Centuries of Tradition Having traveled throughout Kentucky to see firsthand the distinct food cultures each region has to offer, state tourism commissioner Kristen Branscum knew the stories behind these culinary tastes and traditions had to be shared. Right away, everyone in the food and travel business rolled up their collective sleeves, tied on their aprons and got to work identifying the signature meals in each region that are nearest and dearest to those who live there. Branscum said, noting that each meal incorporates beverages, appetizers, entrées, sides and desserts. “But beyond the uniqueness of these meals, each is a reflection of centuries of Kentucky food traditions. They represent the history behind them and the people who create them.” And so it was decreed: 2018 – The Year of Kentucky Food. History of Good Taste “Tradition relates to history, and no one has a longer history in Kentucky food than the Beaumont Inn,” said fifth generation innkeeper S. Dixon Dedman. Closing in on a century of service in 2019, this James Beard America’s Classic award recipient, founded by Glave Goddard and Annie Bell Goddard in 1917 and opened for business in 1919, is deeply rooted in Kentucky culinary traditions. Little has changed since the days when pioneering food critic and Bowling Green native Duncan Hines was a regular. “Now write this down for the people in Kentucky,” he told a reporter back in 1949. “Say I’ll be happy to get home and eat two-year-old ham, cornbread, beaten biscuits, pound cake, yellow-leg fried chicken and corn pudding. And you can say what I think is the best eating place in Kentucky: Beaumont Inn at Harrodsburg.” These very same dishes Hines gave a shout-out to nearly 70 years ago are still on the menu. Recently, a ham house was added to the grounds and, at any given time, some 200 to 250 hams are curing to full flavor. Guests so inclined may tour it. "This is not just to celebrate Kentucky food, but to designate those iconic, traditional dishes in each of our nine tourism regions," APPLE STACK CAKE The Beaumont Inn kentuckytourism.com 19
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