Nine businesses have received the lifetime award for their commitment to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) Buy Local program, according to Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell.

Buy Local is an incentive program rewarding restaurants and other food service participants for enhancing their menus with locally sourced Kentucky Proud® ingredients. Introduced in 2006 as Restaurant Rewards, the program was rebranded as Buy Local in May 2017 with a goal to facilitate greater utilization of farmers’ bounty, while making it easier for the food service community to prepare and promote these products for their customers.

“Kentucky farmers produce some of the most nutritious and delicious farm fresh foods in the world,” Shell said. “Having that food served at some of the finest establishments across the state is a double win. The Buy Local program recognizes restaurants and food service entities that feature Kentucky Proud products with a direct farm impact on their menus. This initiative highlights the incredible products Kentucky farmers can provide and showcases how our local chefs creatively incorporate them into their dishes.”

Businesses must first be Kentucky Proud members before applying for the Buy Local program. Both memberships are offered at no cost. Once enrolled, businesses can purchase eligible food items sourced from Kentucky Proud member farms and distributors, directly impacting Kentucky Farms. Participating restaurants receive up to 15 percent back in reimbursement for the cost of eligible Kentucky Proud farm food, with a maximum of $8,000 a year, and a lifetime cap of $36,000.

The nine businesses are:

–Dudley’s Restaurant, Lexington

–Gralehaus, Louisville

–Holy Grale, Louisville

–Honeywood, Lexington

–Madison County Schools, Richmond

–Mayan Café, Louisville

–Ramsey’s Diner – Harrodsburg Road, Lexington

–Red Hog, Louisville

–Stella’s Kentucky Deli, Lexington

Since 2014, 30 entities have reached the lifetime limit. Throughout its history, the Buy Local program has incentivized chefs to purchase more than $14.4 million of locally grown and raised food from Kentucky’s farm families. The Kentucky Proud program is funded through a grant from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board.