Hot, Hot Chicken: A Nashville Story by Rachel Louise Martin Book Review
A new book explores the socioeconomic and racial politics that brought us Nashville’s signature chicken dish.
Today is National Hot Chicken Day, which sounds like a holiday I want to celebrate at least once a week!
In recent years, Nashville’s hot chicken has evolved from a local delicacy to a bit of a phenomenon. When we lived in Nashville a decade or so ago, you didn’t hear a lot about it, other than the word-of-mouth that it existed and it was delicious; these days, chain restaurants like KFC and O’Charley’s offer up their own versions of “Nashville Hot Chicken” that sort of taste like the real thing.
As for the “real thing,” Bob and I love it. We find a way to pick up some chicken on every trip to Nashville, and we’ve attended the Hot Chicken Festival. But, to be honest, I hadn’t given a ton of thought to the origins of the iconic dish beyond the legend that Thornton Prince’s lady friend made some allegedly inedible cayenne-spiced chicken as payback for his dalliances, and it turned out delicious. Of course, I receive a lot of press releases in which marketers purport to know the origin of foods, the “original” bourbon distillers, and so on, so I take these origin stories with a bit of a grain of salt. Or, at least I did until I read the new book Hot, Hot Chicken: A Nashville Story by Rachel Louise Martin.
In Hot, Hot Chicken, Dr. Martin, a writer and Nashville native, sets out to learn why hot chicken has been a legendary dish for decades among Nashville’s Black community, but only gained notoriety in white Nashville relatively recently. The result is a fascinating history of the Prince family, soul food in the Mid-South, and the experiences of Black Nashvillians from the Reconstruction Era to the present day.
Dr. Martin’s painstaking research traces the Prince family through over a century of public records. She provides excellent insight into the zoning and segregation laws that created two distinct Nashvilles — one for Black people and one for white people — for so long. A particularly interesting anecdote arises in the 1950s when a group of white folks — musicians from the Grand Old Opry, including George Morgan (father of Lorrie Morgan) followed the delicious smell of Mr. Prince’s original Chicken Shack and attempted to order some for themselves. Soon the restaurant, previously frequented solely by Black diners, was forced to put up racially segregated dining rooms to comply with the Jim Crow laws. It’s a harsh reminder of the not-too-distant South.
Nashville Hot Chicken Festival, 2014
In recent years, there has been so much good work done towards setting the record straight on the role that Black Southerners played in creating the regional cuisine and beverages that are an integral part of the cultural identity of the Southeastern United States. These days, any serious whiskey enthusiast knows that Mr. Jack Daniel learned about distilling from Nathan “Nearest” Green. The study of Southern Foodways has expanded to acknowledge the role of enslaved cooks in creating the staple recipes of both Black and white Southern cooks. In Hot, Hot Chicken, Dr. Martin continues this important tradition by tracing hot chicken’s roots from the food served by enslaved cooks in plantation houses to the burgeoning soul food movement of the twentieth century. In the process, she produces an unflinching history of the city of Nashville.
Sophie and I enjoyed some hot chicken at Centennial Park, 2019
Hot, Hot Chicken is a must-read for anyone who loves the food and writing of Sean Brock and Vivian Howard, who wants to learn more about how Black Southerners shaped our cuisine, or anyone who, like me, just loves Nashville and its signature dish of hot chicken!
Maker's Mark Bourbon Balls
A family recipe for the classic Kentucky bourbon ball, made with Maker’s Mark.
In my family, it isn't Christmas until somebody makes a batch of bourbon balls. This recipe, passed down from my Great-Aunt Marie, is the most popular recipe on HerKentucky!
Because the bourbon isn't cooked down, the candy retains the taste of the bourbon used. I think it's pretty important to use a rich wheated bourbon like Maker's Mark to retain the sweetness of the dough. Bourbon balls made with a rye blend bourbon (think Early Times or Old Forester) tend to add a bitter note. The paraffin wax is totally optional — it makes a smoother, shinier shell to the candy. Since this is an old family recipe, I include it, but it really goes back to the days when high-quality baking chocolate wasn’t readily available and the wax was needed to help make the chocolate adhere.
Maker’s Mark Bourbon Balls
This recipe yields between six and seven dozen bourbon balls.
