Chevy Chaser and Southsider combined February 2021 by Smiley Pete Publishing

CHEVY CHASER MAGAZINE & SOUTHSIDER MAGAZINE FEB. 2021 COMBINED EDITION

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Contributors While former Smiley Pete Publishing employee Judy Brumley now works for the Meredith Corporation in New York City, she continues to contribute to Smiley Pete on a freelance basis. Currently riding out the pandemic in Lexington, she wrote “Out of the Woodwork” (page 29) and “A Room Fit For a Queen” (page 30). Smiley Pete contributor Shannon Clinton (“Craveworthy,” page 7, and “Test Kitchen,” page 33) is an Elizabethtown native who now lives in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. A proud graduate of Western Kentucky University’s journalism program, she has been a full-time freelance writer for 21 years for publications across the Southeast. When she’s not writing, you can find her tending to her collections of vintage Pyrex and hot sauce. Mick Jeff ries (photography for “Local Luminaries: Jeff Worley”) is a longtime contributor of words and images to the Smiley Pete universe. He works in an ever-changing array as graphic designer, photographer, writer, radio show host and oral historian to celebrate and evangelize the ever-unfolding zeitgeist of Lexington, his beloved home for nearly three decades. Celeste Lewis is a visual artist and freelance writer and director for the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center. She contributes a series for Smiley Pete Publishing (“Local Luminaries: Jeff Worley,” page 9) focusing on profiling a variety of interesting folks from the Lexington area, from artists and writers to small business owners and other city leaders. Tanzi Merritt (“A Cut Above,” page 17) is a Lexington native with a background in history, libraries and archives who works in the world of marketing by day and volunteers for many community organizations in her free time. Theresa Stanley is Smiley Pete Publishing’s director of events and promotions. She provided content for this month’s “Drink of the Month” (page 38), “On Our Table” (page 39) and “Local Fried Fish and King Cake Guide” (page 41).

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LOCAL CULINARY NEWS TO KNOW BY SHANNON CLINTON

Lexington’s culinary options have recently expanded with the opening of Greyline, a public market with multiple tenants. Among the first tenants to open is The Breeze Wine Bar, which features wines and spirits, as well a variety of international chocolates for purchase. The wine bar also operates another location at the Logan Street Market in Louisville. North Lime Coffee & Donuts also held a grand opening for its new Greyline Station location in early January. Julietta Market, located inside Greyline Station, has a number of new food and beverage vendors signing on, including gourmet caramel and candy apple company A Taste of Fall; Soul 2 Go; Baklawa Brothers; gourmet popcorn, pretzels and fudge purveyor PoJo’s Pop Station; and a year-round farmers market operated by Black Soil called The Recipe. As previously reported, Sav’s Chill and Inebriated Baker will both soon open locations in the market. Elsewhere in the city, the Louisville-born business Goodwood Brewing has opened its first Lexington location, Goodwood Brewpub & Spirits, in Lexington Green. The brewpub features casual dining and a 40 tap-handle system.

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ello neighbors. I’m District 5 Councilmember Liz Sheehan, and I’m excited to welcome you to the first edition of a new ongoing segment in Chevy Chaser-Southsider Magazine, designed to connect our readers with various councilmembers and civic organizations focused on local issues, in order to help enhance transparency and encourage further civic engagement. In an era marked by heightened political divisions and cynicism surrounding government, we see this as an opportunity to empower ourselves and our Lexington-Fayette County neighbors to become part of the conversation and the local decision-making process. While it is understandable and sometimes even necessary to tune out the rhetoric and coverage of partisan policy disagreements coming from our elected officials, our local government affords us a chance to engage with meaningful non-partisan governing. Lexington-Fayette County has a unique form of government compared to many localities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Our city and county governments merged to become LexingtonFayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) in 1974, making us the first Kentucky community to do so. The makeup of our governing body consists of 12 district councilmembers who serve two-year terms, three at-large councilmembers elected by voters across Fayette County who serve four-year terms (the highest vote-getter in this race becomes our vice mayor), and our mayor, who also serves a four-year term. All councilmembers and mayors in Lexington-Fayette County are elected to non-partisan offices. While my colleagues and I each have our own unique perspectives and belief systems, this form of governing has the benefit of allowing us to focus on the issues that matter and form coalitions on an issue-by-issue basis rather than along partisan lines. Our local government impacts our daily lives in ways that may go unnoticed by many. Whether it be decisions about public parks, waste and recycling, public local road maintenance, zoning, support for social services or public safety, it is your local government that oversees how and to what level these efforts are maintained. We are entrusted with the responsibility of deciding how your tax dollars are spent, in order to create a community we can all enjoy calling home. Due to a variety of factors, our budget is facing increasing strain, and the decisions we make together now will shape our community for years to come. We encourage you to follow along in future editions while your elected officials and local organizations rotate submitting entries about ongoing projects, upcoming policy initiatives, important local matters, and ways that you can become more involved in the decisions being made on your behalf. I firmly believe that government works best when we are all involved and when we take our seat at the table, and this series will be one small way to help make City Hall more accessible to you, the residents of Lexington-Fayette County. ■

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LEXINGTON WRITER REFLECTS ON HIS JOURNEY DURING THE FINAL MONTHS OF HIS TENURE AS STATE POET LAUREATE BY CELESTE LEWIS PHOTOS BY MICK JEFFRIES

fter growing up in Wichita, Kansas, and spending much of his early adulthood teaching internationally, writer Jeff Worley has found great contentment in calling Kentucky home for the past 34 years. His charge as a champion of words in the Commonwealth was fortified when he was appointed 2019-20 Kentucky state poet laureate. Sworn in in 2019, Worley will remain poet laureate until April, when the torch will be passed to someone new. While the pandemic halted many of the traditional poet laureate duties for most of the past year, he deeply cherished the outreach opportunities the first 10 months afforded him. “It was great meeting people and sharing poetry with Kentuckians far and wide,” said Worley, who visited schools and libraries to promote the state’s literary arts.

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While wistful for the community experiences he had to forgo, he was also quick to note his losses pale in comparison to those the pandemic has wrought for many others. “It’s unfortunate the pandemic has curtailed that part, but there’s a great tradition of respected writers and poets in Kentucky, and I am honored to have had this opportunity to share that,” he said.

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Since retiring in 2010, Kentucky poet laureate Jeff Worley, who lives in Lexington’s Mentelle neighborhood, has regularly taught workshops and classes at The Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning.

These days, Worley rarely veers from his Mentelle neighborhood home, other than to steal away to Cave Run Lake. He and his wife, Linda, purchased a cabin there in the late ’90s. “We go as often as possible,” Worley said. “[It’s] far enough off the beaten path [that] you know you are in the woods.” “I write best with no distractions,” he added. “I can find quiet there.” Jeff and Linda’s first encounter took place in the 1970s, when both were expat teachers in adjacent classrooms while teaching in Germany for the University of Maryland’s European division. “There was always laughter coming from the classroom next door,” Worley recalled. “I was teaching basic grammar, so there was very little to laugh about.” Upon further investigation, he discovered “this engaging teacher who had her students laughing every day.” “I decided I needed to buy her a pizza,” he said. “As I like to say, if you buy a girl a pizza, the rest is easy.”

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Here, Worley is pictured typing out some “clumsy” early poems, as he says. One of the first graduates from Wichita State’s creative writing MFA program, Worley has been focusing much of his spare time on the craft of poetry ever since.

