Photo Contest Announced for new eMag

Food. Community. Connection.

These are the cornerstones that support the Bon Vivant Savant, ‘live well, live wisely’ foundation. And we’re looking for all the talented photographers out there to help make our new website – launching at the end of this month – beautiful.

Bon Vivant Savant, leading the area with unique dining events that connect people with food & fun experiences is evolving into a regional, online lifestyle magazine that will represent the best around Kentuckiana, Lexington, Cincinnati/N.KY and surrounding areas. Articles on food, great events, the arts & culture as well as personal profiles by inspired/inspiring folks will grace the online pages – all supported by an online forum as well.

May 1st Friday Trolley Hop

story by JENNI LAIDMAN
photos by JOEY HARRISON

Don’t worry if you missed the First Friday Trolley Hop on Market Street. Most galleries will have their shows up all month. Here’s a quick look some of the highlights in the NuLu area.

Reba Rye at Zephyr Gallery

At Zephyr Gallery, 610 East Market Street, check out the big photographic canvasses of Reba Rye of Frankfort. If you find photographs a bit cold for your taste, these will warm you up. They are often arranged as triptychs or diptychs, frequently with one panel showing a person turning away from the viewer. The idea is, you’re seeing their world, from their point of view. Each panel of the triptychs works at a different scale, from close-ups of sand to aerial shots of the U.S. West.

Derby Days…

THOUGHTS & MUSINGS by ANNETTE SKAGGS
PHOTOS by DAN DRY

Oh first Saturday in May. Joy. From hawkers that stand around Central Avenue, selling their wares or allowing car tire divots in their yards, to those that pass in their beautiful refinery, eating magnificent foods and drinking heavenly cocktails, enjoying an atmosphere like none other. My Old Kentucky Home indeed.

Huge crowd on hand for Taste of Derby Festival

Chefs of Jack Fry's

PHOTO & STORY by STEVE COOMES, freelance food  & restaurant writer

More than 1,000 hungry donors packed Slugger Field’s Hall of Fame Pavilion on April 22 for the Taste of Derby Festival. In its 23rd year, the annual fundraiser for Louisville’s Dare to Care food bank gathered more than 50 local restaurants and beverage providers who donated food and drink for the cause of feeding the area’s hungry.

Building toward the next step…

Building toward the next incarnation of BVS is proving to be a beautiful adventure – one of which, I couldn’t be more excited. We’ll be announcing some of our feature contributors soon, but in the meantime, we’re still looking for a few good folks – writers, photographers, event organizers/caterers & ad sales – especially in the areas of Lexington and N. KY/Cincinnati. We’ll be doing our soft launch by the end of this month and then doing a full launch within a month to 6 weeks. Not only will we have amazing articles, but you’ll also find insider information, tips and tricks in our forum.

What we’re looking for and what to look forward to…

Supper Speakeasy – Dinner in Bloom

An All Floral Experience
WHEN: Thursday, May 20, 2010   6:30pm
WHERE: New Albany, IN
SPOTS: 40 spots available
COST: $75 per person all inclusive (six courses, wine, welcome cocktail, entertainment, tax and gratuity)
RSVP:  502-287.2772 or click the button below to purchase securely online. Fees will apply to online purchases.

Spring is here, summer is around the corner and one of the prettiest times of the year is now – and aren’t flowers the best way to celebrate? Join us as we dine and delight on 6 dishes – all utilizing flowers in some way – oils, infusion, ingredients, etc. – all accompanied by wines and cocktails that enhance the experience. We’ll enjoy a cocktail hour starting at 6:30 with live music as well, then move into a delightful dinner at 7:30. The menu, a sample of which is below and prepared by Chef Michael Hargrove, delights the tastebuds and the senses at every turn.

Proceeds for this dinner benefit the local chapter of the MS Society, and as a special treat, 10 lucky guests will have the chance to watch our chefs work their magic first hand as we have an open kitchen at our secret location! Please indicate that you are interested in this as an option when making your reservation.

Food. Community. Connection.

FOOD. COMMUNITY. CONNECTION. Bon Vivant Savant is evolving and we couldn’t be more excited. The website you are currently viewing will be changing – radically – in about four weeks. We’ll be posting an image of the new design, just a little temptation for you, just after Derby. And believe me, I think you’ll be excited too. Don’t worry though, our great dining events like the Supper Speakeasy and Wine & Wisdoms aren’t going anywhere. We’re still fully dedicated to our dining club members, but we’re also developing great in-home parties with BVS@Home as well as developing our website into a fully interactive online, lifestyle magazine that will focus not only on Kentuckiana, but will also grow to incorporate Lexington, Northern KY, Cincinnati and the surrounding regions. We’ll bring you the best our community has to offer: food, arts & entertainment, people – all in the vein of living well and living wisely!

Interested in contributing? We’ve got some great contributors lined up already (we’ll be announcing more after Derby), but we’d like to hear from you, our readers. We’re looking for great stories, photos or videos on local life – whatever that means for you.  Want to share your passion for art, music, food, your city, your job, your family, your volunteer work? Great, it’s all about living life to its fullest. Full credit and appropriate links will be given for all content utilized by the site. Contact me directly for more info.

We’re 2! Let’s celebrate with some fun incentives!

Bon Vivant is officially two years old! And we have lots of fun ways for you to share and celebrate with us.

