TASTE OF DERBY WITH CHEF DAVID DANIELSON

Known as the greatest sport in 2 minutes, The Kentucky Derby takes place the first Saturday in May. Although last year's Derby was postponed until the fall of 2020, all eyes are on Louisville this year. The Kentucky Derby consists of a number of events that lead up the big race. Derby Week and Derby Day is filled with races, fun events, cocktails and food.

We caught up with Executive Chef David Danielson who has consulted on numerous large scale special events throughout the world including Super Bowl XLV, U.S. Open Tennis tournament, Summer Olympics in Beijing 2008, Winter Olympics in Vancouver 2010, Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014, Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Lollapalooza, was the personal chef to The British Consulate General and has lent his expertise to PGA Tour events and the Grammy Awards. He is the co-author of The Bourbon Country Cook Book: New Southern Entertaining: 95 Recipes and More from a Modern Kentucky Kitchen. In addition to a number of appearances on-air nationally and locally, he was a celebrity judge on BRAVO Season 16's Top Chef.

Chef Danielson has been at Churchill Downs for 10 years. We caught up with him right before Derby Day to find out about his culinary background, why the Derby is so important, what the official menu is and how you can make it at home during your viewing parties if you won't be on site this year for the races on May 1st.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell me a little about your culinary background and how you came to Churchill Downs?

EXECUTIVE CHEF DAVID DANIELSON: I've been here for about 10 years and am classically trained in fine dining as my career began at Dumas Pere L’Ecole de la Cuisine Francaise in Chicago and continued at the Ecole Hotelier Tain l'Hermitage in France.

I continued working along with the industry's most renowned chefs in North America, Europe, the Caribbean, Asia and South America.

Before joining the team here at Churchill Downs, I was an Executive Chef at Rockefeller Center New York with Restaurant Associates and was Executive Chef of the United Nations Plaza Hotel in New York City, the Chicago Ritz Carlton, the Palmer House Hilton Chicago just to name a few.

When I was in NY, I started doing some large events and I spent the next few years doing the Olympics, the PGA, US Open Tennis and that's when it brought me here to Kentucky to be the chef at Churchill Downs. This is my 11th Derby and it's the most amazing sporting event that I have ever worked.

AM: Our Co-Founder grew up in Indiana and went to college at Indiana University so visiting Louisville regularly in the months, weeks and days leading up to the Kentucky Oaks and the Derby was filled with excitement! As the Executive Chef at Churchill Downs, what is Derby week like for you leading up to the big race typically?

EC DD: You know, like everybody else, it builds up and there is a ton of excitement. For us, it's lots of work. We have thousands and thousands of people coming through our doors. So we work, not only for months in planning and preparing for this, but then we get to Derby week and it's really about production. It's about getting everything organized and getting everything together. It's about getting with the fans and really creating an amazing experience for the whole week but certainly leading up to Derby day on Saturday!

AM: It's been quite a year, but with more people getting vacccines, we're seeing things opening up again like the upcoming Derby. What is it about the Derby that is such a great an event?

EC DD: The thing here is that it's a beautiful day out here. It's a combination of one amazing racing, it's the most exciting 2 minute sport plus amazing food, great drinks, fashion and you know you can feel the energy when people come in here. Everyone is watching the races and then you get a break. You get to make new friends, see old friends. It's really a day long party and a day long celebration. That's what really makes it unique for us.

AM: For those who will watch from home, what is the official meal for this year's derby and how can we recreate it at home?

EC DD: Every year we write a new menu and change it up. We try to give a new experience every year. One of the things that's so exciting this year is our partnership with Vidalia Onions. They are official partners of The Kentucky Derby and they are on our menu. We're featuring several of their onions in our recipes both here on our official menu as well as recipes that we have created for people to be making at home when they are watching the Derby. So that's a lot of fun for us.

AM: What is it about Vidalia onions that we should know about as it seems that much like Champagne is designated by its region, the same is true of this varietal.

EC DD: Absolutely, Vidalia Onions only come from 20 counties in Georgia and it's really a combination of the weather and the soil that makes these onions so unique and so special. They have a really great sweetness and crispness. They are really unique and different from any kind of onion. We love to showcase these amazing products. We also like the seasonality of it. They really come into season in the middle of April and then you see them in the grocery stores and they really available until about August.

AM: What are some tips that you can provide in order for those that are holding viewing festivities at home?

EC DD: One of the things that we're doing here is that we have several different dishes. We have chicken, a sauteéd chicken dish with Vidalia Onions and mushroom sauce which is really easy to make at home. But I love the versatility. We've got a black-eyed pea salad with some pickled Vidalia Onions. Then we've turned it into a chutney with some roasted down peaches putting that down over some barbecue pork sliders. There are just so many things that you can do with it that that is one of the things that we do when you're putting recipes together and looking at these menus, you're trying to find those ingredients that really stand out and make a difference when people bite into that and taste it. They say, "wow that's really something different and something that we don't see everyday." For us, that's the fun of being able to really showcase this type of product.

AM: These dishes sound great and whether it's making the official meal served at The Kentucky Derby or the one for those that are viewing at home, where can we get those recipes?

EC DC: You can visit VidaliaOnion.org and KYDerby.com at the Recipe Central. The recipes will be there and we will be sharing all of these dishes as well as some other dishes. You can see them as well as try to make what we will enjoy here at Derby or those that are meant for viewers at home that we have created.

AM: What is your beverage of choice after completing a successful Derby week of events?

EC DD: The first one that I can get my hands on haha! It's a long week. I'm usually pretty careful as we work about 20 hours a day all week. So, when it's finally over Sat. night, I get home and I usually pour myself a couple fingers of bourbon haha.

