2023 FINALISTS
FOOD & DRINK
Art Eatables
Small-Batch Bourbon Truffle
| $11-$46
Louisville, Kentucky | Arteatables.com
As the world's first Bourbon Certified Chocolatier, Kelly Ramsey, founder of Art Eatables, wanted to do something different and not trample on the tradition of the bourbon ball - hence, the Small-Batch Bourbon Truffle was created. Ramsey says, "you could recognize your favorite bourbon in the truffle that I made it with - it really makes us stand out." They focus equally on the confection and on the bourbon.
Art Eatables is also the only dedicated nut free bourbon candy maker in Kentucky. All of their products are nut free, they use only nut free ingredients and make their chocolates in a nut free facility.
Bee Great
Rum Barrel Aged Honey | $25
Fort Wayne, Indiana | Beegreatlocal.com
Bee Great uses Appleton Estates rum barrels for their Rum Barrel Aged Honey. The rum is aged in barrels and then transferred to used Jack Daniels whiskey barrels to finish for the final years of aging. This means the barrel they are using is double charred, twice to age whiskey and once to age rum. They pride themselves on the quality of product they sell & also help support their passion for honey bees with every product sold.
Bee Great was also recognized by Indiana Artisans and took 2nd place in the International Flavor Awards.
Woodstock Lavender Co.
Gourmet Lavender Syrup
| $18
Somerset, Kentucky | Woodstocklavender.com
What began as a hobby has become a way for female farmers, Mary May & Allison Horseman, also mother & daughter, to honor their agricultural heritage in a unique way. They work together to raise 14 varieties of lavender on their 4-generation family farm. The Gourmet Lavender Syrup is unique because it's so versatile. It can be used in cocktails, mocktails, lemonades, teas, cookies, etc. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and features something unique for Kentucky - lavender.
Woodstock Lavender Co. products are rooted in heritage and crafted with care. They will make you feel good about you, and the world around you.
HANDMADE
Greenfield Woodworks
Medium Victorian Carousel Rocking Horse
| $2,450
Mercer, Pennsylvania | Greenfieldwoodworks.com
What started as a hobby, turned into a full-time business for Brett Schroyer, founder of Greenfield Woodworks. Both him and his father had a passion for the carousel horse and they wanted to build one. So, they picked up a book at a local bookstore and the rest is history.
Schroyer constructs and carves the horses, then paints & finishes them. The mane and tail are real horse hair, the tack and saddle are real leather, the saddle is hand stitched with brass or nickel embellishments and stirrups to enhance the overall aesthetic of the horse. There is also a time capsule included in the center cavity of each horse to invite families to add their personal memorabilia.
He is also the featured Artisan of Shaker Woods in Columbiana, Ohio, the third best Artisan festival in the nation.
Sunhouse Craft
Tampico Wing & Dustpan Set
| $45
Berea, Kentucky | Sunhousecraft.com
Sunhouse Craft was started by designer/maker Cynthia Main as a place to combine her background as a fabricator with a strong desire to find sustainable and harmonious ways of working. Joined later by Doug Stubbs, they craft each piece by hand in their Kentucky studio. Each work weaves together crafting traditions of Appalachia, natural materials, and timeless design. The end result are tools that bring back a sense of everyday magic into our daily work and chore.
"The Tampico Wing & Dustpan Set crosses traditional Appalachian techniques, with materials I brought into the craft" Main says. "I wanted to make a dustpan that wasn't plastic and wasn't something you hide in a closet!" The dustpan is made from leather from Thoroughbred Leather, a tannery in Louisville, but cut & formed at Sunhouse Craft. The brush is bound using Appalachian techniques, made with tampico fiber, organic linen and cotton.
Stephanie Hilen Art
Blue Number 3
| $4,450 for original; $35-$500 for prints
Lexington, Kentucky | Stephaniehilen.com
Stephanie Hilen is the granddaughter of an Austrian immigrant artist, Erika Kaiser, whom she inherited her "art genes" from. Hilen says she began drawing before she could write. She has chosen to focus on painting with oils exclusively which has led to faster strides in her skill level with the medium.
Blue Number 3 was created as part of Hilen's first Keeneland-inspired collection of oil paintings. She liked the unique crop, the lighting and the Blue Number 3 as a nod to UK Basketball (a tradition that runs deep in her family). Hilen says that horses and Kentucky landscapes are among her favorites subjects to paint commenting "in a way, I feel like I'm part of that history by recording these scenes of beauty in our everyday life."
