Alltech Rebelation
Previewing the Alltech Rebelation symposium.
So, I recently had a couple of really good ideas that could become exciting business opportunities. That alone isn't cause for celebration. Most of us have really good ideas every day.
Think of it this way: Once upon a time, somebody thought up the idea that peanuts would taste even better if they were ground into a buttery paste. Then, a Lexington-based businessman named William T Young stepped in, and THEN we had JIF Peanut Butter as we now know it. Of course, y'all know that explanation is wildly oversimplified; there were mergers and patents and recipes and decades of hard work along the way. Good ideas only become great businesses when you have the right mix of inspiration, hard work, and a great support system.
I'm super-excited to attend Alltech's Rebelation Symposium next week as I take my own inspiration to business plan stage, assemble my support system, and hopefully build something great.
Alltech, of course, is the central Kentucky-based animal health and nutrition company that has brought us everything from algae farms to Kentucky Ale to the World Equestrian Games. The company has made a huge impact on the Lexington business landscape, and they've put together an incredible event focusing on big ideas in business, food & beverage industries, and agriculture, with sub-tracks focusing on everything from building digital businesses to distilling whiskey. Speakers include Colin Powell, Coach Calipari, Bill Samuels, and Alltech's founder and president Dr. Pearse Lyons. From farmers to marketers to techies, there's a presentation for everyone!
If you're local to Kentucky, you still have plenty of time to register and attend Rebelation, which will be held Sunday through Wednesday (May 17-20) at the Lexington Center. You also won't want to miss the Craft Brews and Food Fest on Saturday from noon to 8 pm.
Make sure to follow along on HerKentucky's Twitter and Instagram as I attend the event! Hope to see y'all there!
Western Kentucky Barbecue is Better Than Your Barbecue
For fans of Western Kentucky-style barbecue, only the original will suffice!
I may just be the world's biggest barbecue snob.
I'll eat your smoked pork shoulder or your crockpot pulled pork or the ribs in store-bought barbecue sauce that you think are so legendary. Every once in a while, I'll order a plate of barbecue just to see if someone can do it right. I'll eat them all and I may even enjoy some of it. To me, though? That's not barbecue. That's as different from barbecue as hamburgers are from salmon filets. It might still taste good, and I'll still congratulate you for slaving over your hot grill, but inside, I'll be reminiscing about real barbecue and feeling sorry that you've missed out on it.
See? I told you that I was a barbecue snob.
I'm from Western Kentucky. Owensboro, specifically, which calls itself the barbecue capital of the world. I can accept that. The region is renowned for its International Barbecue Festival and the famous Moonlite Barbecue restaurant. Here's a barbecue snob inside tip - that's not real barbecue either. Oh, it's good food. I won't deny that. Eating at Moonlite is an experience not to be missed when in Owensboro. It is a buffet of southern culinary delight of epic proportions. The pies alone are worth the trip. So, yes. Go eat there. Enjoy!
If you ever find yourself in Owensboro during the summer, though, try your hardest to find a local Catholic parish's annual picnic. This is where the real barbecue is.
Photo by E. Gish. ca. 1985
When I was a child, my grandparents lived on the church grounds of St. Augustine Catholic Church in Reed, Kentucky where my grandfather was the caretaker. Never heard of it? You aren't alone. A few years ago, the Transportation Cabinet re-routed about a two-mile portion of Highway 60 in Henderson County. Before that, you could tell you were in Reed because of the small green sign that told you so. I'm not even sure that they installed a new sign when the new road was built.
We celebrated the Fourth of July with the church's annual picnic. It was a key fundraiser for the parish and featured barbecue, burgoo, a Bingo stand, games like ring toss and cake walk and the best stand ever (if you asked my cousins and I) - the Toy Store stand. The toy store had grab bags for sale for $1. We'd hit up each of our grandparents, aunts and uncles for contributions to feed our grab bag addictions. As a kid, the toy store definitely trumped the food.
As an adult, knowing that the picnic no longer is an annual occurrence (dwindling volunteer efforts, increased gaming and food regulations caused the event to end), I find myself reminiscing more and more about the food.
