AZUR Culinary Team Wins Signature Chefs Award

The AZUR Culinary Team led by Executive Chef Jeremy Ashby won the Signature Chefs award for their entree during the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction in Lexington, Kentucky. Guests enjoyed an incredible gourmet food sampling of Lexington's most elite chefs’ signature dishes followed by a live and silent auction of thrilling packages and spectacular items. This fundraising event for the March of Dimes takes place in 200 cities across the country.

AZUR Guest Celebrity Chef Series

The AZUR Guest Celebrity Chef Series dinners will feature chefs, many of whom are known regionally or nationally, preparing a multi-coursed dinner with the AZUR chefs - Executive Chef Jeremy Ashby and Chef Miguel Rivas at AZUR restaurant & patio. The inaugural dinner will be Wednesday, November 24 and will feature Chef Aaron Hopper. Chef Hopper was one of AZUR's original chef/owners and was instrumental in the kitchen and menu design which has become the trademark of AZUR. We are pleased to feature Chef Aaron Hopper as our first celebrity guest chef. More guest chefs and dates will be announced in the coming weeks. Our goal is to keep the passion and spirit of the culinary arts alive in Lexington, Kentucky.

Cookin' in the Bluegrass - WEG 2010

(l to r) Chef Miguel Rivas, Chef Bernard Guillas, Fred Wohlstein, Chef Jose Garces and Chef Jeremy Ashby

Jeremy Ashby, Executive chef at AZUR restaurant & patio in Lexington was the featured Kentucky chef, along with Chef Bernard Guillas from The Marine Room in La Jolla, Calif. and Chef Jose Garces (Iron chef) from the Garces Restaurant Group in Philadelphia at the celebrity chef dinner during the World Equestrian Games on Oct. 6, 2010. The event was over-booked by 11 guests with a final total of 91 including: Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, First Lady Jane Beshear and Reggie Farmer, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner. The dinner featured a cornucopia of Kentucky Proud products. Menu may be viewed by following this link http://azurrestaurant.com/azurin.aspx

AZUR Wins Mixed Drink Challenge

Josh Brown, AZUR General Manager and Amber Blaisdell, Spirits Manager won BIG at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2010 - Mixed Drink Challenge in Bardstown, Kentucky this past week. Their entry - AZUR Bluegrass Sunrise won two awards for AZUR. They took the Champion award for the mixed drink competition in the restaurant division and also won the Grand Champion award for the entire competition. During the next Kentucky Bourbon Festival in 2011 their mixed bourbon cocktail will be the official drink. It's a great honor for all!

AZUR Repeats Fine Dining Title

AZUR restaurant & patio was awarded the Best in Lex 2010 award for fine dining by the Ace Weekly Readers' Poll for the second consequtive year! This also marks the second year that a restaurant outside of downtown Lexington has won. We are pleased that so many recognize AZUR as a cutting edge culinary leader. AZUR co-owner Fred Wohlstein accepted the award during the Best of Lexington 2010 reception on September 17.

Report from New Orleans Seafood Cook-Off

The AZUR team under the leadership of Executive chef Jeremy Ashby just returned from the 7th Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans, LA. Even though we didn't bring home the seafood crown for Kentucky, we were treated like royalty. The night before the event, the culinary teams were loaded on buses and police escorted to several New Orleans fine dining restaurants including Commander's Palace, Cafe Palace and Ralph's on the Park. Teams represented states from Alaska to Maine and Illinois to Florida. Chef Jeremy Ashby represented Kentucky well as an ambassador to the Kentucky sustainability movement (aquaculture and agriculture). As a result of the competition, AZUR was able to discuss the Kentucky Proud program and invite several celebrity chefs and food magazine editors to visit Kentucky. Though we did not win the event, AZUR and Chef Ashby did win attention for the Kentucky culinary movement and Kentucky Proud products.

Note: The crown went to Chef Dean James Max of Florida who is a great chef and an ambassador to Florida's sustainable seafood as well.

Summer Nights on AZUR Patio

In the hospitality business, there are many, many wonderful nights but some just stand out. Last night was one of those memorable summer evenings on the AZUR patio. After weeks of high temperatures and humidity, the weather finally cooperated. Not only did the temperature drop about 15 degrees but we also had a talented band booked for our Friday patio guests' entertainment. Let's just say that it was the "perfect storm." Every table was seated throughout the restaurant & patio and we even placed into service an area of just seats for the overflow of guests. Definitely an evening that will be talked about in AZUR lore.