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FRANKFORT,
Ky. — From Millionaire's Row and Jockey Club Suites
to every concession stand, all smoked pork served Kentucky
Derby weekend will come from Kentucky farmers who got
a major boost because of Churchill Downs executive chef
Gil Logan.
Logan
ordered 12,000 pounds of pork from John Medley and his
nine producers connected to Happy Hollow Farms of Washington
County. Logan sought nearly $200,000 of prime Kentucky
beef cuts and hopes to close the beef deal next year
so that everything on the Derby menu comes from Kentucky.
“Chefs
who aren't seeking out Kentucky products are the stupidest
people on the planet,” Logan said with bluntness and
a smile. “Why look all over the country for something
that I can get across the street for a nickel more a
pound and that I know does not have a single preservative
or additive?”
Within
one day, Medley was able to fill an order for more than
1,000 hogs and have six tons of pork to Logan's barbecue
smokers at Churchill Downs.
Logan
placed a similarly large order for Kenny's Country Cheese
of Barren County, for jam from WindStone Farms in Bourbon
County, and for honey, Derby pies and more from other
Kentucky producers. Even the mint for the mint juleps
comes from a Kentucky Proud producer – Bill Dohn,
a Jefferson County herb grower with a large greenhouse
operation.
“When
you consider what the Kentucky Derby means to horse
racing and the history of Kentucky, the food needs to
be as steeped in tradition as the Derby,” Logan said.
Logan
said Kenny's cheese is an example of the old ways. “This
is handcrafted, artisan cheese just like it was done
in the late 1800s,” Logan said.
Logan
is employed by Levy Restaurants, a premier skybox food
and entertainment group that serves top professional
sporting events nationwide. Logan has served as executive
chef at the home of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh
Pirates and at Pro Player Stadium in Miami.
“We
already know what Churchill Downs means to the horse
industry,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said.
“We are especially grateful to them for providing another
boost to Kentucky agriculture because of Chef Logan's
vision.”
Commissioner
Farmer also credited SYSCO-Louisville Food Services
Co. as “a great corporate citizen working hard to expand
the offering of Kentucky products for the restaurant
industry.” The nation's largest food distributor coordinated
Medley's pork order and delivery.
For
more details about Kentucky Proud, a photo and biography
of Chef Logan, and links to Levy Restaurants and Churchill
Downs, go to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's
Web site at www.kyagr.com .
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