white chocolate.

“I make Lucky in Kentucky. It’s white chocolate, dark chocolate and pecans. I wanted to call it my Derby Cookie, but I can’t. You know, they own the name.”

Next came a more aggressive sales campaign.

“My customers on the street began asking me to come to the buildings or factories where they worked, and I began doing that, too,” she says. “I used to go into buildings each day and sell my cookies in the lobby. I had a set schedule, so they knew when I’d be there and they’d be waiting for me. I’d hear them call, ‘the cookie lady’s in the building!’ ” Finally, came the pièce de résistance – adding the image every good business needs.

“I used to carry my cookies to the corner in a bag,” she says. “But I had a basket from Uganda, and I used to walk around the house with it on my head, like they do in my country. So my husband said, ‘You

need to go out there and carry your cookies on your head instead of in a bag. Everybody will notice you.’

“I did, and I became famous. Everybody wanted to see me with a basket on my head.”

At one point in her journey, Kizito was told by the health department that she couldn’t prepare food at home if she wanted to sell it on the street. So she made her cookies at a friend’s pizza parlor for a while, and then found a space on the corner of Bardstown Road and Edgeland Avenue – used to be a bank, and a drugstore, and a beauty shop – put her colorful, jagged red, white and black logo over the window on the distinctive yellow façade, hired some people – including husband Todd, who now manages things – and created a professional small-manufacturing facility.

There are now ovens, sinks, large refrigerator cases, plus a retail display case and counter for any walk-in business.

To drive that business, she has filled her store window with the African handiwork – religious masks and icons, baskets and pots, figurines, hand-carved woodwork and the like – that she had accumulated from her periodic trips home.

“I had been selling African crafts even before I started selling cookies,” she says.

“Cookies is a better business, but after we got that established, I wanted to get back to crafts. I’d like to bring my culture from Africa to Louisville.”

The baskets she wore on her head helped, too. “People saw the baskets on my head and, in addition to buying my

cookies, asked me if they could buy the baskets, too.”

It has become a business, now. She has hired local people, including some of her brothers and sisters, to look for items to send to her. “I don’t have as much walk-in business as I’d like,” she says. “I’d love to have people come in more.”

But Kizito has never been one to wait for business to come to her. Even without the in-store traffic that she desires, Kizito takes her goods to fairs, craft shows, fleamarkets and the like all over the Louisville and Southern Indiana area. The St. James Art Festival is one of her most important annual events.

And while she can no longer be found on downtown street corners near the court house, you can still see her and her familiar basket at Bats games, St. James, Thunder Over Louisville, the state fair, wherever there’s a crowd.

This year, you’ll also be able to see her at Churchill Downs, for the Oaks and Derby.

“I did the Derby 15 years ago, but I got discouraged,” she recalls. “I didn’t know what to expect and it hit me too hard. I wanted to set up in the infield, but I didn’t know when to get there, and I probably got there too late. Plus, it’s so big, and I didn’t know how much to bring in. Then it rained. It was discouraging.”

This year, a smarter, more experienced Kizito will be in the grandstand, walking around – you know, not waiting for customers to come to her. But how does she know that will work?

“They told me, ‘That’s going to be hard, nobody has ever done that here, but I said, ‘Well, I’m pregnant and need money. I don’t know what else I’m going to do.’ ” TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 75

76 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

One Smart Cookie

“Because the last two years, I brought my basket to the Oaks and Derby and walked around,” she says, “and people saw me and shouted, ‘Look, there’s the cookie lady.’ They came up to me wanting to buy cookies. But I didn’t have any. I was just testing the waters. If I’d had cookies, I’d have sold thousands.”

She went to the Kentucky Derby with a basket on her head? “Sure! It was my Derby bonnet.”

She still doesn’t know exactly how many cookies to bake for the two events, but plans on showing up each day with 2,000. Will that be enough? Maybe not. But that’s all right, as far as she’s concerned.

He said, “You need She has learned her lessons well.

Kizito has become something of an institution at to go out there and Slugger Field. “I’ve been doing the Bats games for 17 years, ever since they opened the stadium,” she carry your cookies says. “I walk around the whole stadium with the basket on my head. People who see me from way far away get out of their seats and come to me beon your head cause they know I won’t be able to get to them, or I’ll run out before I get instead of there.”

She also sells her in a bag. cookies at a few re“I did, and I tail outlets around Everybody Louisville, like Walbecame famous. greens, Lotsa Pasta will notice in St. Matthews and Everybody the four Paul’s Fruit you.”

Market locations, wanted to see me but she doesn’t expect retail ever to be a big part of her with a basket on business.

“I’d get lost in my head.”

“You always want to leave them wanting more.”

too large a store,” she says. “And with too many outlets to serve – especially outside of Louisville – distribution would be a problem. We’d lose freshness. We bake every day with fresh ingredients – real butter, and nuts – and we use no preservatives. I might have to take back too much unsold merchandise.”

Besides, she feels she’s more successful when people can attach a real person to her stuff.

“Sometimes, when I’m out there, people look at me with surprise,” she says. “They didn’t know there was a real me. But most people know me. I’ve been feeding three generations. If you grew up here, you probably know me. It’s the key to my business.”

Right out of the Harvard Business Review. 

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 77

From Humble Beginnings A Mattress Empire is Born

Louisville native, Sleep Outfitters Founder & CEO, Kim Brown Knopf When Louisville native Kim Brown Knopf graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1982, little did she know that 33 years later she would be relocating the headquarters of her successful mattress retail chain to Lexington in the former Tempur-Pedic North American headquarters.

Sleep Outfitters began as a momand-pop operation when the 23-yearold Knopf borrowed money from her father-in-law to open a mattress store called Mattress Warehouse in South Charleston, W.Va. in 1983.

Today, Knopf’s company, Innovative Mattress Solutions, operates 160 stores under the Sleep Outfitters, Mattress Warehouse and Mattress King names in six states: Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Alabama.

The challenge for many growing businesses is to hold onto that momand-pop ethos—taking personal responsibility for the customer’s satisfaction--with which they began.

That can become harder to do when your enterprise is farther flung than the

single location that started it all.

In a 2013 interview with the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette, Knopf said, ““I had to learn about everything. My father-inlaw worked at (chemical manufacturer) Union Carbide, and he would come down on his lunch hour and weekends and spell me, and my husband would come down in the evenings and weekends. I had to learn bookkeeping, accounting, taxes, financial statements, merchandising, recruiting, interviewing, advertising.”

In the first 20 years, Knopf’s business grew to 20 stores. In the last 13 years, she’s added another 140, for a total of 160 locations in six states.

That’s a far cry from the single store opened in West Virginia nearly 33 years ago, but the mom-and-pop-inspired mission remains.

“We are committed to exceeding your expectations with the best personal service, quality products and outstanding values,” reads a huge sign,

www.sleepoutfitters.com

featuring Kim’s and daughter Karrie’s photos, hanging on the walls of many of her stores.

Sleep Outfitters and its parent company continue you to be a family enterprise. Knopf’s daughter Karrie, also a UK graduate, is iMS’s digital marketing director and oversees the company’s expanding e-commerce efforts, allowing customers to purchase the company’s products -- mattresses, protectors, pillows, sheets, adjustable foundations and headboards -- online.

Often, when you start a business, you have to become proficient in every part of it, just as Kim Knopf did 33 years ago. Today, Kim and her family remain closely involved every day in all aspects of their successful company.

When you’ve built a business on great customer service, with your own two hands, it’s difficult to be hands-off.

That’s just how it is in a family-owned business.

“As a native Kentuckian, I’m proud to have helped so many people in the Commonwealth get a great night’s sleep - which is critical to performing your best at work, school and play.

We know we would not have made it this far without your support - and for that...we thank you. Ask your family...ask your friends and neighbors. Chances are they’re sleeping great on a mattress set from Sleep Outfitters.”

- Louisville native, Founder & CEO

Kim Knopf, Louisville native, Founder & CEO with Karrie Knopf, Digital Director

America’s best brands at the guaranteed lowest price!

To find a location near you, or shop online, visit sleepoutfitters.com HOURS: Monday - Saturday 10:00am - 8:30pm / Sunday 12:00pm - 6:00pm

“Working with American Founders Bank is truly a pleasure. I have worked with many banks of all sizes and AFB is by far the best experience I have had without question. They believe their success depends on the success of their clients, which translates into meaningful relationships that help nurture growing companies such as our own. They really are a partner to our success rather than just a lender.�

- K E V I N , C R E AT I V E PA C K A G I N G

Where Money Meets Ideas Creative Packaging has continuously grown over the past two decades, becoming a leading EPS Block Molder, Cold Chain provider, and corrugated fabricator in Louisville, Lexington, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Nashville markets. Please contact them to ask about any of their quality products and services. creativepackagingco.com American Founders Bank is the Bank for Business Owners.

Being a locally owned small community bank, we can make our decisions quickly, right here in Louisville and are responsive to the business owner.

NORTH HURSTBOURNE 1200 Forest Bridge Road Louisville, KY 40223 Phone: 502.638.4746

www.afbusa.com

Sam Price

Business Banker, AVP

{ Special Advertising Section }

ENTREPRENEURS PROFESSIONALS OF FINANCE

and

By Sarah Boerkircher // Photos by Conrhod Zonio TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 81

GARY DEMLING Professional Golf Instructor

Long Run Golf Course // longrungolf.com As a kid, Gary Demling always dreamed of being a professional athlete or starting a company where he could be inventive and creative. As a professional golf instructor at Long Run Golf, Gary strives to be different and unique while still being effective and successful when training and working with his customers.

“I have a photographic memory, which I utilize daily. By remembering specific things about my customers, I create a true bond with them,” said Gary. “My customers are not just a face and name because I use different characteristics to relate to them more effectively and gain their trust. They know it means as much to me as it does to them when they succeed.”

Gary has focused his golf training on mas-

tering the art of putting. As Gary explained, putting is the only part of golf where strength and stature are irrelevant.

“Most golf professionals give swing lessons, but very few focus on the putting aspect, which is where golfers truly score,” said Gary.

Gary has always been someone who enjoys helping others. He created a nonprofit organization that raised more than $100,000 for socially and economically disadvantaged during the three years he was involved.

“My experience with the nonprofit opened the door for me to help individuals through other charities, which now use as a daily guide. I have a passion for making everyone better golfers through my experiences not only in golf, but also in life.”

RANDY BLEVINS President/Owner

Think Tank Louisville // thinktanklou.com When Randy Blevins was laid off in 2009, he decided to go back to school and earn his Master of Business Administration (MBA) with hopes that larger companies would consider him for a higher level position.

“While getting my MBA, I discovered I had the skills to start a business,” he said. “At the time, I was learning about social media and the potential it had to reach consumers. I poured myself into the new platform, found a partner who shared my enthusiasm and who was already working in the field with clients, and we decided to start Think Tank Louisville.”

Now in business five years, Think Tank offers creative marketing services for clients

82 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

in a variety of industries. Think Tank services include social media, traditional advertising, content marketing, promotions, special events, media relations and graphic design.

As Randy continues to grow his business, he hopes to provide encouragement and mentorship to those starting out in their careers. He said he will forever be grateful for the guidance he got at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where he interned more than 20 years ago.

“They allowed me to fail and learn from my mistakes—I hope to provide that same encouragement to younger people coming up in their careers today.”

MARGARET SCHNEIDER Owner

Margaret’s Consignment margaretsconsignment.com As a single parent, Margaret Schneider was hooked on yard sales because it was how she could afford to furnish her house and hers and her daughter’s closets.

When she needed extra money while raising her daughter on her own, she borrowed an old pickup truck, gathered all her yard sale purchases, which she had been collecting, and off she went to open “Margaret’s Consignments.”

“Opening the shop was the scariest thing I ever did in my life, but I stayed focused and worked endlessly,” said Margaret. “While in the process of opening the shop, I cut hair, so after I got home from work on Fridays and Saturdays, I would go to yard sales to get more merchandise.”

At Margaret’s Consignment, which has now been in business 26 years, one can find high-end, used clothing for women, men and young children as well as purses, shoes, jewelry and accessories. The shop also carries collectibles, which as Margaret explains, is a great way for clients to recycle their goods and make a little money from the sale.

Born and raised in Louisville, and from a very poor family of 12 children, Margaret never had her own pillow, blanket or a bed until she left home at 18 to get a job.

“Of course, I never had new clothes or shoes—maybe that’s why I like used clothing,” she said. “My success has allowed me to do lots of charity work, which is a very special part of my life.”

Margaret’s strong work ethic and positive attitude has helped her business thrive. Due to the shop’s success, starting March 1, 2017, the store will once again be open on Mondays and only closed on Sundays.

“I’m so lucky that I love what I do. I think by keeping a positive attitude and focusing on what you want and need to do, one can also love their job. It’s also important to pray and be thankful.”

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 83

LARRY AND MATT RICKE Financial Services Representatives // Ricke & Associates // ricke.com Larry and Matt Ricke, the father/son duo of Ricke & Associates, help individuals, families and businesses protect and preserve their wealth. With more than 40 years of experience that spans three generations, the Rickes are passionate about money management.

guidance to our clients,” said Larry. “We are licensed investment representatives versed in helping clients grow their personal investment profiles as well as experts in the field of business succession planning.”

Larry founded Ricke & Associates in 1972. A family-owned business, Larry is president and CEO and Matt is a financial representative. Larry, and his wife, Ann, have three grown children, Emily (Ricke) Heine, Matt and Tom. Emily also works for the family business as the marketing director.

Larry and Matt are firm believers that achieving financial security comes from having your financial assets allocated among various products. They say that a well-rounded approach is integral in creating a safe and effective plan that will provide you, your family and your business protection and wealth in the years to come.

“Although we are known for our specialized knowledge in life, disability, and long-term care insurance, we continually offer so much more than financial

With the start of the new year, Larry and Matt explain that now is the time to take action and review your financial situation before it is too late to make

84 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

a difference.

“Laws and industry regulations are constantly changing, so it’s a good idea to meet with your advisor at least once a year to make sure the plan you have in place will still meet your needs in light of government regulations and tax law changes,” said Matt.

Father and son say they are in the financial services business to help their clients protect their business and loved ones. As family men themselves, they take pride in providing honest guidance and helping their clients reach their financial goals.

“We are your partner in your lifetime wealth strategy,” said Matt.

