*CHEF'S KISS* THE KENTUCKY CENTER UNVEILS

Vip Food And Beverage Club

by G. Douglas Dreisbach

entucky Performing Arts, in partnership with Curved Apron Hospitality, is excited to launch The Chef’s Table: VIP Club at The Kentucky Center. This all-inclusive food and beverage pre-show and intermission experience gives patrons exclusive access to SCENE at the Center, The Kentucky Center’s premiere lounge space.

This general admission ticket add-on for select performances includes all-you-can-eat Chef’s Selection menu offerings, complimentary soft drinks, bottled waters, select beers and wines (two per guest included with purchase for individuals age 21 and older), private cash bar and specialty cocktails, exclusive restroom access, and an intermission dessert.

The experience promises “comfort and convenience with delicious food and beverages ready the moment you arrive. And don’t worry, we’ll get you to the show on time!”

The concept was created and perfected by Chef James Coogle, who is somewhat of a rock star on the culinary scene in Louisville. With experience at some of the top restaurants in town, including Jack Fry’s, Noosh Nosh, Captain’s Quarters and Omni Hotel, his attention to detail when creating the VIP Club program makes it a wonderful option for patrons who want to get to the venue early, relax and enjoy an unrushed pre-show experience.

We caught up with Executive Chef Coogle to get the scoop on what led to creating the program, how he came up with the menu and packages, and his expectations for the program.

G. Douglas Dreisbach: We are excited to hear about The Chef’s Table program, but first, tell us about you and your culinary background here in Louisville.

Chef James Coogle: I’ve been in the restaurant industry for about 15 years now. I started working in restaurants straight out of high school, and just fell in love with it, fell in love with the pace, the camaraderie, just the consistency of it. Everything moves fast, but everybody’s working together. And then, I stepped away for a while because you hear, “Get a real job.” I went out in the real world and got a different kind of job, and realized it wasn’t for me. After about seven or eight years in middle management in manufacturing, I decided to just start over. I went to culinary school and quit my job and started all over on the line. Through hard work, dedication, and passion, I worked my way up through the ranks really quickly.

I have been really fortunate to be able to work in some of these restaurants in the city and learn from some great people.

GDD: The creativity involved in putting together a typical menu or offering at a restaurant is pretty awesome. For The Chef’s Table program, tell us about how it came to be, and what went into creating some of the menu items.

CJC: We kind of brainstormed here together and tried to come up with some different concepts here in the past with shows. But we all know what that grind is like when you are trying to get to a show. You and your date or companion are trying to get ready, get dinner and go to the show, and a lot of the time you are rushing to get through it all.

We decided that we would like to bring those people here to The Kentucky Center to dine before the shows so they can relax and enjoy the atmosphere, not just for the show, but pre-show as well. The Kentucky Center itself is such a beautiful building with a great atmosphere in the heart of Downtown Louisville, so we want to get those people here, onsite, let them enjoy their meal and slow down a little bit, and then take in the show and a great evening.

We were really excited about developing the menus and getting the selections right. With some restaurants and some catering menus, things can become monotonous, especially when you’re consistently making the same food, the same items, every day, and then working in some specials. But with this, it really gives us the ability, every show, to cater to that audience and that show and make a specific menu, while trying to be mindful of the audience and cultural sensitivities at the same time.

It gives us the ability to play and really venture out of some of our comfort zones and offer the public some different types of food they haven’t seen, that collaborate with some of their favorite stories and characters at the same time.

GDD: There are a few different options, ranging from $30 for a heavy hors d’oeuvres menu, featuring some smoked pork nachos and mini hot browns, and then the next level is a $40 package with fried chicken, chicken tenders, and whatnot, and then the top offering is a $55 per person offering higher-end items like smoked brisket, bone-in chicken, and all of these feature a couple of glasses of wine or domestic beer and whatnot. It seems like you’ve hit all the bases and price points. What shows will the dining options be available for?

CJC: The offerings for the various shows will be on our website. When you go to purchase your show tickets, you’ll be prompted to purchase tickets for The Chef’s Table with information about pricing and what will be on the menu that night.

With our smaller shows, like a comedy show or smaller concert, we’ll be offering those small grab-and-go kind of things that will have a chef-attended table, and then some desserts and drinks. For our larger shows, like our Broadway runs, you will see a more robust menu with a higher price point.

Our To Kill A Mockingbird menu is going to reflect heavily on the Southern flavors and summer, fresh ingredients that will accent the season, and the show. Hopefully our patrons can make the correlation there between the show they have come to see and the food that’s in front of them.

GDD: Can people just show up and pay the night of the show?

CJC: We’re trying to get reservations in advance if possible. We are going to have some walk-in availability, especially when we first launch the program, and until our customers and patrons get used to the process. We have capacity for about 100 patrons per show for the exclusive VIP Club, so we really encourage those people to reserve in advance online so that we can be prepared to accommodate them to the best of our ability.

We believe this program will be popular and, as fun as it’s going to be, will really take off and fill up quickly.

GDD: What will be the first show to offer the program?

CJC: The first show will be for Broadway in Louisville’s To Kill A Mockingbird June 20 to 25, and tickets are on sale now for anyone interested in securing their spot.

GDD: Thanks again for your time today. In closing, is there anything you would like to add?

CJC: I would just encourage everybody to come out and see us. This is something unique and different we haven’t really seen in the city yet. With ever-changing menus and matching different variations of shows and backgrounds, I would just encourage people to come down and not only take in the arts and some great plays and shows and musicals, but also some good food.

For tickets and more information, visit KentuckyPerformingArts.org