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Chase Maus, a Kentucky pastry chef and Season 12 contestant on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship, smiles on the show’s holiday themed kitchen set.

Kentucky Pastry Chef Chase Maus Competes on Food Network’s Season 12 of “Holiday Baking Championship”

December 10, 2025 | Culture, Hospitality, News

Kentucky chef Chase Maus brings his Covington roots and queer creativity to Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship.

Wives Shelbi and Ashley Nation, known as the Nation wives, stand arm in arm in front of Wyoming Meat Market. They are smiling, wearing work aprons, and standing on the brick sidewalk beneath the shop’s black awning that reads “Wyoming Meat Market.” A bench and storefront windows are visible behind them.

Inside Reka’s, Covington’s Lesbian-Owned Whole-Animal Butchery Reviving Italian Traditions

November 19, 2025 | Culture, Business, Hospitality, Kentucky

Reka’s, a queer female-owned whole-animal butchery in Covington, blends Italian heritage, sustainable meat practices, and community-focused values.

| Culture, Business, Hospitality, Kentucky

Drag performers Penny Tration, left, and Molly Mormen, right, pose together inside Rosie’s Tavern in Covington, Kentucky.

Penny Tration and Molly Mormen Reflect on Drag, Identity and Queer Life in Northern Kentucky

November 6, 2025 | Culture, Drag, Hospitality, Kentucky, Magazine, Special Issue: NKY

RuPaul alum Penny Tration and Molly Mormen discuss drag, identity and queer life in Northern Kentucky.

| Culture, Drag, Hospitality, Kentucky, Magazine, Special Issue: NKY

Where to Sip in NKY: Bourbon & Belonging Event Recap with the Midwestern Lesbian

October 1, 2025 | Culture, Hospitality, Special Issue: NKY

Queer Bourbon Week recap: NKY tastings, drag, and community—curated by Midwestern Lesbian.

| Culture, Hospitality, Special Issue: NKY

Northern Kentucky LGBTQ+ Culture & Community Guide | Queer Kentucky

September 30, 2025 Art, Business, Culture, Drag, Hospitality, In-State Travel, Special Issue: NKY, Travel

Explore our Northern Kentucky Special Issue—street art, drag, affirming businesses, and Bourbon & Belonging—celebrating queer people and places across the region.

Sweet Resilience: How Hip Hop Sweet Shop Rose from the Ashes

February 3, 2025 Business, Culture, Health, Hospitality, Kentucky, News

When Lafesa Johnson first started baking, it was out of necessity and creativity. As a young single mother of three, she learned early on how to make the most out of limited resources. When expensive birthday cakes were out of reach, Lafesa began crafting cakes for her children using techniques she picked up from cake-decorating […]

Feed Louisville Executive Chef Callie Critchelow talks working to combat food injustice in Louisville

January 30, 2025 Community, Culture, Health, Hospitality

Feed Louisville is changing the way people in need receive nutritious food.

Pink Shirt, Pink Hat, and the Western Kentucky BBQ Belt

November 3, 2024 Rural/Appalachia, Business, Culture, Hospitality

I grew up in the outskirts of Henderson County in Western Kentucky. For as long as I can remember, every Christmas, birthday, or day worth celebrating had a central staple: Thomason’s BBQ Baked Beans. When I tell y’all it’s a special local business, I mean it. But, don’t just take my word for it. A […]

No Regrets: Kristin Smith’s journey from Williamsburg to wanderlust to home in Wrigley’s Taproom

October 9, 2024 Issue 6, Hospitality, Rural/Appalachia

photos by Jon Cherry Along Main Street in downtown Corbin, across the street from White Rabbit Records and bookended between the pinball museum and a local coffee shop called Folktales, Wrigley’s Taproom & Eatery celebrated its ninth birthday earlier this year. That party was, in some ways, the culmination of star chef Kristin Smith’s return […]

We can’t forget about the people of Whitesburg

October 8, 2024 Hospitality, Issue 6, Rural/Appalachia

photos by Samuel Greenhill The spirit, fight, and resilience of Michele Hobbs. Nothing that I describe to you, from her nonstop energy to her multiple successful businesses to the Bourbon that we initially intended to speak about, sums Michele Hobbs up better than her insistence on turning all conversations to the people of Whitesburg, Kentucky. […]

At the Forefront of Queer Inclusive Bourbon: Old Forester

October 4, 2024 Issue 6, Hospitality

For generations Bourbon whiskey has ebbed and flowed in and out of popularity and prestige, but as a uniquely American product, it’s long been part of the national beverage alcohol conversation. Over the past 20 years, however, Kentucky’s passion for the craft spirit has gained reverence from all over the world and with the institution […]

