to address all matters:
Ron Johnson wrote:Easy trigger.
Robin specifically asked this:
Here's your chance to have your say: Which Louisville chefs - both established chefs and rising young stars - ought to win consideration for this accolade on their own merits
So, people posted those Louisville Chefs they thought ought to win accolades on their own merits.
We weren't given, nor asked to find out, the specific criteria used by the Beard House. We were asked who we thought was best in town. That would, by definition, end up looking like a "Best of Louisville" list.
Robin did not ask us to name "chefs are cooking the best food or 'have set new or consistent standards of excellence' in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia?"
Ok?
my reasoning for pointing this out was because these details of criteia
were left out.
All i was trying to get at: (for starters) 4 of these chefs are ineligible based upon this criteria (which it appears everyone here was naive of), and which should have been provided.
Secondly: I have the utmost respect for the chefs listed and think they all do arguably some of the finest food in Louisville. Being in the Top 10 in Louisville
does not neccesarily make you a front runner for 'Best Chef South East' considering the mass number of quality restaurants in this 6 state region. Which was part of my rationale to isolate this list to our absolute best chefs, and my powderpuff football reference.
A number of these chefs simply don't cook at the top 1% of chefs in the 'south east' region (as a whole), hence having to look at the bigger picture.
Sure these chefs are more than a given to make a top 10 Louisville chefs list, but is it wrong to be honest enough to suggest that some of these chefs may not even be considered in the top 25 or top 50 chefs in this region?
krista k wrote:Ethan,
Two questions:
1) Are you aware that Proof has not been affiliated with Myriad for quite some time now?
2) Have you dined at Proof?
disclaimer- i am a proof employee and just get a little annoyed when i see all of the accolades that my chef and his staff have worked so hard to earn chalked up to 'pr money.'
1) Yes, i am fully aware that Proof is no long affliliated with the Myrad Restauant Group. That said, I know 3 former members of (opening) management who when i've brought up the topic have affirmed the fact that: yes, while being a fine restaurant in it's own right; it's birthing connections to the Myriad name (and it's PR efforts) propelled the reputation and of the restaurant and put it into the public's eye moreso than if they were not affliaed with the Myriad Group.
2) I have dined at Proof, and enjoyed my meal. Though i'm not entirely sure how this matters since i never once mentioned Proof serving bad food, only mentioned that i believe a lot of the hype associated with the restuarant (especially at opening) was very much PR driven.
Chef Michael Paley and staff are very much on target with preparing exceptional cuisine, and can find little to say bad about the food or the restaurant in general.
disclaimer - i have several friends/colleagues who are presently employed or past employed by Proof. I don't refute how much the staff deserves all their accolades.
Krista- i think you and i have had enough (sometimes brief) conversations regarding food and 'the business' to know where i stand on certain aspects of my ideals, and i would have hoped wouldn't have read in between the lines to see my prior editorial to be see as an attack on Proof's reputation or accolades.
Again, mearly stating my opinion that i believe PR dollars spent in the restaurants early months put them onto the media's radar. You still have to do it right to get the recognition - which the staff at Proof has.
No one can buy accolades, but you can buy the exposure that gets you noticed enough to be considered for, and in turn (hopefully) receive those accolades (which i think Robin touched on ever so slightly).
Ron Johnson wrote:
Krista, it pisses me off too. It would be one thing if the food at Proof sucked, but it is consistently turning out some of the best food in town. It ain't a PR machine cooking that food, it's Michael Paley.
Ron, i never said the food at Proof sucked.
and no, it's not the PR machine cooking that food. It's an
entire kitchen staff.
Ron Johnson wrote:krista k wrote:Isn't the Seelbach a Hilton hotel?
Check. I imagine Hilton drops a few dimes annually on P.R.
The Seelbach is not owned by Hilton.
the owners of the building/business quite literally 'buy' licensing rights to use the Hilton name, and all it's branding rights.
With this there are certain 'Hilton Standards' the hotel must maintain in order to keep the Hilton brand on the name.
The hotel is operated (and now co-owned) by Interstate Hotels and Resorts.
Hilton doesn't drop a direct dime into the Seelbach's PR, beyond it's own branding advertising, of which the Seelbach is listed as a Hilton-branded hotel. Hilton does not own a part of the building or business.
The hotel's PR is handled by Bisig Impact Group, which as Robin pointed out earlier firm.
