OUITA MICHEL’S watercolor portrait will hang in the Kentucky State Capitol as part of the permanent Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit. The portrait was painted by Ming Talley, whom Michel recently thanked by having Talley and her husband join her for dinner at Holly Hill Inn. The painting is in the same artistic milieu as the watercolor portraits of the other 80 honorees that have received the recognition since 1996. (Official portrait, reprinted with the permission of the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives)
By Scott White
Woodford Sun Staff
On March 26, Gov. Andy Beshear and First Lady Britainy Beshear unveiled the portrait of the newest honoree in the “Kentucky Women Remembered” pantheon, a remarkably accomplished Woodford Countian, Chef Ouita Michel.
“I have always known women to be incredible leaders,” Beshear told the Sun in an email. “It was an honor to announce the newest inductee to the Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit – a woman who has touched the lives of many Kentuckians and stands as a true leader in many areas, not just hospitality and highlighting Kentucky's food traditions: Ouita Michel.”
The recognition was initially launched in 1978 by the Kentucky Commission on Women (KCW) to bring attention to outstanding women who made significant contributions to Kentucky's history, but had been overlooked, and was called Kentucky Women Excel. The initial inductees were displayed as an exhibit at the Kentucky State Fair, featuring watercolor portraits of six women from various backgrounds who worked in non-traditional ways during the eras in which they lived.
In 1996, with the strong backing of then-Kentucky First Lady Judy Patton, KCW, in an effort to establish women's rightful place in Kentucky's history, a permanent home was created in the State Capitol for the renamed Kentucky Women Remembered recipients. It now includes nearly 80 portraits of outstanding women who have made an indelible mark on the commonwealth.
“I'm honored to be a part of this,” Michel told the Sun. “It feels really overwhelming when you think about the women involved, like former First Lady Jane Beshear and Gov. Martha Layne Collins. I don't feel my career has the same gravitas to be around that company. I am so humbled and grateful. But it is really surreal. And, I have thousands of thank yous, starting with my mother, and being raised in Kentucky, having an amazing team I get to work with every day. I just feel so empowered.”
Many would disagree, given her success as an entrepreneur and her significant contributions to Kentucky and its cooking and culinary traditions.
Members of KCW unanimously recommended Michel, of Midway, to Beshear for his consideration of the honor.
Michel has been nominated for eight James Beard awards, featured on the Food Network, the Cooking Channel, The New York Times and Southern Living, according to a press release. She, along with her husband Chris, owns eight restaurants in Kentucky. Three of them, along with a shop and cooking school, are in Woodford County. Her restaurants have purchased over $3 million in Kentucky dairy, meat, fruits and vegetables.
Michel is also involved in her community. She is a founding board member of Food Chain, a Lexington non-profit food incubator; board member of Hindman Settlement School, which is dedicated to enriching Central Appalachian culture; and a member of the Pritchard Committee for Academic Excellence, a statewide group working to improve education for Kentuckians.
And, she is still adding to this long list of accomplishments.
“I'm not retired yet,” she said. “I'm calling it being in my 'third act,' and it's not always easy, but it is meaningful, and I'm never bored.”
Since 1996, the original watercolor portraits have hung on the first floor of the Capitol. However, due to the building's closure for renovations in 2025 – a project expected to last 4-6 years – the portraits in the exhibit are not currently on display. For this reason, the KWC had all of the portraits professionally photographed and worked with the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives to create an online exhibit of the portraits, which can be found here: https://kdla.access.preservica.com/portal/en-US/collection/sdb%3ASO%7C830f04f3-1d1a-41db-b136-3e8d7da27905.