Celebrating Indiana’s culinary community
By Brian Garrido Indianapolis chef Carlos Salazar’s culinary journey began in his family’s kitchen, and eventually led him to culinary school. He studied with longtime Indy chef Tony Hanslits at The Chef’s Academy and then worked for chef Steven Oakley of Oakleys...
He fell in love with coffee in Italy, but when media literacy instructor Dan Goldblatt was tasked with creating a coffee shop for Paramount Schools of Excellence, he made it his mission to learn from coffee professionals around the country. He eventually received a...
By Brian Garrido In 2021, Chicagoans Kadeesha and Antoine Wiggins opened Burgeezy, a vegan burger spot at Indy’s Kitchen, a shared commercial kitchen space on College Avenue. After several months of promoting their non-meat burgers and fixings on social media –...
By Brian Garrido A native of Taiwan, Chef Ming Pu credits his mother for instilling a lifelong passion for cooking. When he was 7, his family moved to Vancouver, Canada, where they lived for two years before making the Louisville area and Southern Indiana their...
By Brian Garrido Executive pastry chef and owner Grace Kelly May opened GK Baked Goods in 2015 with the Affine Hospitality Group team comprising Andrew Smith, Daniel Campbell and Jack May. The Fort Wayne native and classically trained chef worked and managed pastry...
By Brian Garrido Growing up in a family involved in the confectionery arts, Cathy Brand-Beere of DeBrand Fine Chocolates in Fort Wayne began working with chocolate at the age of 8. In elementary school, she was crafting chocolate candies and selling them to her...
Born and raised in Terre Haute, Ashlee Nemeth, sommelier at Tinker Street restaurant in Indianapolis, moved to Indy in 2010. Hired at Tinker Street as a server, Ashlee has been at the restaurant ever since, learning about wine and becoming one of the preeminent...
With interest sparked by PBS cooking shows, chef Ricky Hatfield knew early on that he would someday work in Indy’s top kitchens. After attending Ivy Tech’s culinary arts program, he worked at such restaurants as Malibu on Maryland, McCormick & Schmick’s,...
After 20 years in the Army National Guard, chef Tracey Couillard headed to culinary school, then worked her way up in Indianapolis kitchens, including Cerulean, Field Brewing and the Wine Market in Fountain Square. She joined Ash & Elm Cider Co. as executive chef...
Comedian, musician and storyteller Rick Garrett is The Tenderloin Connoisseur and has a popular blog with a to-the-point title: “All tenderloins, all the time.” A 2015 Hoosier Comedy Award winner, Rick travels all over the Midwest, telling jokes, sharing stories and...
Indianapolis entrepreneur Ashley Brooks, of A. Rose Hospitality, knows her way around a brunch menu. In 2014, she co-founded the popular Indianapolis restaurant Milktooth, which gained national recognition for its creative breakfast and lunch fare. In 2017, she...
Bloomington chef Daniel Orr on foraging, fine dining and what’s in his fridge Columbus, Ind., native Daniel Orr left Indiana for culinary school, and his career took him around the world, from Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe to some of New York City’s top...
Indianapolis food fans might know chef Erin Kem from the dozen years she spent at the highly regarded R bistro on Mass Ave. But when that restaurant closed in 2016, she took on the challenge of cooking in a very small footprint – behind the bar at the former Cannon...
Marcus Daniel is the executive chef at Joseph Decuis, a fine-dining restaurant in Roanoke, Ind. The restaurant features Wagyu beef raised on the restaurant’s nearby farm along with Mangalitsa pigs, heritage chickens and turkeys, and a wide array of vegetables. Chef...
Indianapolis pastry chef Cindy Hawkins, owner of Circle City Sweets, competed in her fifth World Food Championships in November as part of Team Indiana, a Culinary Crossroads initiative, and placed in the top 10. We caught up with Hawkins at her shop and production...