Member Incentives:

• Book any home party with us by June 15 and as the host, you enjoy the party for free! Party must be held by September 1 to qualify. Minimum of 10 people.
• Attend any Dining Club Event, i.e. Speakeasys or Wine & Wisdoms, between now and the end of June and be entered to win a champagne hot air balloon ride for two. This trip is valued at $375. Drawing will be held during the Speakeasy on June 27th. Couples and singles are both considered one entry.
• Join us for any Speakeasy from now through June and members pay only $125 for two people. That’s a savings of $25.

Not a member yet? That’s OK. We have great rates and now is the time to join. If you join us by May 1, you’ll be entered for the hot air balloon tip as well – which makes you also eligible for all the great incentives listed above!

Wondering what we have in store for you? Well let me tell you what fun we have planned…

April 20 – Bourbon Barrel Foods Speakeasy with Matt Jamie and chef Michael Hargrove
May 20 – Floral Themed Speakeasy – which will be featured in Food & Dining Magazine’s September Issue
June – Photography Wine & Wisdom with Dan Dry (date TBD)
June 27 – Dark Room Speakeasy with Dan Dry as our special guest and Dallas McGarity of Z’s Fusion as chef.
July 14 – Down & Dirty Blues Wine & Wisdom and Cajun Boil with Big Poppa Stampley
July 24 – Special Movie Event – Pop-Up Drive in of Wizard of Oz with Live Pink Floyd band playing Dark Side of the Moon
July 29 – Rock & Roll Speakeasy with chef Alison Mann
August – Progressive Dining Speakeasy
September – Multimedia Speakeasy

Hope to see you at an event soon!

April Supper Speakeasy: Bourbon Barrel Foods

BOURBON BARREL FOODS DINNER
WHEN: Tuesday, April 20, 6:30p
WHERE: As always, only revealed to those who RSVP
CHEF: Michael Hargrove
COST: $75 per person (tax & gratuity included)
WHAT: 6 courses, plus cocktails & wine, upscale non-alcoholic options also available
RSVP: Please call 502.287.2772 or RSVP using the button below. To avoid service charges, please call to make your reservation.

I’m delighted to announce a delicious dinner which will incorporate all the wonderful ingredients produced by Matt Jamie of Bourbon Barrel Foods. What better way to start off the Derby Celebrations, than with this perfect home grown dinner that has global influences.

The concept behind this dinner is to take cuisines from different parts of the world and use the bourbon barrel foods products to complete the dishes

Reception –SPAIN

Steamed mussels- chorizo white wine and oregano
Bean and rosemary dip
Albondigas de soffritto

MENU

FRANCE
Smoked garlic and country potato soup w/BBF Black pepper creme fraiche

ITALY
Pasta alla carbonara
Eggs, pecorino romano, guanciale and BBF black pepper

VIETNAM
Duck two ways
Sorghum poached breast, Kentuckyaki glazed onions and duck crackling
Duck pho

HUNGARY
Goulash
Beef short rib, braised cabbage, crispy spaetzle, BBF smoked paprika broth

USA
Ice cream trio
Salted caramel/Chocolate soy/Blueberry sorghum

F-N Art launches in the ‘ville!

Kenn Parks, From Madness to Release to Enlightenment

F-N Art Series Launch
THEME: Madness
The Vernon Club, 1575 Story Ave across from Hadley Pottery
$5 Cover
BVS Members are free, but must RSVP to be on the VIP list to ensure free entry

For those of you with art in your heart, the F-N Art monthly artists’ salon (minds out of the gutters, it just means Friendship and Art), offers a chance to mingle with other artists, art lovers and any one else who feels the desire to express themselves through art. The theme for the first F-N Art series is “Madness” and will be launched in March – see the connection? Clever, no? All forms of art are encouraged. And kudos must be given to my friend Carrie in Birmingham who introduced me the the F-N Art concept.

7:00 – 8:00 mingling & community art piece
8:00 – 9:00 performance pieces
9:00 – 11:00 Music by Tamara Dearing and Amanda Lucas

Vernon will also offer $1 bowling, so we will have the whole facility!

So, what is this F-N Art??

F-N Art was originally created in Birmingham, by my friend Carrie and several of her creative type friends. This isn’t about solely professional artists, but for all of us who would love to get together with other creative types and express ourselves, always over a common theme. The series launch starts with “Madness.”

Madness – what does that mean to you? For some it brings to mind sports and “March Madness,” for others it might bring to mind Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Tea Party, and even others a mental state. There are no limits. It’s up to you. Costumes as well as art are encouraged. If you don’t feel creative, feel free to bring in a piece of work created by someone else that may be inspirational to you.

I encourage all levels and all forms/mediums of art. Think of this as a modern day arts salon for sharing and mingling and finding an outlet for our creative juices. I also encourage anyone who is in Arts Therapy to use the themes with their students and encourage them to participate as well.

The flow of the evening is as follows:
7:00 – 8:00 mingling & community art piece
8:00 – 9:00 performance pieces
9:00 – 11:00 Music by Tamara Dearing and Amanda Lucas

Community Art:
BVS will provide various materials so that we can create a communal piece each month. Eventually, we hope to have a gallery setting to display work, but will always have a photo gallery at our online FB Group (in the making)

Performance Pieces:
From 8-9 we will share performance pieces, read a poem, do a short play, show your short film. All pieces are limited to no more than 10 min in length and require you to pre-register for a spot. Again, original pieces encouraged, but not required.

Starting at 9 it becomes a free for all with great music by local bands.

If I’ve missed something, let me know…
And by all means, share this event with your friends. The more the merrier.
Facebook Event invite to RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=376115170408&ref=ts