After getting to know each other, the couple found they had much in common. They married in 1982 and, following a “good run” in Europe that included visiting every country in the continent, moved back to the United States in 1983. When Linda – whom Worley lovingly refers to as his “brilliant wife” – finished her PhD, she was offered a job teaching German literature at the University of Kentucky. Worley, who was teaching at Penn State at the time, eagerly agreed to move to Lexington, and upon arrival, found the city to be “friendly, welcoming and beautiful.” He also found a good fit for his skills as a writer and editor for Odyssey Magazine, a University of Kentucky research publication (no longer in print), where he worked for 23 years before retiring in 2010. He has continued to lead writing workshops at the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning since his retirement. Exploring everything from birth and death to tender remembrances and dangerous encounters, Worley’s work is collected in six poetry books and four chapbooks, including the Larkspur Press-published collections “A Simple Human Motion” and “Best To Keep

Moving.” A longtime fan and champion of contemporary poetry, Worley also served as editor of the 2009 University of Kentucky Press collection “What Comes Down To Us: 25 Contemporary Kentucky Poets.” The writer recalled his childhood as being chock full of outdoor adventures and the freedom to wander and explore – an apt foundation that has carried over into his life as a poet who often writes about the natural world. He often performed as a folk singer during college and cites his connection to the lyrics of favorite songs as an early portal that opened his eyes to the power of words and verse. He chuckled a bit looking back at the

“The scrawl of words across a page is a way to try to understand who [we are] and try to make some sense of the cards we’ve been dealt. ” JEFF WORLEY, STATE POET LAUREATE

diversity of his early career path, which also included working as a movie theater usher, drapery installer, offset pressman and a cab driver, among other odd jobs. These experiences all ultimately served as fuel for the poet, whose writing also tends to focus on the human condition and all the dramas, large and small, of each exquisite life encountered along the way. Family storytelling and even his father’s gut-wrenching journal from World War II have provided further powerful material for Worley’s poetry, which has appeared in publications in the United States as well as Canada. Overall, Worley sees poetry as a way to widen and deepen the human experience on this plane. And during this current moment, marked by increased isolation and divide, it can be, more than ever, a way to bind the community together. “The best poetry invites us to honor and celebrate our common language,” he said. “The scrawl of words across a page is a way to try to understand who [we are] and try to make some sense of the cards we’ve been dealt.”

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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Kentucky poet laureate Jeff Worley recently took the time to answer some questions from writer Celeste Lewis. Tell me a little about growing up. I was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, and went through the public schools there. This was in the Eisenhower ’50s. It was a great time and place to be a kid, and I did all the Midwest boy things – played baseball, basketball, collected baseball cards, played kick-the-can on summer nights and collected fireflies in jars [back when there were fireflies], rode my bike around with friends. We kids played all the time – made our own play dates. Our parents were never worried about our safety.

Kooser says, “Poetry always appealed to me because it was a genre in which it seemed you could establish perfect order, a piece of writing with everything in its essential and appropriate place, every punctuation mark, every syllable.” I’m particularly attracted to poems that seem to me have succeeded after some intense struggle, emotional or otherwise, by the poet.

What have been some of the highlights of your time as Kentucky’s poet laureate? The first 10 months were absolutely wonderful. I did readings and workshops in high schools and universities and libraries from Pikeville to Danville to Campbellsville to Murray and stops in between. I loved that my ‘job’ was to spread the news about Kentucky poets and their poems.

Tell me about your writing process. Sometimes an image you want to capture can start a poem, sometimes a phrase or

The most surprising thing was an email invitation I got in September [2019] from the ambassador of the EU delegation

In your view, what makes an exceptional poem? There are some general definitions/ observations that ring true to me in answer to this question. Former U.S. poet laureate Ted

Then COVID hit, and almost all of my poet laureate activities ground to a halt. As Kentucky’s Poet Laureate and as a former professor, what advice do you have for aspiring poets and writers? Three things I tell students day one: Read a lot and not just poetry and fiction. Read all kinds of things. It provides triggers to write. National Geographic Magazine is a favorite for me. There’s a wide, crazy, beautiful world out there.

How were you first introduced to poetry? I came to poetry through my various folk singing jobs when I was in college. I played bars and clubs, a solo guitar guy, and I was always most interested in folk music that had the most poetic lyrics: early Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen. I was a mediocre player and singer, but I never forgot the words to a song. That focus was a clue that poetry just might be in my future. Was there a poem you read that crystalized the idea that you wanted to be poet? No one poem did the trick, but in my first poetry writing class at Wichita State, we had an anthology of contemporary poets who wrote accessible and memorable poems – William Stafford, James Wright, Lisel Mueller, Robert Lowell, Philip Levine – and I was hooked. I took five or six more undergraduate poetry writing classes, wrote a lot of really awful poems but was admitted anyway into the brand-new Wichita State MFA program in 1972. I was the second graduate of that program.

to read some poems. I thought long and hard about accepting his invitation – like about a second and a half – and said yes. It was an amazing night, which included presidents and CEOs of national and international companies, ambassadors from eight European countries, directors of international trade organizations and several Kentucky distillers [with free samples!]. Linda and I were glad to have a nice talk with [Kentucky] ngressman Yarmuth, whom we’d never met.

Second: Write a lot of poems. You have to write a lot of bad poems to write good ones. And third, get out of town – whatever time and finances will allow. Sights, smells and experiences develop a writer.

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sentence from a book, sometimes a conversational remark you’re lucky enough to have overheard. William Stafford talks about just starting anywhere — just get some words down on the page and see where they seem to want to take you. A process of discovery. Unlike other poets I know, I need absolute quiet with no distractions when I write. Or to quote the poet Franz Wright, “For me, poetry, like crime, can only be accomplished in absolute privacy and secrecy.”

to the United States, to be part of a “Celebration of Kentucky” at his residence in Washington, D.C. Ambassador [Stavros] Lambrinidis had seen a copy of the anthology of Kentucky poets I edited and published with the University Press of Kentucky (‘What Comes Down to Us: 25 Contemporary Kentucky Poets’). The ambassador was impressed with the literature of our state and wanted to fly my wife, Linda, and me to D.C. to join the party he was throwing and wanted me

Is there a place in Lexington you go to relax or recharge? I really like Kentucky Native Café. They did everything right. I do some writing there. It reminds me of some of the wonderful beer gardens in Germany. If you hadn’t become a professor and a writer, what is another career you might have liked to try? I’ve written quite a few poems about animals – how they survive, where they find joy, how they process death, and how they think. I might have, instead, worked in animal research – animal consciousness and how as human beings we can learn from our animal partners and make their lives better. ■

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Playing Possum: My Wife and I Take Up Arms Against a 3 a.m. Critter Something was gnawing at my dream and, awake now, I hear one of our cats loudly crunching at his bowl in the kitchen. But here in bed I make out the shapes of all three cats, a triumvirate around my wife and me. I leap up through the question of Something wrong, Honey? And stumble toward the mad chewing. I flick on the light. There, in the corner, pink as a piglet, a baby possum startles from the bowl of Kitten Kaboodle, crumbs flaking around its tiny gash of mouth. And here’s Linda, fully awake now, too, with not only a broom for her, but one for me. She flings me mine like Ricky Nelson tossing John Wayne his loop-handled carbine in Rio Bravo. And we’re shutting doors behind us and opening doors to the outside world, which clearly terrifies this arboreal rodent who’s little more than whiplash tail and provisional hiss. He scampers under the German Schrank. I take a couple swipes underneath and tease out a dustcovered catnip toy, a disposable Bic, and half of what looks to be a slice of Donato’s (pepperoni). The possum folds into itself like a fist. But Linda is choking up and waving her broom, ready, so I thwack the thing broadside. It skids out like a top-ended puck to my wife, who swings— her breasts lovely in the sudden light (did I mention we’re both bone naked?)— and I’m skating toward the wide-open front door, this 2 a.m. game of Possum Broomball almost fun now, and whoosh the critter so hard it cartwheels like a cartoon possum through a racket of katydids and other night fiddlers and lands like a wad of flubber on the lawn. As it scampers off, Linda and I stand on the front porch, victorious, holding our brooms in the manner of American Gothic. Our next-door neighbor, Jaime, home from the late shift, turns her blue Toyota into the drive, fixing us with headlights. It’s scary how seriously these Worleys take their housecleaning, she may be saying to herself, at which point there’s nothing left for us to do, but wave. – Jeff Worley