HOME GOODS
Oak & Moore - 2023 PATRONS' PICK WINNER
Bourbon Barrel Stave Bar Cart | $625
Versailles, Kentucky | Oakandmoore.com
The Bourbon Barrel Stave Bar Cart is crafted from authentic Kentucky bourbon barrels. Lane Moore, owner of Oak & Moore, says taking time to kiln dry the barrels is what sets him apart from other bourbon barrel artisans. Moore handpicks all barrels to make sure "KY" is molded on the rivets of each metal band he uses.
Almost every inch is crafted from bourbon barrels. The frame is bourbon staves, the top & bottom shelves are from four bourbon barrel heads, the metal is from metal bands around a barrel and the wine rack underneath is crafted from pieces of a barrel head. Moore comments "I take pride in crafting a lifelong product that others will enjoy and be able to use."
theBAR2GO
theBAR2GO
| $37-$120
New Orleans, Louisiana | Thebar2go.com
Isabel Clark, owner of theBAR2GO, came up with the idea in a friend's kitchen during cocktail hour. "There is no great way to gift mini liquor bottles, and I love them all - everyone wants to put them in baskets with cellophane and I want to change that. I want a classy way to use mini bottles!"
The flat design helps theBAR2GO fit in tight spaces, the sturdy foam insert helps protect the bottles, and the cut outs in the foam fit many of the 50ml liquor bottles on the market. Bottles are included if you prefer to fill from your own liquor cabinet or live in a state that does not sell mini liquor bottles. The cases are available in a number of designs.
A travel bar, a mini bar - a cocktail lover's answer to a classy way to take your cocktails wherever your journey takes you.
Misc. Goods Co.
Ceramic Flask
| $125
Louisville, Kentucky | Misc-goods-co.com
Founded in 2012 by owner/designer Tyler Deeb, Misc. Goods Co. builds products with practical purposes - keepsakes which are set apart.
Designed to reference the historic culture of distilling spirits, the Ceramic Flask holds 11oz. and is crafted in the USA by skilled artisans. It is a drinking flask made for the casual picnic, bar top or mantle. Accented with embossing and leather fastening with brass hardware, this premium flask carries a distinct style that's unsurpassed by any other and truly preserves the taste and color of your spirit over time.
WEARS
Brackish
Edisto Bow Tie
| $225
Charleston, South Carolina | Brackish.com
Brackish began with a singular feather bow tie designed by Ben Ross and gifted to his groomsman, Jeff Plotner. Years later (2012 to be exact), Plotner reached out to Ross with an idea to turn these bow ties into a business, and then Brackish was formed.
The Edisto Bow Tie was named after Edisto Island itself, where co-founder Ben spent a lot of time growing up. Each feather represents a different aspect of the island; the blue pheasant representing the water, green pheasant the strip of the land, black and white pheasant the night horizon, and guinea the starry night sky.
All of their products are hand-crafted by artisans in Charleston. Brackish is designed using all-natural, sustainably sourced feathers.
Forme' Millinery
Millinery Hats
| $450-$650
Lousiville, Kentucky | Formemillinery.com
Jenny Pfanenstiel is a Master Milliner, but it all started when she was 5 years old when her mother taught her how to cross stitch. Over the years, Pfanenstiel has made costumes for the ballet, Cirque du Soleil, movies, commercials, and even a Grammy dress! She loved what she did but knew something was missing. After attending a lecture about an age-old technique of blocking hats, she decided to travel to Australia to learn more traditional techniques of hat making and was instantly hooked. She says "as a Milliner, my goal is to make a person feel sensational in my hats."
Pfanenstiel has had the honor being named the Featured Milliner of the Kentucky Derby #146, #147, #148 and #149. Her and her husband also started a hat box company, hatboxesusa.com, as they struggled to find quality hat boxes that were the size they needed - so they decided to start their own company.
Leather By Design
Marbl'd™ Leather Snaffle Bit Bracelet
| $60
Lexington, Kentucky | Marbledleather.com
As a graphic artist by trade, and being in the publishing business for 30+ years, Carin Lovell, owner of Leather By Design, has always loved and appreciated the art of bookbinding, and in particular, the method of marbling paper. After a trip to Italy in 2015 and working with leather, the idea was spurred to experiment with marbling leather. After a bit of trial and error, a new art medium was born.
Lovell hand marbles each piece of leather in a variety of color palettes floating in a seaweed derivative bath. With this comes one-of-a-kind Marbl'd™ leather and Italian leather creations.
