Indiana has so much culinary talent, and we’re on a mission to shine a spotlight on talented chefs around the state! To that end, we launched our On the Road dinners in 2021, with our first stop at Evansville’s Copper House Restaurant & Bar. We hit the road for the New Albany area in the spring of 2022 for a dinner at Huber’s Orchard, Winery & Vineyards, and then, just a few months ago, we brought together chefs in Northern Indiana for a collaborative dinner at the new Union Street Market at Electric Works in Fort Wayne. This week, we were back in the New Albany area for our second On the Road dinner in Southern Indiana, which took place once again at Huber’s beautiful Plantation Hall. This year’s dinner featured chefs Ming Pu, of...

Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Indianapolis will once again host its popular Italian street festival June 9 – 10 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the historic Catholic church at 520 Stevens St. in downtown Indianapolis. During the event, the area will transform into an outdoor Italian plaza with food, music, bocce and more. The annual summer event is free, with plenty of Italian food and drinks available for purchase. “Every year, we are thrilled to invite the community to this exciting event that brings together the best in local entertainment, fantastic food and cultural fun,” said Holy Rosary’s Fr. C. Ryan McCarthy. “During the Italian Street Festival, everyone is invited to experience our Italian traditions.” The festival features more than...

By Brian Garrido Utopian Coffee Co. co-founder Brendon Maxwell was born and raised in Fort Wayne, but his work takes him around the world. Since 2006, through online retail and wholesale channels, Utopian Coffee has been roasting and delivering extraordinary coffee throughout the U.S., and the company works hard to drive impactful change within coffee growing regions. What made you get into the coffee roastery business? My cousin Patrick and I grew up together and had always talked about starting a business with one another. He came back to Ft. Wayne after college, learning how to roast coffee, and I was backpacking internationally and fell in love with the developing world, traveling through countries where coffee was grown. In 2004, I...

With a packed house and a high-energy vibe, the 2023 Culinary Crossroads Spring Dinner Series closed out a month of collaborative chef dinners on May 1 to benefit the Chef Greg Hardesty Scholarship Fund at Ivy Tech Community College. “It’s exciting and rewarding to have the Spring Dinner Series continue to deliver on our theme of ‘Great Food, Great Talent and Great Causes,’” said Culinary Crossroads founder and director Larry Dickerson. This was the third year for the popular dinner series, which takes place at Highland Golf & Country Club in Indianapolis and spotlights some of the area’s top culinary talent. Twelve chefs were featured, with three collaborating on each dinner, and Culinary Crossroads donated $500 in each chef’s name...