One sip was all it took. Winemaker Kevin Geeting's career trajectory diverged after receiving a mathematical science degree from Trine University in Angola, Ind. At a convention, Geeting gave in to a colleague's insistence on tasting a 1998 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet...

When psychologist Treva Bostic opened Cultured Urban Winery in her hometown of Anderson, Ind., as the first Black-owned farmhouse winery in the Hoosier state, she fulfilled a lifelong ambition. An avid traveler and oenophile, Bostic, who is the director of race,...

Chef Logan Hostettler grew up in Nashville, Tenn., but was born in Clark County, Indiana, in the small town of New Washington, and until he was 6 lived across the street from the church that he and his family would one day renovate as 1894 Lodge & Catering Hall....

Chef Samir Mohammad, a native of Taos, N.M., who studied at Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco and the well-regarded Culinary Institute of Arts in Napa, Calif., opened 9th Street Bistro in Noblesville, Ind., with his Hoosier wife, Rachel, at the height of the pandemic....

In 2012, Carrie Abbott, then a caterer, tried to create a homemade Butterfinger candy bar for a wedding client, but what emerged became her signature creation – Frittle. This delightful concoction, a nostalgic fusion of peanut brittle and fudge, would become the...

By Brian Garrido It was the gift of a wine refrigerator that led vintner Nicole Kearney to host her first home wine tasting and marked the beginning of her journey as a wine professional. Eventually, she created a tasting business featuring wines from around the...

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,...