WIL HEUSER President/CEO/Founder The Loup // TheLoup.com Proudly born and raised in Louisville, Wil Heuser launched TheWilShow.com, an online comedy show, in 2007. “The Wil Show,” which Wil filmed, edited and starred in, garnered millions of views and thousands of followers since it launched.

“Looking back on my time spent working in the entertainment and advertising industries, I realized I had picked up the tools to do something big. I combined my love for comedy with a desire to promote Louisville and came up with TheLoup.com.”

“While my career has taken me through a variety of fields over the years, “The Wil Show” remained a constant focus in my life,” he said. “After resigning from my job in publishing this past spring, I was challenged with the task of planning my next career move.”

Wil knew whatever he did next, he wanted to go back to acting and comedy. While he had opportunities to move to New York or Los Angeles, Wil did not want to leave Louisville. He decided to find a way to bring New York and Los Angeles to Louisville instead.

The Loup is an online entertainment network designed to create clever, tasteful and humorous web content that promotes all things Louisville. A platform to connect creative artists, local businesses and the community of Louisville through a unique comedic lens, The Loup launched two months ago.

“I’m asking artists and companies to take a leap of faith with me, but I have no doubt in my mind that The Loup is exactly what Louisville needs and I welcome the challenge to prove it.”

KIM FOSTER President/Owner

Window World of Louisville windowworldlouisville.com Kim and Barry Foster, owners of Window World of Louisville, have been in business for 14 years. Originally from North Carolina, the Fosters moved to Louisville to be in a larger market and the opportunity to better themselves. After in-depth research and taking a leap of faith, the Fosters, with their two children, moved to Louisville to start a business.

starting a business, the Fosters love helping people and watching things grow. As Kim explained, the success of Window World has allowed them to be able to give back through local charities and help those in need.

“We knew no one in Louisville,” said Kim. “No family or friends, and we had very little money to secure a building, a house or advertising.

We didn’t even have furniture when we first opened, so I sat on the floor and wrote appointments on a desk pad.”

The Fosters pride themselves on working hard and learning from their mistakes. As an entrepreneur and business owner, Barry says it’s important to have the courage to face the bad and look forward to the good.

While there have been challenges with

“I’ve always been more concerned with taking care of the customer than the profit,” said Barry.

“One day, you’ll look around and see friends, not employees or customers.”

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 85

CRINDA FRANCKE CEO

ExecuTrain // executrainky.com ExecuTrain offers training and development for business owners to increase the skill level and productivity of their employees.

Over the past 10 years, they have adopted a more customized learning model. CEO Crinda Francke said, “We work with companies to find the most effective way to provide the training they need. One size does not fit all.” She and her husband Ken take pride in doing a great job for their local clients and being a part of the business community. “We work hard to ensure that a local client feels confident when choosing us over a larger national firm.” Com-

ing from a family that owned their own businesses, Crinda believes it must be in her blood.

“On some days, you scratch your head and say ‘What was I thinking?’ but more often, it’s a rewarding adventure. I can’t imagine doing anything else.” Crinda and her team approach every opportunity as a long-term relationship, which results in trust-based partnerships. “The entire company has a “can-do” attitude,” she said. “You won’t hear anyone say ‘We can’t do that’ but rather, ‘How can we make this work for them?’ In our 22 years of business, we have rarely said no to an opportunity.”

AARON + ELISSA WITHROW Team Owners

The Withrow Group // TeamWithrow.com Team owners Aaron and Elissa Withrow of The Withrow Group at Keller Williams Realty East are entrepreneurs at heart.

“We love operating our own business, creating high standards and expanding the focus of the industry we are truly passionate about,” said Aaron.

After graduating from the University of Kentucky, Aaron began a professional career in architectural design in the housing industry. After several years with a traditional “desk job,” the aspiration to build a business in real estate lead Aaron to obtain his real estate license in 2009.

Aaron and Elissa offer extensive knowledge of the local real estate market conditions, deliver

86 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

forward-thinking marketing of their sellers’ listings, and provide superior service for their clients to ensure they get the home of their dreams amidst a very competitive market.

“Despite our growth, we thrive on being highly relational,” said Elissa. “We care deeply about doing the best we can for our clients.”

For Elissa and Aaron, their great accomplishments are staying happily married and raising two children while owning and growing a business.

“If being an entrepreneur excites you, act now,” Elissa said. “Don’t allow yourself to have a life without challenge, growth and deep faith.”

WINSTON SHELTON Chairman

Winston Industries winstonind.com Winston Shelton, retired chairman of Winston Industries, said it all started in 1935, when he was 13 years old. Winston was accompanying his father on a driving trip when he asked his father: what would he have liked to have done in his life?

“Not directly answering, but making his point, my father said, ‘man’s finest service is to the lives of fellow man.’ As I matured, I observed it was the way my father lived his life. Over the years, I searched for ways to make it my way also,” Winston said.

Fast forward 40 years to when Winston, an engineer and developer of the Collectramatic, the fryer of choice for major fast food chains, was accompanying Colonel Harland David Sanders, best known for founding Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), on one of their frequent business trips.

“Breaking one of the frequent silences, the Colonel made a statement relative to the quality of fried chicken at the KFC drive up window,” said Winston. “Colonel said, ‘I wish my chicken could be held closer to New Orleans than to Denver.’ It was his typical paraphrasing, but close enough that I thought I understood.”

Once Winston returned to his lab, he simulated Lake Pontchartrain, an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana, in the bottom of the prototype holding cabinet. As Winston explained, this modification turned out to be exactly what the Colonel wanted.

“It held food at exactly the temperature selected—three to four times longer than the conventional cabinets. Perhaps more astounding, it provided food temperature control for all ovens, in homes or restaurants, which made foods better and life much easier for ‘fellow man.’”

Now 94, Winston has taken this remarkable oven development to fellow man, worldwide.

“I am less than confident that it can be called ‘entrepreneurship’ from my standpoint, but it’s a contribution to the diner, chef, home culinarian, kitchen manager, commercial multi-outlet entity and institutional feeder that should create an army of entrepreneurs on every continent on earth.”

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 87

MIKE ARNOLD CEO + President

Van Zandt, Emrich & Cary // vzecins.com Mike Arnold has been in the insurance business for nearly 30 years, with expertise in commercial and personal lines of insurance.

In 1994, immediately after being recognized as a Top 10 agent nationally, the Louisville agency that Mike was working for closed and he lost his job.

“God put me in the perfect business,” he said. I like to form relationships with people and serve others, and I have found that when you do this, success follows.”

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me professionally,” he said. “ I started an independent insurance agency where I could control my own destiny. My father and I went back into business together and built a nice agency. I learned a lot from him and another friend of his, Denny Schrecker, who taught me to believe in myself and

Mike started in the insurance business in 1988 with his father, Gary Arnold, who specialized in life insurance.

88 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

not to be afraid to call on anyone.”

In 2000, Mike went to work for his current agency. In May 2013, he became CEO and President of Van Zandt, Emrich & Cary, an AssuredPartners company and full-service insurance agency.

Motivated by his family and serving others, Mike is a proud father and is inspired to be a better man because of his kids.

ERIC PAYNE Banking Center Manager Republic Bank // 502.420.1874 Whether you are a first time home buyer, someone in need of a refinance or a business owner looking for ways to grow your company, Eric Payne, Banking Center Manager at Republic Bank & Trust Company, wants to help you achieve your goals.

Eric’s expertise is in residential and commercial lending. However, as Eric explained, Republic Bank does an excellent job of training its associates to be financial experts.

“At Republic Bank, we are in the business of helping people make sound financial decisions,” said Eric. “We are large enough to offer competitive products for our clients while still remaining close to our locally owned roots. This allows us to provide the

type of customer experience our clients have grown to expect over the years.”

When Eric isn’t working or further developing his career, he enjoys the great outdoors, specifically golf, fishing, shooting sporting clays and mountain biking. He’s also an active member of the community and serves on the advisory board at Boys and Girls Haven, is a members of the Young Professionals Association of Louisville (YPAL) and is on the caper committee at Family and Children’s Place. Eric says that his proudest accomplishment is getting engaged to his fiancé Sara Willis.

Member FDIC, NMLS# 402606

NMLS#1146403

LESLIE RAEBER

Vice President + Senior Managing Director Republic Bank // 502.562.8847 With 23 years of experience in the banking industry, Republic Bank’s Vice President and Senior Managing Director Leslie Raeber specializes in business lending, depository, and treasury management products to meet the needs of her clients. Leslie takes pride in seeing her clients’ businesses grow and flourish.

“I have been with Republic nearing two years, but prior to working for Republic Bank, I worked for a local bank for 21 years, specializing in business banking. Throughout my 23 years of working in the banking industry, I have always strived to provide top notch service to my clients,” said Leslie. “I value the relationships that I have with

my clients—it is a great feeling when you know that what you do makes a difference in their lives.”

In Leslie’s free time, she loves to read and watch her three kids play in their sporting events. As an active member of the community, Leslie founded the Hurstbourne Area Business Association. After working in the Hurstbourne area of town for 14 years, Leslie became passionate about energizing this community and connecting business leaders. She is also a member of the Building Industry Association Commercial Council, due to her work with many developers and builders in the Louisville area.

Member FDIC, NMLS# 402606

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 89

AARON YOUNG

Wealth Management Advisor, CFP, CLU Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management // louisville.nm.com As a wealth management advisor for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Aaron Young feels blessed to have a career that he has loved since day one.

“I started as an intern with Northwestern Mutual and never left,” Aaron said. “At Northwestern Mutual, we believe in helping people find a way to make sense of their financial picture. We believe in ongoing education to be better versions of ourselves, so that we can continue to bring value to our clients and their financial plans.”

With 10 years of experience at Northwestern Mutual, Aaron specializes in working with current and pre-retirees in retirement income and distribution planning, physicians and small business owners.

While many may think that a financial plan makes life more stressful, Aaron explains that by understanding one’s financial goals, he can help to identify next steps as well as act as the quarterback of a person’s inter-financial relationships.

“Over Christmas, I received a message and photo from a client. The photo was the view from his porch and the message said ‘Thankful for you and your expertise.’ When that is the feedback you receive from a client, who wouldn’t be motivated to continue helping others? But it’s not about me, it’s about knowing that someone feels better about their life and future because of the plan they have in place,” Aaron said.

Aaron’s proudest accomplishment to date has been completing the Ironman.

“Setting the goal and putting in the work were the first steps,” he said. “Pushing myself to continue on when the race got tough, that was the real accomplishment. I watch the video once a year as a reminder of that feeling.”

In Aaron’s free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Christine and two kids, golfing, carpentry and helping others, specifically serving on the Louisville Metro Police Department Foundation Board.

90 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

CONRHOD & LESLEE ZONIO Conrhod Zonio Photography, Light Life Love

859.299.6550 // ConrhodZonio.com | LightLifeLovePhotography.com As photographers, Conrhod and Leslee love to connect with people. “We get to be an integral part of stopping time, capturing history and allowing the amazing people we work with to leave a legacy behind,” Conrhod, a graduate of Asbury and UK, explained. The business rose out of Conrhod’s passion for photography. As demand increased for his work, Leslee took on the role of family/lifestyle portrait photographer with Light Life Love. “We love it when our clients know how beautiful they are, and they are so comfortable in their own skin around us to let us fully capture who they are,” Leslee said. Together, they are dedicated to serving our local community and region.

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 91

faces+places

Meet the Media

Renee Murphy

by Kate Sedgwick photos by ryan noltemeyer

R

enee Murphy is busy around 18 hours a day. During the week, she’s up at 6:45, and by the time she gets home, winds down, and gets to sleep, it’s 1 a.m. Between those hours, she’s getting three young kids ready for school, getting a workout in, and fine tuning, writing for, and anchoring two editions of WHAS-11 News.

She met with TOPS Louisville for a quick chat at Strong Side CrossFit before her noon workout, arriving with a ceramic bowl of oatmeal and fruit to fuel her day.

She’d already gotten Keefe, 8, and Katherine, 6, off to school, taken her youngest, Kellan, 3, to preschool, and prepared dinner for the family to eat that night while she worked.

Murphy’s husband Keith, who was her high school sweetheart, works at UPS. They stagger their shifts to share the children’s day. They have very limited time together during the week, so try to make the weekends count, staying active and going on family outings. “If there’s something happening in town that’s kid friendly, we’re usually there,” she says.

“I have my book. Everyone always laughs at me because I still carry a paper organizer around, but I need it,” she says.

“If I forget to put something in the organizer, it’s not going to happen.”

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“It’s a lot, and sometimes you drop a ball.” She remembers something Rachel Platt said. Platt is Murphy’s predecessor on WHAS’s News at 11, who moved to Great Day Live and the News at 4 p.m. “I’m not quoting exactly, but she told me that her mom told her one time, ‘You may have a lot of balls up in the air, but they’re not glass. They’re rubber, and they bounce, so it’s going to be okay.’”

THE ROAD TO TELEVISION NEWS Murphy didn’t imagine herself as a newscaster growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina. “When I was younger, I loved sports. I wasn’t a great athlete, but I was always doing something active.” In high

school, she was into track, cheerleading, gymnastics, and softball. She’s still a massive Carolina Basketball fan and her family also roots for the Cardinals.

She remembers watching ESPN’s Sportscenter on Sundays with Robin Roberts. “I saw her on there and said, ‘Hey. She looks kind of like me. Maybe that’s something that I could do.’” Murphy worked as a production assistant at ESPN after college before getting an offer to be a weekend anchor at Greenville, Mississippi’s WABG-TV. The call came as a surprise. “I didn’t really know a whole lot about news.” She still wanted to cover sports. “[The news director’s] like, ‘Well, you can anchor our

Football Friday high school sports show, but you’ve got to do news the rest of the time.’” Murphy had found her calling.

In 2003, she joined WHAS11 News and she and her husband moved to Louisville.

Since then, her role with the network has continued to expand. So has her family.

“I was pregnant for five years on TV,” she jokes.

A MISSION TO CONNECT “I look back...and I see a lot of things that happened, I think, that really prepared me for news: things that were important to me, social things that I was very aware of, very conscious of, and had passion for, and those are the stories that I love to tell now.”

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faces+places

Meet the media

There’s a reason those are the stories that I tell a lot now: urban struggle, kids’ hardship, at-risk youth. Those are the stories that I like to tell and to show people what happens and why young people do the things that they do, why they’re in these situations and shed light on it so we can find a solution or a middle ground or something.”

94 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Talking to a coworker recently, Murphy remembered “Menace II Society,” a movie she loved growing up. “It’s kind of a social commentary on street life, urban struggle, violence, the plight of young people.

