Some cooking holds a whole way of life inside it. Kentucky's does.

In this first book of the 50 States Gathering Table series, Waverly Finch captures the heart of Bluegrass cooking — the kind of food that fills church fellowship halls, Sunday dinner tables, and Derby Day spreads from Louisville to Lexington. These 50 recipes are a love letter to a state that takes its food as seriously as its horses and its bourbon.

Fry chicken the way it was meant to be fried: golden, crackling, and finished with a biscuit so flaky it barely holds together. Discover the legendary Hot Brown, Louisville's iconic open-faced turkey sandwich smothered in Mornay sauce, born at the Brown Hotel. Warm up a cold evening with a bowl of burgoo, the hearty stew that has anchored outdoor gatherings for over a century. And save room for bourbon bread pudding — rich, custardy, and unmistakably Kentucky.

With stories woven between the recipes and techniques that honor the original, this book brings the Bluegrass home to your kitchen.

50 recipes. One beautiful state. Pull up a chair.