Access Louisville

We've got another restaurant roundup on this week's episode of the Access Louisville podcast. Reporter Michael L. Jones tells us about Great Wok, a Chinese restaurant that recently closed . The reasons behind the closure were a familiar refrain: Rising costs. That, as well as labor shortages, have been troubling Louisville restaurants of late. We also chat about Black Olive, a new Italia...

A report came out recently that said Louisville has the best drivers in the nation. It's been the subject of much online conversation, so we figured we'd carry that on for this week's Access Louisville podcast. We chat about our least favorite habits of Louisville drivers — be they a failure to zipper merger, speeding or just not waving enough. After the traffic discussion we catch...

Louisville lost a few restaurants recently, which we chat about on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Reporter Michael L. Jones is on the show and tells us about Maira Mediterranean Restaurant, which is near University of Louisville, closing in order to make way for a proposed development . We also chat about the closure of Hibachi Sushi Buffet , which is on Bardstown Road, near Hurstbour...

We get into a discussion about the best places for a coffee meeting during this week's Access Louisville podcast. This discussion came up based on the news that Quills Coffee is planning new locations and a new bakery in the Highlands. Several local favorites came up during the discussion, including Heine Brothers', Quills, Sunergos, Fante's and more. After that we switch gears and...

This week on the Access Louisville podcast we chat about two new places to go around town. Reporter Eleanor Tolbert is on the show to give us her impressions of the recently updated Angel's Envy distillery near Downtown Louisville . That leads us to a larger discussion about the appeal of bourbon tourism. After that we go over a new rock bar that's been opened in Clarksville: Losers 812...

We chat about the latest restaurant news on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Louisville Business First restaurant reporter has a new column where he's talking about the latest in Louisville's food scene. One example of this is a call he just had with the team behind Pig Beach, a barbecue restaurant that's planned in the former Tumbleweed/Doc's Cantina space on the wa...

Kentucky Kingdom General Manager Sarah Worrell joins the Access Louisville podcast this week. Worrell has spent a career in the theme park business —and so we chat about what she loves about that industry. We also get a peak into the philosophy behind the Louisville amusement park after it was purchased by Herschend Family Entertainment, the Atlanta-based company behind Dollywood and Silver Dollar...

Special guest David Beck, president and CEO of Kentucky Venues, which puts on the Kentucky State Fair, joins the Access Louisville podcast this week. Several announcements were made about the fair recently, including the concert schedule and the 9/11 exhibit that's slated this year. Interestingly, Beck notes on the podcast The Oak Ridge Boys, the country band behind "Elvira" and oth...

Louisville's mayor's race is set following the busy primary season. Democrat Craig Greenberg will face Republican Bill Dieruf in November. We chat about each candidate's message on this week Access Louisville podcast. Later in the show get an update on the latest in Louisville's food scene including a new food hall that's developing in town. Access Louisville is a weekly p...

This week on the Access Louisville podcast we chat Vince Tyra's new job. The former UofL Athletic Director has a new role with a well-known Bowling Green, Kentucky company. After that we talk about the latest development at Norton Commons.  The development is called Lyric at Norton commons and is home to restaurants, retail and residential. LBF Reporter Ellie Tolbert is on the show to tell us...

We recorded the Access Louisville podcast at Churchill Downs this week, just before the running of the Kentucky Oaks. On the show we shared our favorite derby memories, unpopular Derby opinions and our favorite things about Derby. You can check out some of our coverage from Kentucky Oaks here .  And we'll have some Kentucky Derby coverage coming soon too. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast...

We chat about improvements coming to Churchill Downs on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Those going to the Kentucky Derby this year will notice the swanky new Homestretch Club , a luxury seating section right by the track. There's also new stadium style seating that replaces many of the old trackside bleachers. These improvements are in place now but there is more on the horizon,...

Seema Sheth, senior vice president and regional executive of The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Louisville Branch, joins the Access Louisville podcast this week. Sheth, a Louisville native, took on the role in December . Hosts David A. Mann and Haley Cawthon discuss with Sheth the importance of economic education, which is often overlooked.  Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville...

We've got a lot of new restaurants to talk about on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Two of them are salad joints, with Green District and Vinaigrette both adding locations in Louisville. But if salad is not you're thing, that's OK too. We also have news on a new cheese shop, Watch Hill Proper bourbon club, a pool hall coming to the former Diamonds Pub location and much m...

There's no doubt that history is important to many Louisvillians and it's often the subject of debate when it comes to new development. We chat about that on this week's episode of the Access Louisville podcast. We've gotten a little taste of this debate in the last few months, with the Dream Hotel project proposed on West Main Street. Fortunately, the developers and those want...

UofL Health is building a new seven story tower in Downtown Louisville. We talk about this new development on this week's Access Louisville podcast. This will be the first new tower in Downtown Louisville for some time. And it's substantial because it follows a string of recent health care investment announcements. Later in the show we talk about plans for a Janet Jackson concert on Derb...

For fans of University of Louisville men's basketball, the last season may have been forgettable. But last week was most certainly memorable, as the program ushered  in a new era with the hiring of coach Kenny Payne . On this week's Access Louisville podcast, LBF reporter Laurel Deppen talks about this hire after attending the news conference where he was officially introduced. Reporter...

Breeze Airways announced a new nonstop flight from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) this week.  It's been a long-sought destination for the region because of Silicon Valley. The new direct flight comes after American Airlines announced nonstop service to Boston — another highly-coveted tech and health care hub — in December. Dire...

There's soon gonna be something new to eat in Louisville. Jack in the Box, a San Diego-based fast food joint, has announced plans to open up at a former Steak n' Shake location in Louisville. We talk about where it's going and why people are excited about it on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Later in the show, we chat about a couple of properties along Bardstown Road in...

When you talk about housing in Louisville it tends to trigger debates. Lots of people agree that Louisville needs more affordable housing. And market-rate and luxury housing fetches plenty of interest too. But, frequently, when a developer proposes a new housing development, be it single family homes or apartments, the reaction is negative. That's particularly true with the 'not-in-my-ba...

Humana Inc. has released its latest plan to return workers to its offices in Downtown Louisville. Getting Humana workers back Downtown should be a boon for neighborhood restaurants and shops as it's expected to bring a number of people back. We chat about that plan on the Access Louisville podcast this week. We also talk about the idea of coming back to the office. We've got some differe...

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer gave his final state of the city address last week before the Rotary Club of Louisville. On this week's Access Louisville podcast, we chat with Reporter Michael L. Jones who attended the Rotary meeting about his biggest takeaways from the speech. We also chat about Fischer's legacy and how he will be remembered after leaving office.  After that, we chat with...

We roundup some of the latest Louisville area restaurant news on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Specifically we chat about the owner of two downtown Louisville establishments — Riot Cafe and Limbo — that are looking for help from the community during the always tough winter season. We also chat about a new hip-hop themed restaurant in Fern Creek, Melt 502 . And a the opening date for...

Louisville-based FreshFry was on a great trajectory prior to the pandemic, helping restaurant clients extend the life of their frying oil with its oil cleansing pods on a national level. But when the early days of Covid-19 shut down restaurants, things began to look starkly more difficult. This week on the Access Louisville podcast we welcome FreshFry founder Jeremiah Chapman, who tells us how the...

The character of accommodations are changing in Louisville — offering much more boutique and unusual experiences. We chat about that on this week's Access Louisville podcast. The impetus of the discussion is a recent cover story in Louisville Business First, which highlights a number of unique hotel projects that have taken place around town in the last few years. Later on in the show, we cha...