Eating is a lifestyle for me. I chase local moments, travel gems, and any trendy bite I can find. My whole family knows the camera eats first. Welcome to Top Five Bites, where we take giant, delicious bites out of life right here in Owensboro, plus anywhere we find ourselves along the way.
Owensboro Regional Farmers’ Market
Strawberries
Different seasons at the farmers’ market bring different treats from the ground. Recently, strawberries were the star of the show. Sold in berry baskets that make you feel like you picked them fresh from the field, they are one of summer’s simplest pleasures, even if all you really did was Venmo someone and become part of a community tradition. You should probably take them home, wash them, and do all the safe things. But one warm, field-fresh strawberry eaten while standing in the middle of the market is an experience worth having.
Hillbilly’s BBQ
Pulled Pork Nachos
A Burger Week winner, a barbecue food truck, and home to these pulled pork nachos? Talk about a jack of all trades. Hillbilly’s does many things well, but this is my repeat order. Smoky, sweet pulled pork piled high over chips and topped with cold, crispy mayo-based slaw and pickled red onions. Added to the menu by the owner’s daughter, this family affair deserves your attention.
Lil Amigo Food Truck
Quesa Birria
I am not a chicken, cheese, and rice fan. I absolutely will order birria in any form if it appears on a menu. Lil Amigo hits all my favorite high notes with three corn tortillas stained that glorious red color that says, “I just took a dip in the river of flavor.” Stuffed with cheese and melted to perfection, they’re best finished with a sprinkle of raw onion, a squeeze of lime, and then dipped and double-dipped into the rich consommé. Unfortunately, I am a victim of OR6A2, so cilantro tastes like soap to me. Thankfully, this dish doesn’t need it. The only thing better than the food was the personality of the owner.
Ole South Barbecue
Fried Chicken
Sometimes nothing will do but a piece of really good fried chicken, and when that craving takes hold, I am headed to Ole South. I prefer a leg and a thigh. I prefer it fresh and crispy. I do not want a tender, ranch dressing or Nashville-level spice. What I want is a side of cool coleslaw to balance the grease. You know those little nuggets where the breading piles up thick on the edge of the chicken? The ones you can snap off and crunch into, only to have them disintegrate into nostalgia and childhood memories? That’s my favorite bite. Ole South gives me those moments sometimes, and I thank them for the trip down memory lane.
Women’s Guild
Spring Luncheon
Cheese Wafers
The 86th Annual Women’s Guild of Owensboro Spring Luncheon was held this year at Moore Farm in Maceo. While the home that is toured changes each year, very little changes on the iconic plate of food, right down to the four blueberries placed on every serving. The chicken salad is made exclusively with Duke’s Mayo, the Parker House roll recipe remains a time-honored tradition, and Grace’s Iced Tea is sweet enough to send your blood sugar soaring. But every year, for me, it’s the cheese wafer. They’re like a cheese-flavored shortbread cookie, and I could eat ten hundred dozen of them. Although they are all made from the same recipe, I know whose are the best and yes, I can absolutely tell the difference. She knows who she is. OL
