Harold Workman, Levy Restaurants vying to replace Steve Clements at Kentucky Derby Museum?

LEO Weekly has a mildly amusing post today from the depositions in whistleblower Ted Nicholson’s wrongful termination suit against Harold Workman and the Kentucy State Fair Board.

Nicholson revealed to attorneys how Workman avoided getting fired last February as Kentucky Fair Board president and CEO – through illegal negotiations with Gov. Steve Beshear while Workman was hiding in a closet at the Fairgrounds offices. (The post doesn’t say where Beshear was hiding.)

Here’s something even more interesting: Harold Workman will rise again from the ashes like the Phoenix he is ….

Picture Workman wearing a chef’s apron with his hair in one of those gauzy restaurant hairnets, carrying a tray of canapes.

You’re saying, “Ex-squeeze me?”

Well, our ever-vigilant Steve Coomes was rifling the Courier-Journal’s classified pages on their website today – something CJ reporters apparently are above doing – when he found some classifieds suggesting Workman may have an angle on taking over catering operations at the Kentucky Derby Museum, a business Steve Clements was forced out of last month after 25 years.

From the ads:

Kentucky Derby Museum, Mailing address 704 Central Ave., Louisville, KY 40208 hereby declares intention (s) to apply for a Retail Liquor By The Drink & Malt Beverage Retail license(s) no later than August 1, 2012, the business to be licensed will be located 704 Central Ave., Louisville, Kentucky 40208, doing business as Kentucky Derby Museum. The (owner(s); Principal Officers and Directors; Limited Partners; or Members) are as follows: President, Harold Workman of 13801 Medora Rd., Louisville, KY 40272, Vice President John Beam of 22 Southwind Rd., Louisville, KY 40207, Executive Director Yolanda Ashton of 8036 St. Andrews Dr., Louisville, KY 40241. Any person, association, corporation, or body politic may protest the granting of the license(s) by writing the Dept. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 1003 Twilight Trl., Frankfort, KY, 40601-8400, within 30 days of the date of this legal publication.

Workman, who retires from the Fair Board this December after many years and many controversies, apparently is teaming up with Yolanda Ashton, also known as “Lynn” Ashton, Derby Museum executive director, and John Beam, chairman of Wells Fargo Insurance Services of Kentucky Inc.

That said, this could be a formality in renewing the museum’s liquor license because in his august position as Fair Board CEO, Workman also is on the Derby Museum board of directors. Though he is not listed as president. And Beam is not on the museum board.

Chicago-based Levy Premium FoodService, which is the food concessionaire at Churchhill Downs, also apparently wants in.

Levy Premium FoodService Limited Partnership, mailing address 980 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60611 hereby declares its intention to apply for a Retail Beer, Restaurant Liquor Drink, Sunday Retail Drink license(s), no later than July 10, 2012. The business to be licensed will be located at 704 Central Avenue, Louisville, KY 40208 doing business as Derby Cafe. The officers are as follows: Pre- sident/CEO of Its General Partner, Andrew J. Lansing of 2440 N. Lakeview, Chicago, IL 60614; Treasurer of Its General Partner, Robert E. Seiffert of 2963 Sheridan Rd., Highland Park, IL 60035; Secretary of Its General Partner, Michael T. Perlberg of 1120 Skokie Ridge Dr., Glencoe, IL 60022 Any person, association, corporation, or body politic may protest the granting of the license(s) by writing the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 1003 Twilight Tr. Ste. A-2 Frankfort, KY 40601, within 30 days of the date of this legal publication.

As Steve noted, “The buzzards are working over the carcass.”

In one of the most bizarre flameouts in Louisville restaurant history, Steve Clements’ restaurant and catering empire fell apart over the course of a long weekend last month after Derby Museum officials filed suit against him, claiming Clements Catering had been cooking the books. That ended his 25-year run at the museum.

But it’s not the end of the story.

More as soon as we’re cleared to talk.