Kentucky Eats | Hitting a home run

Home cookin’ at Home Plate Family Restaurant, Brandenburg

WITH 27 YEARS IN the grocery business, Kathy Simmons says when a local restaurant in Brandenburg came up for sale, her friend and mentor told her she should go for it.

She was ready for a challenge and needed to keep her mind busy after her 16-year-old son died in a car accident in 2005.

“My son Alex was an avid baseball player. He played on the school leagues and had a lot of baseball stuff in his room. I started thinking about it—home plate cooking and home plate baseball—it just kinda worked.”

Opened in 2006, the Home Plate Family Restaurant’s focal point is a baseball stadium mural that Simmons customized. “I added a baseball player with his name, Simmons, and on the back of the jersey his No. 8,” she says. Baseball is the theme, from menu offerings to wall pennants and team logos on tables.

Burgers, fried chicken and salads are fan favorites. “Our green beans are cooked old-school, with bacon grease, onion, salt and pepper,” she says. “Everything is freshly made to order.”

She then opened the Italian Farmhouse Restaurant across the street in late 2019; it’s open Tuesday–Sunday for dinner.

Simmons says she could not run the restaurants without the help of her family and many dedicated employees.

The Home Plate, 656 River Ridge Plaza, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday–Saturday, and Sunday lunch (buffets will resume after COVID-19), plus catering and a banquet room.