1 to 2 cups good bourbon whisky (I use Maker's Mark)
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 to 1 cup whole pecan halves (optional)
1 two-pound bag of powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
2 bags Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips
paraffin wax
Place 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped pecans in shallow bowl. Pour Maker's Mark over nuts, immersing completely. Cover and let soak 12 hours to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pecan halves in shallow pan and toast lightly for about ten minutes.
Cream butter in stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Combine bourbon-pecan mixture with just enough powdered sugar to form a stiff ball. Refrigerate to let stiffen slightly.
Roll dough into small balls.
In double-boiler (or a sauce pan placed over a cooker full of boiling water), add a third to a half a bag of semisweet chocolate chips and, if desired, a small shaving of paraffin wax (no more than 1/4 cup). Heat until just smooth. Dip dough balls into the chocolate mixture. The key is to coat them quickly and make small, frequent batches of melted chocolate.
Place bourbon balls on wax paper to cool. Top each with a toasted pecan half, if desired. Results are better if you leave them to cool at room temperature rather than in the refrigerator.
Download the recipe card!
Jeff Ruby's Derby Meal Kit Pop-Up
Enjoy a Jeff Ruby’s Meal — from signature steaks to mint juleps— at home on Derby Day!
Derby is one of my very favorite holidays for entertaining. There’s nothing like a food and drink menu inspired by the best day of the Kentucky calendar year!
Of course, Derby looks quite different this year, and we’ll all be watching from home in small groups. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse has the perfect solution for your at-home Derby festivities! Here in Louisville, you can pick up a Meal Kit at the Jeff Ruby’s Pop-Up Shop at Independence Bank in St Matthews (3901 Shelbyville Road) from 10a-2p tomorrow, Friday Sept. 4th, and Saturday, Sept. 5th. This Meal Kit generously serves 4-6 Guests: Four 14 oz. USDA Prime Strip Steaks with Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse Seasoning; Benedictine & Pimento Cheese Dips with Crostini & Crudité; Freddie Salad; Mac & Cheese; Black Eyed Pea Salad with Country Ham & Heirloom Tomatoes; House-Made Biscuits with Salted Honey Butter; Whole Blackberry Bourbon Cream Pie; Mint Simple Syrup with Fresh Mint for your own Mint Juleps (recipe included). All of this for just $200!
Jeff Ruby’s Meal Kits are an incredible way to serve restaurant-quality meals at home. They include everything you need to make your meal perfect —even down to Jeff Ruby’s famous steakhouse seasoning — along with cooking instructions. It’s such a low-stress way to serve a fabulous meal at home. Just fire up the grill or a cast-iron skillet and prepare your steaks while the mac and cheese (my favorite!) heats in the oven. It couldn’t be easier!
Join me on Instagram Stories on Derby Day as I prepare a low-key, yet festive Derby meal at home with Jeff Ruby’s, and pick up a meal kit of your own this weekend in Saint Matthews. Happy Derby, y’all!!
Eat Y'all Connect Dinner at Star Hill Provisions
Exclusive dinner to benefit restaurant families charity.
“If it wasn’t for food, we’d all be dead. And if it wasn’t for Southern food, we’d all be bored.”
There are few things better than a trip to Maker’s Mark Distillery and a fantastic meal at Star Hill Provisions. Maker’s is one of my very favorite distillery trips, and the food at Star Hill is always fantastic! I was so excited to hear about an upcoming dinner at Star Hill Provisions that showcases some amazing local producers, including Alfresco Pasta, Maker’s Mark Distillery, Delta Grind, Freedom Run Farm,Pecan Ridge Plantation, Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, Blackberry Farm Brewery and Two Brooks Farm!
The folks at Eat Y’all ( a group which exists to connect chefs to better ingredients with a mission to grow a sustainable future for the South’s food farmers and producers) recently reached out to let me know that they’ll be stopping at Star Hill as part of their Fall 2018 Connect Tour. The Connect dinner, which will be held Monday October 29th, is a celebration of Southern farms and producers to benefit CORE - Children of Restaurant Employees. The meal will be prepared by Star Hill Provisions Chef Newman Miller and Lockbox Executive Chef Jonathan Searle, and will also include complimentary Maker’s Mark cocktails and craft beer courtesy of Blackberry Farm Brewery. (Tickets are available here — use code HERKENTUCKY20 for 20% off your ticket!)
The dinner will benefit CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees), which grants support to children of food and beverage service staff navigating life-altering circumstances. CORE is the nationally recognized community of support for all food and beverage service families in need by ensuring they feel cared for and valued.
