Karl Lowe, Head Chef
As a little boy living in Detroit with his grandparents, Chef Karl Lowe used to stand on a stepstool to cut up chicken in his grandfather’s butcher shop. Today he says that Honeywood’s Southern fried chicken dish is one of his favorites on the new menu.
It's a two-day process. We brine the chicken in buttermilk for two days, then it's air-cooled in the refrigerator for about eight hours before it’s breaded and fried to order. Then we drizzle honey butter on top. It's crispy, beautiful, and pretty damn good.
Karl might have been born in Michigan but it was his time growing up in Arkansas that really influenced his cooking. That, and his Grandma Veda.
I got most of my passion for food from her; she inspired me. One of the craziest things is my grandmother would stand up in church at the end of Sunday service, next to the preacher. And tell everyone, if you got nowhere to go, you can always come to my house. Whether 10 people or 30 showed up, she never ran out of food.
Karl’s grandma – a Rosie the Riveter in Detroit during WWII – moved back to her Arkansas hometown after a divorce and married her childhood sweetheart, then lived to be 106. Living with them in small-town Arkansas, Karl was given a choice between working on the farm and getting a job.
So Karl started at a little diner called the Shake Shack when he was 13. Later, he attended the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach and interned with Ritz-Carlton properties in London and Tokyo. After a stint owning multiple restaurants in Ecuador, he returned to Arkansas and opened the acclaimed Roots in Jonesboro.
Since moving to Lexington, Karl has been exploring Appalachian foodways, which were new to him. He’s the father of two sons, Logan and Liam. Liam, the oldest, is a budding chef; Karl says Liam’s scrambled eggs are even better than his own.
I love Lexington. The people here are very diverse; so many different cultures. German culture, Irish Asian. You have a very wide mix of ingredients that you can choose from.
The farmers are great and the food scene is unique. I embrace that Southern hospitality part of living.
Chef Karl’s new Honeywood menu reflects his embrace of Southern hospitality, with a focus on farm-fresh ingredients, and dishes that tell a story of craft and passion. He strives to create an experience that is both memorable and nurturing, where guests can gather around delicious food, share in heartfelt conversations, and create lasting memories.
And if bourbon is also involved, even better. I’ll never say no to a good time, especially when it comes to bourbon.