On Thursday, March 19, Easy Bistro & Bar will welcome The Bar at Willett for a guest chef and bar takeover throughout the evening, featuring Executive Chef John Sleasman and GM/Beverage Director Andrew Pope.
The Bar at Willett opened in Bardstown, KY in September 2019 and has quickly become one of the most sought-after culinary experiences along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
When developing the culinary program, Chef Sleasman drew inspiration from the French and Nordic lineage of the Kulsveen family (founders of Willett Distillery), as well as his passion for locally sourced, high-quality ingredients.
His refined approach has helped shape one of the South’s most distinctive distillery dining programs. In 2025, The Bar at Willett was named a semifinalist for Outstanding Bar by the James Beard Foundation — one of just 20 bars recognized nationwide. It was the only Outstanding Bar semifinalist in Kentucky and the only distillery-affiliated bar included on the list.
For the evening at Easy Bistro, Chef Sleasman will present six dishes on the dinner menu, alongside Chef Erik Niel and the Easy Bistro team. Andrew Pope will showcase four signature cocktails featuring Willett spirits, along with distinctive whiskey pours.
Guests can expect dishes such as hearth-roasted oysters with Chef Sleasman’s accoutrements; yellowfin tuna with mango kosho, tepache ponzu, and tostones; pâté en croûte; pasta with black trumpet mushrooms, escargot, sherry, and black truffle; and a hearth-roasted pork chop from Bear Creek Farm.
The cocktails will highlight Louisiana and New Orleans influences, nodding to Chef Erik Niel’s upbringing in Louisiana and the New Orleans ties of the Willett founding family. Hand-carved cocktail ice will be brought directly from The Bar at Willett for the event.
Dinner service runs from 5–9pm. Reservations are recommended, though not required.