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alentine’s Day goes hand in hand with gift giving, and no gift is perhaps more ubiquitous on this holiday than jewelry. Whether your tastes are simple and elegant, modern and striking, or intricate and one-of-a-kind, a trio of local jewelers create handcrafted pieces that up the ante as far as “personal touch” is concerned. Newest to the local jewelry scene of the three is Cara Hochhalter who, with husband AJ, owns and operates Maple & J, established in 2014. Hochhalter has been modifying and designing jewelry since childhood but began the work that became the foundation of Maple & J about seven years ago. She was inspired by jewelry-wearing habits she noticed while traveling internationally and living in China. “I noticed how much jewelry people wore, no matter their socio-economic status, job or gender – even babies and children,” she said. “I had always cherished the bangle and ring I had as a baby and wanted to bring that idea back: a special piece worn and saved as a keepsake or passed down as an heirloom.”

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Hochhalter set off on her journey of making baby bangles out of quality metals that would “survive the wear and tear of daily rowdy kid life” and soon began crafting bangles for adults, too. Inspired by one of her favorite personal pieces – a large silver Tibetan bangle she never takes off – she wanted these pieces to be durable enough for active lifestyles without sacrificing style. Sleek and simple designs with understated elegance, Maple & J pieces are intended to be worn alone or alongside other favorites.

Local jewelery company Maple & J specializes in high quality bangle bracelets for men, women and children that are intended to be worn every day. PHOTO FURNISHED

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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“The bangles are technically adjustable bangle bracelets that you can keep simple or you can build a stack as bold and unique as you’d like,” she explained. A hallmark of the designs is their comfort and convenience. “You can wear them all the time and not worry about having to remove them to shower, sweat, sleep, swim, etc.,” she added. “They are meant to be a part of your everyday life and become part of you.” While Hochhalter currently has a studio outside her home, she worked for a number of years in her laundry room. “Being a stay-at-home-mom but also a working mom is a tricky thing,” she said. “The kids see me filing, sanding and hammering around the house, and I’d say a good amount of the bangles out there have been ‘worked on’ by little hands, too.” The Maple & J line has grown to include cuff and chain bracelets, rings and necklaces, as well as a line of men’s cuff bracelets. Pop-up lines of limited editions items have also included earrings and anklets along with unique twists on her standard designs. Hochhalter, while claiming silver as her favorite material, also designs in gold, rose gold and brass. The Mommy & Me Bangle Sets are a special and unique Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day gift for a mom and child, with children’s sizes ranging from infant to pre-teen. PHOTO BY SUMMER JASMINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Designer and proprietor of Meg C Jewelry Gallery, Meghan Carroll (pictured above) focuses on sleek, modern jewelry with pops of color that come from gemstones (design samples pictured at bottom left).

Meghan Carroll, designer and proprietor of Meg C Jewelry Gallery, opened her first Lexington storefront downtown on Mill Street in 2012 after relocating to the city in 2011. Carroll has been enchanted with jewelry since childhood, when she fell in love with her grandmother’s costume pieces.

tourmaline that looks like the Caribbean Sea or a mint green garnet and I’m in love.”

Although she started out studying fashion, she became hooked on jewelry-making after taking a basic metals class in college. She switched her major, graduating from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in jewelry design.

“[It] takes hours and hours,” she said. “I do most of my work under a microscope to get the details just right.”

Carroll describes the style of her work as “minimalist, contemporary and colorful.” Working with all types of metals, Carroll’s pieces are sleek with pops of color that come from a wide variety of gemstones, her favorite material to work with. “I love colored gemstones,” she said. “There are so many gorgeous gemstones beyond the classic emerald, ruby and blue sapphire. Those are beautiful, too, but show me a Paraíba

Carroll currently works in a home studio that she said is filled with a hundred tools that each do a specific task. She describes the process as “dirty and meticulous.”

While Carroll has a number of ready-made pieces available for sale through her website, custom work – including reimagining old pieces – is a passion that makes up the bulk of her business. “Reimagining what old, dated jewelry could become is an exciting challenge every time,” she said. Carroll’s custom pieces also include oneof-a-kind engagement and wedding rings, designed to reflect the style and personality of those who wear them.

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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Rachel Savané, pictured at right, has been making metal jewelry since 1984. Her business, Savané Silver, was born in 1996 and focuses on unique jewelry featuring sterling silver and gemstones. FILE PHOTOS

Rachel Savané made her first piece of metal jewelry – a gold and amethyst ring made with a repurposed gold wedding band found in a pawnshop – in 1984 as a crafts/metals major at the University of Illinois. After graduation, she came to Lexington to stay with her sister, but a year later joined the Peace Corps and made her way to Guinea. Two and half years later she returned to town with her boyfriend, Mamadou Savané (now owner of Sav’s Grill & Gourmet Ice Cream). In Lexington, the couple married, bought a home and started a family as well as their respective businesses. “The house was the key to starting a business,” Savané said. “I could create a studio and do torch work without asking a landlord’s permission.” Savané Silver was born in a corner of the basement in 1996, and after being accepted into some juried art fairs, she quit her secretary job to focus on jewelry full time. When asked about her style, Savané said she uses sterling silver and fine gemstones to create what she calls “jewelry of character.”

“By that I mean that each piece and the majority of my designs are only created one time, and each has its individual characteristics,” she explained. “My work is based in asymmetry, while through it I strive to achieve balance.” Savané’s design process is unique in that after choosing her stones she designs her pieces with the silver in her hands. “I cannot draw a piece because I cannot see it until it comes to life from my hands playing with juxtapositions of metal to metal and metal to stone,” she explained. This process results in designs with soft curves setting off the beauty of the stones, reminiscent of wind and water flowing around the earth. With designs that are both contemporary and intricate, Savané mainly creates large statement pieces but also has a line of petite jewelry for those who prefer a more delicate piece. Savané’s line is made up of pendants, rings, earrings and bracelets but also includes unique pieces like hair cuffs and anklets, a men’s line and a new, timely item — mask pins.

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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While the pandemic has greatly affected retail outlets, these three jewelers all acknowledge their good fortune and luck during this time. Maple & J has operated exclusively as an online retailer with occasional pop-up shopping opportunities. “AJ and I were very nervous because the pandemic hit in our seasonally slow time, but it was a big blessing that sales picked up rather than slowing down,” Hochhalter said. Carroll also speaks of a fortuitous situation that she found herself in. Having relocated from downtown to the Summit at Fritz Farm in 2017, Carroll had closed her retail store to operate solely as an online and appointment-based custom designer and retailer only months before the pandemic’s began. “I kind of lucked out by closing my retail store at the end of 2019 – it was my plan to transition to appointment only, then the pandemic made it a necessity. I rolled with the punches and met clients virtually or in person outside at coffee shops,” she said. She recently acquired an office space where she can safely meet with clients to design their special pieces. “Business has definitely slowed down, but I welcomed it after running a shop for seven and a half years,” she said. Savané, who has a very visible downtown storefront on the corner of North Broadway and Short streets, took the time to push reset. “When retail was closed down in March, I worked on a major project in my gallery that I had thought about for years but couldn’t do because I would have to close to do it,” she said. “I changed the lighting system… and also painted the ceiling a dark shade of green. The overall effect is a super-cozy ambiance. I also recognized that I needed to call upon the expertise of a PR/ marketing firm to help my website generate a greater portion of income.”

