Burley’s Harvest Market and Chef Martha Thompson are offering a chance to try gourmet creations without a hefty price tag by holding a farm-to-table tasting event that will include a wide menu of locally sourced products, including American-style Wagyu beef. Due to the weather forecast, the event will now be a drive-thru format where guests can pick up a box filled with product samples as well as the detailed recipes for the full menu.
The drive-thru will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with pickup at the old Golfland location on Old Calhoun Road (near the roundabout at the intersections of KY 81 and KY 56). It costs $10 per box, with payment taken at the pickup location.
All of the products being sampled will be available at Burley’s Harvest Market, located nearby at 1871 KY 81. The market is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
The menu is being crafted by Thompson, a former executive sous chef for a southern meat-and-three and catering company in Nashville. She and her family moved to Owensboro about a year and a half ago.
Thompson began frequenting Burley’s Harvest Market, which is owned by Katie and John Harralson, and saw an opportunity to help out.
“Every time I would stop in, I would meet a local farmer or a local person that provides products for the store,” Thompson said.
She began making suggestions on products to add to the store, and that eventually led to the Harralsons adding Thompson to the team to help source numerous products from farms across Kentucky.
They eventually decided to host the first Fresh Picked Strings in July, showcasing summer products.
“You could meet who you sourced your product from, which is very unique to this area,” Thompson said. “It’s important to know where your food comes from, and we are giving that option to the everyday Joe.”
After a successful first run, they are hosting the event again, this time with a focus on fall.
“It’s just super fun,” Thompson said. “It’s a great way to interact with customers and teach them about products they probably have never seen before and how to use them. It’s great to go into a store and say, ‘That’s a nice steak, how do I cook it?’ So that’s where I step in and I say, ‘It would be great if you use this spice blend, or you can prepare it this way. Have you ever tried this cut of meat? It’s famous in Brazil.’ Things like that, just opening up people’s world to new ideas and broadening their culinary horizons, if you will.”
Burley’s Harvest Market offers a vast range of products including beef, pork, chicken, catfish, milk and eggs, fruits and vegetables, honey, and more.
To learn more about the market or Saturday’s event, visit their Facebook page.
