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Three B’s - Barbecue
burgoo Moonlite
pork ribs Ole South
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sliced mutton Old Hickory
How barbecue restaurants put Owensboro on the map
written by Keith Lawrence
BARBECUE PUT OWENSBORO ON THE WORLD MAP
Google “Owensboro” and “barbecue” and you’ll get more than 145,000 hits.
Foodies frequently make pilgrimages to the self-styled “barbecue capital of the world” to try the local delicacies.
A lot of barbecue joints have come and gone through the years, but three remain and have staked out a solid reputation for themselves.
Old Hickory Bar-B-Que, 338 Washington Ave., is the oldest, founded in 1918.
Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn, 2840 W. Parrish Ave., is the largest, with 325 seats.
And Ole South Barbeque, 3523 Kentucky 54, which opened in 1995, is the newest. But it’s carving out its own space.
The owners say all three cook their meat the same way.
There are no trade secrets, and each is considered a family restaurant.
But they each have their fans.
‘LEGENDARY RESTAURANTS OF OWENSBORO’
“This is one of the legendary restaurants of Owensboro,” John Foreman, the fifth-generation owner of Old Hickory, said recently.
“If I didn’t own the restaurant, I’d still eat here three or four times a week,” he said. “There’s just so much variety to choose from.”
Although the restaurant has fed customers from every continent through the years, “we’re known as the place local people eat,” Foreman said.
One thing that sets Old Hickory apart is that it has never had a buffet in the 102 years since Charles Foreman began barbecuing in his blacksmith shop at the corner of Frederica Street and Washington Avenue.
Through the years, Old Hickory has been featured on a number of cable cooking and travel shows and has been on a number of “best” barbecue lists.
“We’ve never changed anything,” Foreman said. “Most of the recipes go back to the beginning, as far as I know. The sauce, the dip, even the chili,” Foreman said. “Tradition is everything with this place. I try to keep everything the same. I try not to change anything.”
Ken Bosley’s parents — Hugh “Pappy” and Catherine Bosley — bought Moonlite, a 14-year-old barbecue joint with 30 seats, including stools at the counter, from Sonnie and Sadie Bertram and J.C. and Betty Stinson for $50,000 in February 1963.
“It’s just a good family atmosphere,” Bosley says. “We’re the biggest draw in restaurant tourism in town. A lot of people come because they saw us on TV. We’ve had a lot of luck getting free TV. Andrew Zimmern was great.”
He estimates that about 50% of Moonlite’s business comes from Daviess County, 28% comes from Indiana, 8% is from other states and the rest from other places in Kentucky.
The restaurant has served such celebrities as former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, former second lady Marilyn Quayle, Jim Nabors, Bill Monroe, William Shatner, Kevin Costner and Emmylou Harris.
“Our buffet is our claim to fame,” Bosley said.
“Mutton has dropped off,” he said. “But Owensboro is the only place you can get mutton. It really sets us apart. And people who like mutton come to Owensboro.”
‘WE EMPHASIZE HOME COOKING’
Eight years ago, Greg Floyd got tired of the automobile business and bought Ole South for a change of careers.
“We get locals and people from out of town too,” he said. “We have a breakfast buffet, lunch buffet and dinner buffet. On Fridays and Saturdays, we have fiddlers and fillets. And we’ve catered some big events.”
In 2019, Louisville’s Frazier History Museum, which is considered the start of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, featured an Owensboro night.
O.Z. Tyler made specialty cocktails. The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum provided a bluegrass band. And Ole South supplied the food.
Floyd said, “All barbecue in Owensboro is about the same, but we really emphasize pulled pork — chopped and sliced.”
He said, “We emphasize home cooking. We sell a lot of fried chicken. And it’s crazy how many sides we sell. We make our own cobblers too.”
Since 1995, when the restaurant opened, Kentucky 54 has become the growth area of the county.
“It’s a great location,” Floyd said.
He estimates that “90% of our customers are familiar with Kentucky barbecue. But we have to explain it to some. People from out of the area aren’t familiar with burgoo (a meat stew famous in Kentucky). We have to explain the ingredients.”
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270-686-7671 ■ 800-203-8314 ■ 1601 Frederica Street ■ Owensboro, KY 42301270-686-7671 ■ 800-203-8314 ■ 1601 Frederica Street ■ Owensboro, KY 423012706 -686-766711 ■ 800-203-88314 ■■ 16601 Fredereica StSrteeet ■ O■ wOewne sbo sr boo, K o YK42340213270-686-7671 • 800-203-8314 • 1601 Frederica Street • Owensboro, KY • www.bosleyfinancial.com
Securities, investment advisory and financial planning services offered through qualified registered representatives of MML Investors s s Securities,Securities,Servic i es,,investment advisory and financial planning services offered through qualified registered representatives of MML Investorsinvestment advisory and financial planning services offered through qualified registered representatives of MML InvesLLvC, MembneraSIPC. Supaervisonray Offa ice: 900 Enast 96v th Sts reet, Sueite 300 I un gdhianaplo i liis, IN re462 st4e0, Pdho rne (e317) 4a69-e9999 f. MMM arLcus W e.stors. . Services, LLC, Member SIPC. Supervisory Office:Services, LLC, Member SIPC. Supervisory Office:Bosley & AC ssociates, Inc I. an .d AshleysWorth, L iLeC 900 East 96th Street, Suite 300 Indianapolis,900 East 96th Street, Suite 300 Indianapolis, is not a stubsid hiaSry oe r a , fff i u liata e of MMdL I an nvepsotos rsIN 46240,IN 46240,SNe4 rv6ic 2e 4s0, Phone (317) 469-9999. MarcusPhone (317) 469 9999 MarcuLPLhCooreit(s 3a7 ff)f ili 4a6 ta e 9d - c99omp . . aMna ies c.usW. W. BosleyBosley & &Associates,Associates,Inc.Inc. and andAshley-Worth,Ashley-Worth,LLC LLC is is not not aa subsidiarysubsidiary or or affiliateaffiliate of of MMLMML InvestorsInvestors Services,Services,LLCLLC or or its its affiliatedaffiliated companies.companies.