“The Kentucky Gent” Serves the Bluegrass and Bourbon with Spirited Love

October 3, 2024 Hospitality, Issue 6

photos by Milkman Photography Josh Johnson is a Kentucky gentleman. That’s how he put it to fashion industry leaders from New York to Los Angeles while working as a clothing buyer more than a decade ago. Folks followed the phrase with confused looks and questioning glances at Johnson’s long hair and tattooed skin. “You’re not […]

Small Batches of Love and Life Can be Found at Beam Suntory

October 2, 2024 Issue 6, Hospitality

photos by Beth Burrows April Elston was at work two years ago when she received an email that would change her life. Test results from an April 2022 biopsy revealed that she had cancer in her right breast, and a series of follow-up calls with her medical team presented a narrow range of treatment options. […]

Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. Kentucky’s newest sweetheart yassifies a Derby tradition

October 1, 2024 Issue 6, Hospitality

Contrary to popular belief, The Kentucky Derby has always been queer. Big, boisterous hats and flashy fascinators paired with dresses in bright pastels, deep rosy reds and Kentucky blues fill Churchill Downs from the infield to Millionaires row. Let’s face it: it’s one big drag show. For the Derby’s 150th anniversary, Churchill Downs and Woodford […]

The Four Horsemen: Queer bartenders and their favorite Bourbon drink

September 3, 2024 Culture, Hospitality, Issue 6, Magazine

photos by Matthew Pruitt Amy Mobley (she/her) Bar 32 Covington, KY As I step into Bar 32 located in Covington, I’m overwhelmed by a sense of nostalgia. The bar instantly feels like home, where the regulars converse like they’ve known each other for years (which they probably have) and visit this place frequently (which they […]

Brown-Forman, University of Kentucky gut DEI initiatives

August 26, 2024 Hospitality, Business

After the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020, something shifted in the world — at least for a little bit. Conversations surrounding race and LGBTQ+ equality infiltrated family dinner tables and corporate boardrooms across the United States. Four years later, the once touted DEI initiatives are being cut. Last week, Bourbon powerhouse […]

Emboldening the Queer Community: Lexington’s Gay Hot Dog Stand

July 25, 2024 Hospitality

Marcus Randolph and Brad Love bought Sam’s Hot Dog Stand in downtown Lexington three years ago. Sam’s has been in operation for 30 years, and the business has never shied away from queer allyship. The hot dog stand has a history of opening later at night to make food for the clientele next door at […]

Roving queer happy hour Outpost creates community in Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati

July 6, 2024 Hospitality

Every month, a queer happy hour blesses a different bar in the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati region, and in addition to the regulars that usually haunt the place, one can expect to see a gaggle of queers. Responsible for this queer takeover is Outpost, a monthly queer happy hour with a rotating venue. The idea […]

Lee Initiative Lunch Break: The door is always open at Lesbian-owned bar, Birdie & Vi’s

June 24, 2024 Hospitality

photos by Milkman Photography (Feature photo: Dani DeVincentis serves up drinks to Birdi & Vi’s customers) Queer Kentucky is a proud partner of the Lee Initiative. This is the first part of a series of stories uplifting Queer voices within the hospitality industry in partnership with the Lee Initiative. “We started The LEE Initiative in […]

Lavender Country: A vibe that’s worth the drive

May 29, 2024 Hospitality, Business, Issue 5, Travel

At Little Mount Lavender, about a mile off the outlet mall exit in Simpsonville, Kentucky, both owners, both named Jason, own what they say is the largest year-round lavender store on the Eastern seaboard. Both Jasons are also in love: Jason Woodlief married Jason Walker, who subsequently became Walker-Woodlief, in 2014, with an officiant and […]

Lee Initiative Lunch Break: “Why do you have to act like a guy all the time?”

April 22, 2024 Culture, Hospitality

by Ashlee Martinez photos by Jon Cherry Queer Kentucky is a proud partner of the Lee Initiative. This is the first part of a series of stories uplifting Queer voices within the hospitality industry in partnership with the Lee Initiative. “We started The LEE Initiative in Louisville, KY in 2018 after we saw a need for […]

Bourbon and Belonging: Kentucky’s Queer Bourbon Week

April 18, 2024 Hospitality

Dear Queer Kentucky, I am thrilled to announce Bourbon and Belonging: Kentucky’s Queer Bourbon Week. After working behind the scenes on this project since late last summer, I couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce Bourbon and Belonging to you. Over five days and across eight cities in October, participants will partake in dozens of curated […]

Nashville’s big, gay MeatUp party set to grind in Louisville’s Butchertown

May 22, 2023 Culture, Hospitality

By Spencer Jenkins he/[email protected] Booty shorts, knee-high socks and belly-revealing crop tops are just some of the looks to embody for the Nashville-based event, MeatUp, coming to PLAY Louisville on May 27. MeatUp is an event created by couple Al Gregory and Toby Sturgill, and their friend Griffin Green. It offers a retro-inspired experience for […]