For whatever reason, that movie connected with me.

“I was telling him, ‘There’s a reason those are the stories that I tell a lot now: urban struggle, kids’ hardship, at-risk youth. Those are the stories that I like to tell and to show people what happens and why young people do the things that they do, why they’re in these situations and shed light on it so we can find a solution or a middle ground or something.’”

Asked about stories she feels have made an impact, Murphy says, “Most recently, I had a chance to do one of the most extensive research-based stories I’ve ever done about a child in Child Protective Services

from Indiana, Alexis Arensman. That was my first time really getting a chance to see how the whole process works with these kids.

“That was the first time I was ever able to go through all the paperwork because unfortunately she died, so when she died, that case became public and I could see everything, and just see how that whole process works and see why kids end up back in situations repeatedly.”

There was a lot of feedback. “I think people really connected with that story too because it’s amazing how many people know someone who’s been through Child Protective Services.”

LEADING WITH CURIOSITY It can be unpredictable what stories have legs. During the summer of 2016, Butler Traditional High School released a

new dress code with specific rules against natural African-American hairstyles.

State Representative Attica Scott’s daughter brought a paper with the new rules home, the newly-elected representative tweeted it, and there was a public outcry.

Murphy was able to bring something personal to the table with a rare editorial. She talked on-air about wearing a wig because the two hours it would take her to do her hair was better spent living her life, and spending time with her kids. She showed a photo of her natural look and asked viewers what they thought. Leading a conversation about a very personal topic with curiosity continued a valuable dialogue.

STRONG MOTIVATORS “My kids are, they’re everything. Everything’s revolving about them – what they need, what they can do. You think, ‘Well, if I do this, how does this affect them?

Would I want them to see me doing this?’

On camera or off camera.

“There’s no wallflowers there. They’re all chatty. My husband’s always like, ‘They’re like you.’ They’re all very strongwilled and opinionated.”

She describes her youngest, 3-year-old Kellan, as a brainiac, and is overjoyed by artistic 6-year-old Katherine’s eclectic style and confidence. “I hope she stays that confident.”

Her eight-year-old son, Keefe, says he wants to be a reporter. There’s wonder in her voice as she remembers her own response to that news, “‘Oh. You want to do this business?’ I see in him all the strengths of being a great reporter. I mean, curious, charisma, an eagerness to know what’s going on. Why’s it going on?”

Empathy and a drive to know the truth are central to Renee Murphy’s life and work. “I try and be me every day, and I try to tell the best stories that I can tell. I try and give people a voice. That’s just who I am. It’s not just at work. It’s funny, I mean, I guess I’m always in reporter mode, seeking the information, letting people tell me their stories.” 

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©2016 Goose Island Beer Co., Goose IPA®, India Pale Ale, Chicago, IL | Enjoy responsibly.

CUISINE

Dining: la Chasse SKINNY MOM Aphrodisiac Foods for the power of love TOP 5 DINING: Romantic Night Out

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cuisine

Dining

Set the Bar High Isaac Fox’s love of wine and hospitality infuses the spirit of his new La Chasse

By Steve Kaufman Photos by Dan Dry, Courtesy of La Chasse

98 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

I

saac Fox paces around his neat, welllaid-out restaurant. It’s a little before noon on a weekday, hours before he’s due to open for dinner. But you can tell his energy is starting to kick in.

The phone rings and he jumps on it, with a carefully prepared, well-modulated, “This is La Chasse, how can I help you?”

It’s a request for a reservation. Then another reservation request.

Then a wrong number. You can’t win ’em all. He knows that, after years in the rigorous – often disappointing – restaurant business.

Still, when he talks about the origins of La Chasse, the Bardstown Road restaurant he opened in the fall of 2015 with Chef

Alex Delaney, the excitement rises, in his voice and in his eyes.

La Chasse is a French phrase meaning “the chase” or “the hunt.” Delaney, trained at the Culinary Institute of America, had been the executive chef at Le Relais, Louisville’s finest fine-dining French restaurant. But that’s where the comparison ends.

This is a warm, rustic, cozy, informal restaurant – “not,” says Fox, “the haute cuisine, white-tablecloth look and feel normally associated with French food.”

La Chasse is filled with earth tones, brick walls, wood trim, wooden chairs and tables set for four, and not a tablecloth in sight. Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” drifts softly from somewhere.

Our grill is 100 percent wood-fired, which in and of itself is very unusual for a fine-dining restaurant. It’s what gives our foods such wonderful flavor.”

“We want you to feel you’ve stepped out of Louisville and into French Provence, having the best wood-fired dinner you might have ever had,” says Fox. “Our grill is 100 percent woodfired, which in and of itself is very unusual for a fine-dining restaurant. It’s what gives our foods such wonderful flavor.”

And odors. Even in the emptiness of midday, the memory of the food cooked on those wood fires wafts out of the open kitchen and around the room. It’s savory and compelling.

The menu is also a departure from people’s concepts of French food – high prices, small portions, cream sauces, heavy, fattening. That’s not remotely what Fox and Delaney were after.

“This is authentic French comfort food,” Fox explains. “Fresh herbs, roasted meats, grilled vegetables, game. Alex also borrows from the Basque region of Spain.”

As befits his background, Fox also manages the bar. (He tended and managed the bars at Basa, Volare and Jack Fry’s, among other places.) The long 18seat bar offers a cocktail list of about 40 different selections, with some familiar names out of a different era – Sloe Gin Fizz, Kir Royale, Sazerac, Champagne Old Fashioned – and some whose unfamiliar names tickle the curiosity.

Corpse Reviver #2.5. Loch Lomond in Winter. Cure for the Blues. The Chocolate Box. Smoke Without Mirrors.

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cuisine

Dining

Fox’s wine list was put together to accommodate not only expense account big spenders, but also guests who want and expect a good selection at affordable prices.

“People have become better-educated, they know there are great wines at all price points,” he says. “So we offer a wide range. We were never going to have a ‘cheap’ wine list, but there’s a sweet spot to me of $40$60 a bottle. I’d rather sell that to you because you’ll come in more often and know you’ll get something you like.”

He says that during the last two or three Derbies where he was working, “it was nearly impossible to sell those super-expensive, cult Napa Valley cabs, even to the high-roller Derby crowd.”

But maybe that’s for the stuffy, white-tablecloth-type establishments, anyway. For a warm and comfortable joint selling peasant food, like La Chasse, the joy is not in a $300 bottle of Opus One. It’s in a good, flavorful, Bordeaux or Chablis to complement that fire-grilled chicken osso bucco with Fontina Weisenberger grits, or that coriander dry-rubbed ribeye with sautéed sage butternut squash.

As Fox said, think of an evening in Avignon, around a fire. Hearty eating. Plenty of wine and laughter.

Provence in the Highlands.  LA CHASSE

1359 Bardstown Road Louisville, KY 40204 502.822.3963 lachasselouisville.com 100 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Q&A

Isaac Fox

Owner + Bar Manager • La Chasse

WHAT WAS YOUR MOST MOMENTOUS RESTAURANT JOB?

strating my knowledge that I end up talking down to you.

I won’t get into how much I know about how the vineyard slopes in the northern side of the Rhone Valley. Who wants to hear that? I’ll talk to you as long, and in as much detail, as you want to. And if you just want to order a wine, I’ll recommend something I think might be right for you so you can go back to hanging out with your friends.

Many, certainly. But when I was tending bar at the old Windsor Restaurant and Gardens in New Albany, I met Tenielle Allshouse, who was getting her culinary arts degree at Sullivan University. She became my wife – and mother to my five children.

WAS SHE INSTRUMENTAL IN YOUR STARTING LA CHASSE? Yes. Even before we were married, we used to have these “let’s open our own restaurant” conversations. We sketched out menus and cocktail lists, just for fun, and played around with names.

WHAT DO YOU ASK THEM?

HOW, AND WHY, DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME LA CHASSE? La Chasse means “the hunt,” which is the key to our food and concept. To Alex and me, the hunt relates to game: rabbit, venison, duck, elk, pheasant, which French country folk eat.

Secondly, though, it’s also the hunt for fresh produce, as local, organic and best-quality as possible. And thirdly, it has a personal meaning: We both have a drive, a hunt for perfection, never to be satisfied with “okay,” always looking for ways to improve our craft.

TO YOU, WHAT DOES BEING A “GOOD BARTENDER” MEAN? A “good” bartender is [a] a really big hospitality person; [b] very fast, keeping up with however demanding the volume becomes; [c] knows his regulars by their first names; and [d] is willing to listen to what his customers want and like, and to experiment.

MOST INFLUENTIAL BARTENDER YOU’VE WORKED WITH? There were many, but Reina Shannon, who trained me at Basa, was legendary around here. She had a wonderful personality, connected to her customers and was also

incredibly fast, accurate and knowledgeable.

Plus, she was big into craft cocktails, which were growing in Louisville at the time.

DO YOU REMEMBER AN “AH-HA” MOMENT IN YOUR BARTENDING CAREER? Steven Ton, the co-owner at Basa, was knowledgeable about cocktails and wine, and had a great palate. He sat down at the bar one night and ordered our specialty house Manhattan. I stirred it too long and it became watery. The next night, I tried not to stir it as long, and it was “too hot” – there was too much alcoholic heat. I hadn’t diluted it enough. About a week later, he proclaimed it “perfect!” And that was the compliment of the year for me.

HOW DO YOU RECOMMEND WINE TO A GUEST? I ask and I listen, to help you out but not to show off. I’m not so interested in demon-

Three questions: [1] Do you want full-bodied, or something lighter? [2] Do you want an old world wine or a new world wine? Old world wines tend to be higher in acid, lower in alcohol, more earthy, less fruit-forward. And [3] Do you have a favorite brand or varietal? With those questions, I can usually bring them something they like without being snobbish or too much of a wine geek.

WHERE DO YOU GET THE WOOD FOR YOUR WOOD-FIRED OVEN? We use a 50/50 blend of oak and cherry. I actually split the wood myself, out back every day. I grew up in the country. Splitting wood is my release.

ANY SPECIAL EVENTS PLANNED FOR LA CHASSE? Yes. On February 13, we’re having a pre-Valentine’s Day wine dinner. We’re calling it an “aphrodisiac dinner.” We’re pairing five different wines with the kinds of items normally associated with love, like oysters, Champagne and chocolate. Also, we’re having a fund raiser for the Animal Care Society on February 27. And on March 27, a cocktail dinner with Maker’s Mark, creating five courses of cocktails that pair with five courses of food. We’ll create all the drinks – small cocktails, of course.

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cuisine

Skinny Mom

Copycat Cosmic Brownies How many times have your kids begged you to pick up Cosmic Brownies at the store? No longer do you have to balk at the decision, because we’ve got a healthier copycat recipe you can make at home! You’ll choose these sweet, skinny treats every time over Cosmic Brownies. At only 142 calories (compared to 273) and 11 grams of sugar (compared to 23.5), you won’t need any more convincing.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15-18 minutes

Ingredients − 1 egg − ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce − ¼ cup canola oil − ¹/3 cup skim milk − 1 teaspoon vanilla − 1 cup whole-wheat white flour − ½ cup cocoa powder − ½ cup sugar − ¹/8 teaspoon salt G: − 3 tablespoons dark chocolate chips − 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk Preparation Preheat the oven to 350° F, and spray a small square (9x9-inch) or rectangular (7x11-inch) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, applesauce, oil, milk and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula, until completely moistened and combined.

Evenly spread the brownie batter in the prepared dish. The batter will be very thick and fudgy at this point. Make the top as smooth as possible with the rubber spatula.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When cooled, cut into 12 even squares.

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T   : In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the almond milk for 15 seconds, or until hot.

Add the chocolate chips and stir together until melted and smooth. Allow to rest and thicken for about 5 minutes. Evenly pour over the cooled brownies. Top with candy-coated chocolate.

12 servings | Nutrition Facts based on 1 brownie Calories 142 | Fat 7g | Cholesterol 15mg | Sodium 37mg | Fiber 3g | Carbohydrates 21g Sugar 11g | Protein 2g | Smart Points: 6

Cheesecake Strawberries Indulge your sweet tooth for only 17 calories per strawberry! These pretty little desserts are so cute, so sweet and so romantic for a unique Valentine’s Day treat! This recipe can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. It’s perfect for a make-ahead Valentine’s Party snack or just a treat that can be waiting for you in the fridge when cravings strike.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients − 12 fresh strawberries − 4 tablespoon of fat-free cream cheese, softened − 3 teaspoons Stevia® (or any zero calorie sweetener) − ¹/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract − 1 low-fat graham cracker, crushed into crumbs

Preparation Cut the tops off the strawberries and with a sharp knife cut an X – do not cut through the strawberry.

Gently remove a little strawberry from the center.

In a small bowl mix cream cheese, Stevia® and vanilla.

Place mixture into a pastry bag, or a plastic bag with the tip cut off, and pipe in the filling.

Roll top of strawberries in graham cracker crumbs.

6 servings | Nutrition Facts based on 2 stuffed strawberries Calories 34 | Fat 0g | Sodium 22mg | Fiber 0g | Carbohydrates 8g | Sugar 2g | Protein 1g

by Brooke Griffin • Skinnymom.com

Griffin is originally from Corbin, Kentucky and strives to educate, motivate and inspire other moms to live their healthiest life.

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cuisine

Aphrodisiac Foods for the Power of Love

V

alentine’s Day originated in the Roman pagan fertility celebration of Lupercalia. But while other ancient cultures may have been ignorant of the festival, they all knew a little something about igniting romance.

WATERMELON: Contains citrulline, an organic compound shown to relax blood vessels, similar to Viagra.

Throughout the millennia different civilizations employed special food traditions with an eye toward stirring passion, invigorating performance, and ensuring the succession of future generations. Even the word ‘aphrodisiac’ is old, harkening back to Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love.

But as in all matters of the heart, your own taste and experience are important guides in choosing the ingredients for igniting your evening of Love. And when it comes to a recipe for romance, don’t just count on food to do all of the work. We recommend other important ingredients such as holding hands, murmuring words of love, soft music to set the mood, toasting one another with a sip of champagne, and staring deeply into one another’s eyes. So whether or not there’s any truth to foods being aphrodisiac, or it’s actually the planning and implementation that create the anticipation and desire, we’ll leave that up to you and your Valentine to discover together!