Tickets are available here — use code HERKENTUCKY20 for 20% off your ticket!
Dinner at Texas de Brazil in Lexington's Summit at Fritz Farm
Review of Lexington KY Churrascaria
{Disclosure: Texas de Brazil provided a complimentary dinner for two in exchange for this review; no additional compensation was provided and all opinions are my own.}
Bob and I had the opportunity to visit Texas de Brazil in Lexington's The Summit at Fritz Farm over the weekend. We love Texas de Brazil for special occasion meals and were excited to sample the dessert menu! Texas de Brazil celebrates their 20th anniversary soon, and are offering all desserts for 20 cents on Monday nights in July with a meal purchase!
Now, as I'm sure you know, Texas de Brazil is a Churrascaria, colloquially known in the US as a Brazilian Steakhouse. Churrascaria a fun and delicious dining concept in which the gauchos carve charcoal-grilled meat tableside. It makes for a fast-paced sampler of meats! But, did you know that the salad bar at Texas de Brazil is pretty amazing as well?
I'd eaten at Texas de Brazil locations in Lexington and in Memphis before, but I'd never spent a lot of time with the salad area before. I started with a cheese plate for Bob and me to share. The tangy goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, and salty parmigiano were great accompaniments to the rich meats. The prosciutto was a fantastic quality, and the pineapple carpaccio was amazing! (If limitless meat isn't your jam, you can actually order the salad area only as your entree!)
We also tried some seafood. The shrimp salad was so great that I hope to recreate the recipe soon -- it had the heat of jalapeño and the tang of lime juice.
We also loved the Moqueca cod fish -- a traditional Brazilian fish stew made with coconut milk.
Of course, the star of any Texas de Brazil experience is the meat. As usual, the Churrascaria did not disappoint. When you're seated for churrasco service, each diner is given a two-sided card to indicate whether the gauchos should bring more meats to the table.
The filet was a standout, along with the flank steak. The lamb was perfect -- rich and well seasoned. We enjoyed a great assortment!
We made sure to save room for dessert, though. I had the Brazilian cheesecake, which had a rich fudge base and a caramel glaze.
Bob opted for a refreshing key lime pie. Both were fantastic.
Stop by the Texas de Brazil in Lexington for special promotions over the next few months for special 20th anniversary celebrations. It's a fantastic date night spot, or great for a family celebration!
Thanks so much to Texas de Brazil for inviting us to dinner! We'll be back soon!
Maker's Mark TasteMaker's Dinner Honoring Chef John Currence
Gourmet dinner at Maker’s Mark Distillery celebrating Mississippi-based celebrity chef John Currence.
I love this chandelier at Star Hill Provisions, the distillery restaurant at Maker's Mark
Bob and I had the opportunity to visit the Maker's Mark Distillery this weekend to attend the TasteMaker's Dinner Honoring Chef John Currence. Now, if Chef Currence sounds familiar, it may be from Season 3 of Top Chef Masters. Or from The Mississippi Delta episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. Or, you may have seen one of the many issues of Garden & Gun which sing the praises of his four restaurants in Oxford, Mississippi. Well, you get the idea. Chef Currence knows Southern Food.
Visitors Center, Maker's Mark.
Visitors Center, Maker's Mark (Can you spot the Distillery Cat??)
It was a beautiful, if warm, Southern summer night, so we took the hour-or-so "scenic route" to Loretto from Louisville. With work opportunities for the book, I've been fortunate enough to visit Loretto pretty frequently over the past couple of years, but Bob hadn't had the chance to see some of the newer additions like the Tasting Cellar and Star Hill Provisions. To me, one of the most special things about the Maker's Mark campus is the strong commitment to building new structures that fit nicely with the original Victorian architecture from the property's days as Star Hill Farm and Burks Springs Distillery. In researching my book, I've been able to speak with several folks -- including Chairman Emeritus Bill Samuels Jr -- about the strong commitment to preserving Mrs. Margie Samuels's original vision of the distillery, honoring her design choices in every new project. If you haven't been out to Maker's Mark in a few years, you're in for a real treat; all the familiar Victorian elements are there, but the campus has been upgraded in so many new and beautiful ways!
Tasting Cellar, Maker's Mark Distillery
Star Hill Provisions, Maker's Mark Distillery. I love the Kiptoo Taurus sculpture displayed to the right of the mural.