During the week leading up to the picnic, the church grounds were a bustle of activity. The men busied themselves cleaning out the barbecue pits - long, concrete block-laid structures that would be filled with wood for the barbecue fire and covered with wire mesh and laid with chicken, pork and mutton. The men would also be cleaning out and seasoning the giant burgoo kettles (imagine a HUGE witches cauldron). The women of the parish would be in the basement of the old school house, peeling, slicing and dicing all of the burgoo's vegetable ingredients. They would fill huge washtubs with cabbage, corn, tomatoes, and onions - all while socializing and constantly telling the kids to get out from under their feet and go outside to play.
(A quick note about burgoo. The word is just about like "Louisville" with all of its various pronunciations. A lot of Central Kentucky folks pronounce it with a sound at the end that makes it rhyme with "bamboo." In my family, it's got a long "u" sound. I contend that we're right simply because I like to be right. Also? It's Louh - vul. Two syllables.)
Back to the food. Our variety of Western Kentucky barbecue centers mainly around barbecue chicken. Chicken halves and quarters are laid flat on the barbecue pits and then a barbecue dip (featuring lots of oil, vinegar, black pepper, lemons, and pickling spice) is applied with a mop at regular intervals. You eat it with your hands and it's very messy but very tasty. I'm a weirdo who has issues with eating meat with the bones still in it, so barbecue chicken was never my favorite.
Mutton was always where it was for me. Lots of WKy barbecue restaurants feature chopped mutton sandwiches, but I prefer it just coarsely diced. Big hunks of meat that have been boiled, then barbecued with dip. It is fan-freaking-tastic and definitely in my top three favorite foods.
Burgoo is a family favorite, but I always found it off-putting to eat boiling hot soup in the heat of summer. I loved watching the men work the burgoo kettles, though. You want to talk about hot? Try nine enormous kettles of boiling stew with wood fires below. Each kettle had to be constantly stirred. The men had long paddle-like stirrers that allowed them at least a few feet of distance from the heat of the kettles. The best thing was always to buy a few gallons of burgoo to put in the freezer. It's a perfect, hearty winter meal.
Now that the St. Augustine picnic no longer happens every July 4th, I've not had good picnic barbecue in quite a while. You can still find church picnics in the area. Each one has its own special method of cooking and its own special recipe. None of it quite replicates the barbecue and burgoo I remember from my youth.
However, my family regularly gets together to replicate the food on a smaller scale. My aunts are pros at making the barbecue dip ahead of time. My uncles perform a well-choreographed dance around the grills to mop, dip, flip the meat (the secret is having a good hose-man to put out the flare ups of fire). My uncles also bought a smaller burgoo kettle for special occasions. My dad constructed a paddle to stir it. Family events aren't complete without centering around barbecue. Family friends ask when our next party will be so they can come have some. Family weddings aren't complete without it as our main course.
Barbecue is a personal thing for a lot of people. Across the country, you'll find a different variety for every state or city you go to. I can understand that you think your particular favorite is the best. You probably think it's the best for the same reasons I think Western Kentucky Catholic Church barbecue is the best. In the South, barbecue is a constant in our lives. The tastes and smells can take us back to the lazy summers of our youth. We can remember just what Grandpa looked like as the King of the Grill long after an uncle or your dad has taken over those duties. Barbecue is a special tradition. In my family, it's nearly a sacred one.
If you're interested, check out this recipe for Crockpot Burgoo , submitted by my Aunt Jan to the St. Augustine Parish Centennial Cookbook.
The Best Kentucky-Themed Gifts for Grads and Newlyweds!
When your friends and loved ones are undertaking new beginnings, the best gift is a little piece of home!
It's the season for new beginnings. College and graduate school graduations are wrapping up, high school graduations are just around the corner, and pretty soon, you'll be attending a wedding every weekend. With these wonderful accomplishments come cross-country moves, new starts, and lots of changes. This year, why not send your loved ones out into the world with a little piece of their Old Kentucky Home to remind them of their heritage?
I wear my Maya Brenner Designs Kentucky pendant with everything. Seriously, I go for like a week at a time without taking it off. I love the symbolism of keeping Kentucky close to my heart. This would be a fantastic gift for a recent grad or bride who's moving to a new state, starting a new career, or simply loves the Bluegrass State!