From the shape and appearance of certain foods (think oysters and bananas), to the sensual pleasure of eating (think the taste and texture of mango and honey), to foods that literally make you hot (think chili peppers and cinnamon), to the scientific underpinnings of food properties (think a boost in pheromones and physical vigor), lists are published every February urging you to find new ways to spark romance with your Sweetheart.

Here are a few of the aphrodisiac foods we use in our Valentine’s Menu at Brasserie Provence: DARK CHOCOLATE: How could we not?

Chocolate boosts serotonin levels to make us FEEL GOOD! ALMONDS: A traditional symbol of fertility, chock full of vitamins B & E and calcium; the fragrance is said to make women swoon.

CHILI PEPPER: Makes you sweat, your heart pound, and your endorphins release, just like passion does.

AVOCADO: The Aztecs called them “testicles” based on the way they appear hanging from the tree; they’re rich in non-essential fatty acids that help to produce hormones.

ASPARAGUS: Rich in Vitamins A & E, considered an amorous booster.

FIGS: The cross-section of a fig says it all.

Brasserie Provence’s Artichokes Barigoule The French considered artichokes to be a strong aphrodisiac for hundreds of years.

Our recipe combines artichokes with several other natural aphrodisiac ingredients – onion, garlic, olive oil, and carrots – for that special sense of Ooh La La! Ingredients: − 1 tablespoon olive oil − 3 large artichokes or 1 jar of artichoke hearts in water − 1 medium onion diced small − 6 garlic cloves, minced − 1 small carrot, small dice − Pinch of thyme, minced − ¼ cup of tomatoes, diced − ½ cup of white wine Preparation: Cut artichoke hearts into wedges (if using fresh artichokes, trim hearts with a few leaves attached.) Clean and store in lemon water.

Combine and cook the artichokes, carrots, onions and garlic in the olive oil until lightly caramelized.

Add the wine, then the tomatoes and thyme.

Cook slowly for 30 minutes for fresh artichokes hearts, and 5 minutes for jarred artichokes hearts.

Makes 6 servings

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H A P P Y H O U R • 4:30-6P M • 1/2 P R I C E A P P E T I Z E R S & W I N E AT T H E B A R SPECIALT Y FRESH FISH EVERY FRIDAY

Volare restaurant ser ves modern Italian cuisine with Southern hospitalit y. Chef Josh Moore combines exper t skills with his passion for using locally sourced and house -made produc ts.

2 3 0 0 F R A N K F O R T AV E N U E • LO U I S V I L L E , K Y 4 0 2 0 6 5 0 2 . 8 9 4 . 4 4 4 6 • V O L A R E - R E S TA U R A N T. C O M

cuisine

Top 5 dining

Romantic Night Out

Volare Italian Ristorante

La Chasse

F

ounding chef Alex Dulaney is a Kentucky native with a passion for European cuisine. The unique, wood-fired blend of Southern French and Spanish fusion fare with touches of Louisville flair makes for an interesting bite, every time. The ribeye, sourced from Black Hawk Farms, is dry rubbed with black pepper and coriander, served with a sherry gastrique alongside sautéed butternut squash, French fries and lemon thyme aioli. Restauranteur Isaac Fox ensures that the entire experience leaves you feeling like the center of the universe, with a warm ambiance and a wine and spirits list that will delight.

1359 Bardstown Rd. Louisville, Kentucky 40204 502-822-3963 LaChasseLouisville.com

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eaning “to fly” in Italian, Volare aims to offer every guest an experience that soars. Chef Josh Moore is passionate about using locally-sourced and housemade products and the menu changes seasonally to reflect the freshest tastes. A customer favorite is the cashew encrusted Isle of Skye Scottish sustainable salmon, topped with a Dijon mustard and white wine cream, served with grilled asparagus and pepper coulis. Their impeccable pasta dishes offer unique, carefully crafted tastes that truly elevate classics. Exposed brick, soft candlelight and an atmosphere steeped in traditions of Italy means every visit to Volare will have spirits flying high.

2300 Frankfort Ave. Louisville, Kentucky 40206 502-894-4446 Volare-Restaurant.com

Bistro Le Relais

D

ine with history in the storied airport terminal of the famous Bowman Field at Bistro Le Relais. The 1940s-inspired interior offers a relaxed dining experience.

Executive Chef David Hester offers a fourcourse Prix Fixe dinner Tuesday through Thursday evenings that pulls inspiration from the eatery’s signature French cuisine. Try the Saint-Jacques, featuring scallops served atop butternut squash risotto, served with red beets, purple carrots, fresh sage and a citrus beurre blanc. Owner Anthony Dike has a passion for food and excellent wines, and Le Relais has a drink list that offer the right finishing touch on a romantic evening.

2817 Taylorsville Rd. Louisville, Kentucky 40205 502-451-9020 LeRelaisRestaurant.com

Hungry for more? Check out our dining guide at topslouisville.com!

Rustic Wood Fired European Cuisine

Brasserie Provence

VINCENZo’S

B

rothers Agostino and Vincenzo Gabriele dreamt of a place where friends, old and new, could gather to enjoy a truly special evening. They created a menu that reflects their European heritage and training as well as lighter Eurospa selections. The Berkshire pork tenderloin filled with a composition of wild mushrooms, walnuts, spinach, apples and Brie, served with an Evan Williams Single Barrel reduction, is exemplary of the kind of Louisville twist on traditional tastes that Agostino dishes up as Executive Chef. VINCENZo’S interior is a blend of traditional old world Europe and modern style that will serve as a lovely backdrop for an elegant night out.

150 S. Fifth St. Louisville, Kentucky 40202 502-580-1350 VincenzosItalianRestaurant.com

B

rasserie Provence is Owner Guy Genaud’s homage to all things Provençal, and his childhood spent in the region. His wife and Co-Owner, Stacy Duncan, aims to offer guests an ambiance full of comfort and warmth, a signature of a traditional French brasserie.

Their Repas Provence is a three-course menu offering guests a sampling of the eatery’s signature tastes, an offers a wide range of choices for the adventurous eater. Guests love the Ruby Red Trout, served with herbed fingerling potatoes, haricots verts with toasted almonds and a white wine lemon shallot caper butter sauce.

150 N. Hurstbourne Pwky.

Louisville, Kentucky 40222 502-883-3153 BrasserieProvence.com

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LIFE+STYLE

WOW WEdding: Hannah + Kirk Dubé Wedding Trends: Outfit of the Month Boutique Spotlight: Boho hipsters

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wow wedding

Hannah + Kirk

DUBÉ

by Elizabeth Gerber

C

ollege–the time in your life where you find yourself, your passions and even your forever love. Hannah Ulmer and Kirk Dubé knew each other when they started school at Northern Kentucky University, but it wasn’t until reconnecting at a mutual friend’s wedding that they began thinking about dating.

It didn’t take long for Kirk to realize he wanted to spend forever with Hannah.

The pair started dating in October 2014 and by December 2014 he told her he was going to marry her. Long distance love is one of the most challenging obstacles any couple could endure, but Hannah and Kirk made it work for a little over a year before she relocated to Bellevue, Ky., just south of Cincinnati, in February 2016.

“It was not ideal, but we made it work,” Hannah said. “We’d see each other one day during the week and alternate weekends. The hour-and-a-half drive home didn’t seem so bad when we were dating.”

had convinced her to check her deer stand before the start of hunting season.

As she was walking to her stand she noticed Kirk sitting in it. When she got closer, he got down on one knee.

“It was just us in the middle of the woods,” Hannah said. “It was the perfect moment.”

Kirk was working as an engineer with Duke Energy and rugby coach at Thomas More College so the couple chose to live in Bellevue. For the first six months of her engagement, Hannah easily handled all the wedding planning. When she made the move north and began searching for an advertising job her mother took over the planning to alleviate some stress.

“Kirk and I didn’t see each other at all that day,” Hannah said. “I remember walking down the aisle smiling because Kirk was crying like a baby. Some of the groomsmen were wiping their eyes. I think everyone started crying because Kirk was crying.”

On October 4, 2015, Hannah’s father

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 111

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WOW Wedding

The couple incorporated as many local touches as possible–from serving hot browns to taking pictures at O’Shea’s where the two frequented when they were dating.

Hannah and Kirk held a very traditional wedding ceremony, but one iconic item was missing.

“You rarely eat the cake at a wedding and think, ‘Man, that was some great cake,’” Hannah said. “We both really love donuts so we smashed donuts into each other’s face instead.”

112 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

details Photographer Videographer Wedding Venue Reception Venue Rehearsal Dinner Invitations Coordinator Catering Bridal Gown Bridal Party Gowns Groom & Groomsmen Formalwear Donuts Hair Makeup

Bethany Billick Andrea Kiefer St. James Catholic Church Noah’s Event Venue The Bristol Lauren Reherman Every Last Detail Naiman’s Catering Stella York from Rebecca’s Wedding Boutique Bill Levkoff from Rebecca’s Wedding Boutique Kenneth Cole from Macy’s Sugar and Spice Donut Shop Hannah Finch from 146 Salon Angelique Clifford from MC Professional MakeUp Artistry TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 113

life+style

Barefoot Sandals Barely There Wedding Footwear

I

f you are considering wedding venues during these cold winter days, nothing sounds more appealing than escaping for a beach wedding.

When planning vows on the beach, the choice of which shoe to wear if you are actually saying your vows in the sand is a quandary. You have to juggle navigating sand without giving up super cute footwear, so many beachy brides just choose to go barefoot. There’s as sparkly footwear solution Barefoot Sandals!

Bare Your Sole We first saw Barefoot Sandals in the 60’s and 70’s, when they were a too casual, radical idea. It’s interesting that now they are back for the most formal and important of occasions – weddings! What goes around comes around. You can find barefoot sandals created from rhinestones, beads, sequins, netting or lace, and styles can even come above the ankle line for interest. They are more readily available online, and can be found or custom made by an Etsy artist. Prices are very reasonable for a fun addition to your wedding day ensemble. Plan on a minimum of $30 for a simple pair.

Barefoot and Bohemian The Barefoot Sandal is also a great choice for a Bohemian style wedding.

If you are walking down the aisle on soft bluegrass, decked out in a simplified Bohemian style wedding dress, a barefoot sandal is a perfect choice to complete your ultra casual style. Your guests will remember this simple element. You may choose to wear a shoe during the wedding, but wear Barefoot Sandals to add whimsy during a woodland wedding photo shoot.

Barefootin’ for Late Night Comfort I often hear that brides end up taking their shoes off for relief and fun later in the reception and just go barefoot. This is Kentucky after all! Sometimes there are just so many hours in heels that your feet can take. A sparkly Barefoot Sandal is the perfect addition to your wedding day ensemble, and it will look like you planned to kick off your heels. Plus your feet in Barefoot Sandals are another great shot for your wedding photographers to catch.

Bare to Wear Them Again with Your Honeymoon Trousseau Tuck those Barefoot Sandals in your carry on, especially if you are headed to the islands for your Honeymoon. It’s the perfect locale to wear them, walking around your resort, on the beach, or even in the honeymoon suite. Don’t forget to take photos of your bare feet in the sand wearing them.

They can also be a great conversation starter, telling other resort guests that you wore them during your wedding festivities. And remember to pull them out again for romantic beach getaways in years to come! 

114 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

by Marsha Koller Wedding Consultant

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life+style

Queen of Hearts

I

f the month of February was a color, it would without question be red. While most people have a love/hate relationship with the holiday that is Valentine’s Day, there is no denying it is a pretty one. The bright splashes of pink and red, the soaring cupids, the heart shaped... everything. You can’t help but feel festive when surrounded by all the hints of love and romance, even if you are unattached. Our new Outfit of The Month is all about embracing a little Valentine’s style. We’ve created a look that works whether you’re going on a date with your love, or just meeting up with your closest friends. While we usually are all about the LBD, this ensemble’s star is a LRD. Preen By Thornton Bregazzi’s satin-back stretch-cady Ace midi dress is as elegant as it is eye catching. It comes in a striking strawberry-red hue, and has a one-shoulder silhouette with artful ruching and pleating to highlight the flattering fitand-flare shape.

Keeping our shoes simple yet sexy, the GX By Gwen Stefani “Observe” sandal offers a tall stiletto heel elevating a minimalist pair, fashioned with a slender ankle strap and a head turning finish.

Jazzing things up with our bag pick, Saint Laurent always delights with its glamorous evening accessories. This black leather “Kate” clutch is decorated with red glittered heart appliqués and the iconic gold-tone metal YSL plaque. With enough room for your smartphone, make-up compact and cardholder, it’s perfect for adding subtle flair to classic tailoring.

To really create the look of love, Sydney Evan’s Pendant Bezel Diamond Necklace was the perfect piece to add a little extra glamour. Made from 14-karat yellow gold plated sterling silver, featuring a bezel-set diamond, this delicate cable chain puts a sweet finish on our charming look.

Of course no Valentine’s Day outfit would would be complete without a pretty red lip. Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick is a creamy, matte, full coverage lipstick that delivers bold, long-lasting color and stays in place for up to six hours of continuous wear. So if you plan on giving a few V-Day smooches, rest assured your makeup isn’t going anywhere. No matter what your plans are, dress up, have fun, and be

by Jesse L. Brooks a “Queen of Hearts” all evening long.

116 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

1 2 3 4 5

PREEN BY THORNTON BREGAZZI Ace one-shoulder pleated stretch-cady midi dress GX By Gwen Stefani Observe Sandals SAINT LAURENT Kate glitter-hearts leather clutch SHY by SE Love Pendant Bezel Diamond Necklace STILA ‘Stay All Day’ Liquid Lipstick in ‘Venezia’

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3704 Lexington Rd. Louisville, KY 40207 502.654.7337 livboutiqueonline.com livboutiqueky@gmail.com

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boutique spotlight

Boho Hipsters Local shop caters to moms–and Grandmoms– searching unique styles for kids

by Elizabeth Gerber Photos by Danny Alexander

118 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

W

endy Lytle and Michelle Walker have been friends for quite some time because their daughters both attend the same school.

Both women have always had their hand in retail–Michelle having been a longtime manager of a local home décor sore and Wendy owning another fashion boutique in town, Apricot Lane. Wendy mentioned to Michelle she wanted to open a children’s boutique one day, but once the pieces started falling together effortlessly, the two knew it was fate.

“We were thinking about doing this, maybe in the spring, but when the location became available we knew we had to do it at that moment,” Michelle said.

