Event Information
Third Annual
Taste of Derby
Kick off your Kentucky Derby weekend in style at the third annual Taste of Derby, a celebration of cuisine, racing and style where you will mingle with horseracing celebrities and experience an evening of exquisite cuisine from popular horseracing destinations across the country as nationally renowned chefs from these cities serve samples of their signature dishes paired with delectable wines! Live entertainment by Nashville-based Burning Las Vegas will top off the extraordinary evening and partial proceeds will benefit hunger relief organizations.
- Red Carpet Entry at 7 p.m.
- Food & Wine Tastings until 10 p.m.
- Premium Open Bar until 11 p.m.
- Cocktail Party Attire
- Complimentary Valet Service
About Taste of Derby
Taste of Derby, an exciting addition to Kentucky Derby week, made its inaugural debut in 2010, the eve of the Kentucky Oaks 136, and attracted 1,000 guests.
The evening celebrates and showcases cuisine of popular horse racing destinations across the country, where masterful chefs from these cities serve samples of their signature dishes, while guests also enjoy unique wines paired with the chefs’ regional offerings, and mix and mingle with Thoroughbred horse racing celebrities.
The event features a roster of award-winning chefs and horse racing celebrities from cities including Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, and of course Louisville.
Taste of Derby also raises funds to benefit hunger relief organizations through the Churchill Downs Incorporated Foundation. To date, a total of $121,000 has been contributed to hunger relief locally and around the country in regions where participating chefs are located.
Taste of Derby is modeled after the popular Taste of the NFL, a 20-year-old event founded by nationally known restaurateur and 2010 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Wayne Kostroski. Taste of the NFL takes place on the eve of the Super Bowl each year in the host city where the football championship is contested. Each NFL team is paired with a well-known restaurant from its host city and famous chefs serve gourmet samples while football celebrities from each team interact with fans. Since its inception in 1992, Taste of NFL has raised and distributed more than $10 million to hunger-relief groups, positively impacting millions in need, including thousands of families and dozens of new hunger projects.
Churchill Downs is proud to partner with Taste of the NFL’s founder and great philanthropist Wayne Kostroski to bring to you Taste of Derby and expose Louisvillians and the thousands of out-of-town guests who visit us for the Kentucky Derby each year to these great racing communities across the country and the regional flavors that make them as unique as our hometown.
