Joel Sams

Frankfort

Managing Editor at Kentucky Living Magazine

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Articles

Our Best | Country cooking and catering in Smithfield

2 months ago | kentuckyliving.com | Wade Harris |Joel Sams

IF IT LOOKS LIKE HALF THE TOWN of Smithfield is dining at Our Best restaurant on a busy evening, you might be right—by the numbers, at least. The restaurant seats 100 people, or 54% of Smithfield’s population in 2022. Guests aren’t just locals, though. General manager Aric Way, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Brittney, says the restaurant is a destination for diners seeking a personable family experience.
Culinary adventures at Maysville’s Parc Café - Kentucky Living

Mar 18, 2025 | kentuckyliving.com | Wade Harris |Joel Sams

AMY FRY’S HUSBAND, MARC, serves breakfast and brunch at their Maysville restaurant, the Parc Café. Their son, Henry, runs lunch. But every Friday and Saturday at 5:30 p.m., specialty dinners are Amy’s time to shine. One week, she served north African shakshuka and South African bobotie with malva pudding for dessert.
Firehouse Pizza gives back

Feb 13, 2025 | kentuckyliving.com | Wade Harris |Joel Sams

IF YOU’RE HUNGRY FOR HANDMADE PIZZA, sandwiches, salads, pasta, wings or ice cream, Firehouse Pizza in Morgantown has you covered. And if you want to give back to the community, they’ve thought of that, too. A “wall of donations,” visible from both registers, holds gift cards donated by customers. Owner Eric Sublett says the wall stays full—a testament to the community’s generosity. “If you’ve got a young mother or a family struggling, the last thing they want to do is ask for help,” Sublett says.
Gold Flame Diecast - Kentucky Living

Dec 10, 2024 | kentuckyliving.com | Wade Harris |Joel Sams

In the roughly 600 square feet that comprise Gold Flame Diecast in Wilmore, more than 5,000 model cars line product racks, fill bins and glint inside a glass display case. For kids, the breathtaking variety of Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Johnny Lightning and other brands pales only in comparison with the bargain bin, in which unboxed cars, priced at $1 each, are piled to the depth of a 6-year-old’s elbow.
A time to heal - Kentucky Living

Nov 6, 2024 | kentuckyliving.com | Wade Harris |Joel Sams

November 6, 2024 2 min read Lifestyle “I’ve been involved with it since the beginning—that’s what it means to me,” says Vietnam War veteran Jerry Cecil. “I’m still out here at 81 years old.” Cecil is a director on the board of the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
The Rex in Nancy harks back to grandma’s kitchen

Oct 28, 2024 | kentuckyliving.com | Wade Harris |Joel Sams

ON THE BACK STRETCH of his sixth decade, Rick Barker decided to try something new. Following a 35-year career in local government and 15 years running his own real estate and auction business, he opened The Rex restaurant on February 6. Located in Nancy, about 10 miles southwest of Somerset, The Rex serves up made-from-scratch favorites like the Manhattan sandwich (Barker’s favorite dish), fried catfish, chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, homemade pies, a full ice cream counter and more.
The vanishing bobwhite - Kentucky Living

Oct 1, 2024 | kentuckyliving.com | Wade Harris |Joel Sams

The sound haunted me for days after my first quail hunt. The covey had detonated underfoot and drummed into the air, then wheeled and rocketed over my right shoulder. Shaky with adrenaline, I emptied my shotgun toward the birds’ silhouettes, which flattened along a blue November sky. My guide for the day kept a cooler head. While I wasted shells, Ray Haywood swung his gun to his shoulder, locked onto a bobwhite and pulled the trigger. The bird froze for one blink, then tumbled into the pokeweed.
Family legacy at Roy’s Bar-B-Que in Russellville - Kentucky Living

Sep 10, 2024 | kentuckyliving.com | Wade Harris |Joel Sams

LEEANN HARRIS WAS 15 when her dad recruited her to help launch the new family restaurant business in 1983. To drum up customers for his new barbecue joint in Russellville, Ralph Morgan stuffed paper sacks with a pound of smoked pork, two kinds of sauce and a pack of buns. He marked each one with information about the new restaurant, named after one of his sons—Roy’s Bar-B-Que. LeeAnn’s job was to distribute the bags to local businesses and organizations.
Eat and shop local at Cornett Farm Fresh - Kentucky Living

Aug 6, 2024 | kentuckyliving.com | Wade Harris |Joel Sams

Don’t expect breakfast at Cornett Farm Fresh in London. That’s when the Cornett family and employees are picking the produce that will be on the diner’s plates for lunch and dinner. “If it were any fresher, it would still be in the field,” says Rhonda Cornett, who owns the business with her husband, Brent. The Cornetts, who are consumer-members of Jackson Energy, have a long family history in agriculture. Both grew up in farming families, and their children are involved as well.
The Wrigley in Corbin celebrates eastern Kentucky roots - Kentucky Living

Jun 30, 2024 | kentuckyliving.com | Wade Harris |Joel Sams

“There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there,” essayist G.K. Chesterton wrote. “The other is to walk round the whole world till we come back to the same place.”Kristin Smith chose option two. Founder and chef at The Wrigley Taproom & Eatery in Corbin, Smith is a sixth-generation farmer and Williamsburg native who spent several years doing mission work in Asia after college and attended graduate school in San Francisco.