PIctured on this page are a variety of Maple & J’s designs. Each of the three designers in this article has adapted her business model during the pandemic, but maintains her commitment to creating quality jewelry for special occasions and everyday wear alike. PHOTOS FURNISHED

Savané has since reopened to the public, taking safety measures such as limiting the number of visitors and requiring masks of everyone inside the space. She also offers private shopping by appointment for those who feel more comfortable being the only visitor to the gallery. Though celebrations have been tempered in the past year, the drive to commemorate significant events and memorable moments remains intact. As Valentine’s Day approaches, and clients look forward to opportunities to give a gift to someone special, Hochhalter, Carroll and Savané remain committed to helping them find exactly what they need to make any occasion special. “Even though this year has been very difficult, people still got engaged, got married, and had birthdays and anniversaries,” Carroll said. “Life went on, and so did the jewelry making.” ■

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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On the following pages, we take a look at some local chess connections in light of the recent success of the Lexington-based Netflix series ‘The Queen’s Gambit.’

ON TOP OF THE GAME LOCAL CHESS ENTHUSIASTS – INCLUDING KENTUCKY’S ONLY CHESS GRANDMASTER – REACT TO THE SUCCESSFUL CHESS-ORIENTED NETFLIX SERIES ‘THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT’ BY SARAYA BREWER

hen the miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit” hit Netflix last year, it served as a bright and welcome distraction during a time when many were feeling bleak and stir-crazy. Based on the 1983 novel of the same name by late Kentucky author Walter Tevis, the show captivated its record-setting 62-million-household audience with its complicated and compelling heroine, its smart and witty writing, and its striking visual design. Centering on the journey of a troubled orphan chess prodigy, both the show and the novel have been lauded for their

success in creating an intriguing and relatable storyline around a game that is often seen – at least, to those not on the board – as relatively slow and tedious. For viewers in Lexington, that captivation was elevated by the fact that much of the story takes place in our city. Regular references to the Lexington Herald-Leader and to local waypoints such as New Circle Road, Henry Clay High School and Ben Snyder department store – an actual Lexington shop that existed on Main Street for many years – added layers of delight and novelty for local audiences.

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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PHOTO BY VALERIA KAIDANOV

Lexington is home to Kentucky’s only chess grandmaster, Gregory Kaidanov, pictured above at home. Grandmaster is one of the highest rankings competitve chess players can attain.

It’s safe to say Gregory Kaidanov, an accomplished professional chess player living in Lexington, felt an even deeper kinship with the show than most. Born in Ukraine in 1959 and raised in the Soviet town of Kaliningrad, Kaidanov moved to Lexington in 1991 to further his career as a competitive chess player. Outside the underpinnings of the oppressive Soviet regime, Kaidanov said, the opportunities that opened up when he moved to Kentucky were immense. At the time he moved here, he was ranked as one of the top 200 players in the world; within his first year living in America, he moved up in rank to 16th player in the world. In 1992, he claims to have had “the most successful year any chess player had in America.” And in 1993, he joined

the U.S. Chess National Team, with the team winning the World Team Chess Championship that year for the first time in history – a feat that helped fast-track his U.S. citizenship. Today, Kaidanov, who earns the majority of his income by teaching chess lessons (primarily online), enjoys the status of being Kentucky’s only chess grandmaster, the highest ranking a competitive chess player can attain aside from “world champion.” “It was inspirational and exhilarating,” Kaidanov said, looking back at that time in his career. When he and his wife sat down to watch “The Queen’s Gambit” last year, after seeing lots of buzz about the show on Facebook, Kaid-

anov found many correlations between lead character Beth Harmon’s life and his own. Like Harmon, he fell into a passion for chess – “I would even use the word ‘obsession,’” he said – as a child and spent much of his early adulthood traveling domestically and internationally for tournaments. He also related with the storyline’s central focus on both Russia and Kentucky, and could identify with the series’ depictions of both the pressures and the satisfactions of competing in the game at such a high level. Overall, Kaidanov describes watching the show as “a very emotional experience” that led him to relive many of his childhood memories.

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“I couldn’t watch more than one episode at a time, because of the emotional connection,” he said. “There have been many movies made about chess, but this was by far the best, at all levels.” Fellow Lexington chess enthusiast Jerry Baker, organizer of weekly meetings and monthly tournaments for Lexington’s Bluegrass Chess Club for more than 30 years, agreed that “The Queen’s Gambit” was an incredible show, even for people who do not understand chess. “Being an avid chess player, though, that series goes to the next level,” he said. “More than once during the show, I got out of my seat to cheer.” While the recent popularity of “The Queen’s Gambit” led to a massive uptick in interest in chess across the world, it’s unfortunate, Baker said, that the show’s release coincided with what he called “the worst time in history” for the game, due to the limitations on in-person play caused by the pandemic. In many ways, online chess playing has been a boon for competitive players over the past several decades, in that it has opened up opportunities to play against high-level players from across the world – one of the most effective methods for improving your game. But despite the continuation of online chess games throughout the pandemic, Baker said the overall effect of halting in-person games has been detrimental to the game– especially for beginners. “Chess is hard, and the difference between a beginner and a tournament player is massive,” he explained. “In-person, at our club, we could give every beginner a mini-lesson after every game – we could explain the differences between beginner and experienced players.” Being a one-on-one battle, it’s easy for players to take defeat personally, especially when they are first starting out, he continued. During in-person games and tournaments, mentors can often help temper this defeat by letting new players know even the best players were in their shoes at one time and are only better now for having persisted and continuing to learn new tricks. ■

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Her geometric chess pieces fit together perfectly in a nesting design inspired by a similar set crafted by designer and modern art aficionado Lanier Graham in the 1960s. “The design and function of the pieces are very much tied together,” Fan explained. “The rook has straight edges because it moves in a straight line; the bishop has diagonal walls because it moves diagonally; and the knight is L-shaped because it makes L-shaped movements.” The boards themselves are made from regional hardwoods, like walnut, cherry and maple, with Fan sourcing the lumber from a sawmill in Indiana.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER CHANG PHOTOGRAPHY

Out of the Woodwork

BUILDING ON FOND MEMORIES FROM PLAYING CHESS AS A CHILD, A BURGEONING LOCAL WOODWORKER HAS FOUND A NEW WAY TO CONNECT WITH THE GAME

BY JUDY BRUMLEY

tephanie Fan and her brother learned chess from their grandfather at a very young age, with an eye not just on the game but also on the prize.

“He promised to give us a pony if we could beat him, so we tried really hard to learn the game,” she recalled. They never got a pony, but those special times, and a love of games in general, helped inspire Fan to return to the game as an adult in a new way – crafting her own chess sets. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Fan worked in the food and beverage industry for nearly a decade before moving to Lexington in 2015. “I’ve always loved working with my hands,” she said. “After we moved and I stopped working, I needed something to fill that creative void.” After watching a video on YouTube, she decided to give woodworking a go.