The pair decided to go ahead with their plan to open the children’s boutique as soon as they saw the perfect space become available in Middletown. Wendy was driving down the road when she spotted a ‘For Lease’ sign on a space in the shopping center and immediately pulled into the parking lot. When she called Michelle to let her know there was a space available, she couldn’t stop shaking. It was all actually happening.

Boho Hipsters is perfect for children of any age–offering clothing and gift items for babies through tweens, some items for juniors and accessories for mothers.

Wendy and Michelle felt there were a lot of millennial moms and new moms that wanted their children to reflect their style of dressing, and they didn’t see that need being filled. So they made it their mission to bring that non-traditional, more fashion forward style of clothing to the city.

“There’s no baby store in the city where you can go and get fashion,” Wendy said.

“It’s all the same stuff you’ve been seeing for 20 years. Some of the fashion comes out in the branded, designer stuff, but that’s expensive and not every young mom has that money.”

Kids nowadays really care about what they want to wear. They want to choose what they’re wearing out of the house in the morning. Wendy and Michelle wanted to create a space where they’d be able to come in and choose from a wide array of clothing styles and create a wonderful shopping experience for both mom and child. Their inventory consists of a little bit of what grandmothers like and a few

We are a one-stop-shop for whatever you need. You can find things in here that you can find on Etsy.

We support a lot of local and are open to anything.

People like local.

It’s a big thing in Louisville.”

items for the traditional moms, but for the most part they carry items geared towards millennial mothers.

“We finally had to realize that the name of our store had to reflect the style of clothing that we were going to be offering,” Wendy said. “What grandmothers like is not necessarily what the mom wants for their kid. So we have a mixture of our offerings.”

Boho Hipsters officially opened its doors on October 5, 2016 and hasn’t looked back since. The ladies have received so many compliments on the clothing items they carry, but the biggest compliment they’ve received comes in gratitude.

“There has been a great response,” Wendy said. “There are a whole bunch of parents with 8-9 month olds who have come in and said they are so glad we offer something their child can wear to church because they are always wearing athletic wear. And other moms who express thankfulness we have affordable clothing because their children don’t wear uniforms.”

“It’s nice to have a baby store out on this end of town,” Michelle said. “Now they don’t have to drive across town to go to the mall. Now they can go ‘Oh my gosh, I have to go to a baby shower tomorrow at work

and I forgot to get a gift.’ It’s nice that they can run in here. We’ve heard that over and over; and our prices are good.”

This spring, Boho Hipsters is focusing on bringing more boys apparel to the Louisville area, as well as rompers and bathing suits from Hawaii. In addition to these exciting additions, the store will continue to support local, Kentucky artisans.

“We are a one-stop-shop for whatever you need. You can find things in here that you can find on Etsy,” Michelle said. “We support a lot of local and are open to anything. People like local. It’s a big thing in Louisville.”

Michelle explained the best way to find out about new products moms are wanting is to hear it first hand from them.

When they come into the store and mention that they absolutely love a certain product they saw on Etsy and you can’t get them anywhere else in town, Wendy and Michelle will more often than not find someone local who makes the item or order it and start carrying it in the store.

Boho Hipsters

12121 Shelbyville Road Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. bohohipsters.com TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 119

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FAMILY

Super MOm: Chesson Hazelwood In the buf Dear Tony Pets: Pet Therapy Magic Parties: Warm up with a hot cocoa bar

122 126 127 128 129

family

Super mom

122 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

SuperMom

Chesson Hazelwood Husband: Mike • CHILDREN: Gage, 10 • Caleb, 5 • Jarren, 4 • Rue, 2

By Elizabeth Gerber Photos by Ryan Noltemeyer

M

otherhood is not easy. The definition of a SuperMom, being completely honest with what motherhood looks like, is chaotic and, as much as you try, disorganized.

Chesson Hazelwood knows this to be true firsthand. She and her husband Mike have four children–Gage, 10; Caleb, 5; Jarren, 4 and Rue, 2.

“I think every mom is a SuperMom if they are loving their kids and they’re trying, in my opinion,” Chesson said. “Every mom and every relationship is going to look different. As long as you are able to stop, live in the dirt, love your kids and have fun, that’s all that matters. ” Chesson and Mike met their three youngest children through a non-profit Chesson was working for. Chesson was the director of a ministry that worked with families that were either adopting, looking to adopt or had adopted, so that kids didn’t have to go into state foster care.

Families in the church would volunteer to house kids while their biological parents got back on their feet.

“We met the boys first. We would spend time walking with them and loving them,” Chesson said. “Then things progressed.

We became foster parents and our little Rue came to live with us in June 2014.”

The adoption was finalized in July of 2016. Now that they are all Hazelwoods, they are focusing on growing as a family inside their home so that they can go outside of their home and do more.

Challenges look different for the Hazelwoods because of the adoption. Chesson

and Mike make it a point to be extremely transparent on how their family came to be because it wasn’t the way that some families come together. Caleb was 2, Jarron was 1 and Rue was 5 months old when they came to live with the Hazelwoods.

So challenges come about when they see baby pictures of Gage around the house and there aren’t any of them. Sometimes the youngest ones will ask questions like, ‘When I was in your belly…’, and Chesson has to explain that they were never in her belly. Jarron will say ‘Remember we didn’t grow in mommy’s belly, we grew in mommy’s heart.’

Another challenge they face is that they

don’t look the same. Chesson and Mike have taught their kids to embrace it as a positive thing, not a negative thing. Caleb loves his hair so much. So, Chesson and Mike encourage him to grow an Afro. Every night Caleb goes to bed and prays, ‘Jesus, protect my ‘fro while I sleep.’

While raising children is a challenge in and of itself, adoption adds a bigger load to anyone’s plate. Chesson has embraced the challenge with open arms, and hasn’t let it impede on pursuing her passion of helping others in her community.

“My biggest thing for 2017 is just to get back to the basic of trying to love people for who they are,” Chesson said.

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 123

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Super mom

Watching them get their own personality...has been a huge thing that I just love because you have to parent them so differently.

But of course, you know, the snuggle and the cuddles are sometimes what keep me going.”

Chesson volunteers wherever there is a need–at her kids’s schools, her church or in the community. A lot of her time is dedicated to Scarlet Hope, a local non-profit that works with mostly women who have been in the adult industry, who are coming out of trafficking or have been exploited. She’s been giving her time, talent and treasures to the organization for the past four years, whether that be by giving resources, building friendships or simply just praying for them and loving them wherever they are.

She currently goes into the office once a week and serves on the retreat and conference committees.

“It can get messy, yeah. But, what relationship doesn’t get messy at some point,” Chesson said. “ It’s about getting to walk and do life with these people and building friendships with people that you may not run into in your every day life.”

Chesson keeps all aspects of her life as organized as possible with her Erin Condren planner. The planner is divided into three boxes each day. She keeps a section for her work, a section for her kids and a part that’s for her social life. Each activity, kid and social activity has its own color or

124 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

a sticker so that she can quickly glance at her day and see who needs to be where and when they need to be there.

At the end of the day, no matter how stressful or crazy it has been, the most rewarding part about being a mom for Chesson has been watching them grow into their own individual person and actually getting to be mom now that the two-year foster care journey is over.

“Watching them get their own personality, because most of my kiddos are so young, has been a huge thing that I just love because you have to parent them so differently,” Chesson said. “But of course, you know, the snuggle and the cuddles are sometimes what keep me going.”

Sometimes, as women, we feel entitled to make parenting and motherhood look like it’s the easiest thing we’ve ever done

and that everything is together. Last month Bob Goff came to speak at North East Christian and completely captured Chesson with the things he was saying. Instead of judging and comparing yourself to other moms, don’t look outside of your house.

Do what works for you and love that. The biggest piece of advice Chesson has received, and that has influenced her advice for other moms, is to love without fear.

“Whatever you are struggling with, another mom has struggled with. They may not say it, but they’ve struggled with it,” Chesson said. “The more open, honest and raw that you can be, the more you are going to help yourself and your kids.

Your mess is no different than my mess. It may look different, but it’s all messy and you just have to jump in there and ask for help.”

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family

In the Buf

A February Worthwhile

I

n many areas of the country, February is often considered a dreary, dreaded month. Cold weather and fluffy white snow is a much more welcome sight when topped with magical Christmas lights.

However, by the time February rolls around, the fluffy white snow has become the burdensome nasty stuff that causes even non-cursers to cuss.

Having a holiday hangover and wrestling with staying on top of the latest New Year’s resolution doesn’t help matters. To many, February can feel down right depressing.

I propose taking a different look at this pesky little month. Meaning, purpose and perspective change everything, as we know.

Rather than looking at this time of year as a relentless, frigid, lingering period that just won’t go away, one might approach it as a time for preparation and planning. The novelty of a brand new year has faded, so perhaps this is your actual opportunity to let ideas, hopes and realistic goals come into fruition.

Because being outside in the cold is the absolute pits, now is the perfect time to begin spring cleaning! Grab some leftover

126 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Christmas boxes and load those suckers up! Why wait until spring to begin cleaning? How nice would it be on the first day of lovely weather to have a picnic instead?

After all - you have waited all winter to enjoy the outdoors, thus spring cleaning in spring seems Ludicrous!

And soups! Nothing is better when it’s cold than wonderful homemade soups!

Look at it as though this is the last opportunity to try out fabulous new recipes and invite friends over for a nice bottle of red wine and a coveted new stew. If you have a fireplace, be sure to take advantage of a cozy fire and plenty of candles. This is something you will surely miss when the temperature no longer allows.

Summer vacation deals can also be readily found during the month of February. So grab that wine, lounge by that fire and start looking at all of the options and bargains you will see as you are dreaming of that hot, sunny beach with a pink umbrella in your drink!

This is also a time to get a head start on the ever-dreaded T word. Yes, taxes. No need to create complete havoc in your life

by waiting until the last minute. This will allow you to do a little bit at a time. Perhaps for once, by the time the Uncle Sam deadline rolls around, you will be at least halfway there!

Lastly, take a load off and hibernate! Let yourself sleep in late on a Saturday morning up in the big bed… cozy as a big ol’ bear!

When the weather is dreary outside, there will be no time for sleeping in late.

So, with meaning, purpose and a little different perspective, February just might become one of your very favorite months of the year! It can be the calm after the storm and the perfect break you have needed to get ready for warm wind and sunshiny days. Cheers!

by Buffy Lawson Relationship Veteran

Dear tony

family

Dear Tony: Advice from the Edge HOA President Wants His Name in Lights, Gets Vulgarities Instead Dear Tony, I am a member of our subdivision’s homeowners’ association. It is an elected position that I take very seriously. When I accepted the office, I vowed to uphold the tenants of the community, and I believe I am a fair and impartial custodian of the Deed Restrictions and architectural controls. Mindful of this tremendous responsibility, I walked around the nearby cul-de-sacs this past week to see which homeowners had neglected to remove their decorative holiday lights. I took some notes, and, as luck would have it, some disgruntled homeowner (perhaps a violator himself, though I do not know this for a fact) noticed it.

This morning, I woke up to find that the letters “F” and “U” were spelled out in twinkling white Christmas lights, on the hedges on either side of my front door. I am outraged and appalled at the lack of respect for my position. I am tempted to install a security camera to see if the offender strikes again. My wife, Laura, has told me to just drop the issue, and accept that, as an elected official, there will always be some criticism among those governed. I am prepared to use social media (our subdivision has a Facebook page) to make the community aware that we have subversive elements among us. How would you suggest I proceed? As a celebrity and influential person yourself, how do you handle criticism and mockery?

Dave G., via email

TOO FAR. I’m not saying you should be Clint Eastwood on the front porch with a shotgun screaming “get off my lawn” but I would call a meeting using your Facebook page to make sure everyone knows this behavior is unacceptable. Tell them if they want to change the Christmas lights rule you’re fine with that. You’re there to enforce the rules you have. Good luck.

Crafty Cook Wants Credit Dear Tony, I am hoping you can help me settle a workplace dispute. I recently transferred departments within our company, right before an employee potluck.

You should know that, as long as I can remember, I have been known for my famous cheesy potatoes.

I have (in the past) freely and generously given away the recipe, including to my friend Jeanine.

Jeanine works in my new department (accounting) and, wouldn’t you know, she had signed up to bring cheesy potatoes to the potluck. So the big day came, and whose cheesy potatoes did Jeanine make? You guessed it—yours truly’s! (And, to add insult to injury, hers were a bit too salty for my taste!) Everyone raved about them. Did Jeanine even once give the credit to me? No, she did not.

So I brought in an employee cookbook that a bunch of us from my old department had put together and left it in the breakroom, opened to the page with MY cheesy potatoes recipe, submitted in 2008! My husband tells me to LET IT GO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, but it really just gets my goat!

Please advise me on how to set the record straight!

Should Bride Choose Man of Honor or Money?

Dear Tony, I’m getting married in six months. My best friend is a guy named Lance who I’ve known for ten years – he actually introduced me to my fiancé. I’ve asked Lance to be my Man of Honor at our wedding and my mom is freaking out and saying she won’t pay for anything if I do something so non-traditional. Do I boot my friend for the cash?

Erica P., via email Dear Erica, I’m sorry you’re having problems, Erica.

It’s your wedding day not your mom’s. You should have it the way you want it. With that said, can you pull this off without your mom’s money? Look, everyone has a price.

Is your friend being the Man of Honor worth chicken fingers rather than Chicken Cacciatore? Work this out with your mom. Cry, beg, call her Mommy. . .whatever it takes. If she doesn’t break, move the guy to the other side of the aisle and make your mom pay for the move. Can you say ice sculpture?

Elaine S., via Facebook

Dear Dave, I think you have a great attitude, and the tenants of your neighborhood are lucky to have you as a member of the homeowners association. You’re correct. This responsibility brings criticism (from most likely the biggest offenders). These people shouldn’t have moved into your neighborhood and signed the homeowners association agreement if they didn’t intend to follow it. It is their right to criticize and complain about you on social media, or to other neighbors. But they have no right to come onto your property and leave a vulgar message in lights in your bushes.

P.S. The management of Tops requests the cheesy potatoes recipe as payment for this advice.

Dear Elaine, There’s a reason the Colonel’s 11 herbs and spices have been shrouded in secrecy for decades. If you truly don’t want people taking credit for your recipe, don’t give them the opportunity. You say Jeanine is your friend, but is she a really a friend or just a “work friend?” I would advise you to let it go. But if you can’t, make a joke out of it. Next time you’re in a meeting, take credit for one of her ideas. When she calls you on it, look her straight in the eye and say, “cheesy potatoes.”

