MEDIA ROOM
BARBECUE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD: SERVING THE NATION’S BEST MUTTON SINCE 1963
THE MOONLITE STORY
Over the past five decades, Moonlite Bar-B-Q has become a Kentucky legend. What started in 1949 as a small roadside 30-seat barbecue joint was transformed in 1963 when Catherine and Pappy Bosley took a leap of faith. With no restaurant experience but a mountain of hard work, they built a destination eatery that now seats 350 guests and serves over 350,000 meals a year. Today, the third and fourth generations of the Bosley family proudly carry on the tradition of slow-cooked, hickory-smoked excellence.
• 1949: THE BEGINNING
Moonlite is originally founded as a small barbecue joint; in its early days, it even operated as a gas station out of a metal one-car garage.
• 1963: THE BOSLEY LEAP OF FAITH
Catherine and "Pappy" Bosley purchase the 30-seat restaurant for $50,000, selling their family home to afford the down payment.
• 1993: SCALING THE TRADITION
Moonlite showcases its massive catering capabilities by feeding nearly 15,000 people at the annual Toyota company picnic.
• 2000: A PRESIDENTIAL VISIT
President Bill Clinton visits the restaurant, shaking hands with every guest in the building before leaving with a "go-plate" sampler of mutton, ribs, and chicken.
• 2003: A YEAR OF REMEMBRANCE
The Moonlite family honored the passing of its founders: Hugh "Pappy" Bosley Sr. (1914–2003) and Catherine Bosley (1919–2003), whose hard work laid the foundation for three generations of success.
• 2013: A MUSEUM-GRADE LEGACY
Pappy Bosley’s original cleaver and butcher knife (estimated to have butchered nearly 4 million carcasses) are inducted into the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans.
JUST THE FACTS
Founded: 1949; Purchased by the Bosley
family in 1963.
Location: 2840 W Parrish Ave., Owensboro,
Kentucky.
The Famous Mutton: Moonlite is the largest
mutton distributor in the country, serving over
10,000 pounds a week.
The Process: Meats are basted in a
vinegar-based pit dip and slow-cooked for 12
hours over hand-built hickory fires.
Pitmaster Training: It takes two
years—roughly 4,200 hours—to become a
Moonlite Pitmaster
Famous Visitors: Guests have included
President Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jim Nabors,
and William Shatner.
The "Legacy" Articles
The “Spectacular” Buffet
Gourmet Magazine calls it a class by itself—a never-ending variety of Kentucky heritage.
1963: The $50,000 Leap of Faith
Pappy Bosley drove a cab and worked at a distillery to make ends meet before pouring everything into a dream.
Why Mutton? The Owensboro Exception
While the rest of the world chose beef or pork, Owensboro stayed true to its sheep-herding roots.
GIVING BACK TO THE BLUEGRASS
Moonlite is more than a restaurant; it’s a pillar of the Owensboro community. The Bosley family is proud to support organizations including the American Cancer Society, the International Bluegrass Music Museum, and the Western KY Botanical Garden—where the Children's Garden is dedicated in memory of Pappy and Catherine Bosley