“I bought a table saw specifically to make a chess set,” said Fan, who had always wanted one of her own after growing up with the game. “My early attempts were terrible,” she admitted, but after several redesigns, and some help from her fellow creators at Kre8Now Makerspace, where she rents studio space, she landed on the winning design: a solid wood chess board with resin inlay and storage for the pieces underneath. Over the past five years, she has crafted wall clocks, cutting boards and other wooden games, like peg solitaire and topographic puzzles, selling the handmade pieces in her Etsy shop, Atlas & Lily, which is named after her son and daughter. The chess sets, however, are the bread-and-butter of her business, especially since the surge in popularity of “The Queen’s Gambit” on Netflix last fall. “I definitely think the show bringing chess to the forefront – and the media saying ‘good luck finding chess sets this Christmas’ – has helped my business,” she said. “I sold out before Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and again before Christmas.”

“I have no interest in using exotic wood because I don’t want to ship a piece across the country or the ocean,” she explained. “There are such beautiful things to use here.” She has even salvaged wood around town from fallen trees that would have otherwise gone into a chipper. In addition to sourcing her materials in a sustainable way, Fan is committed to offsetting her usage of them. As a small-business partner with the National Forest Foundation, she donates a tree for every sale she makes, and she’s currently looking for a charitable partner to help balance out her resin usage. New chess sets and other wood goods get listed in her Etsy shop, but since she can do a lot of different colors with the resin, Fan likes to work directly with her local customers to bring their custom visions to life. She encourages people to message her on Instagram (@atlas.lily), send her an email or request a custom order through Etsy if they have something particular in mind. ■ Lexington craftswoman Stephanie Fan makes a variety of wooden game boards, but a longtime love of chess is what spurred her initial interest in the craft. PHOTO BY JENNIFER CHANG PHOTOGRAPHY

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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A Room Fit For a Queen A TEAM OF LOCAL CREATIVES BRING A HIT SERIES TO LIFE WITH A METICULOUSLY DESIGNED HOTEL ROOM THEMED AFTER ‘THE QUEENS GAMBIT’ BY JUDY BRUMLEY

n an effort to highlight Lexington’s starring role in the mega-popular Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit,” two of the city’s premier marketing arms – VisitLex and creative agency Cornett – have teamed up with 21c Museum Hotel and an all-star team of local creatives on an interactive installation that pays homage to the show and the 1983 Walter Tevis novel on which it was based. The Harmon Room at 21 is a thoughtfully designed boutique hotel room teeming with “The Queen’s Gambit” details, designed by interior designer Isabel Ladd and preservationist Lucy Jones and available to rent by the night.

Designers Alex Mason, Isabel Ladd and Lucy Jones (pictured above, l-r) collaborated to create the “The Queen’s Gambit”inspired boutique hotel room at 21c Lexington. The idea of the room, which is available to rent by the night, originated from creatives at Cornett and VisitLex. PHOTOS FURNISHED

Named for Beth Harmon, the orphaned chess prodigy in the show, the retro room is filled with vintage accessories, nods to the show’s most memorable moments and characters, and period furniture from both private collectors and local antique shop Scout. “This is a project that checked all my boxes: 1960s design, literature, the moving image, hospitality and promoting the city of Lexington,” said Jones. “It has been my not-sosecret ambition to one day restore a vintage motel to full 1960s period detail, and I have been quietly hoarding furniture to that end. All of those pieces finally had a place to go!” The room’s walls are adorned with striking custom wallpaper that summons the stunning colors and patterns that were a hallmark of the series. “Lucy and I knew we needed wallpaper, but traditional pasted wallpaper in

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a mod pattern and colorway proved impossible to source,” said Ladd. They tapped local designer Alex K. Mason of Ferrick Mason, Inc., to create the special design, which is named “The Knight’s Gambit.” Incredibly, the entire project came together in less than two weeks, from concept to installation. “I like the challenge of a tight deadline, but I had never worked on one as tight as this,” said Mason of the ambitious endeavor. “Normally, I can tweak something forever trying to find that perfect design, but this had to be approved by others and printed fast, so there was no second guessing.” The room features copies of Chess Review magazine as well as rare chess books on loan from local retailer Black Swan Books – and, of course, a handmade walnutand-maple chess board, which was produced by Lexington nonprofit Iron Bridge Woodshop. (The limited-edition board is available for

purchase at the Lexington Visitors Center while supplies last.)

Lexington interior designer Isabel Ladd was part of the design team that pulled off the design and installation of the boutique hotel room in under two weeks. “My head is spinning just thinking about the timeline,” Ladd said.

Guests who book the room are also gifted reproductions of the “Lex Liquors” tote bags seen in the show, but the most impressive part of the room might just be the largerthan-life chess board installation suspended from the ceiling above the bed, an artistic re-creation of Harmon’s drug-induced hallucinations on the show. The Harmon Room will be available at least through the end of May, and guests can visit 21cmuseumhotels.com/offer/theharmon-room for photos and additional information. For rates and availability, call the hotel. Fans who can’t get enough of the series can also check out the VisitLex “Queen’s Gambit Guide to Lexington, Kentucky,” a list of must-see landmarks and attractions from the show. A link to the guide is available on the “Travel Guides” page on the VisitLex website, www.visitlex. com/travel-guides/ ■

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SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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BGCF_CCSS_Feb2021.qxp_Layout 1 1/8/21 3:27 PM Page 1

Lexington Philanthropists John and Donna Hall

CREATE CHANGE. DO GOOD. Join BGCF365 today.

Thanks to the generous endowment established by John and Donna Hall to inspire the next generation of philanthropists, and the pooled donations of BGCF365 members, BGCF365 has awarded grants totaling $100,000 to innovative Lexington nonprofits. For just $1 a day, join BGCF365 to make our community better and connect with other generous Lexingtonians. Learn more and become a member at bgcf.org/BGCF365.

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499 East High Street • Suite 112 • Lexington, KY 40507 / 859.225.3343

1/22/21 7:52 PM

TEST KITCHEN

LEXINGTON INCUBATOR KITCHEN HELPS OWNERS DEVELOP THEIR NEW CULINARY ENDEAVORS STORY BY SHANNON CLINTON PHOTOS BY BILL STRAUS

Chef/owner Etel Wagner operates her new venture, Bayleaf Diaspora Kitchen, from the Lexington Incubator Kitchen. PHOTO BY BILL STRAUS

t’s a classic start-up story: Two friends get down to work in a garage and create a product that changes their community for the better. In this case, it’s Lesme Romero and Reinaldo Gonzalez who, in 2009, launched Lexington Pasta from a converted garage on North Limestone Street with a mission to provide freshly made pasta for local farmers markets, restaurants and groceries. When Romero opened Pasta Garage Italian Café on Delaware Avenue in 2013, Lexington Pasta moved its operations into the restaurant’s spacious kitchen and has since grown its capacity to ship orders statewide. Today, Romero’s mission has expanded to helping fellow culinary entrepreneurs realize their vision through the Lexington Incubator Kitchen. Opened in 2015, the shared commercial kitchen is located behind Pasta Garage and outfitted with all of the equipment up-and-coming restaurateurs need to launch their business or take it to the next level. The Lexington Incubator Kitchen is already baked into the origin stories of well-known Lexington eateries such as Lexington Diner, DV8 Kitchen, J. Gumbo’s and Crank & Boom Craft Ice Cream.

