Growing up in Kentucky, Michelle Curran and Emily Burress were no strangers to the culture of bourbon. Both reveled in Kentucky Derby parties on the first Saturday of May, where bourbon balls, Derby pie, and other bourbon-infused sweets were long-standing culinary traditions
The two women met after relocating to Simpsonville with their husbands. “We lived across the street from each other in Simpsonville and had no idea the other was from Kentucky,” recalls Michelle. Bonding over being young mothers and their mutual love of baking, Michelle and Emily distilled the idea of starting a small business focused on their Kentucky heritage.
Carolina Bourbon Belles launched in 2017 with bourbon balls, the “tiny little labors of love,” as Emily calls them, each of which the two partners hand-roll and hand-dip themselves. Next, they added the bourbon chocolate pecan pie that Emily’s mother made every year on Derby weekend. “That’s what catapulted us into popularity in the community,” Emily reports. “That pie . . . developed its own fan base.”
Between Emily’s family recipes, which have been handed down through generations, and Michelle’s family’s background in the bourbon industry, their business has an abiding connection to their Old Kentucky Home. “My dad [a former VP of operations for Buffalo Trace] was in the bourbon industry for 36 years,” notes Michelle. “My mom used to hand-write information on the Blanton’s labels, and my grandfather was one of the last barrel coopers to make bourbon barrels by hand. Bourbon went with everything when I was growing up.”
It’s that history, and the fact that they pour their hearts into their small-batch products, that sets Carolina Bourbon Belles apart. “We’re not just baking desserts,” says Emily. “There’s a little part of our heritage that we just love to share with people.”
Buy Carolina Bourbon Belles’ products at seasonal markets, local retail partners, and online at carolinabourbonbelles.com
