Holly Hill Inn in Midway is a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation award for outstanding hospitality. The popular restaurant in Midway is one of only 20 semifinalists nationally and the only one from Kentucky. Ouita Michel joins Jennifer Palumbo to talk about the honor and share her country ham biscuits.

Midway’s Holly Hill Inn has been named a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in the Outstanding Hospitality category.

Since the 2001 opening of her first restaurant, Holly Hill Inn, Michel has always strived to incorporate local ingredients whenever possible.

Ouita and Chris Michel of Award of Excellence–winning Holly Hill Inn talk Southern hospitality, Bourbon, food pairings and more. Learn the history behind this accoladed family establishment and all their tips and tricks to setting a holiday table.

Chef Ouita Michel embraces "third act" of her storied culinary career — as a mentor, teacher, ambassador, and community member.

Erin French’s culinary adventure leads her to meet with two inspiring women who are making significant strides in putting Kentucky on the food map. Their passion and dedication to showcasing the state’s rich culinary heritage provide Erin with fresh insights and inspiration.

Head to Holly Hill Inn in Midway, just outside of Lexington, to experience the Kentucky cooking of renowned Chef Ouita Michel. "The fine dining menu changed seasonally and features farmer-to-table Southern food made from Kentucky’s best."

Owner Chef Ouita Michel was one of the first to elevate the bounty of Kentucky through farm-to-table cuisine. Many of the herbs and vegetables served spring from the restaurant’s own on-site garden and menu descriptions celebrate the farm of origin for artisanal-quality ingredients.

Sweet and smoked paprikas bring depth and balance to this Kentucky take on the iconic Hungarian dish from Chef Ouita Michel, made with Berry Rose Beef.

Chef Ouita Michel, who has racked up eight James Beard Award nominations and built a 10-restaurant mini empire throughout the state, uses the spirit as an ingredient, but even more as a narrative device.

Chef Ouita Michel has been appointed to the American Culinary Corps, a diplomatic culinary partnership between the U.S. State Department and the James Beard Foundation.

The 15-minute drive to Wallace Station from the highway will take you past some of the area's showiest horse farms.

“Lexington has always had a really great, diverse, independently operated restaurant scene,” says restaurateur and cookbook author Ouita Michel.

Three words. Ouita is delightful. For those who may not know Ouita, this newest episode in the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Series is an excellent introduction!

Ouita Michel has expanded her culinary empire ... again. Read about her new Holly Hill Cooking Studio in downtown Versailles, Ky.

If you can only squeeze one meal from Ouita Michel into your trip, Holly Hill Inn is the spot. Helmed by Culinary Director Tyler McNabb, this pioneering farm-to-table restaurant crafts whimsical prix fixe menus around seasonal, hyperlocal fare in a bucolic setting just outside of Lexington.

Swap a tall glass of milk for a tumbler of Kentucky’s finest, and dig into chef Ouita Michel’s Bourbon Lover’s Cookie Box, which includes twenty fresh-baked cookies made with Kentucky-milled flour in five flavors: Bourbon Toffee Crisp, Corn, Sorghum, Woodford, and the Old-Fashioned.

Partnering with acclaimed filmmaker Harrison Witt, the series “Up Home with Ouita Michel” shines a spotlight on the meaning behind food; how it builds community and shapes relationships. It’s a celebration of local agriculture, family heritage, world cuisine, and social justice.

From a hotel celebrating the accomplishments of women to female-run wineries, women are making their mark in the once-male-dominated worlds of hospitality.

Over the past few years, Lexington has become known for much more than just its bluegrass music and racetracks. Caribbean and Sri Lankan cuisine commingle with farm-to-table powerhouses like , owned by six-time James Beard Award-nominee chef Ouita Michel.

After a long (and undeniably difficult) winter this past year, we've all been looking forward to spring. Sunny skies and longer days, flowers creeping out of the ground…

“Just determining the table of contents alone took a year,” Michel says. But the labor paid off. The tome compiles more than 150 of Michel’s favorite recipes for classic, Southern staples such as fried chicken, biscuits, soup beans, and sausage gravy, becoming a one-stop-shop for the dishes that all Southern home cooks need to know.

Whether you’re brightening up your space or toning it down, you’ll need a sandwich after all that hard work. These three lifestyles books have you covered on all fronts.

Ouita Michel is known for her slew of award-winning Kentucky restaurants — from Holly Hill Inn in Midway to Smithtown Seafood in Lexington. If you’ve ever visited one of her culinary hotspots, you know there’s something genuinely unique about Ouita’s sustainable, farm-to-table cuisine.

Tucked away in the heart of Kentucky’s Bluegrass, Holly Hill Inn is a place where history, hospitality and horticulture intertwine.