The 38th annual Taste of Louisville presented by The Kentucky Restaurant Association, benefiting Community Health Charities took place on Monday, October 17, 2011 at the Mellwood Arts Center. Louisville Magazine and Taste of Louisville 2011 were the presenting sponsors for this tasting event. The Speakeasy theme is focusing on the Roaring 20’s, with flappers, gangsters and jazz music galore. Everyone attending and presenting was asked to dress along with the theme.
The winners of the 2011 Taste of Louisville Speakeasy were:
Best Booth: The Oakroom and Kern’s Kitchen
Best of the Best: Marketplace; Duck confit ragout with Weisenberger grits and parmesan.
Best Entrée: Marketplace; Duck confit ragout with Weisenberger grits and parmesan.
Best Drink: Lover Leap Winery’s Frozen Peach Bellini.
Best Dessert; Kern’s Kitchen; Derby Pie & Gold Pecan Pie.
Best Appetizer / Soup: The Oakroom; Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup with Bison Sausage.
The 5 Star Sponsors for the event were C&H audio and visual services, Lite 106.9 and CBS Outdoor. The 4 Star Sponsors were Try it Local and Grey Goose Vodka. Louisville’s Best Sponsors were Derby Pie – Chocolate Nut Pie by Kern’s Kitchen, Heartland Payment Systems, Masonic Homes of Kentucky, Anthem, Stites and Harbison PPLC Attorneys, Mattingly Foods, Van Zandt, Emrich and Cary, Louisivlle.com and Universal. Last but not least, Louisville’s “A” List Sponsors were O’Brien Ford, tm – taste marketing, Dragonfly Design and Rumpke.
The 2011 Taste of Louisville Silent Auction Donors were Against the Grain Brewery, Seviche, Drakes, Havana Rumba, 60 West Bistro, Anheuser Busch, Boombozz Pizza, Blue Bell Creameries, Brix Wine Bar & Bistro, Captain’s Quarters, Chuy’s, Difabio’s Casapela, Dumante, Kern’s Kitchen, Materplace Restaurant, Mark’s Feed Store, Lovers Leap Vineyards, Lynn’s Paradise Café, Maker’s Mark Distillery, Martini Italian bistro, Mitchell’s Fish Market, The Oakroom, Stockyards Bank & Trust, Rebecca Simpson, Kim Clanton, Jeffery Dotson, Chad Balster, Wayne Bonnett, Joe Autry, Brown-Forman, Republic National Distributing, Southern Wine & Spirits, The Wine Rack, J. Michael’s Salon, On a lark Events, Bonefish Grill, Kingsley’s Meats, Jack Fry’s, Beef O’Brady’s, Mattingly Foods, Consumers Choice Coffee, Dine Company, Actor’s Theatre, Horseshoe Casino and Napa River Grill.
The 38th Annual Taste of Louisville 2011 Committee Members: Richard Cleaves of Beef O’Brady’s, Kurt Rutkowski of Universal Linen, Alan Rupp of Kern’s Kitchen, Shannon Carnes of Universal Linen, Richard Price of The Seelbach Hilton, Andy Bennett of Van Zadnt, Emerich & Cary, Stacy Roof of Kentucky Restaurant Association, John Breen of Heartland Payment Systems, John Thomas and Mattingly Foods, Charles Knieriem of 60 West Bistro and Bryan Norman of Bonefish Grill.
The selected charity of the 38th Annual Taste of Louisville 2011 was Community Health Charities of Kentucky. For additional information please visit their website is http://kentucky.healthcharities.org.
Photographs Courtesy of Bella Portaro