This Hand-Embroidered Kentucky Pillow from UncommonGoods is pretty high on my own must-have list. It's such a gorgeous and unique way to celebrate all of the unique aspects of your home state! I love the way our friend Allison gets a new embroidered state pillow each time she moves for her husband's work. (He's an NFL player, so they've moved a little bit, but Kentucky will always be their home!)
This Richwood Creations "State Silhouette" Cutting Board is almost too pretty to use, but it certainly makes an elegant piece for newlyweds or for the professional school graduate who wants to add a sophisticated flair to a new home.
For most Kentuckians, no matter where we live, the Bluegrass State will always be home. These etched-glass coasters proclaim that sentiment tastefully.
For the graduate who's looking to furnish a new office, a Kentucky-themed clock makes a stylish statement. This one from Green Leaf Art adds a fun and tasteful touch of the Commonwealth to any space.
Here's to new beginnings and celebrating your roots!
Nurses on Horseback: Mary Breckinridge, Lilly Pulitzer, and the Frontier Nursing Service
How the scion of a 19th century political dynasty brought safe childbirth to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky.
This piece first ran on HerKentucky in March 2013. In honor of Nurses Appreciation Week, HerKentucky would like to thank all of the pioneers like Mary Breckinridge who established quality nursing care in the Commonwealth.
Yesterday, I read a biography of Lilly Pulitzer. Now, when I picked that book up, I expected to hear the story that we Lilly collectors have heard time and again -- a bored Palm Beach housewife started a juice stand and inadvertently became a fashion icon. Lilly's life took her from Westchester County to Southern Florida; I certainly didn't expect to find that there was a layover in the most remote corners of Eastern Kentucky in-between. It turns out that, after dropping out of college, the young woman then known as Lilly McKim undertook a stint as a nurse's aide at the Mary Breckinridge Hospital. Before she married into the famed Pulitzer publishing family or designed the dresses about which I obsess every spring, Lilly acted as both a nurse's aide and a courier, riding horses and mules to Frontier Nursing Service's outposts in Leslie, Perry, Clay, and Harlan Counties. It must have been some juxtaposition for a privileged young woman who'd attended prep school with Jacqueline Bouvier and her cousin Edith Bouvier Beale (Y'all -- Little. Edie.) to live and work in 1940s southeastern Kentucky. As I read Lilly's story, I tried to think of what life was like for the women who worked as midwives in that era. I also realized that, although I'd heard so many times that the Frontier School of Nursing and Mary Breckinridge Hospital were invaluable services for the areas just south of my hometown, I didn't know very much about their history.
Lilly Pulitzer in Palm Beach
via FNS
It turns out that, like Lilly McKim, Mary Carson Breckinridge had a fascinating story of privilege. Born in Memphis in 1881, she was the daughter of a Congressman and the granddaughter of a Vice President . She spent much of her youth in St. Petersburg, after President Cleveland appointed her father as U.S. minister to Russia. Mary's early adulthood was marred by tragedy, including the unexpected loss of her first husband, a disastrous second marriage, and the deaths of her two young children. Mary relied upon faith and a commitment to public service as outlets for her grief. She studied nursing and became fascinated by the work of the nurse-midwife, which she learned about while working in Europe. At the time, midwifery training was not available in the United States, so she completed training in England. In 1925, Ms. Breckinridge returned to the States and founded the Kentucky Committee for Mothers and Babies, which would become the Frontier Nursing Service. By 1959, Frontier Nursing Service Midwives had attended over 10,000 home births.
Mary Breckinridge
Today, the Frontier Nursing Service operates a nursing school which offers Master and Doctoral level courses, maintains six rural clinics and a small hospital, and even operates Ms. Breckinridge's home as a Bed and Breakfast. Ms. Breckinridge's commitment to the health of women and children has led to to a better quality of life for countless Kentuckians. In addition to the lives saved from the midwives' service, the FNS has provided valuable educational and professional opportunities for a historically poor rural area. To this day, Mary Breckinridge Hospital is the second largest employer in Leslie County.
Ms. Breckinridge's story -- you can read more about her in her memoir "Wide Neighborhoods", which is available from University Press of Kentucky-- is truly inspiring. As I read of the Episcopal prayer services she led from her home every Sunday, I couldn't help thinking of my own family's stories of the commitment to decorum and manners that Alice Lloyd and June Buchanan maintained. No matter how long she lived on a college campus in a tiny Appalachian town, Miss June never failed to differentiate between a dress she'd wear for tea and one appropriate for breakfast.
