Top Lexington chef opening new restaurant. Here’s where, and what it will serve
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cole Arimes and partners will open Black Squirrel in Versailles by Dec 2025.
- Black Squirrel will serve Kentucky breakfast and lunch in a historic site.
- Team includes chef de cuisine Olivia Jackson and GM Holly Hampton rejoining.
One of Lexington’s top chefs is branching into Central Kentucky.
Cole Arimes, who operates Coles 735 Main, Epping’s on Eastside and The V at The Vine in Lexington, is opening a new restaurant in Versailles, according to an announcement.
Arimes will launch Black Squirrel, named for an iconic Woodford County saddlebred stallion from the 1870s, with Richard Turnbull and Chris Hutchison, his business partners in Coles 735 Main and Epping’s on Eastside. Hutchison will lead the hospitality experience at the new venture, according to a news release.
The new restaurant is expected to open before the end of this year at 175 N. Main St., in the former downtown location of Spark Community Cafe, which closed earlier this year. In honor of the former cafe’s mission to feed the hungry, Black Squirrel plans to host periodic fundraisers onsite to raise money for Spark of Hope, which addresses food insecurity in Woodford County.
Black Squirrel’s menu: Breakfast, lunch
Black Squirrel will serve Kentucky-inspired breakfast and lunch favorites in an historic building. It will be open in the morning and through lunch, with breakfast carry-out from 6 to 7:30 a.m. and full-service breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Joining Arimes’ team in the kitchen will be Versailles native chef de cuisine Olivia Jackson, after her work as sous chef at the Manchester Hotel. Holly Hampton, longtime leader at Coles 735 Main , will be general manager.
The breakfast menu will include items such as eggs Benedict, smoked salmon avocado toast and a build-your-own omelet option. For lunch, there will be sandwiches and salads including Gerber Farms fried chicken, Chef Jackson’s Philly cheesesteak and a chopped Asian salad.
What’s behind the name Black Squirrel?
“Black Squirrel really became a reality for us because of this building and the location,” said Arimes in a statement. “I’ve always had this restaurant concept in the back of my mind. Once we walked through the building and saw how incredible the space was, I knew we had to grab it. Versailles is in an exciting time right now, and we cannot wait to be a part of it.”
Black Squirrel was a legendary foundation sire in saddlebred horses, siring more than a thousand foals. Woodford County is seeing a revival of the saddlebred breeding industry and the restaurant seeks to honor that heritage, according to the news release.
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
