Keeneland Chef: More Than Burgoo and Bread Pudding

The horsemen aren't the only ones who have an early start to their day as the Keeneland spring meet gets underway in Lexington Friday. Keeneland's executive chef Marc Therrien, now on the job for a year, is also there at 5:30 a.m. to make sure his team is ready to feed the expected hordes of hungry race fans.

“Wherever I have been, I have learned it is all about the people, and it is your team that is really doing the work,” said Therrien. “I start out at the loading dock and work my way through all the kitchens and the front of the house. I stop and shake everyone's hand and greet everyone as much as I can. I work my way across the whole building 16 or 17 times a day.”

Building morale is important to Therrien, who took over the Keeneland culinary scene just before the start of the April meet last year. A Massachusetts native, he spent two decades in San Diego and was working as the executive chef at La Costa Resort & Spa before he got a phone call about a possible move to Kentucky.

“I saw it as a challenge,” said Therrien. “I had hit the top of my game out in San Diego, and I was starting to get bored. My daughter was in college, so she didn't need me to be there as much, and I was tired of the cost of living.

“I came out here and fell in love with the property. I fell in love with the town, too. I thought it was killer, and it had a slower pace of life. My wife owns a Thoroughbred and is into riding, so we figured why not? Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind and try things in life. That's what makes you grow as a person.”

One of Therrien's main goals is to help Keeneland grow into a food destination equal to its reputation as a racing destination. He spent his first spring meet mostly observing and his first fall meet trying out new ways of doing things. Both proved immensely educational.

“The thing about this place is that it's not your typical restaurant,” Therrien said. “We have three restaurants, but they aren't normal. All the dining rooms hit in one shot. In Club 2, 550 people order at the same time, and that's insane. It is no wonder it wasn't doing great. People were having a hard time getting their food. Was it on time? Was it fresh? Was it hot? Was it thoughtful? No. How could it be?

“It takes time for the changes. You have to figure out what the community wants, what Keeneland needs, and how do we get there. I have been here a year, and I just now feel set up to start building all that. I had to build the framework and get everyone working together first.”

A lot of Therrien's focus has been on streamlining menus, aiming for quality over quantity, and making sure that the different dining areas are serving the type of food that the clients in each section will want.

“We made more strides faster than I thought we would,” he said. “Right now, everyone is going the same direction, we are building the brand, and that is what it is all about. This property is amazing, and it is a brand. There is a new program here, and we are reinventing how it is done. I think the food is starting to match what the racing is.”

Therrien is aware that the food people want at a racetrack in Kentucky is not necessarily going to be the same as what someone at a luxury resort in California is looking for, but the idea of having thoughtful, delicious menus remains the same. That means he has been playing with local staples like the hot brown to elevate them, but still make them approachable.

“There are certain things you need to have on the menu,” he said. “I didn't know what a hot brown was. You don't see those in Massachusetts or California. It's a Kentucky thing. It's cool, and it's a neat dish, but I want to make it great. I want it to be the best one you have ever had. I think we did okay with the hot brown for October, and I think the April hot brown is even better.”

He also came to realize that while the clubhouse diners expect one type of food, the visitors to Keeneland on any given day vary greatly when it comes to what kind of dining experience they want.

“I took the same menu and put it into Equestrian, Club 2 and Club 3,” he said. “In theory that works great, but what I was missing is that Equestrian is really a tavern. What do people want in pubs? They want a shared plate where they can have a good pint of beer and watch the racing and snack on things instead of very entree-focused things like prime rib.

“These new items we are doing, I feel really good about them. I tried to take the pretentiousness out of it. I would rather do something cool that is approachable. If I am doing a hot wing, it better be a hell of a hot wing. We are doing a full joint wing. Most are frozen and they are one single joint. These are the whole, full jumbo wing, and I get them fresh and beer brine them over night. Then I put them on our smoker for 4 hours, low and slow. Then I take them and deep fry them and then put them in our own wing sauce that we make from scratch. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it is all prior proper planning, so it is manageable.”

Another item to be on the lookout for is the Keeneland Nacho, which features beer cheese and corn beef. Even the concession stands are getting added boosts, and Therrien recommends the new brown butter kettle corn.

The job is not without its challenges, though, and one of the biggest is simply getting good staff who are willing to accept that the job only lasts for less than a month.

“Lexington is on the verge of blowing up as far as a good food scene,” said Therrien. “There is more and more competition for good staff. We have a challenge in that we have to hire 400-500 people for 17 days, and then we have to let them go. And then do it again in October. Where do you get these people? Lexington is not a big town, and the labor pool is small. I would say we have a 65% return rate and the rest are new.”

Outside of the April and October race meets, Therrien is also in charge of the culinary requirements for both the sales and special events that Keeneland hosts throughout the year.

“During the race meet you are holding on for survival,” he said. “You are doing the best you can, but once it is going, it is going. You aren't going to stop it. It is a juggernaut. It is a lot of people, and every seat is a holding bin for people who are going to eat my food. Special events are where we can flex our culinary muscles, so don't expect that what you see at the races is what you will see at special events.”

One lesson Therrien has learned in his first year is that under no circumstances should he touch two of Keeneland's beloved staples: bread pudding and burgoo.

“We actually tried to change the burgoo,” Therrien said. “I didn't tell anyone I was doing it, but I did it for the September sales. The first day, I thought the Guns of Navarone were going off. People were demanding to know who changed the burgoo and why? So I told the guys to change it back. Those two stay the same. It is memories, and I get that.

“I almost have a tagline now, though: We are known for more than just burgoo and bread pudding. Bypass the bread pudding and go for the butter cake. You won't be sorry. My goal is that the bread pudding and burgoo eventually go to the wayside because there are so many other new things coming at you that could be the new generation of traditions. If we can do that, then I've done my job.”