Looking for advice from a guy who’s been around the block? Send your questions to Tony Vanetti at asktony@topslouisville.com.

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 127

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pets

Pet Therapy Magic

H

ave you ever stopped to wonder why online videos depicting hilarious cat behavior, bouncing goats, piglets in rain boots, and tumbling puppies are so popular? The answer shouldn’t surprise you. Pets make our lives better. Let’s face it; America has been under a stress assault for quite some time – politics, protests, marches, social media rants, the economy. The list goes on and on. Every direction we turn we see anxiety evoking, hate-filled messages and images. It’s no surprise that we find ourselves turning to our nonjudgmental, furry friends for some lighthearted humor or unconditional love.

Although a fairly new branch of study, human animal bond researchers find many health benefits associated with pet ownership, including stress reduction, mood improvement, and increased physical wellbeing. In fact, this past December the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative, (HABRI), published an economic study connecting health benefits from pet ownership to a reduction in healthcare costs. According to the published findings on the HABRI website, researchers “calculated an $11.7 billion savings in health care costs as a result of pet ownership”. In the age of affordable healthcare debates and trying to find beneficial ways to save healthcare dollars, this is a remarkable finding. Owning a pet may not only improve your health, mind, and heart, but may also reduce the amount of dollars you spend going to the doctor. Even more remarkable is that the same benefits experienced by pet owners can be shared with those who cannot own a pet. Hospitals, counseling professionals, support groups, and human service organizations use animal-assisted activities and therapy– better known as pet therapy – to improve the lives and wellbeing of those they serve.

Often, volunteer pet handlers afford these groups the ability to offer these services.

Although the definition of pet therapy is broad, in the simplest terms, it is a guided interaction between a person in need of comfort, affection, or support and an approved, trained, privately-owned pet with

128 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

the assistance of their handler, typically their owner. The goals of most pet therapies are to improve recovery outcomes from a medical illness or procedure, aid in the coping of a life crisis, enhance other treatment modalities such as physical or cognitive therapies, or to simply brighten someone’s day. When considering pet therapy, we often only think of dogs.

However, depending upon treatment goals and organization policies horses, guinea pigs, rabbits, and many other animals provide hours of unconditional love, affection, and comfort to those in need of some extra-special TLC. Lexington is fortunate that all of our major hospitals offer pet therapy services, including the VA. Additionally, Lexington is home to the Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (CKRH) whose mission is “dedicated to enriching the community by improving the quality of life and the health of children and adults with special physical, cognitive, emotional, and social needs through therapeutic activities with the horse”. Check out their website for

volunteer opportunities. If you are interested in sharing some of your pet’s unconditional love with residents of a nursing home, patients in a hospital, or other human service organization, contact the organization to which you want to volunteer to gather information about their pet therapy policies. Two additional helpful pet therapy resources are Central Kentucky Love on a Leash and Pawsibilities Unleashed in Frankfort.

Let’s spend less time watching videos about our furry friends and spend more time sharing their unconditional love with one another. We will all benefit from their example.

by Erica Radhakrishnan Hospital Administrator, BVS

Parties

family

Warm Up With A Hot Cocoa Bar

I

f it seems like the cold days are never ending this time of year, it’s time for a little warm up! How about a Hot Cocoa Party to take away the February chill? Hot Cocoa Bars are always a hit with guests young and old, plus they don’t require a lot of extra work. Not only will hot cocoa heat up your friends and family, but it will spread some love, too You can make your Hot Cocoa Bar special with a few unique hot cocoa flavors that guests will love.

And, they might even get creative, coming up with some new flavors of their own!

HOT COCOA RECIPES The easiest way to set up a Hot Cocoa Bar is to make a big batch of hot cocoa. You can make the hot cocoa base before the party and keep it hot and ready to serve in a crock pot. The following recipe will serve a crowd of about 12-16 people. You can place any leftover hot cocoa in the refrigerator for later. − 1 ½ cups granulated sugar − ¼ cup dark cocoa powder − 1 cup cocoa powder − ¼ teaspoon salt

− ¾ cup hot water − 1 gallon 2% milk − 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, whisk together sugar, dark cocoa powder, cocoa powder, salt, and hot water until sugar is dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in milk. Bring to serving temperature, without boiling. Add vanilla. Drink can be placed in crock pot until serving.

FLAVOR RECIPES Once you have made your hot cocoa, set out all the ingredients for the flavor options on the Hot Cocoa Bar. These four flavor options upgrade your hot cocoa to guest’s favorite flavor choices. Guests can add the flavor addins as they like.

Peppermint

Pumpkin Spice

− ¼ cup chocolate chips − ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

− ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice − 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Spicy

Coffee

− 2 ounces dark chocolate − ¼ teaspoon cinnamon − Pinch of cayenne pepper

− 1 teaspoon instant coffee − ¼ cup chocolate chips − ½ teaspoon cinnamon

by Deanna Talwalkar Party Planner Extraordinaire

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 129

CONCERTS, CONTESTS & MORE AT WAMZ.COM | FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @975WAMZ 130 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

*NEILSEN RATINGS FALL 2016; LOUISVILLE, PERSONS 25-54, MONDAY-FRIDAY, 6AM-10AM

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

Fund for the arts Music: DJ Matt Anthony

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arts+entertainment

A Bright New Year for the Fund for the Arts

By Nicholas Siegel Photos courtesy of Fund for the arts

T

he Greater Louisville area is lucky to have a vibrant and exciting arts culture. This is in part, thanks to the Fund for the Arts, a regional non-profit that tries to bring arts access to every member of our community, especially for students, the working class and seniors.

The fund’s emphasis is on working with resources to make sure everyone in our community has high quality arts access and works to ensure the arts have an integral role to play when it comes to fueling our regional economy. Through continued hard work and community support, the Fund for the Arts has plans to make 2017 an eventful year.

Recently, the fund was excited to announce, along with the mayor, representatives from Churchill Downs and the ACA (Arts and Culture Alliance), that the Cultural Pass, presented by Churchill Downs, will be returning this summer. “We’re most excited about that because this is an opportunity to make sure students are engaged with the arts and culture community year round,” says Eric Gurevich, Director of Communications and Engagement.

“We know that summer learning loss really adversely affects students.”

us to serve even more people and create more experiences that possibly affect the community,” Gurevich says. “Hopefully it gives folks just a little bit more of an incentive to participate and get engaged.”

April 29, the Saturday before Derby, will be opening night for Churchill Downs.

During this celebration, the Fund for the Arts will be showcasing Louisville’s arts community. Last year, the fund was able to bring over 200 artists and performers around every corner of the track, bringing the best of Louisville’s arts scene to horse racing fans. The event will also provide compensation and support for the participating artists.

A separate event that will happen on the same night will be the second annual Awards in the Arts that’s co-hosted by the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation and Churchill Downs. “Last year we sold out the stakes room,” Gurevich says. “We had about 750 guests, and we were able to recognize six different artists and arts organi-

zations for the impact that they’re making in our arts community. Over just about 30,000 dollars was granted to those artists and arts organizations.”

Through the same event last year, the Fund for the Arts was able to net over 240,000 for the then newly created Jennifer Lawrence Arts Fund. This year, they’re hoping to build on that momentum and celebrate the artists for what they bring to the community, while also making sure they continue to raise funds for the foundation.

Through the crowdfunding platform ArtsMatch, the fund is currently raising money for nine different arts based projects that are specifically intended to reach new and underserved audiences. It’s also the second year of the Arts for Kosair Kids, which brings weekly arts residencies to special needs Kosair agencies. “We’re able to partner some of our culture partners and some of the arts groups in town here in making sure our special needs students

Through the single largest charitable gift from Churchill Downs to the Fund for the Arts, they are able to ensure that students have transformative arts experiences and that they remain endeared to the arts community from a young age. This is achieved through partnerships with the mayor’s office, the ACA and the Louisville Free Public Library.

The fund was also proud to announce, with the leadership of their campaign chair, President of LGE and KU Energy Paul Thompson, that LGE has issued a 100,000 dollar challenge grant. This means that any new, individual donation between one and five thousand dollars will be matched.

“That doubles the impact, and it allows

2016 Awards in the Arts Yum! Brands Foundation Arts Education Award went to StageOne Family Theatre. StageOne Executive Director Peter Holloway accepting the reward on behalf of the children’s theatre organization.

are getting the ability to leverage the healing and therapeutic power of arts,” Gurevich says.

The fund is also working on employee engagement. They are asking how Louisville companies influence arts, not just as entertainment, but to get employees engaged. This will be done through everything from volunteering to professional development opportunities with partner groups, for example, the Commonwealth Theatre’s cultural sensitivity program.

2016 Awards in the Arts at Churchill Downs

Gurevich ended our conversation with an example of what he finds most fulfilling about working with the fund: “I had an opportunity to go to the Speed Art Museum. The place was absolutely packed, and there were so many different types of people there—young and old—diverse, and seeing all these people engaged with the arts really validates the work that we do.“ 

2016 Awards in the Arts at Churchill Downs

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134 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Music

arts+entertainment

Fast, Funky and Gritty DJ Represents Louisville’s Style

By Rocko Jerome

T

here’s just something about great Soul Music that makes it sound like it’s happening right now, before your ears, every time you drop the needle on the groove. The tune can be over 50 years old, but something in the power of the music makes it constantly feel alive. Perhaps it’s all in the conviction of the vocalists. Who can’t believe in every word that Marvin Gaye or Sam Cooke sang? Maybe it’s all about how those session musicians, like Motown’s immortal Funk Brothers, Phil Spector’s Wrecking Crew, or Stax’s Booker T and the MGs, always played in a fashion that felt extemporaneous and in the moment. Whatever it is, it makes every spin sound live and in person.

No one understands that more than Matt Anthony, a true disciple of Soul. He reminisces on the subject, “Soul music spoke to me immediately. As a kid, I wore out my cassettes of James Brown and Wilson Pickett. I couldn’t get enough.”

Matt first made the scene locally working at ear-x-tacy, and once that beloved institution passed into local history, he set about making a name for himself the best ways he knew how. He’s succeeded on three fronts, and become a true DJ in every sense of the word: You can hear him on the radio on WFPK’s Friday Night Sound Clash and the Jazz Pulse, you can visit his store at Matt Anthony’s Record Shop, and you can be a part of a weekly happening that he hosts, along with Kim Sorise (a righteous DJ in her own right), called The Derby City Soul Club, now celebrating its third year.

It happens every Saturday night at Meta, a sleek and stylish spot known for craft cocktails and a smooth ambiance. Matt and Kim take turns tossing on incredible Soul platters from artists you know and many you might not, but never let the

mood drop for even a second. They keep it going into the wee hours of morning.

“When Kim and I formed The Derby City Soul Club, we wanted to represent Louisville’s style. What we play is all formed by our own taste, and what the dancers react to…it comes out fast, funky and gritty.”

Revelers show up to show off in their finest clothes, and have a stellar time moving and grooving to tunes familiar, forgotten, and obscure.

a tunnel through time, and it’s endlessly exciting, beautiful, and special. “The love and positivity in the music is truly timeless,” Matt says, “I don’t see dressing sharp and dancing all night to Motown ever going out of style.

If you were around when names like The Temptations, The Del-Fonics, and Gladys Knight were new, you will find yourself right at home in the Derby City Soul Club. When you’re in a room that’s right with people who are excited to hear these sounds, it’s like stepping right into

Matt Anthony’s Record Shop is located at 2354 Frankfort Avenue. The Friday Night Sound-Clash is 8pm-midnight, and Jazz Pulse is on Sundays 1-3pm weekly on 91.9 WFPK. The Derby City Soul Club is 10 p.m.-4 a.m. every Saturday night at Meta, which is located at 425 West Chestnut.

The music lives, and it can never die so long as there is someone to play it and ears to hear it. Matt Anthony curates something that is extremely special. As long as he is around, Louisville is a city with Soul.

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COMMUNITY

Photo by John Lair

Off the record: The South End TOP EVENT: The Heart Ball UK Sports Hometown Hero On top of the world u of l Sports Denny Crum’s 80th

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community

Off the Record: The South End

B

aby it’s cold outside! Chilly, gray, unusually rainy; February in Louisville is always rough. Regardless of the weather, we say keep exploring this great city! Trust us. Follow our advice and we promise you will be rewarded. Did someone say Bourbon?

While the South End has long been at the heart of Louisville’s role within the bourbon industry, many of the city’s urban distilleries have recently gone through a revitalization. One such distillery is the Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience at Stitzel-Weller (3860 Fitzgerald Road). Who needs coffee when you can begin your day with a sample of Bulleit’s finest? Visitors can catch founder Tom Bulleit working at his desk in the same room where the legendary Pappy van Winkle once sat. Talk about bourbon royalty! The distillery gift shop features items such as the classic “y’all” t-shirt from the unique Kentucky For Kentucky line (kyforky.com), and you can walk away with a bottle of your very own.

To continue your urban bourbon education, why not eat lunch where distillery workers eat? Bud’s Tavern (4014 Dixie Highway) is an area favorite with classic bar food including their famous Fried Baloney Sandwich that will put the sunshine back into your gray day heart.

Nearby is Harbor House of Louisville (2231 Lower Hunters Trace, hhlou.org).

Harbor House has long been a fixture of the South End, providing support to adults with disabilities and their families. This inspiring organization enriches the lives of those it serves through education, employment and community building. You can get in on the fun and help support Harbor House by participating in their annual Ken-Ducky Derby Fundraiser. Cheer on your very own rubber duck as it races 24,000 other rubber ducks down the Ohio River as part of the city’s Kentucky Derby Festival.

Another South End fixture is Mike Linnig’s Restaurant (9308 Cane Run Road). If traditional bar food isn’t your thing, make sure you try the fish sandwich at this fami-

138 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

ly owned institution. Since 1925, they have been frying up fish using the same recipe.

It’s that good! Located on the south bank of the Ohio River, Mike Linnig’s is a hit no matter what the weather is outside. Although you might catch yourself dreaming of summer days on their patio, you will leave with a full warm belly.

