Top chefs in Louisville mentor up-and-coming female chefs to take the lead in professional kitchens; take in the sights and smells at Frankfort’s Candleberry Candles, and learn about the fascinating life of African-American Revolutionary War soldier Daniel Goff.
Women Chefs of Kentucky Initiative
“This is an industry that I love,” says Chef Edward Lee of Louisville. “It’s an industry that I’ve devoted my life to. The restaurant industry is just a very tough and high-pressure environment.”
Lee knows what he’s talking about. As the owner of three restaurants in Louisville and two in Washington, D.C., who has appeared on Top Chef, Mind of a Chef, and Iron Chef America, he’s seen many sides of the industry. In 2018, Lee partnered with Lindsey Ofcacek to create The Women Chefs of Kentucky Initiative, also known as The LEE Initiative, a program that provides mentorship for skilled women chefs to put them on an upward path in the industry.
Continue reading about The LEE Initiative and watch the video.
Candleberry Candles
The sight of soot creeping up the walls near candles Lisa Clark burned in her house inspired her to learn how to make a better candle, and ultimately start a brand new business.
“One day I came home and after doing just a little basic research, I made a candle,” Clark remembers. “It was terrible.”
But Clark’s father, who owned retail stores, was excited about the idea of launching a line of scented candles, so the pair pressed on, with Lisa doing the research on making the product and her father handling the business end. Today, that experiment has become Candleberry Candles, a successful company out of Frankfort.
Read more about Candleberry Candles and watch the video.
Daniel Goff
Thousands of African Americans fought for America in the Revolutionary War, and one of them was recently honored in Northern Kentucky.
“There were eight known African American Revolutionary War veterans that died in the state of Kentucky,” says Robin Edwards, registrar for the Boone County chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution. “Daniel Goff is the only African American Revolutionary War veteran that we know of to have died in Boone County.”
