RICHMOND, Ky. – Sonny’s BBQ in Richmond invites customers to enjoy local foods at Kentucky Proud Night on Tuesday. The event will begin at 5 p.m. and continue until closing at the restaurant at 1001 Center Drive.

Sonny’s BBQ will serve pork, beef, ribs, and hamburger from The Chop Shop, a Wolfe County processor and a charter member of Appalachia Proud, a brand that Agriculture Commissioner James Comer launched in 2014 to designate farm products from 37 eastern Kentucky counties. The largest USDA-inspected processing facility in eastern Kentucky, The Chop Shop serves producers from throughout the region. Sonny’s also will offer Kentucky Proud chicken from Pilgrim’s Pride.

“We’re grateful to Sonny’s BBQ for giving their customers the opportunity to try great local foods and help the local economy,” said Kristen Branscum, executive director of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s marketing office. “This event is what Kentucky Proud is all about – a locally owned restaurant serving Kentucky-raised food that was processed 70 miles down the road. We also are pleased to see that the Appalachia Proud brand is becoming an effective marketing tool for our eastern Kentucky producers.”

“Sonny’s has been doing business in Kentucky for 28 years, and the people here have been good to Sonny’s and to my family,” Sonny’s co-owner Rick Thomas said. “We’re always looking for ways to give back, and supporting local producers is one way we can do that.”

The Kentucky Proud products will be used in Sonny’s regular menu and sold at regular prices.

If the initial Kentucky Proud Night is a success, Sonny’s may host similar events in the future, Thomas said.

Kentucky Proud is the official state brand for foods grown, raised, and/or produced in Kentucky by Kentuckians. More than 3,800 farmers, processors, retailers, restaurants, school districts, colleges and universities, farmers’ markets, Kentucky state parks, and Kentucky Farm Bureau Certified Roadside Markets are members of Kentucky Proud. For more information on Kentucky Proud, go to www.kyproud.com.

To find out more about Appalachia Proud, go to www.appalachiaproudky.com.