Churchill Downs Readies Official 152nd Kentucky Derby Menu

Throughout the Kentucky Derby, the menu will get served across more than two dozen dining rooms requiring the use of 17 full kitchens and 100 Levy chefs from across the country. Levy expects to serve 5,000 pounds of short ribs, 4,000 pounds of shrimp, 6,000 pounds of carrots and over 50,000 blackberries.

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For the 2026 menu, Lopez has a green goddess pasta salad and a kale salad with cider sorghum vinaigrette ready to start. On the side, expect to find an assortment of vegetables and dips, such as a traditional hummus, a lemon sweat pea hummus and a buttermilk herb dip.

A pretzel board with pimento cheese is one of the items available at the Kentucky Derby.

Churchill Downs

For the main entrees, a char-grilled short rib with pomegranate and fennel leads the way. A honey bourbon grilled chicken with roasted peach chutney and a Kentucky BBQ shrimp and fava bean relish offers a mix of additional options. Sides to go with the mains include an ancient grains pilaf with farro, quinoa, bulgur, barley and wild rice, and a dish of brown sugar glazed roasted carrots with dill sorghum butter.

Lopez will also serve a caprese sandwich on focaccia bread and will offer up a pretzel board served with whole grain mustard dip, pimento cheese and vanilla glaze.

A Caprese sandwich on focaccia for the Kentucky Derby.

Churchill Downs

The beverage menu again includes the Mint Julep featuring Old Forester, simple syrup, fresh mint and crushed ice; the Oaks Lily with vodka, sweet and sour, triple sec, cranberry juice, blackberries, lemon wedge and crushed ice; the Woodford Spire comprising of Woodford Reserve, lemonade, cranberry juice, lemon twist and ice; and the Herradura Horseshoe Margarita with Herradura Reposado, margarita mix and lime.

In addition to the official menu, Churchill Downs will welcome celebrity chefs including Akhtar Nawab, Damaris Phillips, Fabio Viviani, Leah Cohen, Lorena Garcia, Rodney Scott and Tristen Epps for exclusive experiences within select hospitality spaces.

Part of what makes the Derby that much more exacting is the planning involved, as much a logistic exercise as a culinary one. Once the grounds open, there won’t be time to push food carts through the packed public areas. The synchronization of having staff, chefs and food all in the right places must be dialed in. Lopez believes he has the menu to make it happen.

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This article was originally published on Forbes.com