Ouita Michel and Paducah chef Sara Bradley presenting Ky. dinner at James Beard Foundation in N.Y. tonight

Ouita Michel in the kitchen at her Holly Hill Inn on North Winter Street

Midway's Ouita Michel and a fellow Kentucky chef, Sara Bradley of Paducah, are bringing a Kentucky-rich menu to the world-famous James Beard House in New York City tonight.

“Kentucky continues to emerge as a top culinary destination, and being featured at the Beard House demonstrates that others are catching on to what we have to offer,” Kentucky Tourism Commissioner Kristen Branscum said in a news release. “Even more exciting is the opportunity to showcase our state’s hospitality and unique culinary culture through an exquisite menu created by two of Kentucky’s top chefs.”

Sara Bradley in her Freight House

The Kentucky menu will include canapés and cocktails to start, followed by five courses including Lake Barkley bighead carp with paddlefish caviar and Franklin County chicken-fried rabbit with rolled parsley dumplings. One dessert is an apple stack cake cobbler with Crank & Boom Bourbon honey ice cream. For the complete menu, click here.

Other Kentucky farmers and producers being showcased include Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, Heritance Farm, Weisenberger Mill, Freedom Run Farm, Hindman Settlement School, JD Country Milk, Broadbent Hams, Newsom’s Country Ham, Fin Gourmet Foods, Koru Gardens, Shuckman’s Fish Co., Reed Valley Orchard, Jim Nance Hickory Nuts, Country Rock Sorghum, Kennameade Farms, Two Shakes Ranch and many more.

The dinner is open to James Beard Foundation members for $135 and non-members for $175 (inclusive of tax and gratuity). Proceeds benefit the foundation. For more information, go to www.jamesbeard.org; for more information about the chef team, see www.ouitamichel.com and www.freighthousefood.com/about.