The Soy of Cooking

With the opening of its Eat Your Bourbon Marketplace, Bourbon Barrel Foods comes into its own as a complete lifestyle brand.

Written by Bridget Williams

Perennially clad in a chambray shirt and apt to run his fingers through his tousled blonde hair when talking, Matt Jamie projects an aura that's more SoCal surfer than gourmet food guru. Being cognizant of his confidence to a fault makes Jamie an approachable leader who readily admits that trials by fire are what have ultimately led to the global success of Bourbon Barrel Foods (BBF), which he founded in 2007.

Matt Jamie in the storefront of the Eat Your Bourbon Marketplace. Photo by Andrew Kung

Soy sauce is BBF's raison d 'être. The deceptively simple composition of ingredients in a bottle of soy sauce belies the present intricacies of running a business on a global scale that has its fingers in everything from cookbooks to charcuterie. Jamie's wise decision to age his soy sauce in repurposed bourbon barrels (what he calls his "sixth ingredient"), allowed him to hitch a ride on the wave of interest in bourbon that has made the Bluegrass State's native spirit a boon to many sectors of the economy.

When we last profiled BBF in our November/December 2013 issue, the company's portfolio boasted approximately 15 products, the bulk of which were developed in partnership with Woodford Reserve. Today the total number has burgeoned to 90 (and growing), heralding a paradigm shift Jamie said has taken place largely within the past three years. BBF is a singular sensation with few if any companies having a similar business model in the gourmet food category. Jamie credits learning to lean on the expertise of his team, which includes advisors who mirror his emotional investment in the brand, as essential ingredients in BBF's secret sauce of success. He jokes that the most important woman in his life is his CFO.

From the outset, Jamie has been cognizant of the power of storytelling and in his ability to promote fellow Kentucky producers who share his passion for perfection. In some cases, these collaborations, which incorporate existing BBF products into the creation of new ones, provide much-needed employment in rural areas. As an example, he singled out Joyce and Charlie Pinson of Friends Drift Inn in Pikeville, Kentucky, who create BBF's jams and jellies. The Pinsons are proponents of the Appalachian foodways movement, and Jamie said that while he could have gone anywhere for production, he waited for their enterprise, which sources all of its fruit from Kentucky, to be operational. "These are products with a purpose," he explained.

The convergence of BBF's expanding product line with Jamie's desire to replicate the experience of neighborhood bodegas he visited in Spain and Japan marks the apex of the company's methodical move to becoming a complete lifestyle brand.

The grab-and-go case features entrees and side dishes from the Eat Your Bourbon cookbook. Photo by Chris Witzke.

"Everything we've created over the past two years has rounded out the brand and filled in what we needed to complete the marketplace shopping experience," Jamie explained.

Occupying two conjoined storefronts on Frankfort Avenue in the Crescent Hill neighborhood, the Eat Your Bourbon Marketplace, which opened in November of last year, is likely the closest you'll ever get to stepping inside the pages of a cookbook. With very few exceptions, such as fresh produce, exotic mushrooms from Frondosa Farms, and KY Straight Ice cubes to name a few, nearly every product on offer in this gourmet grocery and neighborhood hangout is from the BBF product line.

Photo by Andrew Kung

North Country Lupo Salami & Fino Salami, Bourbon Barrel Foods Bourbon Smoked Paprika Sobrassada, Peppercorn Asiago Cheese, and Kentucky Blue Cheese served on a board made from bourbon barrel staves. Photo by Chris Witzke.

Settle into a lounge chair at the front of the marketplace and flip through a copy of Jamie's 2017 Eat Your Bourbon cookbook, or pick up a recipe card to use as a shopping list. You can also skip straight to the finish line by scooping up a prepared entrée, soup, sandwich, or side dish from the gourmet grab-and-go case (your secret is safe with us). If you can't wait until you get home, they'll heat up your selections on the spot, and you can enjoy it at the storefront counter or the bar.

The Eat Your Bourbon Marketplace. Photo by Andrew Kung.

Located at the rear of the marketplace, the full bar is a true homage to Kentucky's native spirit, starting with the physical space. The bar top is comprised of 290 barrel staves, and patrons face an accent wall created by a patchwork quilt-like configuration of steel squares Jamie aged in his backyard. The assemblage serves as an artful backdrop for showcasing BrownForman's full product lineup. There's an extensive craft cocktail and mocktail menu culled from the cookbook, along with wine and kombucha on tap. "If you like the cocktail you ordered, we can sell you the bourbon, the mixers, the glass, and the muddler," Jamie explained.

"It's a fun and unique one-stop-shop."

Old Forrester Perfect Old Fashioned. Photo by Andrew Kung.

Tapas-style plates available at the bar are executed with a Kentucky twist and showcase BBF's partnerships in everything from charcuterie and cheese to sorghum and sandwiches. Again, many of the dishes are adapted from the cookbook, so you can pick up the ingredients needed to recreate the dishes at home.

Hot pretzel with Bourbon Smoked Beer Cheese. Photo by Chris Witzke.

Jamie said that BBF's founding principle is "Innovate, Evolve, and Diversify," which pivoted to "Remain, Adapt, and Be At the Ready" during the pandemic. He cites his company’s agility as key in avoiding layoffs that have plagued so many other businesses during this time. As a gourmet grocery, Eat Your Bourbon Marketplace has remained open for curbside service and carryout and Jamie continues to work on establishing relationships with local producers to expand the grocery offerings. He said he is looking forward to the easing of distancing restrictions so that he can fully realize his vision for a true neighborhood marketplace that also serves as a reprieve for people visiting the Bourbon Trail.

"The Marketplace is an expression of me, the brand, and what we believe in," he said.

Photo by Andrew Kung

Eat Your Bourbon Marketplace is located at 2710 Frankfort Avenue in Louisville. For more information visit bourbonbarrelfoods.com, call 502.618.0939, or follow on Facebook at facebook.com/eatyourbourbonmarketplace/.

Turkey Benedictine and Bacon Sandwich and housemade Cherry Coke. Photo by Chris Witzke.