As Women's History Month draws to a close, I am humbled at the thought that "society ladies" like Ms. Breckinridge, Mrs. Lloyd, Miss June, and my own style icon Mrs. Pulitzer traded in their lives of opulence to improve the lives of Eastern Kentucky. This isn't driving through a poor area and complaining about the lack of restaurants or cell signal, nor is it coming home from a Junior League charity project to open a bottle of wine and take a bubble bath. It's moving to a cabin in a town where you know no one -- in a time when there were barely roads or telephones. These ladies couldn't email or FaceTime, or use the Nordstrom's app to order new spring shoes. They moved their lives seemingly back in time to help others. Appalachian towns still benefit from these sacrifices decades later. It's an amazing legacy.
A Thank You to Kentucky Teachers
Kentucky teachers who've made a tremendous impact on the Commonwealth.
Here in Kentucky, we don't always get the best reputation for our educational system. A lot of persistent (and pernicious!) stereotypes about our collective intellect and education. Now, I personally grew up in a family of educators, and I can tell you so many stories about the amazing job that Kentucky teachers undertake. So many teachers I know freely spend their own time and money to fill in the gaps that public school funding may have missed. It's impossible to individually thank all the teachers who've worked to improve the quality of education in Kentucky, but here are a few of the most unique stories.
The First School House in Kentucky was built in 1783, near the site of the present-day Old Fayette County Courthouse. The school's teacher, the story goes, was attacked by a wildcat.
Interior of First School House in Kentucky
The Science Hill School was founded in 1825 by Julia Tevis, the wife of a Methodist minister. When Julia and her husband John were transferred from their Virginia home to a Louisville parish, they settled in nearby Shelbyville, where Julia worked on her vision of a boarding school for local girls. Science Hill was so named because the curriculum was far more intensive than the traditional finishing schools of the time, and because the campus sat upon a hill.
The Hindman Settlement School was founded in 1902 by May Stone and Katherine Pettit; it was the first rural settlement school in America. The school's principal during the 1940s, Fred Williams, was a Methodist missionary who'd spent time working to abolish the caste system in India; he considered Mahatma Ghandi an ally and personal friend.
Rowan County teacher and School Superintendent Cora Wilson Stewart was a pioneer of Adult Literacy Education. In 1911, she instituted a program known as "Moonlight Schools" in Rowan County; the schools were open in the evenings for adults who wanted to learn basic skills, especially reading. The movement soon spread throughout the Commonwealth and into other states. Mrs. Wilson soon published a local newspaper and reader to address the vocabulary that everyday adults would need to learn. You can learn more about Mrs. Wilson in Yvonne Honeycutt Baldwin's biography. It seems that, in addition to being a maverick in her professional life, Mrs. Wilson led an interesting personal life -- she was thrice-married, twice to the same gentleman!
A Kentucky moonlight school, led by teacher Gladys Thompson.
Greenup County native Jesse Stuart is perhaps the most celebrated of all Kentucky educators; his book of poetry, Man with a Bull-Tongue Plow, remained continuously in print for over 50 years, and his autobiographical novel The Thread that Runs So True is considered the definitive source of the teaching profession in 20th century Kentucky. Lest y'all think that the late Kentucky Poet Laureate was one-dimensional, we have it on good authority from our friends at Kentucky from Kentucky that "the Stuart family—male and female alike—was known as one of the toughest in the holler, and Jesse described himself as a 'first-class fighting man.'"
Here's to all the fascinating, colorful, brilliant and brave teachers who make Kentucky an infinitely better place! Thank y'all so very, very much!!
Kentucky Born and Bred
For Sarah Stewart Holland, it was important that her sons got the right start in life -- as Kentuckians.
Sarah Stewart Holland of bluegrass redhead first published this essay on HerKentucky in 2012. She has since added a third son to her family; he is also a proud Kentuckian! -- Heather
Recently, I was talking to two close friends about birth options in the Louisville area. Apparently, most women who would like to give birth with the assistance of a midwife and avoid an increased risk of medical intervention take the bridge across the river to Indiana.
"That's not an option for me," I told them.
"Why not," my friend asked.
