Traditions abound in Louisville, Kentucky. Who hasn’t spent a Saturday in May wearing fancy hats while sipping a mint julep and watching the Kentucky Derby? In this legendary community, bourbon rules, street art pops up everywhere and a hometown hero’s story plays out at the Muhammad Ali Center. While you might be familiar with the heart of Louisville, just east of downtown in the East Market District lies NuLu (a portmanteau of New and Louisville). The fastest-growing neighborhood in town, NuLu’s eclectic shops, galleries, and restaurants attract a diverse and inclusive clientele. It’s an ideal place to spend an afternoon and an even better place to experience the NuLu Food & History Tour.
The Story Behind the NuLu Food & History Tour
The brainchild of husband-and-wife team, Jeremy and Lia Garcia, the seed for the NuLu Food & History Tour was sown on their honeymoon in Brussels, Belgium as they connected with the city over a plate of moules frites and Flemish stew. That experience led to many additional food tours across the globe. They were hooked on the combination of informative and entertaining historical storytelling and food with a connection to place.
After living in California for a decade the couple returned to Louisville, Lia’s hometown. Together they founded NuLu Food & History Tour. A former high school history teacher, Jeremy brings a wealth of knowledge to the tour experience. And, Lia brings the knowledge afforded a hometown Louisville girl along with an extensive background in tourism. It’s the perfect match.
Walking, Talking, Eating, Drinking
A walking tour, the NuLu Food & History Tour covers 1.5 miles over three hours in NuLu and the adjacent Butchertown neighborhood. We kicked off our afternoon of walking, talking, eating and drinking at Goodwood Brewing & Spirits where we celebrated Louisville’s German heritage with a tasting flight of beer, pretzels and a most delicious beer cheese. Taking a tip from Kentucky’s favorite spirit, Goodwood ages its beer in bourbon barrels. While imbibing and indulging we learned that Kentucky is the beer cheese capital of the world. Who knew?
Next, we made our way to stop two on the six-stop tour, venturing into Butchertown to learn aspects of its history both good and bad. First, we stopped at the Thomas Edison House to learn about his time in Louisville. The peaceful tree-lined streets of Butchertown arose from a much different era. Earning its name from its origin as Louisville’s original meatpacking district, Butchertown was home to a large German population who weren’t afraid of hard work and accepted employment as butchers. The neighborhood also played a significant role in slave trafficking. The phrase “sold down the river” originated here as slaves were sent by river to cotton plantations further south.
A Focus on Local Connections
When creating the NuLu Food & History Tour, Jeremy and Lia chose foods with a local connection. We experienced one excellent example of that at Biscuit Belly. This cheerful establishment focuses on deliciously elevated comfort food. For the tour, we tasted mini biscuits with samples of three types of gravy: Goetta sausage, mushroom, and smoked gouda mornay. Biscuits and sausage gravy are a Southern staple originating from South Appalachia in Kentucky and Tennessee. The Goetta sausage comes from Louisville’s German immigrants. Primarily composed of ground meat (pork, or sausage and beef), steel-cut oats and spices, Goetta sausage was originally a dish meant to stretch out servings of meat over several meals during hard financial times.
Next, at Feast BBQ we celebrated Kentucky’s long history of barbequing that dates back to the 18th century. Pulled pork remains the Kentucky BBQ of choice and Feast BBQ elevates that with balls of fried pulled pork crafted with sorghum and green onions and topped with a creamy coleslaw. Decadent? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely! And pulling in an even bigger Kentucky tradition, we washed those pork balls down with bourbon slushies.
A stop at Royals Hot Chicken provided a nod to Kentucky’s fried chicken culture which, of course, began with Colonel Sanders but continues today with even tastier varietals. Moving to the sweet side of NuLu, our next treat awaited at the locally owned Please & Thank You coffee shop where we met the Derby Bar. This scrumptious rectangle made with bourbon, chocolate, and walnuts provides just the right amount of tastiness without entering into a trademark battle with the Derby Pie.
A Sweet Send-off
Our final tasting happened at a Louisville institution – Muth’s Candies where we sampled a local legend, Modjeskas. Invented in Louisville by French immigrant Anton Busath, these caramel-wrapped marshmallows pay tribute to Polish actress Helen Modrzejewska. After watching the actress perform one of her Shakespearean roles in Louisville in the early 20th century, Busath was smitten and decided to create a candy as deliciously mesmerizing as Modrzejewska. He named the new candy Modjeskas in her honor. When Busath’s candy store burned down, he shared the recipe with Rudy Muth, the patriarch of Muth’s Candies.
Opened in 1921, Muth’s Candies remains a family-owned and operated store now in the fourth generation. In addition to the locally created Modjeskas, Muth’s Candies sells another Kentucky favorite – bourbon balls. I can’t think of a sweeter send-off, can you?