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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The earliest partnerships went so well, Romero said he decided to keep the momentum going and allow more fledgling restaurant operators into the fold. “I realized that my overhead was really low having them here, and we were helping each other out,” he said. Although he fields many requests, Romero is selective about who ultimately joins the kitchen. He sits down with applicants to discuss their business plans and needs in detail, and participants undergo a two-month trial period to ensure a good fit. Agreements are on month-to-month terms, with most lasting two to three years. Participants have plenty of space to work, with access to shared ovens, grills, refrigerators, freezers and other commercial kitchen accoutrements. The set-up also features a customer pick-up area for businesses specializing in a carryout model, while other tenants use the kitchen to prep meals for delivery or to stock a food truck before hitting the road.

“The idea of the incubator [kitchen] is to have them for two or three years and help them move on to the next step, which is to open their own brick and mortar.” LESME ROMERO, PASTA GARAGE OWNER AND FOUNDER OF INCUBATOR KITCHEN

La Bonne Vie personal chef service, Sweetgrass Natural Foods, Pho KYtchen, Rise Up Pizza, JackedNutrition, Bayleaf Diaspora Kitchen and Moody Mike’s are among the businesses currently utilizing the kitchen, Romero said, adding there is currently a three-month waiting list for new tenants. Etel Wagner, chef/owner of Bayleaf Diaspora Kitchen, hails from Cape Verde, an island country off the west coast of Africa. She launched her culinary concept this past September, with weekly menus leaning toward comfort foods that reflect her love of global cuisine. Offerings in January, for example, included Hawaiian, Scottish, Cape Verdean, Cajun, southern United States and Moroccan fare. Jambalaya and spaghetti rank among her most popular sellers, she said. Customers place their orders by phone or text, and arrive at the in-

cubator kitchen for curbside pickup between 4 and 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays. Wagner currently fills about 30 to 40 orders a week, she said. Wagner has more than three decades’ experience in the restaurant industry, including a stint working at Dudley’s. While researching opening her own restaurant, she discovered information about the Lexington Incubator Kitchen online. “I had not ever heard of it, and it was five minutes from my house,” she said. Wagner said the cost of using the incubator kitchen is far less than leasing or buying her own space, with no need to renovate or to purchase large equipment. So far Wagner has signed on for a year but may stay another, she said. She plans to remain a one-woman operation for now. “If Lexington really likes me, then I’ll look at expanding,” she said.

PHOTOS BY BILL STRAUS

Operating as a carryout kitchen with a schedule of rotating weekly menus posted on its Facebook page each month, Bayleaf Diaspora Kitchen features “global comfort food” such as Kahlua pork over white rice, and shrimp maque choux over pasta (pictured above).

FEBRUARY 2021 || SMILEYPETE.COM

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In October 2020, married couple and business partners Antoine and Michael Harris (pictured l-r at left) launched the vegan food truck Moody Mike’s out of the Lexington Kitchen Incubator. The culinary concept focuses on all-vegan versions of popular “junk food” items, such as “shrimp” po’boys with housemade remoulade, New York bodega chop cheese sandwiches, oatmeal cream pies and bourbon balls (all pictured below left). PHOTOS BY BILL STRAUS

Launched last October, Moody Mike’s is a vegan food truck owned by husband-and-wife Antoine and Michael Harris, who are both vegan. The food truck operates two days a week so far and serves about 50 to 80 customers weekly, Antoine said. Moody Mike’s moniker arose when Michael couldn’t decide on a name for the food truck and, in mock exasperation, Antoine said she was being moody. “We really researched and searched our souls trying to find a name for this food truck, and I changed my mind every week,” she said, laughing. Moody Mike’s offers “totchos” — a base of tater tots topped with nacho toppings — as well as Impossible burgers and vegan shrimp po’ boys. Their vegan wings are also popular, Antoine said, with house-made sauces, including Hennessy BBQ, Four Roses bourbon BBQ and lemon pepper. The couple found information about Lexington Incubator Kitchen while researching commercial kitchen spaces. After a tour, meeting with Romero and a successful trial period, they estimate that they’ll work out of the kitchen for two years at the most. While hoping they can soon get back to serving at public events and festivals once the pandemic ebbs, their ultimate goal is to open a stand-alone restaurant. For now, the couple is planning their summer menu. The most rewarding part of operating Moody Mike’s so far? “It makes me so happy to see someone enjoying my food,” Michael said.

FEBRUARY 2021 || SMILEYPETE.COM

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SMILEY PETE’S RETAIL GUIDE Hot Yoga Studio offering daily classes open to all levels. Everyone is welcome. 111 Clay Avenue Shoppes on Clay 859-252-2004

PHOTO BY BILL STRAUS

Jessica and Allen Jackson operate their healthy meal prep business, Jacked-Nutrition, out of the Lexington Kitchen Incubator. The business focuses on providing nutritious, ready-made meals for active lifestyles.

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Other tenants include Jacked-Nutrition, a meal prep service that offers nutritious ready-made meals; the personal chef/catering service La Bonne Vie; and Sweetgrass Natural Foods, a company that produces small batch granola. Sweetgrass also does contract packing, or co-packing, for the local craft tea company IntegriTEA, bundling and packaging the loose leaf tea in their Lexington Kitchen Incubator workspace before it hits the shelves. While the revenue from the incubator kitchen helps Romero with his own expenses, he said he primarily enjoys meeting new restaurant owners and watching their projects flourish. He readily offers advice to the business owners and helps connect them with resources such as food suppliers, packaging and labeling vendors. Said Romero: “The idea of the incubator [kitchen] is to have them for two or three years and help them move on to the next step, which is to open their own brick and mortar.” ■

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Custom picture framing & imaging Mike & Letha Drury, Owners 1401 Versailles Road Lexington, KY 40504 859-253-3885 www.southhillgallery.com

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PHOTO BY BILL STRAUS

Owner/chef Ruth Ostermann’s catering and personal chef service, La Bonne Vie, was one of the first tenants to join the Lexington Incubator Kitchen. Offering weekly meal prep for individual families, the business features a customizable menu on its website.

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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DRINK OF THE MONTH

NEGRONI RECIPE AND PHOTO BY THERESA STANLEY

esigned to be an aperitif – a pre-dinner drink intended to open the palate and calm the mind – the classic Negroni is a botanical three-ingredient cocktail that’s both bold and balanced. A key ingredient in the cocktail is Campari, accentuated by bold orange, herb and floral notes in a mysterious botanical recipe that features up to 80 aromatics. While there are plenty of admirable variations to the classic Negroni recipe – the gin can be substituted by

bourbon or mezcal; the Campari can be replaced by its sweeter sister Aperol, another Italian regional variation – we’re focusing on the traditional three-ingredient recipe. Garnish with an orange peel – or, if you’re feeling “extra,” use a dehydrated orange wheel for an extra touch of sophistication. Wash, dry and thinly slice your citrus, dip in sugar if you’d like, and dry in the oven at 200 degrees for up to two hours, turning the fruit at the halfway point.

Ingredients: • 1 ounce gin • 1 ounce sweet vermouth • 1 ounce Campari • Orange peel or dehydrated wheel for garnish To a mixing glass add ice, gin, sweet vermouth and Campari. Using a bar spoon, stir until blended and well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with large ice cubes and garnish. If you prefer your cocktails neat, strain and serve in a chilled, stemless glass and garnish. ■

FEBRUARY 2021 || SMILEYPETE.COM

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ON OUR TABLE

FISH FRY THREE STYLES TO TRY LOCALLY AND AT HOME RECIPES AND PHOTOS BY THERESA STANLEY

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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rom Ash Wednesday to Easter, the tradition of fish fry Fridays becomes a culinary focus for many restaurants, churches and homes. To complement our guide to 40 local places to catch a great fried fish meal, we are also offering some guidance for folks wanting to try their hand at a recipe at home, too. Three styles of breaded fish – beer-battered, Cajun style and Southern style – each have a similar ingredient list of pantry staples, with a slight adjustment of ingredients and prep methods to differentiate the distinct styles. White fish (cod, haddock, grouper and others) is most popular with beerbattered, while catfish is widely used with Southern- and Cajun-style batters. Batters coat about two pounds of fish. (Pro tip: Don’t overcrowd fish when frying.)