"Because my child has to be born in Kentucky."
They insisted that their children were still Kentuckians really. They argued it doesn't really matter where you were born.
Maybe for some but not for me.
Both of my children are ninth-generation Kentuckians. For over two hundred years, almost every branch of my family tree has grown tall and strong in the fertile soil of Western Kentucky. Kentucky is in my blood.
There is something poetic and important about knowing you took your first breath on the same land as generations of your ancestors. There's a reason I get angry at Illinois - the supposed Land of Lincoln. Your land is where you were born and Abraham Lincoln was born IN KENTUCKY. (Mitch McConnell wasn't. Draw your own conclusions.)
Kentucky Born & Breaded Onesie via Kentucky for Kentucky.
I know it might seem silly or antiquated but I do believe there is a certain magic to the place of your birth. Not that you can't make another place your home. I first visited Washington, DC, when I was in middle school and my best friend remembers me saying dreamily, "I want to live here one day." And I did. And it will always hold a very special place in my heart.
But where Washington, DC might hold a little piece of real estate there, Kentucky has taken over every remaining crevice and corner like kudzu.
Deep down, I hope the state holds the same draw for my boys. I want them to grow and explore and travel all over the world but then - if I'm being honest - I'd like them to come home. Every time someone asks where they are from or where they were born I hope the answer draws them closer.
"I was born in Kentucky."
~ Sarah Stewart Holland
{As always, any political opinions expressed on a post belong to the individual contributor; HerKentucky, LLC does not endorse any political candidate.}
Derby Detox with B.You's B.Silque Yoga
Detoxing from Derby with Silque Yoga
It's that time of year, y'all. Those few days after Derby when we realize that, as amazingly fun as it all was, we kind of overdid it. Some of us partied like frat boys, investment bankers, or any other character that James Spader would play in a movie.
A gratuitous PiP reference for my '80s ladies.
Others of us didn't quite take it that far, but we certainly availed ourselves of the fun treats of the season -- bourbon, Derby Pie, and delicious, decadent appetizers were everywhere. I don't know about y'all, but I had an absolutely wonderful season of Derby Parties -- I took in the launch of Moët & Chandon's new label at the #MoëtMoment White Party, enjoyed amazing food, drinks, and friends at the Original Makers Club Pimento Cheese Social, tasted some of Kentucky's best wines at WineFest, and enjoyed the Historic Homes Foundation/ Garden & Gun Bourbon & Biscuits breakfast on Derby morning. (I even took over their Instagram for Derby Morning!) And... well, there may have been more parties. It's all one big blur of seersucker, and Lilly Pulitzer, and friends, and fun, and horse races, and trying to get some work done!
By yesterday morning, I was ready to relax and detox. I just wanted sparkling water, clean proteins, plant-based carbohydrates, and a gentle nudge back into normal, non-Derby life. My beau and I took in a morning movie (where I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why Mark Ruffalo's Hulk is so much taller than Lou Ferigmo's...) and I signed up for a B.Silque Yoga class at B.You Fitness.
It seemed right that, on my 30th class at B.You and on the first day of Derby Detox, I should try something new. Now, I've done plenty of yoga in the past, but to be honest, I've been more than a little apprehensive about trying a silque class. It just seemed so intimidating to integrate an aerial silk hammock into my workout routine.
It's more or less like regular yoga. Except for the part where you're hanging in a silk hammock.
When I got to the studio, I was relieved to see Beth, whom I know from the studio. She and I have taken classes together, she has been my instructor, and we have chatted many times. It was great to have a supportive instructor, especially one who knows my history of back injury.
I have to say, I absolutely loved the class! The silque was a great medium for enhancing stretches and reaching new positions and inversions. It was a little odd, at times, to realize that I was standing up in a hammock, suspended from the ceiling, but it soon felt natural, as though I was floating. One of my favorite things about my B.You instructors and classmates is that there is no room for competition and intimidation; the women are wonderfully supportive and friendly. We all acknowledged that flips and inversions are a challenge, and that even folks who'd achieved the postures in the past might not make it that day. It was a really freeing experience that helped everyone feel comfortable with their own yoga practice.
I can't wait to try more silque classes as I try to burn all of the Derby calories out of my system!
{This post was brought to you by B.You Fitness. All opinions are my own.}