LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A sweet tooth's paradise is taking shape across Louisville as bakeries and candy shops ramp up production for the Kentucky Derby, crafting thousands of desserts infused with a signature ingredient: bourbon.
At Adam Matthews Baking Company, employees are working at full speed to meet the seasonal demand. Inside the 50,000-square-foot kitchen, crews hustle to prepare cheesecakes, cherry pies and vats of caramel icing.
"Adam Burckle started it in 1983. It was mainly cheesecakes," said Cathy Fleig, vice president of operations for the company. "We did a lot of variety of different cheesecakes. It was his mother's recipe, and it just grew from there.
"I'm proud. It's a local company. It's very popular and people know the name."
The bakery also supplies The Pie Kitchen, where Derby-themed desserts are a staple this time of year. Michael Heise, director of store operations for The Pie Kitchen, said the most popular item is the bourbon barrel cake. The marbled yellow and chocolate cake is made with Kentucky bourbon, topped with walnuts and drizzled with chocolate and caramel icing.
"The barrel makes it unique since it's packaged in a wood barrel," Fleig said.
Another Derby favorite is bourbon pecan pie, which is — you guessed it — also infused with bourbon.
Bourbon is also the star ingredient at Art Eatables, where shelves are filled with bourbon truffles and hand-crafted chocolates. The shop was named best candy store in Kentucky by Food Network Magazine.
Owner Kelly Ramsey said the horse-shaped chocolates are carefully hand-painted.
"They're striking," she said. "They're pretty, and people can't believe they are chocolate."
Ramsey said demand surges as Derby approaches.
"We make these all year long, but they're really popular during Derby," she said. "Derby for us is more of that last minute, the last two weeks."
Once the Kentucky Derby Festival begins, Ramsey said business accelerates with last-minute orders.
"We're in Kentucky, so everyone knows about a bourbon ball," she said. "What makes us different, we are actually a peanut- and tree nut-free facility, so none of our bourbon chocolates are going to have nuts in them."
Orders for the shop's candies begin months in advance, with some customers placing requests as early as January.
"Our truffles are a chocolate ganache center that is paired with a particular bourbon," Ramsey said. "Unlike bourbon balls, they are a confectionary sugar and butter. So they are completely different."
If customers can only choose one, Ramsey recommends the Old Forrester 100 bourbon truffles, her "absolute favorite."
During the Derby rush, she said production ramps up significantly.
"During Derby, we make about 10,000 truffles in the couple weeks of selling," Ramsey said. "And the horses you saw that are hand-painted, we'll sell about 700 of those for the next couple weeks."
From thousands of chocolates to countless baked goods, Louisville businesses are preparing to ship their Derby-themed treats across the country.
At Adam Matthews Baking Company, however, Derby isn't the busiest season.
"We ship every day," Fleig said. "We have UPS come two or three times a day. Bring a semi."
