This week on HerKentucky, we're talking about a few of my favorite things about Nashville. The Volunteer State's capital city is only a couple hours down the road from most parts of Kentucky, but it certainly has its own vibe. For me, Nashville is characterized by its music, its food, and its culture, and there's no food more uniquely Nashville than hot chicken!

Nashville-style hot chicken is one of those regional delicacies that can't really be described; you really have to try it for yourself. It's true Southern-style fried chicken, coated in a mixture of hot oil, cayenne pepper, spices, and a touch of sugar, served on white bread with pickles. The legend goes that the original batch of hot chicken was cooked up as a revenge breakfast for a cheating boyfriend, who wound up liking it so much that he perfected the recipe. It certainly doesn't taste like any other dish you'll ever try, and if you love it, you really love it.

You can count my beau and me among those who love hot chicken. We have our favorite spot in Nashville that we try to visit as frequently as possible. We spent the 4th of July in East Nashville last year for the Hot Chicken Festival. We've tried to replicate the recipe in our own kitchen, to less than perfect results. Let's just face it: we're hot chicken addicts, living three hours north of the source.

Needless to say, we were tickled pink to hear that the owners of Tony Boombozz were bringing hot chicken to Louisville! I sat down with Bruce Rosenblatt, Boombozz Operating Partner, to talk about hot chicken in the Derby City.  "We're excited to bring a little bit of Nashville to Louisville," Bruce told me. They worked hard to perfect the recipe in the kitchen of their Manny & Merle restaurant on Whiskey Row, spending six months developing a pressure-fried chicken coated in the signature spicy oil mixture. "We really listened to the palates of our guests," Bruce said, particularly those who'd developed a taste for the Nashville delicacy.

Joella's will open later this summer at 3400 Frankfort Avenue (the old Tony Boombozz location). When I had the opportunity to sample their upcoming menu at Manny & Merle's, I was beyond thrilled. Let me tell you, they did not disappoint. The kale salad was light and tangy. The mac & cheese was creamy and delicious. The cole slaw had a refreshing Asian flare. The chicken was crispy and moist with that familiar zing. My beau hopes to go hotter with his next order; I'm chomping at the bits to try the chicken and waffles that I've been told to expect!

Thanks so much to Bruce and the team at Manny & Merle's for providing a sneak peek of their upcoming project! I can't wait to visit Joella's!

(Stay tuned for updates from Joella's and HerKentucky throughout the summer!)