Taste of Derby

When the Kentucky Derby Festival added the Taste of Derby to the festivities the already unique line-up of steamboat races and waiter races, we really hit the superfecta. What took so long to come up with this concept? We've got a starting gate full of America's elite in the small city of Louisville that holds its own in cuisine with all other cities, so why not showcase our love and understanding of all things culinary?



When I heard who all was coming to the Taste of Derby I knew this would be an event that I could not miss. As I pulled up to the parking lot, by-passing the red carpet valet line, I started to feel the excitement in the air. The Mellwood Arts Center was a perfect venue for the event, and as I walked in to where most of the revelry was taking place, there were house appetizers like a cucumber slice with a pocket shaved out and filled with barbecued bison. what an inventive bight that set the tone for the upcoming tastes. Flowing deeper into the event I was given a nice piece of glass stemware from the vineyard in Chile that was sponsoring the event. What else to do except fill it with some chardonnay to arouse the taste buds. My dad is friends with Michelle Bernstein and since she was the biggest star chef there, I went straight to her booth. We chatted for a few minutes about Miami cuisine and the restaurant business, as she is the authority on that subject. What an extremely nice person to be given such a successful run. The way the event was set up was: Give 12-15 regional and national chefs a large booth to hand out one or two bight dishes to the glamorous crowd as they promote their restaurant and the progression of food in general. Each booth had an LCD flatscreen flashing between the chef on display, and the dish they were preparing. Michelle had a medium sized gulf coast shrimp, de-veined and relief cut to make it lay flat, with heat provided by a mexican pepper and garnished with three pieces of a semi-sweet popcorn; popcorn shrimp reborn. My first taste of Michelle's culinary creation solidified my pre-conceived notion of her talent. The shrimp were excellent.



As we rounded the corner, we came to the New York City representation, Tribeca Grill of the Myriad Group was handing out their dishes with smiles and hearty welcomes. The Commanders' Palace was in the courtyard handing out turtle soup and Ouita Michel of Kentucky's own Holly Hill Inn was producing a burgoo ensemble. Anthony Lamas of Seviche had prepared a seviche bight on a wooden spoon and was very fresh. Sullivan University had a station in the courtyard that was a run-off between two students to receive tickets to the derby. Both were very good dishes, especially the cornbread and brisket. Chef Allen Akmon does wonders with this university and his students all have great things to say about him. I did not have any bights that I did not like and as I was leaving to meet friends at Fourth Street for the Luke Bryan concert I was very glad I decided to attend the first annual Taste of Derby and vowed next year to make it the main event instead of a precursor on the night.