Dust off the Welcome Wagon. It's merely a question of which bottle to open.

Levon Wallace is Executive Chef at Louisville's 21c Museum Hotel and Proof on Main. Recently he contributed a piece to the Consuming Louisville blog, as part of Michelle's ongoing series called "One Thing I Love About Louisville."

One Thing I Love About Louisville: Levon Wallace

My first ever visit to Louisville was in February of 2012. I had tickets to a show at the Kentucky center for the Arts and if I recall correctly it was a particularly inhospitable evening. Having just moved from Cape Cod, I was sure that I left such bone chilling temperatures behind. Luckily, my life was spared from certain hypothermia thanks to one or two (ok, maybe three) pours of Woodford Reserve…one ice cube, please.

Verily, how many long-term relationships have been cemented with bourbon? It's one thing that Kentucky gets consistently right.

After reading this excellent essay in its entirety, it seemed as though I'd missed something, and so I read it again. This second time, I was smiling, because most of the folks mentioned -- Sam Cruz (Against the Grain), Josh Lehman (Holy Grale), Bob Capshew (NABC Porter namesake and vinegar maker) and Rusty (the "Jerky Man") -- are Hoosiers, either by birth or residence.

Then I was delighted to share a table with Chef Wallace at Tuesday's beer dinner at Against the Grain, and even more intrigued to learn that he's about to move ... to New Albany.

A new recruit for the New Albany revolution, perhaps? We can only hope.

Welcome, Chef Wallace. New Albany is a state of mind ... but whose?