IG @KYDerbyChef

@KentuckyDerby

@ChurchillDowns

@VidaliaOnion1

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 62 Vidalia Onions | PG 60 + 65 The Kentucky Derby |

Read the Apr Issue #64 of Athleisure Mag and see Taste of Derby with Chef David Danielson in mag.

GET IN THE SPIRIT

The seasons are changing and as we turn over our closets to warmer weather, that doesn't mean our bar carts have to change! Whisky, whiskey and scotch are beverages that we gravitate towards during colder temperatures, its the perfect spirit to enjoy in the summer as well! Just think about such classics as Mint Juleps for the Kentucky Derby! We hung out with Joey Vargas, Beverage Director at midtown's American Whiskey to get a one-on-one session to make some classic cocktails and then we sat down to find out the hard questions - what is the difference between these spirits, what his job entails and what drinks we need to include for our rooftop get togethers.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We enjoyed your mixology class recently. Tell us about how you became a beverage director, and what your day to day looks like when you're at American Whiskey?

JOEY VARGAS: Most of my days start pretty early. I arrive at American Whiskey at 10 a.m. to open the bar. I usually have 3 or 4 tastings scheduled with my distributors to taste new spirits and (more often than not) we discuss what's been popular in the bar, as well as figure out new expressions or upcoming whiskeys to add to our ever-growing list. I also still like to schedule myself, quite a bit, to work behind the bar. I don't like to feel rusty or that I can't keep up with
our other bartenders.

AM: What is the difference between whisky, whiskey, and scotch?

JV: Traditionally, "whisky" referred to the forefathers of whisky produced in Scotland and Ireland. When the whiskey boom first hit the states in the 1700s, the Irish immigrants brought over whiskey and we adopted the "e" in whiskey. Usually, today if the "e" is in the word whiskey, it's used to discuss American whiskeys. There are a few examples of American brands honoring their European heritage and not using the "e" in the label, such as Makers
Mark.

A Scotch is simply a whisky that has been made in Scotland. Scotch can only come from Scotland, as bourbon can only be made in the United States.

AM: What are your top 3 favorite whiskey cocktails that are available at American Whiskey?

JV: Our ever popular "Strike Me Dead" would certainly be one. It's an everchanging sweet take on an old fashioned. Its current incarnation includes rye whiskey, house made pecan bitters
and a house made vanilla peppercorn syrup.

The "Game Over Man," is named after a line the late great Bill Paxton repeatedly said in the classic "Aliens." It’s is a fun warm-weather whiskey cocktail made with rye whiskey, freshly-juiced prickly pear, peach liqueur, pineapple and sugar. Every time one hits the floor, we get
asked what its contents are due to its bright color.

Lastly, "The Oak," named after beloved former NY Knick Charles Oakley, is quite popular. We use a very interesting scotch named Highland Park, which comes from way up north in Scotland,  Drambuie, a house made lavender Demerara syrup, and lemon. It's not your usual scotch cocktail, as it's quite approachable and won't have you smelling like your grandfather. Ha.

AM: What are your 3 favorite whiskeys, and when drinking them on the rocks, how should they be consumed?

JV: Oh man, this a tough one. It's like asking me what three records I'd bring on a deserted island...I love so many. Ha. Ok, I'll choose one of three different styles of whiskey.

For Bourbon, I'd say Elijah Craig. I think it's just a great representation of Bourbon: full-bodied, rich, sweet, corn, and vanilla from aging in the barrel. It's a definite go-to for me. I recently helped select a single barrel of Elijah Craig that we exclusively serve at American Whiskey. I'm pretty obsessed with it.

In terms of Rye Whiskey, I'm a big fan of WhistlePig. All of their expressions are delicious, and it's by a former Makers distiller Dave Pickerell with a huge history in the whiskey business. WhistlePig is just fantastic. Dry, spicy, hot; just what I want from a Rye.

For Scotch, I've been pretty obsessed with the Lagavulin 8 year, a special release to celebrate the 200th year of Lagavulin. It's a bit under-aged, as the normal Lagavulin is 16 years old. So,
it's really light in body, but with all that awesome peat smoke. It's really interesting and quite different.

AM: Whiskey really is a drink for all seasons. What is your go-to drink for the summer including this spirit, and can you share the recipe with us?

JV: My summer go-to is American Whiskey's "Take Me Swiftly" cocktail (Yes, it's named after Taylor Swift. I'm a big fan). It's a nice, bright, warm-weather whiskey drink that I'm quite fond of.

TAKE ME SWIFTLY COCKTAIL
1.5 Rye Whiskey (lower proof preferred)
.5 oz apricot liqueur
.75 oz lime
.75 oz honey syrup (I use a 2-1 ratio. 2 parts honey to 1 part hot water to make the syrup.)
Shaken, strain into a glass over ice and top with sparkling wine

AM: Can you share a drink that has whiskey in it, but one wouldn't usually think that this spirit is in it?

JV: “The Expat” cocktail is a new American classic, very bright and refreshing. It reminds me of the classic daiquiri or gimlet recipe with a little twist.

THE EXPAT COCKTAIL
1 oz Lime
.75 oz simple syrup
2 oz bourbon
2 dashes angostura bitters (I like the extra dash)
Shaken with fresh mint, strained into a coupe

AM: What are some events coming up at American Whiskey that we should mark our calendars for during the summer season?

JV: Our calendar is always changing. The best way to keep up-to-date on everything going on here is to check our Instagram account @americanwhiskeynyc.

Read more from the May Issue and see Get In The Spirit in mag.