Mileta Restaurant: Meet the Chef

We sat down with Executive Chef Alex Green of Mileta in Lexington, Kentucky. Mileta presents a contemporary scratch kitchen where handmade pastas and seasonally driven plates take center stage. The menu highlights pristine ingredients and thoughtful technique—each dish composed with clarity and care.

Mileta in Lexington, Kentucky: Meet the Chef

Complementing the food are inventive craft cocktails and a curated wine list selected to enhance the flavors of the kitchen. Service is unpretentious and genuine, creating a welcoming atmosphere that makes every meal feel both polished and personal.

Tell us about what your morning routine looks like, and how you like to end your day?

I’m up every morning by 8:30am (usually earlier but 8:30am is my emergency “oh crap” alarm) and immediately take a shower to wake me up and get going. I only live about 5 minutes away from the restaurant so I’m here by 9:30. I check in with my opening chef and look at the day’s prep-list and see what the highest priority might be. I’m then here at the restaurant until the last plates are being sent out at the end of the night. I’ll chat with my closing chef about service and any issues that may have come up. I always take the time to tell all of the staff goodnight and let them know of any out of the ordinary events for the next day(s) like large parties so they can make their prep lists accordingly. Sometimes I’ll grab a pour of bourbon or amaro at the bar before finally heading home. When home I’ll play with our cats for a little bit to wind down before finally settling into bed around midnight.

Do you have any awards or achievements you’d like to mention?

Years ago, I was personally recognized by Eater as one of the top chefs in the country under the age of 30. Mileta was named the Best New Restaurant in Kentucky by The Local Palate Magazine in 2025. We won several awards from Kentucky.com too including Best New Restaurant. In 2026 I was name by my alma mater, Murray State University, as one of the top alumni under the age of 40.

Do you have a favorite chef that you look up to and what advice would you give to aspiring chefs?

Jeremey Fox out of LA. He has a few restaurants and cookbooks. I love his dedication to the ingredients. It’s a very simple notion to simply try and get the best products you can and not mess them up. His books, “On Vegetables” and “On Meat” are frequently referenced in my cooking. The biggest piece of advice I can try, and give is to see if chefs are willing to sacrifice for their career. This is not a career where you get to participate in a lot of “normal” cultural events. We are working when a lot of the rest of society is not.

We are missing Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, weddings, sporting events, parties, etc. You have to be okay with that. You are sacrificing your body for this career. Our joints are going to hurt. But if you are willing to accept all of that, it is one of the most fun and rewarding careers out there. When people walk into the restaurant, for a few hours, we get to help them have a great time and forget about life’s problems. We get to help them celebrate their anniversary, their birthday, their promotion. We get to make them feel special and loved and nourished.

What do you typically cook at home?

The answer is: I don’t. Since we opened Mileta in October 2024, I have only cooked at my house onetime and that’s when we had an ice storm one Sunday and the restaurant closed and most of the city was shut down. I used to love cooking at home but after being in the kitchen for 60+ hours a week, one more hour at home seems like too much. I do miss grilling out though. My wife and I used to cook steaks every Sunday, and I always looked forward to that. I would make the whole meal on the grill.

What’s a food trend that you’re loving right now and why?

Vegetables are inspiring to me. I don’t think the general population realizes the nuance in different varietals and how simple techniques can make vegetables shine. Grilling or charring vegetables in particular is a lot of fun. It’ll add a lot of character to dishes.

What’s the strangest food combination you’ve ever tried? And, did you like it?

Watermelon and yellow mustard were a surprising one. The acidity balances out the sweetness, and the salt makes everything pop. I also used to take a saltine cracker, spread on some peanut butter and then top it with a pickled jalapeno. It gives satay vibes.

What drink do you enjoy most?

I’m a sucker for Diet Dr. Pepper. I also drink a lot of soda water with some bitters added in. For alcohol I’ll either reach for a cheap beer like Coors Banquet or I’m a big bourbon guy and I love bitter Amari. My home “bar” has maybe 300 bottles of bourbon and 40 different Amari.

Have you ever cooked for a celebrity? Do you have a story to tell?

I’ve cooked for a ton of celebrities, and I do have many different stories. I lived in New Orleans for several years, so we always had a lot of celebrities and professional athletes in and out of the restaurants. They film a lot of movies in Louisiana too. I worked in a couple restaurants in hotels and we’d have celebrities stay in the hotel for weeks at a time while filming something. Most of them were great. I’ve cooked for movie premieres like Deep Water Horizon. I’ve cooked the wedding brunch for one of the greatest tennis players of all time. One A-list actor came down to the restaurant to eat our root vegetable cake (a play on carrot cake using carrots, parsnips & beets) every single day for like 3 weeks. One popstar loved our pasta so much that the next day when she was performing at the Superdome, she had 6 orders delivered to her green room. Almost all were good interactions but there was this one actor that will always stick out for the opposite reason. He was dining at the bar and ordered the pork chop. We served our pork chop cooked to a slight pink medium. He wanted his pork chop cooked well done. Instead of speaking to the bartender or getting a manager to bring it to their attention that he would like a new well done pork chop he walked into the kitchen, with his plate, and demanded to know who cooked it and that he would get a new pork chop and that we wouldn’t just keep cooking the one he was already served. It was...an interesting interaction to say the least.

What’s your Instagram so readers can follow you?

It’s @thealexgreen47.

Why should readers visit Mileta in Lexington, Kentucky?

We like to have fun at Mileta. The music will hopefully make you want to dance. The cocktails are designed to entice you. The plates are ever-changing to bring the best possible food possible. We want you to let loose and just enjoy yourself and your company over a great meal. In a world where it can feel like it's us versus them, we just want to bring people together.

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