Harvest Restaurant of 624 E Market St, Louisville, Kentucky last week was named a semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s “Best New Restaurant” Award.
The award honors “a restaurant opened in 2011 that already displays excellence in food, beverage and service and is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.” The Beard Award is known as the “Oscars of the food world” and will be presented on May 7 at the Lincoln Center in Manhattan, New York. The James Beard Foundation is a non-profit created in honor of Chef James Beard and is dedicated to recognizing the highest achievements of food and beverage professionals working in North America.
Harvest Restaurant Louisville is the brainchild of Louisville farmer and champion of the Local food movement, Ivor Chodkowski. He commented, “The standards are very high and we are up against some strong competition. There are twenty-eight other restaurants coming mostly from larger cities, places that are home to Beard award-winning chefs and restaurants, I was very surprised to be nominated… It’s a real honor to be considered one of the best restaurants in Louisville and we’re very excited. I think it’s great for Louisville and especially a triumph for the local food movement”.
The downtown Louisville restaurant exists with one philosophy, to produce outstanding regionally inspired cuisine from the freshest and finest local produce in a casual fine dining setting. Eighty percent of all food at Harvest comes from within a 100-mile radius of the city and much of it comes from Ivor’s own farm, Field Day Family Farm, located just five miles from the city centre. The walls at Harvest are lined with large black and white portraits of the farmers who supply the restaurant. When a visitor comes in they can see where the produce has come from that day by a large cork board map pinpointing the exact location of the farms.
Mr. Chodkowski is recognized as an authority and advocate of the ‘local food’ movement in the Kentuckian region. Since 1997 he has been instrumental in establishing the thriving Bardstown Road farmers market, along with the Louisville Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA). In February 2011 he was a guest speaker at the TEDx tele-conference on Local food production, which was broadcast to a global audience.
Since Harvest opened it’s doors to the public on 23 April 2011 both the customers and accolades have come rolling in – It has won the Open Table ‘Diners Choice’ award 2011 and attracted the attention of local and national media and has featured on ABC news and in numerous food industry magazines. The 2012 James Beard award finalists will be announced on March 19.
Visitors to the area can discover Harvest Restaurant Louisville at 624 E Market St Louisville KY. 40202 in the Downtown NuLu district. For reservations or to learn more about their Farm-to-table cuisine. Call (502) 384 9090. or visit www.HarvestLouisville.com.
