Press Releases
Dinner features Kentucky Proud and benefits Hopkins Community Clinic
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
For more information contact:
Ted Sloan
(502) 564-1138
MADISONVILLE, Ky. — Guests at Number 9 Steakhouse were treated to a six-course Kentucky Proud meal Monday night in Madisonville. A sellout crowd of 75 guests, including Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, state Rep. Ben Waide, and Madisonville Mayor David Jackson, enjoyed dishes made from foods grown, raised, or processed in Kentucky by Kentuckians and prepared by one of Madisonville’s leading chefs.
“The Farm to Table Dinner was a great opportunity to show off our outstanding Kentucky Proud foods,” Commissioner Comer said. “Kelly and Eric Madison do a great job of using local foods in their restaurant and also promoting the importance of buying local in the community.”
“Local food has better flavor, and it still has all its proteins and nutrients,” said Eric Madison, co-owner and executive chef of Number 9 Steakhouse. “It’s better when you can get something that’s out of the ground and right to the back door as opposed to something that’s been sitting in a truck for a week.” Buying local also helps other small businesses in the community, Madison said.
Proceeds from the Farm to Table Dinner and a silent auction benefited the Hopkins County Community Clinic.
The dinner spotlighted a cross-section of Kentucky Proud producers, including:
Alltech Angus Beef, Nicholasville
Boone Creek Creamery, Lexington
Bourbon Barrel Foods, Louisville
Father’s Country Hams, Bremen
Grateful Greens, Louisville
Haag’s Hens, Madisonville
Hanson Berry Farms, Madisonville
J.E.B. Farms, Marion
Joe Hilton Farms, Olmstead
Kentucky Aquaculture Association, Frankfort and Danville
Lost Lighthouse Ranch, Manitou
Magney Legancy Farm, Princeton
Prairie Farms Dairy, Somerset (Udderly Kentucky milk)
Townsend Sorghum Mill, Jeffersonville
Twin Maple Farms, Anton
Weisenberger Mill, Midway
Five wines from Lovers Leap Winery of Lawrenceburg were paired with the dishes, and a representative of Lovers Leap attended the dinner to talk about the wines and Kentucky’s grape and wine industry.
Commissioner Comer said he and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s marketing staff will work with local officials, business leaders, and producers to expand the Kentucky Proud program in the Madisonville area.
“More and more restaurants are serving Kentucky Proud foods because of their quality and freshness,” Commissioner Comer said. “But families also can enjoy Kentucky Proud foods at home. I hope this event will raise awareness about the wonderful Kentucky Proud foods that are available in this area and all over the commonwealth.”
Kentucky Proud is the official state farm marketing program. Thousands of producers, processors, retailers, restaurants, farmers’ markets, school districts, Kentucky state parks, and Kentucky Farm Bureau roadside markets are members of Kentucky Proud. The program is supported through grants from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund and administered by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
For more information about Kentucky Proud, including a directory of members, go to www.kyproud.com. For information about Kentucky’s more than 65 wineries, go to www.kentuckywine.com or download the free Kentucky Wine Trails app for iOS or Android.