Cajun Style Ingredients: • 1 cup all-purpose flour • ½ cup cornmeal • 1 ½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning • 1 egg, beaten until foamy • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • 1 teaspoon onion powder • 1 lemon, juiced • ½ teaspoon salt • Hot sauce, optional Method: Wash fish and pat dry. To a deep, heavy bottom pan, add one quart vegetable oil. Heat and maintain oil temperature at 375 degrees. Coat fish with lemon, salt and hot sauce, and set aside. To a shallow dish (pie pan works great), add remaining dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and onion powder), mixing with a fork to combine seasonings. In a separate shallow dish, beat egg. Dip fish in egg then place into dry mixture, turning to coat the entire piece. Gently place in hot oil, cooking for two to three minutes (depending on size of fillet) before turning to cook on the opposite side for another minute or so, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.

PHOTO BY THERESA STANLEY

Beer Battered

Southern Style

Ingredients:

• 1 1⁄3 cup beer, lager • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 1 large egg, lightly beaten • 1 tablespoon garlic powder • 1 tablespoon paprika • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1 ½ cups cornmeal • 1 cup milk • ½ cup all-purpose flour • ½ teaspoon salt • ½ teaspoon pepper • ½ teaspoon paprika • ¼ teaspoon cayenne • ¼ teaspoon oregano

Method:

Wash fish and pat dry. To a deep, heavy bottom pan, add one quart vegetable oil. Heat and maintain oil temperature at 375 degrees.

In a shallow pan, season prepared fish with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, garlic powder, paprika and seasoned salt, stirring until well mixed. Stir in the egg. Whisk in beer until no flour lumps remain. Dip fish in batter, then gently add to hot oil. Fry about four minutes, flipping fish about midpoint if it did not flip on its own. Cook until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a wire rack to maintain crispy coating.

In a shallow pan, combine milk, flour, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne and oregano. To a separate pan, add cornmeal. Dip fish into flour batter then place in the cornmeal pan, coating both sides. Gently place fish in hot oil, cooking four to five minutes and turning midway. Cook until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. ■

FEBRUARY 2021 || SMILEYPETE.COM

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Local Fried Fish and King Cake Guide With Fat Tuesday fast approaching and Lenten season on its tail, we wanted to provide a list for both occasions of local spots to pick up traditional fare, fried fish and king cakes.

SMILEY PETE’S DINING GUIDE

We recommend calling these restaurants, bakeries and cafes in advance to ensure availability. Craft Beers, Craft Cocktails, Wine Housemade Sausages, Salads, Sandwiches, Entrees

Fried Fish Guide Serving the freshest sushi in town, Aqua chefs offer sushi lovers rare flavors and perfectlyexecuted classics. And the Crab Rangoon? Just try it! Aqua Sushi is made to order in all Malone’s, Harry’s and Drake’s locations.

These 40-plus locations listed below each feature fried fish on the menu not only during Lent but also year-round as well. We hope this guide will help get you through fish fry Fridays and then some! • Bear & The Butcher • Bonefish Grill • Charlie’s Seafood & Carryout Restaurant • Columbia Steakhouse • Distilled on Jefferson • Drake’s • El Rancho Tapatio • Goodwood BrewPub • Hall’s On The River • Harry’s American Bar & Grill • Honeywood Restaurant • Horse & Jockey Pub & Kitchen • Josanne’s Homestyle Kitchen • Josie’s • KSBar & Grille • Lexington Diner • Lexington Seafood Company • Lynagh’s Pub • Malone’s • Merrick Inn • Mi Mi’s Southern Style Cooking • Mi Pequena Hacienda • Mr. Brews Taphouse • Mr. Krabs & Bean’s BBQ • O’Neill’s • Oscar Diggs • Palmer’s Fresh Grill • Parkette Drive In • Ramsey’s Diner • Richie’s • Seafood Lady • Shamrock Bar & Grille • Sidebar Grill • Smithtown Seafood • Sutton’s • The Cellar Bar & Grill • The Grey Goose • The Ketch Seafood Grill • Thoroughbred Restaurant • Wallace Station • Windy Corner Market • Zim’s Cafe

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815 Euclid Ave. • Lexington 859.469.9188 www.bearandthebutcher.com

Monday Closed Tues.-Thurs. 4pm-8pm Fri.-Sat. 11am-9pm Sun. 11am-8pm

Since 1948. Three Lexington Locations: 201 N. Limestone 859-253-3135 2750 Richmond Rd. 859-268-1666 Express: 125 Southland Dr. 859-313-5300 columbiasteakhouse.com Catering Available

3347 Tates Creek Rd. • 859.335.6500 390 E. Brannon Rd. • 859.447.8411 Text-To-Go • 859.285.0405 www.drakescomeplay.com HAMBURG DRAKE’S COMING IN 2019!

PHOTO BY THERESA STANLEY

King Cake by Martine’s Pastries

King Cake Guide A traditional French delicacy, king cake has been heavily incorporated into New Orleans culture and beyond since 1870 – particularly during Carnival season, which stretches from the Epiphany on Jan. 6 to Fat Tuesday in February. The oval-shaped dessert is typically made from rich pastry dough with colorful sprinkles and icing and a variety of fillings, such as cinnamon, cream and fruit. Inside each cake is a small “king” figurine, with the person who finds the king having the honor of being “king for a day.” • Backroads Bakery (pre-order through Feb. 10) • Bourbon N’ Toulouse (available Fat Friday to at Tuesday) • Caramanda’s Bake Shoppe • Donut Days Bakery • Gumbo Ya Ya • J. Gumbo’s on Limestone • Magee’s Bakery (48-hour pre-order) • Martine’s Pastries • Midway Bakery and Cafe • Mondelli’s Bakeshop • Ranada’s Kitchen • Roulay Restaurant & Bar • Sweet Creations Bakery ■

Home of the mini burger and Aqua sushi, known for signature cocktails and hand-selected wines; Harry’s has something for everyone. Text-To-Go: 859.940.0301) 859.264.8023 • Text-To-Go: 859.940.0301 3735 Palomar Centre Dr. (Palomar) 859.977.2620 • Text-To-Go: 859.940.4295

Lexington Signature Steakhouse offers prime steaks, seafood, fresh sushi and house favorites in an upscale and relaxed atmosphere. Taste the tradition!

bluegrasshospitality.com | 859.335.6500

PIZZA & GRINDERS

1590 Leestown Road • Lexington, KY 40511 859.253.2299 • lexingtonmancinos.com

OBC Kitchen is a local, chef-driven restaurant that houses an extremely rare bourbon collection, eclectic craft beer selection and extensive wine list. 3373 Tates Creek Rd. 859.977.2600 obckitchen.com

Craft burgers and cocktails LUNCH DINNER SATURDAY BRUNCH 438 S. Ashland Avenue 859-523-2095 thesagerabbit.com

Located inside downtown Lexington’s historic courthouse, Zim’s serves from a menu inspired by the bounty of Kentucky farms.

