Celebrity chefs headline Kentucky Derby 152 culinary experience at Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs is selling Kentucky Derby 152 as more than a race card. With seven celebrity chefs, a refreshed official menu and premium dining rooms spread across the grounds, the track is leaning hard into the idea that Derby weekend is a luxury live-event brand with a starting gate.

The official on-track food and beverage program was released March 3 by Churchill Downs Racetrack and Levy Restaurants ahead of the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, set for Saturday, May 2, 2026, at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville. The chef lineup includes Akhtar Nawab, Damaris Phillips, Fabio Viviani, Leah Cohen, Lorena Garcia, Rodney Scott and Tristen Epps, with exclusive offerings planned for select spaces including Club SI by Sports Illustrated, Spires Terrace and Turf Club.

The menu itself is built to sound familiar to Derby regulars while pushing the kitchen a little farther upmarket. Churchill Downs said it features Louisville-inspired classics and contemporary variations, all built with fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced from nearby farms. Among the dishes and flavors highlighted are chicken with roasted peach chutney, Kentucky BBQ shrimp, honey bourbon sauces and brown sugar caramelization. That is not concession-stand food. It is a curated hospitality package aimed at guests who want the race, but also want a table worth showing up early for.

Robert Lopez, back for his third year as head chef at Churchill Downs, said the menu blends familiar elements with culinary twists and is designed to immerse on-track diners in the full experience. That framing matters because the Derby’s food operation is no side hustle anymore. Churchill Downs says the broader culinary push will span more than 25 dining rooms and serve more than 100,000 guests, a scale that makes the dining program one of the event’s biggest revenue and branding engines.

That footprint tells you plenty about the Derby’s audience. Churchill Downs is not just chasing race fans with a program like this. It is courting high-spend hospitality customers, corporate groups and sponsors who see value in premium access, celebrity names and polished dining environments. Club SI, Spires Terrace and Turf Club are not simply seats with food attached. They are part of the sell: a Derby weekend experience that mixes pageantry, entertainment and upscale service into one package.

The hospitality push continues beyond the track. Derby Experiences has scheduled Taste of Derby for April 30, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Kentucky International Convention Center, with an additional celebrity-chef lineup, premium open bar, dessert stations, live music and VIP access. The message from Churchill Downs is clear: Derby 152 will still belong to the race, but the food, the rooms and the guest experience now help define the event as much as the finish line.