If you skipped your morning coffee, now is a great time to visit the friendly baristas at Stomping Grounds (10019 Dixie

Highway) to prepare for a late night at The Waverly Hills Sanatorium (4400 Paralee Lane). Waverly Hills has received plenty of attention over the years as one of America’s most haunted locales. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, this place is not for the faint of heart. Check it out yourself by joining one of their night tours! What we can promise is that you will be happy you bought that bottle of bourbon earlier in the day!

by Marcella Kragel and ina miller Off the record

Ina Marcella Events is a full service event planning and creative consulting business co-owned by Ina Miller and Marcella Kragel. With shared backgrounds in the arts and non-profit management, and a mutual passion for community engagement, Ina and Marcella have developed a unique approach to event planning aimed at creating inspired one-of-a-kind events for their clients. Celebrating their 20th year of friendship, Ina and Marcella are both married with three kids.

Louisville Kentucky Heart Ball Honoring Jennifer Welscher and Hosting Hundreds

T

he Louisville Kentucky Heart Ball, presented by Trilogy Health Services and Kentucky One, is being held on Saturday, February 18, 2017 at the Louisville Marriott Downtown. The event, which is the American Heart Association’s gala party to celebrate its mission, volunteers, donors and the innumerable lives saved from heart disease and stroke, attracts hundreds of corporate and medical professionals from across Kentucky.

Now in its 25th year, the Heart Ball, has helped to advance scientific research and support professional education and state wide advocacy. This year’s event is chaired

by Greg Miller of Trilogy Healthcare and honors Louisvillian Jennifer Welscher, a stroke survivor. The event is being emceed by Monica Hardin of WLKY-TV. Guests of this black-tie event will enjoy a cocktail reception, a gourmet heart healthy dinner, and music by the band

sociation funds more than $1.3 Million in cardiovascular research in Louisville, and has funded a total of $22.2 Million in Louisville.

Burning Las Vegas. They will also bid on many exciting silent and live auction items.

“This is our premier black tie fundraising event,” said Suzy Hillebrand, Heart Ball Director for the American Heart Association in Louisville. “The Heart Ball will celebrate American Heart Month and the results of our research, advocacy and educational programs.”

The money raised from the event will be used to fund cardiovascular research and preventative education efforts in Kentuckiana. Currently American Heart As-

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women, and stroke is the No. 1 debilitating disease. Fortunately, these diseases can be prevented in most cases if we choose to live a healthy lifestyle like eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, keeping our blood pressure in check and choosing not to smoke.

Tickets to the 2017 Heart Ball are still available by logging on to louisvilleheartball.heart.org or by calling (502) 371-6023.

The Heart Ball is presented by Trilogy Health Services and Kentucky One. Local sponsors include Brown-Forman, CVS Health/Omnicare, Baptist Health, BB&T, Kindred Healthcare, Norton Heart Care, Pharmerica and Wells Fargo Bank.

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 139

community

sports

Keeping the BBN Entertained

K

entucky is one of the few places in America where the entire psyche of our state can often depend on how some 18 to 20-year-olds play basketball the night before.

The Kentucky Wildcats win, and everyone seems happy and has a little more “pep in their step”. The Kentucky Wildcats lose, and everyone seems to be moving in slow motion.

This season life is good for the UK basketball fan. How fun are these guys to watch? How good are these guys?

This basketball team is so talented and so incredibly gifted on the basketball court that every game seems to provide more and more enjoyment as the season rolls on. Every time this team hits the court there is another highlight or another great moment that leaves us all excited and in awe.

Maybe it’s Malik Monk draining a 3 as easy as Rex Chapman used to do it.

Maybe it’s De’Aaron Fox somehow easily driving to the basket and getting to the rim like John Wall used to do it.

Maybe it’s Bam Adebayo dominating inside like Demarcus Cousins used to do it.

And if it’s not one of the “superstars”, it’s Kentucky’s own Derek Willis throwing down a dunk on a break or hitting one of his 3 pointers from the corner.

Or it’s Wenyen Gabriel pulling down 13 rebounds in a game or knocking down a couple of 3’s.

Fun. So much fun!

How does John Calipari do it year after year after year? This is one thing that coach Cal doesn’t get near enough credit for. How does he take basically a brand new team every year and get them to compete at the highest level and for a national championship run when most of his players are one year out of high school?

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Can you imagine if you were a business owner, and you had developed all of your employees to be one of the best companies in the country only to see all of your top employees leave at the end of the year to go work for someone else?

But then somehow you find a way to magically rehire some more employees to fill their places and often even do the job even better than before? How does he do that?

Coaching is a hard business. You lose and you get fired. Plain and simple. I love to talk to other coaches around the country to get their take on what Calipari does at Kentucky: taking a brand new roster year after year, starting from scratch year after year, and then somehow still managing to put together one of the top teams in the country... year after year.

This season is no different. Calipari lost what many UK basketball fans believed was one of the best back courts in the history of this storied program in Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray. How could you ever replace what those two guys

did? Ulis was SEC defensive player of the year and set the UK single season assist record. Murray set the freshman single season scoring record. Big shoes to fill.

All Cal did was bring in two guys who may be even better in Fox and Monk.

And you know what the scary thing is?

Cal may just bring in two guys next season that might be even better.

Good news for UK fans. Bad news for everyone else.

So once again life of a UK basketball fan is good. We can all just sit back and watch this team make another big run.

What will the future hold? How far can they go in the tournament this year?

Who knows, but one thing we know for sure: Big Blue Nation is definitely going to be entertained.

by Ryan Lemond Kentucky Sports Radio/ talkradio 1080

Sports

community

Hometown Hero on Top of the World Louisville’s Own Justin Thomas Shatters Two PGA Records

J

ust three days after becoming the youngest player ever to shoot 59 on the PGA Tour, St. X grad Justin Thomas posted the lowest 72-hole score in PGA Tour history. He dominated The Sony Open, held in Hawaii in January, finishing his four days at 27-under par. He is now ranked 8th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Kentucky Proud!

5 PGA TOUR starts 1,614 FedEx Cup Points $3,802,167 winnings 13 rounds in the 60s 90-under-par in total 5 Top 25 finishes 1 round in the 50s 1st in FedEx Cup standings 4 Top 10 finishes 3 PGA TOUR Wins TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 141

community

sports

Love or Hate: They Can’t Say No

T

here’s been a lot of talk in these parts lately that maybe Rick Pitino and John Calipari are playing nice together. Maybe they don’t hate each other. Hate is such a strong word anyway, maybe we’ve overplayed all their barbs since Cal arrived in Lexington. After all, when Pitino beat Calipari this season in their annual matchup, it was quite the mutual admiration society with each coach showering the other with compliments in the post game news conference.

And then a few days later, we heard news that Pitino was actually going to be a guest for a 45 minute interview on Calipari’s podcast. The UK Basketball coach asking the UofL basketball coach to be a guest on what is essentially Calipari’s online and

sponsored radio show.

WHISKEY. TANGO. FOXTROT So Is their rivalry cooling? Maybe they are friends now. Maybe they didn’t despise one another all along. Is it possible?

In a word, actually indulge me for two words: HELL NO! Don’t, for a second, buy into the notion that anything has changed. I posed the question of “They still hate each other right?” to several people close to the Louisville program first.

would that have changed?,” said another.

I’ll admit up front my sources in Louisville are closer to Pitino, than my sources in Lexington are to Calipari. I did live and work in Lexington for a decade and when I posed the same question to my best source in Central Kentucky.

“Nothing has changed. He wants to crush Rick every chance he gets.”

So why would Pitino agree to be a guest on Calipari’s podcast? I posed that to several Louisville sources.

“I can’t speak for Calipari because I don’t know him a lick, but I can guarantee you Rick hates him.”, said one source.

“He had no choice once Calipari asked him, if he declines, then Rick looks like the bad guy” said one source.

“Of course Rick can’t stand him. Why

I know people hate (that word again) unnamed sources, so how about a national journalist who wrote a book with Pitino? I had Pat Forde, of Yahoo Sports who also co-authored “Rebound Rules” with Pitino, on my radio show after word of the podcast had gotten out. I posed him the same question.

“To the best of my knowledge they still hate each other, trust me that (podcast) came as a surprise to me, because they have not liked each other for a long long time. And it hasn’t been like ‘I don’t really care for him’, it’s been ‘No, I hate that guy” So listen to the post game news conferences full of praiseful words toward both programs. Take 45 minutes and listen to the podcast. Maybe in the sprit of this newfound love-fest between Cal and Rick, you take that person in the next cubicle who roots for the other team out to lunch.

Buy a Red and a Blue Tie. Tell your kids it’s OK to root for both teams.

Just don’t buy this BS that these two like each other, They don’t. They still hate each other, and probably always will no matter how many podcasts they do.

Photo by Michael Huang

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by drew Deener Vice President/Talk Show Host ESPN 680 /93.9 The Ville

Coach’s 80th Bash Celebrates Foundation

By Steve Bittenbender Photo by Danny Alexander

D

enny Crum won 675 games and two national titles in a legendary career as the University of Louisville’s men’s basketball coach. That includes wins against Duke, North Carolina, Indiana and UCLA as well as victories over rivals like Cincinnati, Memphis and, of course, Kentucky.

But ask the hall of famer about his most important victory, and you’ll get an answer that will probably surprise you.

“To me, my biggest victory and what means most to me now, is my scholarship (foundation),” said Crum, speaking about the organization established in 2001 shortly after he retired from his 30-year head coaching career.

Since its inception, the Denny Crum Scholarship Fund, aimed at keeping the area’s best and brightest talent here, has helped more than 320 students receive nearly $700,000 in scholarship awards.

For Elizabeth Disney, the scholarship allowed her to reduce her workload so she could concentrate on both her studies and her networking to land her dream job as a strength coach.

“People in my area of expertise typically travel to larger cities with professional sports teams, but I was able to stay in Louisville; close to my family and friends; like I had always wanted,” she said.

Now an official part of the University of Louisville, an effort is underway to build an endowment large enough to allow UofL to issue 100 scholarships a year in Crum’s honor. Like he once chased down national titles, the goal that drives the coach now is to get the endowment in place.

“I like the fact that these students have

shown the ability to excel in the classroom, display leadership through volunteer service, and have been active in this community,” Crum said. “My scholarship is in no way connected to student-athletes only. Anyone can earn it, and that makes me proud of the work we are doing.”

On March 1, a celebration to honor the coach’s 80th birthday will take place at the Ramada Plaza Louisville Hotel and Conference Center, 9700 Bluegrass Parkway. Tickets to the 80th Birthday Bash are $80. Tables of eight are available for $640.

Sponsorship packages are also available, said his wife Susan Sweeney Crum.

Tickets are available by calling 502-4946517 or emailing mary@yorkmgmt.com.

Nelco is the Championship Sponsor for the event.

While it will benefit the coach’s scholarship fund, it also will honor all the contri-

butions Crum has made to the school over the last 46 years. After coaching, he became a special assistant to the University President and still today serves as a goodwill ambassador, said Sweeney Crum, a news anchor for WFPL-FM. And the bash will also reflect on how Crum helped lift the stature of both the school and its basketball program.

“The Louisville basketball program was stuck in the mud when a cool Californian named Denzel Crum arrived and suddenly ‘The Ville’ was back in the national spotlight,” said WHAS Radio personality Terry Meiners, who will emcee the birthday gala. “One year later: BOOM! UofL was back in the Final Four and hasn’t looked back since. Thanks, Coach Crum. You made me love basketball.”

For more information about the Fund, visit fundforuofl.org and click on “Denny Crum Scholarship Award.”

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 143

photos

Kids Center Open House Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies | January 20 | kidscenterky.org | Tracie Dillon

Morgan McGarvey, James Brown, Sue Fenske

Larry and Kathy Fisher

Corey Beyerle, David Deibel

Jerry Ward, Sue Fenske, Glen Stickle, Bill Dieruf

Mark Shelton, Patrick Miller, Tova Levin, Brittany Lutke, Sydney Doctor, Eric Gurevich

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Caty McCormick, Harry Mercer

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Bonny Folz, Lisa Campbell, Stephanie Smith, Walter Badenhausen

Vicky Bridges

Ray Paulin, Brad Sublett

Celeste Stevens, Kelly Lu Holder, Chelsea Chockley

Wade Yeoman, Marty Manning, Sue Fenske, Barbara Borie, Linda Manning, Cheryl Medley

Paul Heintzman, Alice Byrne

Joy Stuckel, Ray Paulin, Carl Buker

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 145

photos

Fund for the Arts 2017 Showcase Churchill Downs | January 17 | fundforthearts.com | Louis Tinsley

Paul Thompson, Bill Carstanjen, John Walzack, Jo Haas, Christen Boone

Peyton Froula, Brooks Vessals, and Alisa Morovoza (2)

Steve Buttleman

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Kentucky Shakespeare

Emily Miles and D’Ante Tinson

La’Nita Rocknette School of Dance After School Urban Arts Collaborative

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Jecorey 1200 Arthur

Sarah Davis and Jackie Pallesen

Appalatin

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 147

photos

KRA Restaurateurs Gala Crowne Plaza Hotel | January 16 | kyra.org | Jolea Brown

Stacy Genoud, Guy Genoud, Anoosh Shariat, Paula Barmore

Camilla Price, Mickey Price

Rick Price, Tina Rothrock

Allyson Wellman, Brian Delambre

David Combs, Bill Johnson

Gary Dean, Mary Stebbins

148 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Jason Lindsey and Chef Mike Riggs with KRA nominees

more photos online! topslouisville.com

David Allen, the O’Connells, Jeanna Varanese

Piazza Produce, Jill Naiser

Robbie Bartlett, Chef John Varanese

Four Roses

Sysco Louisville

Chef Anoosh Shariat, Paula Barmore, John Breen

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 149

photos

KRA Restaurateurs Gala (Continued)

Christine Ferguson, Robbie Ferguson

Beaumont Inn

Colleen Gallagher Bennett, Kimberlie Thompson, Krista Rigling

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Liz Crump, Garrett Sanborn

Don Roenigk, Sue Roenigk

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Yvonne Darnell Goodin, Dawn Combs, Lisa McLaughlin, Robbie Bartlett

Bruce Coe, Katie Coe

And of course fabulous food

Joyce Lange, David Lange

Marshall Co. High School Kentucky ProStart students

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 151

photos

“Gold” Movie Premier Stonybrook Theater | January 12 | Hunter Zieske

Charlotte Stites, John Clay Stites

Nancy Tafel, Gill Holland, Stephen Gaghan, Soozie Eastman, Stu Pollard

Alex Kimura, Laury Christensen

Judi Buchard, Peggi Frazier

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Lindsey Gumer, Miranda McDonald

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Ronda Taylor, Bill Taylor

JJ Sicotte, Monica De La Torre

Alex Hepfinger and Clay Cook

Christine Fellingham, Alex Coburn

Danny Tafel, Tasha Tafel

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 153

photos

Bourbon and B-Sides

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Tim Faulkner Gallery | January 7 | Louis Tinsley

Hope, Tiffany, and Felicia Brown

Margret Archambault and Tim Faulkner

Conti Coleman, La Shonda Sims, Mari Nelson, and Jasmine Mayfield.jpg

Tiesha Motem and Donna Toran

154 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Greg Snawder, Shiann Oxley, Ryan and Ronnie Doe

Natasha Ben and Dr. Tiffany Marshal

Ebony Davis and Glynita Rice

KDF Royal Court Announcement

more photos online! topslouisville.com

Macy’s | January 9 | kdf.org | Louis Tinsley

Daphne Woolridge

Daphne Woolridge, Sidney Cobb, Taylor Young, Kailee Barnes, and Natalie Brown

Kathy Bingham

Natalie Brown

Mike Berry and the Royal Court

Royal Court and Family

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 155

photos

Aloft Grand Opening Aloft Louisville East | January 5 | aloftlouisvilleeast.com | Jolea Brown

156 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

more photos online! topslouisville.com

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TOPS calendar what to do in lou

February 2017 events FEBRUARY 3

FEBRUARY 4

Greek Glendi

Take Heart Gala

The Olmsted glendi.us

Republic Bank First Friday Hop

Kentucky Pirate Festival

FEBRUARY 14

FEBRUARY 4

A Taste of Comfort

America with the Louisville Orchestra Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts Louisvilleorchestra.org

Fight for Air Climb

National City Tower lung.org It doesn’t take a mountain for the climb of your life. You can join the many dedicated people across our country, who are stepping up for those who can’t. The American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb is a unique fundraising event. It is a vertical climb, up the stairs of some of our tallest buildings. It is a challenge of your lungs, your physical stamina and your determination to end lung disease. You will be climbing for those affected by Asthma, from infants to older adults. You will be climbing for those who have been diagnosed with Lung Cancer, which is the leading cancer killer and afflicts both smokers and non-smokers. You will be climbing for those who suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and struggle to breathe every day of their lives.

