Tidbits: Dec-Jan 2017

Ho-ho-holiday ice creams

Holiday cheer just got sweeter with the launch of Holiday flavors from Louisville Cream, a small-batch gourmet ice cream company located in Louisville. The following flavors are available through Dec 31: 

• Salted Butter Caramel (caramel and sea salt ice cream)
• Peppermint Pretzel Stick (white chocolate ice cream with peppermint frosting and chocolate pretzels)
• Pumpkin Pecan Pie (pumpkin ice cream with a marshmallow swirl and pecan pie custard)
• Boozy Santa (chocolate milk ice cream spiked with bourbon and snickerdoodles)

Darryl Goodner started Louisville Cream in 2014 and now produces 70 gallons of unique flavor combinations every week. Frequently available at farmers’ markets and local events around Louisville, the gourmet ice cream is also available for catering and for purchase at all Rainbow Blossom Markets and at Old Town Wine & Spirits. For more information:

LouisvilleCream.com, RainbowBlossom.com, OldTownWine.com.
Email: info@louisvillecream.com.

Decca diva heads for “Top Chef”

Cheer on Annie Pettry, owner and chef of Decca restaurant in Louisville, as she competes in the 14th season of the popular culinary show “Top Chef.” The James Beard Award- and Emmy Award-winning competition series is set in Charlestown, South Carolina, and premieres Thursday, December 1, at 10pm EST on the BRAVO channel. The season features fast-paced culinary creations among 16 talented “chef-testants” who endure elimination-style battles for the ultimate title of Top Chef, and prizes including $125,000.

Always a nail biter, this season ups the ante by pitting eight new contestants against eight former “Top Chef” contestants who compete in the popular Sudden Death Quickfire and high-stakes challenges,
like cooking for BBQ king Rodney Scott, creating a holiday-themed Feast of Seven Fishes dinner, and vying for the honor of serving their winning dish at the coveted James Beard House in New York City.

Pettry’s culinary resume proves she’s a strong contender. After training at the International Culinary Center in New York, Pettry cooked alongside renowned chefs in New York City, Asheville and San Francisco before moving to Louisville to open Decca in 2012. At her restaurant, Pettry applies classic French technique to Southern and Midwestern ingredients, with an emphasis on wood-fired cooking. She was named one of Restaurant Hospitality’s “15 To Watch in 2015,” FOOD & WINE magazine’s “The People’s Best New Chef” nominee for the Southeast in 2015 and StarChefs’ Rising Star in 2014.

Bravotv.com/top-chef

New heavy hitter in the world of coffee 

If caffeine is your vice to start the day, or as a midday pick-me-up, you may want to put Megaton Coffee on your wish list. A new highly caffeinated coffee now being roasted at Good Folks Coffee in Louisville, Megaton Coffee is a mix of French and Vienna beans that promises a smooth mega flavor.

“After trying every high-caffeine coffee on the market I wondered whether being focused meant drinking disgusting brew. I set out to roast a coffee that would peel my eyelids back but still taste great,” said owner Josh Starr. Megaton is available online at MegatonCoffee.com.

GoodFolksCoffee.com

Dutch Creek Farm wins animal-welfare rating

Congratulations to Doug and Susan Schlosnagle, owners of Dutch Creek Farm, for receiving Animal Welfare Approved certification. This certification and food label lets consumers know animals are raised in accordance with the highest animal welfare standards in the U.S. and Canada, using sustainable agriculture methods on an independent family farm. 

Cattle are raised outdoors on pasture at Dutch Creek Farm. The cattle are rotationally managed, grazing one section of pasture before being moved to fresh fields. This type of management allows grass to recover before cows return to graze again; it also keeps the soil naturally fertilized and minimizes the build-up of internal parasites, thereby avoiding reliance on chemical treatments. The family has been raising cattle since 1981. 

Dutch Creek Farm beef is available through the farm’s online store (for local pickup), St. Matthews Farmers’ Market in Louisville and the Pleasureville Farmers’ Market and General Store.

DutchCreekfarms.com, 
dtchcrkfarm@aol.com
502-321-2727.

Distilling returns to Shelby County

Newly opened Jeptha Creed Distillery in Shelbyville is bringing craft distilling back to Shelby County for the first time since Prohibition. Started by mother-daughter team Joyce and Autumn Nethery, Jeptha Creed uses heirloom Bloody Butcher Corn grown by Joyce’s husband, Bruce, on the family’s 64-acre farm. 

“Bloody Butcher differentiates us from the big guys,” said Joyce Nethery, whose background in chemical engineering played a key role in the development of Jeptha Creed spirits. It also makes her one of three female distillers in Kentucky. Others include Marianne Barnes of Castle & Key and Pam Heilmann of Michter’s. Autumn, who studied brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, serves as marketing manager. 

The farm-to-bottle bourbon and spirits craft distillery offers an unflavored and honey-flavored vodka, and an unflavored and lemonade-flavored moonshine. In 2019, they will release their three bourbons: a high wheat, a high rye and a four grain.

Distillery tours are $10 and include a behind-the-scenes tour and tasting. Farm tours will be offered in the spring. In addition to the farm, 15,000-square-foot distillery and two barrel aging barns, Jeptha Creed also has a clubhouse for weddings and other events. Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 10am–6pm. Located just off the Bourbon Trail at 500 Gordon Lane, Shelbyville, 40065.

JepthaCreed.com.