The event kicked off around 6 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres: pimiento cheese beignets (which basically combines everything I love on earth) and pickled shrimp salad gougeres. The shrimp salad, served on tiny little croissants, was amazing, and I resolved at once to replicate the recipe! This course was accompanied by a Maker's Mark-spiked University Greys' Punch. A bluegrass duo performed on the patio, but we sought refuge from the heat by ducking into the side bar at Star Hill Provisions. It was so cozy and charming!
Punch at Maker's Mark
I sadly forgot to capture a photo of the soup course, which a chilled celery veloute with crabmeat and butter-toasted bread crumb. It was a great night for a chilled soup, and I never say no to crabmeat! This course was followed by a Maker's Mark highball.
The salad course, crisp and refreshing with a peppery bite, featuring Maytag bleu cheese, roasted tomato vinaigrette, and pickled apples.
We then were served a Maker's 46 Manhattan. I love Maker's 46 for a cocktail; I think the spirit's complex flavor stands up so well when mixed.
The entree course was bourbon-braised pork belly with celery root puree and a casserole of crispy Brussels sprouts and lardons. I seriously loved that casserole, y'all. It combined the comfort of my mom's broccoli casserole with a well-made mornay sauce and charred Brussels sprouts. This is another dish I hope to recreate at home!
We finished with a bourbon and clove poached pear served in phyllo with Maker's Mark frozen custard and bitter cocoa nibs. The course was accompanied by Star Hill Provisions' Maker's Mark Private Select. The Private Select program has created so many interesting expressions of Maker's Mark. It's so interesting to try different barrels and see how different folks' tastes run.
As longtime fans of the Maker's Mark brand and the distillery campus, we took a moment to walk around after dinner to notice all the beautiful new additions to the setting -- we even caught glimpses of frolicking rabbits and a lounging distillery cat! Bob noted how very much the distillery has changed from the late 90s, when the tour was a bare-bones look at how the bourbon is crafted. It was a fun evening of food and cocktails in a perfect setting!
Thanks so much to Maker's Mark for inviting us out to experience this fun event! The next TasteMakers dinner will honor Chef Edward Lee and will be held on Saturday, July 14. You can purchase tickets here.
5 Fun Facts about Hi-Five Doughnuts!
Louisville’s favorite doughnut shop provides great business lessons and even better doughnuts!
It's National Doughnut Day, an observance dating back to the 1930s, which honors the Salvation Army "Lassies" who served doughnuts and other treats to U.S. Troops during World War I. Here in Kentucky, we take our doughnuts pretty seriously. In fact, the New York Times once traced a doughnut trail across our great Commonwealth. One of the state's most beloved doughnut stops is in a gas station! That's the great thing about doughnuts: they're inexpensive, accessible, and enjoyed by almost everybody! My favorite doughnut spot is Hi-Five Doughnuts, which serves amazing creations with a Kentucky flair. You absolutely MUST try the bourbon caramel glaze, and if you're really brave, you can try the Kentucky Fried Buttermilk Chicken Doughnut.
Hi-Five Doughnuts is one of my favorite Kentucky businesses, combining local ingredients, awesome female entrepreneurs, incredible marketing, and a fabulous product. Let's celebrate National Doughnut Day with five fun facts about Hi-Five Doughnuts!!!
1. Hi-Five is woman-owned and operated. Leslie Wilson and Annie Harlow began their business running a food truck, affectionately named Shelby, then opened a storefront in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood.
The bacon-glazed doughnut is amazing, y'all.
2. The business name pays tribute to the legend that the custom of giving a high-five was invented in a U of L basketball practice in the 1970s.
3. Hi-Five has trademarked their hashtag! When you talk about the #ladiesofthemorning, then according to to the US Patent and Trademark office you're referencing Hi-Five Doughnuts!
4. The Hi-Five business model is so cool, a book has been written about it! Dr. Lyle Sussman of U of L's College of Business wrote "Breaking the Glaze Ceiling: Sweet Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Wannabes", which establishes 12 business principles based on Leslie and Annie's success. In interviewing the Doughnut Ladies for a prior article, I was so impressed that they built the entire enterprise on a no-debt model, opting instead to purchase only what they could afford at any given time.
That's cinnamon glaze + Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You need it in your life.
5. Everybody loves Hi-Five! The Travel Channel has visited them, they're a staple at local events like the Forecastle Festival, and they're often served as a finishing touch at local galas and weddings.