Noted Louisville chef Edward Lee opening restaurant in Cincinnati's Kinley Hotel

Polly Campbell | Cincinnati Enquirer

There was no mistaking the aroma: that specific combination of spices and cumin and chilies and cinnamon that every Cincinnatian knows. But I wasn't in Cincinnati: This was Louisville and the spicy scent was coming from the kitchen behind 610 Magnolia's event space.

That's the restaurant that brought Edward Lee to national attention. The Brooklyn-born Korean-American chef made his name in Louisville, celebrating and combining the flavors of the mid-south with Korean and other traditions. He just won the James Beard award for Best Book for "Buttermilk Graffiti," which explores the melting pot cuisine of today's America. He has two other restaurants in Louisville, MilkWood and Whisky Dry. He has hosted a season of "Mind of a Chef" on PBS, celebrating his experience of making Louisville home while incorporating other experiences.

Now, he's bringing his philosophy to Cincinnati. His new restaurant, not yet named, will open in the spring in the new Kinley Hotel at Seventh and Race streets, Downtown. He has been collaborating on the concept with Kevin Ashworth, the executive chef of 610 Magnolia, who will head the new restaurant. It's a homecoming for Ashworth, a native of Cincinnati's East Side and a graduate of Midwest Culinary Institute. He has a solid Midwestern heritage, growing up on the potlucks in the church where his father was a minister. "I've learned a lot in Louisville, and I think I have a different perspective I can add to the Cincinnati dining scene," Ashworth said.

Hence that lovely smell: Ashworth had just made one of the pastas he's planning to serve at the new place. Like many of his and his mentor's dishes, it's inspired by a place, executed by a chef. The improvisation on Cincinnati's most famous dish uses different noodles, a different kind of meat, different cheese. It's like Cincinnati chili with a master's degree, maintaining the spirit but applying different rules, like making the pasta chewy and interesting, and going back to its roots by using lamb instead of beef.

Ashworth has been working with Lee for 10 years, since he graduated from the Midwest Culinary Institute. Lee met him here at an event. "He's just an amazing worker. You can't teach passion and dedication, and when I see it in a younger person, I'm interested," Lee said.

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Ashworth started as garde manger at 610 Magnolia, was the opening chef at MilkWood and has headed up Magnolia since 2016. "We finish each other's dishes these days," Lee said. "We've spent a long time cooking together, we think the same." Ashworth said, "We've traveled a lot together: Malaysia, Milan, restaurants everywhere. I still call him chef, though." They've also traveled to Cincinnati several times a month lately to get a feel for the dining scene here.

"Everyone there has been so humble, so nice to us," Lee said. "I'm really looking forward to becoming part of the community of chefs in Cincinnati," Ashworth said. His sous-chef, Max Wagner, has already been hired, his best friend from culinary school, who worked with Todd Kelly.

The Kinley Hotel in Cincinnati is the first property opening in Vision Hospitality Group's new Humanist portfolio. Mitch Patel, CEO of Vision Hospitality, said that Humanist is "bringing the hotel experience back to the root of what makes traveling such a desirable pastime: connecting with other travelers, connecting with the community you've come to explore and connecting with yourself." It features 94 guest rooms and suites in a building from 1910. The restaurant will be on the ground floor, with access to a small outdoor space, and will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

With its localized menu, the restaurant fits well with the hotel's intentions. In Louisville, Lee has cultivated Kentucky traditions and collaborated with local farmers and producers. He sees that his and other chefs' interest has enabled farms to grow a market and stay in business. As they develop the Cincinnati restaurant, he and Ashworth are making the same kinds of connections here. The products on the kitchen counter include some familiar products, like Mad House vinegars and Ohio Valley Food Connection produce.

Pasta has been a focus of Lee and Ashworth's experimenting. They have found an Ohio source for interesting new kinds of wheat: emmer, einkorn, spelt and high-quality semolina. "We'll be doing a number of pastas with a Midwestern theme," Lee said. "They won't be the Italian standards."

But pasta will be just one section of the menu. They're working on something like a lobster Thermidor, using the Kentucky XO sauce Ashworth makes with dried catfish and country ham.

Lee's experience has shown that the culinary traditions of the Midwest are not only inspiration for delicious food, but are perhaps in their prime right now. "People are interested because this idea of authenticity is so unique and desired," Lee said.