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A new breakfast and lunch spot in Versailles. A fine dining room nine floors above downtown Lexington. A members-only club with a rooftop pool that has to fight Kentucky weather. We sit down with restaurateur Cole Arimes to talk about what it really takes to build restaurants that last, from the first idea to the first menu pivot.

Cole also takes us through his latest project, Black Squirrel, including the local history behind the name and why Versailles is ready for a stronger food scene. Then we head to The Vine Lexington, where he breaks down the balancing act of a seafood-forward menu in a landlocked market, how guests learn to trust a chef-driven kitchen, and why “approachable” does not have to mean boring.

We also dig into hospitality leadership: managing multiple teams, mentoring chefs, keeping consistency night after night, and reducing front-of-house and back-of-house friction so the dining room feels calm even on a slammed Saturday. Along the way, we get into Kentucky-specific flavor and craft, from curing country ham to fermentation projects, plus Cole’s ultimate bourbon order and what he hopes for downtown Lexington’s growth.