215 W. Main St., Suite 25 • (859) 785-3690 Open 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily www.zimscafe.com

SMILEYPETE.COM || FEBRUARY 2021

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PETE’S PROPERTIES Recent Residential Property Transactions

3453 Aldershot Dr. $227,000 132 Penmoken Park $230,000 3097 Arrowhead Dr. $200,000 840 Tomahawk Trl. $168,000 201 Jesselin Dr. $100,000 40504 1420 Saddle Club Way $300,000 2429 Parterre Pl. $263,500 2356 Le Havre Rd. $162,000 2421 Seine Rd. $85,000

40502 1025 Turkey Foot Rd. $1,385,000 404 Culpepper Rd. $880,000 488 Seeley Dr. $799,000 493 Seeley Dr. $775,000 3109 Tates Creek Rd. $645,000 181 Kentucky Ave. $615,000 2137 Island Dr. $589,500 2152 Lakeside Dr. $569,900 192 Sherman Ave. $485,000 212 Sherman Ave. $482,500 293 S. Ashland Ave. $475,000 2010 Bixby Way $475,000 2938 Montavesta Rd. $449,000 348 Queensway Dr. $435,000 720 Cramer Ave. $417,500 160 Lincoln Ave. $417,500 665 Mt. Vernon Dr. $369,000 640 Cooper Dr. $345,000 3246 Pepperhill Rd. $315,000 3336 Nantucket Dr. $315,000

264 Sherman Ave. $289,000 163 Bassett Ave. $247,000 149 N. Ashland Ave. $232,500 436 Oldham Ave. $194,900 308 Given Ave. $182,500 308 Hanover Ct. $130,000 40503 3256 Marston Pl. $493,500 3149 Arrowhead Dr. $475,000 134 Barberry Ln. $420,000 337 Arcadia Park $407,750 332 Arcadia Park $391,250 224 Melbourne Way $329,000 102 Hiltonia Park $317,000 2021 St. Stephens Green $317,000 924 Palomino Ln. $305,000 520 Wellington Way $286,000 504 Retrac Rd. $285,000 3493 Aldershot Dr. $275,000 611 Halifax Dr. $258,000

40513 2268 Savannah Ln. $980,000 3100 Chadbourn Ln. $600,000 1224 Kannapolis P.l $539,524 3073 Old Field Way $517,000 3276 Malone Dr. $495,000 3309 Lyon Dr. $435,000 4781 Firebrook Blvd. $420,000 4149 Palomar Blvd. $392,000 2077 F.t Harrods Dr. $365,000 3605 Robinhill Way $289,900 2145 Ft. Harrods Dr. $215,000 40514 4720 Matthew Ct. $387,000 2221 Dogwood Trace Blvd. $309,000 2465 English Station Dr. $210,000 40515 4873 Wyndhurst Rd. $585,000 2301 Elmspring Way $580,000 1016 Old Wood Ct. $388,000 2201 Broadhead Pl. $385,000 3605 Windfair Ln. $369,500 4569 Longbridge Ln. $368,000 485 Alderbrook Way $348,000 4636 Hickory Creek Dr. $318,500 4725 Carita Woods Way $318,000

BIGGEST MOVER: 1025 Turkey Foot Rd. $1,385,000 4529 Windstar Way $254,500 3916 Kenesaw Dr. $252,000 1156 Four Wynds Trl. $242,000 1201 Yorkshire Ct. $241,500 4425 Lancaster Ct. $230,000 4512 Graves Dr. $228,500 820 Lauderdale Dr. $217,000 3456 Featheridge Dr. $165,000 4512 Hartland Pkwy. $165,000 ■

709 Brookstone Ct. $315,000 1025 Turnberry Ln. $301,000 4136 Bridgemont Ln. $300,000 1116 Weldon Ct. $290,000 4459 Rose Dale Ct. $285,000 1124 Weldon Ct. $280,000 4473 Aligan Way $276,000 1115 Rockbridge Rd. $270,500 4529 Windstar Way $254,500

Recent arm’s length residential sales for this magazine’s distribution area. Information compiled by Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator David O’Neill. For more information on any of these properties, or others, please visit www.fayettepva.com.

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Bluegrass

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The Penthouses at City Center Pricing Available on Request

631 W. Main St. #102 $285,000

1130 Providence Ln. $379,000

5768 Tates Creek Rd. $699,000

Whitney Durham 859.983.9500

Fred Copeland 859.619.2100

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121 S. Hanover Ave. $799,900

2333 The Woods Ln. $875,000

1125 Bridlewood Ln. $2,100,000

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Representing fine homes in ALL price ranges.

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333 S. Upper St. #102

$395,900

1818 charm meets modern architecture in this 3-story fully refurbished downtown condo. 1,847 sq. ft., 3 BR/ 2.5 BAs, exposed brick and ceiling rafters, updated kitchen with new appliances, charming outdoor enced yard, reserved parking behind home.

*The House at Rueil by Edouard Manet, used with permission. Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty Logo are service marks licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC and used with permission. Bluegrass RE, LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. Any services or products provided by independently owned and operated franchisees are not provided by, affiliated with or related to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC nor any of its affiliated companies.

INTERNATIONAL REALTY

200 Morgan St., Versailles

$645,000

Renovated Federal style home downtown Versailles! 4 BRs/3 BAs, 5,100 sq. ft., high ceilings, gorgeous foyer, refinished floors, elevator access to 2nd level, 2 outbuildings (one could be a guest cottage). Must see!

230 Legacy Dr., Nicholasville

$1,195,000

Legacy Estates! Stylishly decorated and beautifully constructed home located on a 1 acre private lot in Jessamine Co.! 5 BRs/4 full + 3 half BAs, 8,610 sq. ft., 10’ and 20’ ceilings, Geothermal HVAC, finished basement with bar and kitchen, 3-car garage.

3093 Bobwhite Trail

$1,199,000

Ashford Oaks! Gorgeous home featuring 4 BRs/4.5 BAs, and 4,900 sq. ft. of custom living space. Hardwood floors, high ceilings, family room with home theater system and heated salt water pool! Ashford Oaks is adjacent to Greenbrier Country Club.

The Penthouses at City Center ONLY FIVE UNITS REMAINING

103 S. Limestone #1140 1 BR, 1.5 BAS • 1,609 SQ. FT. $995,000 103 S. Limestone #1130 1 BR, 1.5 BAS • 2,171 SQ. FT. $1,346,000 103 S. Limestone #1030 2 BR, 2.5 BAS • 2,586 SQ. FT. $1,595,000 103 S. Limestone #1220 2 BR, 2.5 BAS • 3,776 SQ. FT. $2,625,000 103 S. Limestone #1210 2 BR, 2.5 BAS • 5,269 SQ. FT. $3,660,000

Becky Reinhold Principal Broker

c 859.338.1838 • o 859.268.0099 www.bgsir.com • becky@bgsir.com

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Family Meals SERVES FOUR

Grilled Filet Mignon $75 Grilled Atlantic Salmon $75

Grilled Filet Mignon & Fried Chicken Combo $65

Mini Cheeseburgers $49

Grilled Filet Mignon & Grilled Salmon Combo $75

Maloneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Buttermilk Fried Chicken $59

Mini Cheeseburgers & Fried Chicken Combo $55

Family meals include salad, bread and two sides. Available for carry-out and delivery.* *Carry-out only available from OBC Kitchen/Maloneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prime Events & Receptions, 3373 Tates Creek Road, by calling 859-977-2600. Delivery available via DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats. Delivery fees may apply.

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