Churchill Downs Announces Official Menu of 142nd Kentucky Derby®
Mar 23, 2016
After more than a year in the making and over 27,000 miles logged, the ingredients for all menus throughout the racetrack were hand-picked from local farmers and international partners to achieve a distinctive blend that elevates southern flavors to new heights. The majority of the Run for the Roses’ culinary traditions come straight from Kentucky sources, including 300 crates of mint for the famous mint juleps and sweets, as well as Bourbon Smoky salt found in many of the Derby’s rubs and seasoning. International ingredients are also present, particularly in the menu’s desserts, including chocolate from Switzerland, garnishes from France and dairy products from Austria.
“Local sourcing is as much of a tradition at the Kentucky Derby as the mint julep,” explains Chef David Danielson, the executive chef for Churchill Downs Racetrack since 2013. “Our first objective when crafting the menu is to spotlight the taste of the south by reinterpreting the bounty of local farms and producers and then instilling touches of international delicacies.”
To meet the demands of the ingredient-driven menus, Churchill Downs Racetrack will enlist the support of students from the Pennsylvania Technical College to help prepare for more than 170,000 guests.
The Official 142 Kentucky Derby Menu
Heirloom spinach, chicory, blackberry, blue cheese, toasted pecan
Garden Salad of Petit Lettuce Gems
An array of baby lettuces, lemon poppy seed dressing
Watermelon Radish Salad
Arugula, almond and mint with Riesling vinaigrette
Bourbon Pickled Peaches
Chef’s Entrees
Shrimp and Grits
Louisville smoked grits and tasso gravy
Roasted Chicken Breast
Moonshine spiked raisin sauce
New York Strip Loin
Truffle sea salt crust
Smoked Turkey & Brie
Apple butter on rosemary bread
Chef’s Desserts
Blackberry Cobbler with Lemon-Rosemary Biscuit Top
White and Dark Chocolate Verrine
Warm Chocolate Crepes, Bourbon Ball Ice Cream & Caramel Pecan Sauce
Bourbon Crème Brulee Tart
The $2 million Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Inaugurated in 1875, the legendary 1 1/4-mile race for three-year-olds is the oldest continuously held major sporting event in North America and the first leg of horse racing's challenging Triple Crown series. Also known as the 'The Run for the Roses,' 'The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports' and 'America's Race,' the Kentucky Derby is the most attended horse race in the nation, with more than 170,000 attendees in 2015.
About Churchill Downs Racetrack
Churchill Downs, the world's most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America's greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) offers year-round simulcast wagering. Churchill Downs will conduct the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands on May 7, 2016. www.ChurchillDowns.com
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