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Puppet Prom

Squallis Puppeteers Squallispuppeteers.com

Tim Faulkner Gallery kypiratefest.com

Louisville Marriott Downtown Actorstheatre.org Trade in your tuxes and gowns for resort wear and sandals at Actors Theatre’s annual costumed fundraiser, Lobster Feast 2017: The Beach Ball at the Louisville Marriott Downtown on Saturday, February 4! Take a stroll along the boardwalk and dive into the undersea ballroom for dinner and dancing.

Enjoy the silent and live auctions, signature cocktails, all-you-can-eat Lobster buffet and dancing, all in support of Actors Theatre of Louisville.

FEBRUARY 11

Meredith Dunn School meredithdunnschool.org

Main Street & Market Street firstfridayhop.com

Lobster Feast 2017: The Beach Ball

Community · Arts · Benefit · family · music

Mellwood Art & Entertainment Center choicehome.org FEBRUARY 9

Children’s Advocacy Day

Kentucky Youth Advocates kyyouth.org/childrens-advocacy-day-at-the-capitol Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol began in 2004 as an effort to unite advocates from across the state to raise their voices on behalf of children’s safety, health, education, and economic well-being. Hundreds of advocates from counties across Kentucky now gather at the Capitol in Frankfort every year to rally on behalf of children and to promote priorities on the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children agenda.

FEBRUARY 10, 12

“The Mikado” Presented by Kentucky Opera

Louisville Old School Hip Hop Festival

KFC Yum! Center kfcyumcenter.com The KFC Yum! Center welcomes Louisville Old School Hip Hop Festival on Tuesday, February 14!

The line-up includes Scarface, 8 Ball & MJG, Bun B, Mystikal, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Whodini, Juvenile and Nappy Roots. Don't miss your chance to hear all your favorite old school hip hop hits live!

Valentine’s Dinner at Whitehall

The Whitehall mansion historicwhitehall.org

Valentine Dinner at Bernheim Bernheim Forest Visitor Center Bernheim.org

FEBRUARY 14-19

Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” Presented

by PNC Broadway in Louisville

The Kentucky Center BroadwayinLouisville.com

Brown Theatre FEBRUARY 15–18 Kentuckycenter.org With a storyline packed with anti-Establishment National Farm Machinery Show silliness, this delightful show promises over-theKentucky Exposition Center top fun for all ages from start to finish. Flirting is farmmachineryshow.org outlawed! In the fantastical land of “Titipu,” the Mikado makes a law. But when his own son falls FEBRUARY 18 for the delightful Yum-Yum, who can carry out the execution decreed as punishment for the “Newsies” at StageOne Family Theatre crime? "The Mikado" is a pointed satire of the StageOne Family Theatre manners, politics, and institutions of Victorian Stageone.org era Britain; it deals comically and absurdly with pompous officials, prudish etiquette, and other Shakespeare in Love Gala foolishness. Delightful and instantly recognizable, 21c Museum Hotel the music of "The Mikado" features some of G&S’ Kyshakespeare.com best work.

Want to see your event in TOPS? Submit your event online at topslouisville.com

FEBRUARY 18

FEBRUARY 18

FEBRUARY 24

30th Annual Caper Ball

The Dreamer’s Ball

Daughters of Greatness: Dr. Brandy N. Kelly Pryor

Galt House Downtown familyandchildrensplace.org/event/30th-annual-caper/ The CAPER features live and silent auctions, libations, a delicious selection of food and desserts from local restaurants and the chance to meet and greet some Louisville Legends, including former U of L Coach and Louisville icon Denny Crum.

Over the years, The CAPER has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Family & Children’s Place, Louisville and Southern Indiana’s leading agency working to prevent and stop child violence, abuse and neglect and provide help, hope and healing.

Louisville Heart Ball

Louisville Marriott Downtown louisvilleheartball.heart.org Join the American Heart Association for an unforgettable evening of entertainment and hope at the 2016 Louisville Heart Ball.

Each year, community members, medical professionals and corporate leaders come together to celebrate the lifesaving work of the American Heart Association. From the gourmet dinner to the silent and live auction – it’s an exciting night of glitz and glamour.

Tailspin Ale Fest

Louisville Executive Aviation Hangar Tailspinalefest.com The Tailspin Ale Fest features more than 150 craft beers in a revived WWII era airplane hangar at the oldest continually operating airfield in North America. This year's festival takes place on Saturday, February 18 at Bowman Field. All paid attendees will receive a souvenir tasting glass.

Food served by local food trucks will be available for purchase. The festival also features live music, a historic display and KY Heritage Section. VIP Attendees will receive an hour early entry, a one year subscription to DRAFT Magazine, one food voucher, plus a Tailspin Ale Fest souvenir.

Proceeds benefit Dare to Care Food Bank.

Gramercy dreamswithwings.org/dreamers-ball

FEBRUARY 19

Dancing With Prospect Stars & Taste of Prospect Bill Collins Ford Lincoln DancingWithProspectStars.org

FEBRUARY 22

Desserts First

The Olmsted gskentuckiana.org On February 22, Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana will host its 11th Annual Desserts First. The Louisville area's finest restaurant chefs will create original desserts and signature drinks using the well-known Girl Scout Cookie varieties as the key ingredient. The chefs will gather and present their creations for tasting at The Olmsted.

Desserts will be judged by local culinary experts and the best desserts will receive awards.Guests will be able to vote for their favorite creation in the “People’s Choice” awards.

FEBRUARY 22–26

“Human Abstract” Presented by the Louisville Ballet

Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts Louisvilleballet.org

FEBRUARY 22–APRIL 9

“The Addams Family” Presented by Derby Dinner Playhouse Derby Dinner Playhouse Derbydinner.com

FEBRUARY 23

Louisville Uncorked

The Gillespie louisvilleuncorked.com

Muhammad Ali Center alicenter.org FEBRUARY 25

Beaux Arts Ball

The Brown Hotel Beauxartsball.com

Polar Plunge

Brown-Forman Amphitheater at Waterfront Park kentuckyplunge.com

Brantley Gilbert: The Devil Don’t Sleep Tour 2017

Country-rocker Brantley Gilbert will bring his “Devil Don’t Sleep Tour” to KFC Yum! Center on Saturday, February 25 with special guests Tucker Beathard, Luke Combs and Brian Davis. The 2017 tour supports Gilbert’s fourth studio album of the same name, set to be released in January.

FEBRUARY 26

Oscar Watch Party

The Gillespie louisvillefilmsociety.org/ oscar-watch-party The Louisville Film Society will host their annual Oscar Watch Party on February 26 at 7 p.m. at The Loft at Gillespie. The red carpet event includes heavy hors d'oeuvre and dessert stations, Hollywood-inspired libations, a silent auction featuring items and services from local companies, door prizes and a $250 ballot competition. Tickets are $100 each and include a one-year LFS membership and $75 each for current LFS members. All but $25 from each ticket is a tax-deductible contribution to support the Louisville Film Society.

FEBRUARY 28–MARCH 4

Bourbon Classic

Kentucky Center for Performing Arts Bourbonclassic.com

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 159

TOPS calendar

what to do in lou

March 2017 events MARCH 1–APRIL 9

41st Humana Festival of New American Plays

Actors Theatre Actorstheatre.org MARCH 2

Festival Unveiled Presented by Citizens Union Bank and Four Roses Bourbon

Tim Faulkner Gallery Discover.kdf.org MARCH 3–5

Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music

Brown Theatre Kentuckycenter.org MARCH 3

Wine Women and Shoes

The Henry Clay winewomenandshoes.com Wine Women and Shoes is a festive event with a feminine soul. The atmosphere is supportive and empowering as together, guests sample fabulous wine, shop designer fashion and flirt with the charming Shoe Guys while demonstrating their commitment to a charitable cause, Family Scholar House.

160 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

MARCH 3

Community · Arts · Benefit · family · music

MARCH 4

Bottoms Up Bash

Mellwood Arts Center Coloncancerpreventionproject.org Join the Colon Cancer Prevention Project on March 3 at the Mellwood Arts Center for a night of celebration, dancing, and kicking butt! Guests will enjoy a night of dancing and music with entertainment by the Louisville Crashers; beverages provided by Old 502 Winery, Falls City Beer, Tito’s Vodka, and more; food provided by North End Cafe; desserts; and an extensive silent auction.

MARCH 4

Growing the Mission Gala

The Henry Clay louisvilletickets.com/events/spring-time-gala

McDazzle Red Tie Gala

Galt House Hotel Rmhc-kentuckiana.org In its 15th year, McDazzle has raised more than $2 million to provide families with warmth, comfort and security. The McDazzle red tie gala features a cocktail hour, three-course meal, complimentary beverages, silent and live auctions and dancing late into the night.

Anthem 5K

Anthem5k.com

Speed Art Museum Gala

The Speed Museum Speedmuseum.org The Speed Art Museum Gala is the Speed’s most significant fundraiser and is critical for the current, and future, success of the Museum.

Guests are invited to explore the entire Museum, to discover the cinema, galleries, exhibitions, and site-specific commissions that make the Speed Art Museum one of the flagship arts and cultural institutions of the region. This premier event supports the Museum’s mission, exhibitions, programming, and vision — one that embraces the Speed’s responsibility as a hub of creativity and culture.

The event will showcase the rich arts, music, and culinary scene of Louisville and the region, with food, drink, live music, and engaging programming throughout the Museum’s stunning spaces.

MARCH 5

TWENTY ONE PILOTS EMØTIØNAL RØADSHØW WORLD TOUR KFC Yum! Center kfcyumcenter.com

Want to see your event in TOPS? Submit your event online at topslouisville.com

MARCH 7

Paul Hornung Award Banquet

Galt House Hotel Louisvillesports.org Presented by KentuckyOne Health, The Paul Hornung Award Banquet will be held March 7 at the The Galt House Hotel. The banquet will honor the winner of the 2017 Paul Hornung Award. The Paul Hornung Award, presented

by Texas Roadhouse, is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football.

MARCH 10

Festival of Laughs

KFC Yum! Center Kfcyumcenter.com

Tulips & Juleps

Louisville Slugger Field Juniorleagueoflouisville.org MARCH 11

AC2: An Intimate Evening with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen Louisville Palace Theatre Louisvillepalace.com

Celebrate Freedom Dinner

Louisville Marriott Downtown Thehealingplace.org

MARCH 14

Salute to Catholic School Alumni

MARCH 18

Rodes City Run 10K

Galt House Hotel Ceflou.org

rodescityrun.com

MARCH 14–19

Louisville Marriott Downtown redcross.org The Wrapped in Red Gala is the signature event of the American Red Cross Louisville Area Chapter. The Gala has become one of Louisville’s premiere philanthropic events serving up a specially prepared, three-course dinner, live entertainment and a live auction featuring exciting trips and one-of-a-kind items. The Red Lounge dance only ticket is available for guests who want to forgo the sit-down dinner and enjoy the evening’s festivities beginning at 9 p.m., following the gala program and live auction. Guests get to enjoy dancing, mingling, silent auction and cocktails.Proceeds from the gala benefit American Red Cross community disaster programs. Since its inaugural year in 2011, the event has raised more than $900,000 to help communities prepare for and respond to disasters.

“The Illusionists” Presented by PNC Broadway in Louisville The Kentucky Center BroadwayinLouisville.com MARCH 17

Norah Jones: Day Breaks World Tour

The Louisville Palace louisvillepalace.com MARCH 18

Gift of Life Gala

Speed Art Museum kidney.org The National Kidney Foundation is proud to announce this year's Gift of Life Gala to be held Saturday, March 18, 2017 at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, KY. We will be honoring the dedicated medical professionals and pioneers in the treatment of chronic kidney disease. There will be a plated dinner, complimentary cocktails, live and silent auction, as well as live entertainment held in the spirit of supporting the National Kidney Foundation and its mission.

Wrapped in Red Gala

MARCH 25

Animal Care Society Benefit Bash

Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center animalcaresociety.org/benefit-bash

TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017 161

photos

TOP SHOTS Who’s Who in Lou!

Kentucky Derby Festival 2017 Royal Court

KY Restaurant Association

150th Celebration of the Masonic Lodge

Briana Swerbinski, Austin Speed, Woo Speed

Courtney Martin and Jessica Vest

162 TOPS LOUISVILLE | February 2017

Celebrating Aloft Hotel Grand Opening

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