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 Awardsfor both Outstanding Restauranteur and Best Chef Southeast (Beard Awards are known as the ‘Oscars of the food world.’), Rob Bolson reports for Kentucky Monthly.
She earned those nominations by serving up locally sourced cuisine with a home-cooked flair, reflecting her childhood in rural Wyoming and New Orleans and her life in Kentucky since 1972. Using local products has a dual purpose.
“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,” Bolson reports. “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, 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.”
