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Forbes
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Celebrate The Kentucky Derby With This At-Home Menu By Joshua Weissman
Joshua Weissman showcases his Kentucky Derby At-Home menu, featuring playful twists on Southern ... More classics like mac and cheese, chicken biscuits, and salted potato chip cookies. The Kentucky Derby finally gets underway this Saturday, May 3, at the legendary Churchill Downs in Louisville. The event billed as 'the most exciting two minutes in sports' draws upwards of 150,000 trackside, making it the most-watched and attended horse race in the United States. And while it's known for elaborate fascinators, bold bets, and mint juleps, the spread is also a crowd pleaser. This year, Churchill Downs tapped chef and digital creator Joshua Weissman to take the party from the track to your kitchen with a new Kentucky Derby At-Home menu. Weissman, a New York Times bestselling author with a knack for internet-breaking recipes, was given full creative license to craft a menu that reflects the Derby's tradition-driven but never boring energy. 'Food is such an important part of Derby Day festivities,' he said, 'so I was excited to curate a selection of approachable dishes that honor both the tradition and unexpected nature of the race, all with some fun twists.' The result is a mix of Southern comfort and cocktail pairings with clever updates like baked mac and cheese, honey butter chicken biscuits, salted potato chip chocolate chunk cookies, and Boulevardier Negroni. Whether you're tuning in for the horses or just here for the caramel corn, Weissman's menu makes it easy to keep the vibes high and the kitchen stress low. He spoke to Forbes about the tasty collaboration. Joshua Weissman's honey butter chicken biscuit brings Southern comfort to your Derby Day spread. I think all of the dishes capture that balance. For example, classic southern foods like fried chicken and biscuits are elevated with unique flavors and techniques in my Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit recipe. The honey butter, which is emulsified then drizzled generously all over the top, gives the dish a mouthwatering finish. Generally, I love taking classics that people know and love and making them wildly better than people remember. There's nothing worse than hosting a party and feeling like you're not even able to enjoy it. Where's the fun in that? The Kentucky Derby is such an iconic event and while the race itself only lasts two minutes, people at home will be hosting parties that last far longer. When developing the Kentucky Derby At-Home menu for this year, my priority was making everything elevated yet easy: dishes that are fun and exciting yet easy to make at scale, and easy to set up on a platter, plate, or hot tray. This way, hosts can actually enjoy the festivities too and hangout while people grab bites through the day. For the Perfectly Baked Mac and Cheese and Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, I focused on doubling down on what makes them great while emphasizing technique to make them far above the average mac and cheese or chicken and biscuit. For example, the honey butter in the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit being properly emulsified makes a huge difference in both the flavor and texture of that sauce which alone changes the whole experience. I'm excited for fans watching the Kentucky Derby at home this year to try out these recipes and impress their guests. Cookies and popcorn are classic, timeless snacks but my unique twists on them are unexpected and exciting, just like the Kentucky Derby! While the race is a quintessential American sporting event, it's filled with surprises, and I wanted my dishes to mirror that energy. Easy-to-eat snackable items are also the perfect Kentucky Derby party food, allowing guests to eat while enjoying the races and company of others. Joshua Weissman's Boulevardier Negroni is a bourbon-forward twist on a classic. A Boulevardier Negroni goes good with everything in my opinion, and pairs very well with anything on my Kentucky Derby At-Home menu. Even though it's so simple to make, it feels like an elevated drink that can enhance your Derby celebration. It makes you wanna stick that pinky up when you sip. There's a way to prep everything on my Kentucky Derby At-Home menu in advance. Make the cookie dough and chill it. Make your biscuit dough ahead. Marinate your chicken, make your breading for the chicken and keep it in a clear plastic bag waiting. Set yourself up so all you're doing is a quick cook or assembly on the day of so you can enjoy Derby Day experience with family and friends. Have fun with presentation and be creative. The final step in each of the recipes for my Kentucky Derby At-Home menu includes a recommendation for plating. For example, with the Cobb salad, I suggest arranging single rows of each ingredient to make the different colors pop out: the green of the lettuce and avocado, the yellow of the egg, and the red of the tomato. Similarly, with the crudité, I recommend using a shallow bowl and standing the vegetables up to give the dish an elevated look. The worst thing you can do when hosting or cooking is to not find ways to have fun. Mistakes can happen. Just try your best but always remember to have fun. From the food to the fashion and of course, the race, the Derby is such a cultural event with so many different elements for fans to have fun with. My favorite thing to do is to make the full recipes anyway and have leftovers! While your party may come to an end, you can still transport your tastebuds to the racetrack after guests are gone. Alternatively, you can pick 1-2 recipes and cut them in half. For any Kentucky Derby celebration, I would highly recommend you toss the salted potato chip chocolate chunk cookies in though.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chef and Content Creator Joshua Weissman Teams Up with The Kentucky Derby to Bring Bold Race Day Flavors to At-Home Celebrations
'Kentucky Derby At-Home' Menu Features Modern Race Day Bites, Perfect for Easy & Elevated Entertaining LOUISVILLE, Ky., April 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Churchill Downs Racetrack ("Churchill Downs") announced a partnership with chef, New York Times best-selling cookbook author and content creator Joshua Weissman to help fans create the ultimate at-home race day celebration for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. Drawing on his Southern roots and fun, approachable culinary style, Joshua curated an exciting race day menu of dishes that blend regional comfort food with bold flavors, perfect for celebrating 'Kentucky Derby At-Home.' "The tradition of The Kentucky Derby is unlike anything else, extending far beyond the racetrack, and I'm thrilled to help bring the spirit of the Derby to those watching from home this year," Joshua Weissman said. "Preparing a spread for an event as legendary as the Derby can feel intimidating, but my goal with this menu was to craft a collection of approachable dishes that are both easy to make and also put a fresh take on classic race day favorites." Leveraging his culinary expertise and social media savviness, including a keen sense of online food trends and a strong connection to his millennial and Gen Z followers, Joshua thoughtfully put together a spread of easy-to-enjoy snacks and bite-sized Derby-inspired dishes. Each item features a modern or unexpected twist that will bring any Derby party to the next level and won't interrupt the excitement of race day viewing. "Joshua's love for food, creativity in the kitchen and passion for entertaining his online audience make him the ideal partner to curate this year's 'Kentucky Derby At-Home' menu," said Casey Ramage, vice president of marketing and partnerships at Churchill Downs Racetrack. "The menu Joshua put together embodies the energy of the Kentucky Derby with adventurous takes on traditional offerings that will make any at-home celebration just as thrilling as the race itself." For more information, including recipes and images for Joshua's at-home Derby menu, please visit To learn additional details about this year's race, please visit The Kentucky Derby 151 At-Home MenuCrafted by Joshua Weissman Pretzel Sticks with Mustard Mayo Sauce Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit Cobb Salad Perfectly Baked Mac and Cheese Crudité Spicy Sweet Caramel Corn Salted Potato Chip Chocolate Chunk Cookies Boulevardier Negroni About the Kentucky Derby The $5 million Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Inaugurated in 1875, the legendary 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds is the longest continually held major sporting event in the United States and the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown series. Also known as, The Run for the Roses® and The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports®, the Kentucky Derby is the most attended horse race in the nation. The 151st Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 3, 2025. Tickets for the 151st Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby on May 2-3 are available by visiting and or by calling (502) 636-4447 to be a part of the most extraordinary Kentucky Derby yet. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Churchill Downs Racetrack
