Press Room
Central Kentucky’s Best Food and Drink Honored at the 2010 Taste of the Bluegrass
The finest food and drinks in Central Kentucky were represented this past weekend at the 30th annual Taste of the Bluegrass, presented by God’s Pantry Food Bank and the Kentucky Restaurant Association’s Bluegrass Chapter. Winners were selected in nine categories in both a Judges’ Best and a People’s Choice vote.
This year’s Judges’ Best winners included a Best Entrée win for Giuseppe’s Ristorante Italiano’s Lobster Gnocchi Gratin. Louisiana Passion took home Best Appetizer/Soup for its Crawfish and Corn Bisque. Great Harvest Bread’s Flax Oat Bran Bread was picked as Best Bread and Three Suns Bistro took home Best Salad honors for its Summer Salad with Fruit and Honey Vinaigrette.
This year’s Best Dessert was The Sugar Forest’s Champagne Cake with Hazelnut Filling and Best Non-Alcoholic Beverage went to Rooibee Red Tea for its Watermelon Mint Tea. The Best Beer was given to Kentucky Eagle, Inc. for the Erie Brewing Company Railbender and Buffalo Trace Distillery took home Best Liquor for its Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Lovers Leap Winery took home Best Wine for its Blanc-a-Rita in the judges’ vote.
Judges for this year’s contest included WDKY-TV’s Marvin Bartlett and Jennifer Palumbo, WLEX-TV’s Jackie Congedo, Stacy Ellison from WKYT-TV and Cate Slattery from WTVQ-TV. Radio personalities “Dead Air” Dennis Dillon (WKQQ), Traci James (Mix 94.5), Dave “Kruser” Krusenklaus (WVLK), DeAnn Stephens (98.1 The Bull), Twitch (Z Rock 103.3) and John Wells (Central Kentucky’s Christian Radio) were on hand tasting and rating. Mike Doyle and Gene Guinn from Clear Channel Radio, and Linda Hinchcliffe from Business Lexington rounded out the panel. The threat of serious weather kept away WKYT-TV weatherman TG Shuck and WLEX-TV’s Bill Meck.
In the People’s Choice vote, the Crowne Plaza Campbell House won for Best Appetizer/Soup for its Cream of Duck Confit, while Three Suns Bistro took home Best Salad for its Summer Salad with Fruit and Honey Vinaigrette. Great Harvest Bread again took home Best Bread honors for its Flax Out Bran Bread and Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy claimed Best Entrée for its Los Mejores del la Casa, an award it has previously won in 2007 and 2008.
Blue Bell Creameries was voted Best Dessert by attendees and Pepsi-Cola was named Best Non-Alcoholic Beverage this year. The Four Roses Distillery Rose-a-Rita was named Best Alcoholic Beverage with previous wins in 2007 and 2008. Turf Catering was named the Best Decorated Food Booth and Four Roses took home another win for Best Decorated Beverage Booth.
This year’s event included the addition of two new people’s choice awards – the Best Kentucky Proud Food Award and the Best Kentucky Proud Beverage Award. The selection list included items from Kentucky Proud partners who entered a menu item in the category. This year’s Best Kentucky Proud Food Award was the Asiago with Sun-Dried Tomato Spread from Dad’s Favorites and the Best Kentucky Proud Beverage Award went to Lover’s Leap Winery for its Peach Bellini.
Denile Hill of Lexington was the winner of the door prize drawing this year, receiving gift certificates for dinner at Lexington’s best restaurants.
More than 1,600 people attended this year’s event, held at the Keene Barn and Entertainment Center at Keeneland.