Rural chef is 'queen of the food scene' in Kentucky and recognized nationally; webinar tonight to discuss cookbook

Ouita Michel (Photo by Rob Bolson)

One might expect to head to a major city for nationally recognized restaurant food, but Central Kentuckians are lucky enough to have Ouita Michel nearby. Michel, who owns eight restaurants in and around Lexington, has been nominated multiple times for James Beard Foundation awards ("Oscars of the food world")for Outstanding Restauranteur and Best Chef in the Southeast.

She earned those nominations by serving up locally sourced cuisine with home-cooked flair, reflecting her childhood in rural Wyoming and New Orleans and her life in Kentucky since 1972, Rob Bolson reports for Kentucky Monthly. Using local products has a dual purpose, hen reports: "As stated on her website, her use of local foods helps sustain Bluegrass-area family farms and provides her customers with the freshest, best-tasting fine cuisine. Her restaurants reportedly have purchased more than $3 million of Kentucky-grown meats, dairy products, fruits and vegetables over the past 20 years."

Michel gives back in other ways. "She is a board member of Lexington’s FoodChain, a nonprofit food incubator, and founder of FEAST (Food Equity and Access Sustains Tomorrow), a fundraiser for FoodChain that celebrates women chefs. FoodChain’s mission is to forge links between the community and fresh food through education and demonstration of sustainable food systems," Bolson reports. "Michel also is an alumna of the James Beard Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change, a collaborative for chefs who work to improve the world’s food systems. She was recognized earlier this year on Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2021 'Power List' for how she is building community among businesswomen in the industry."

Michel will discuss her newest cookbook, Just a Few Miles South, in a free webinar tonight hosted by the Kentucky Book Festival. The hour-long event will begin at 7 p.m. ET. Click here to read more or register.