by Jolene Ketzenberger | Apr 20, 2022 | Culinary Crossroads, Updates
The Culinary Crossroads 2022 Spring Dinner Series kicked off its four-week run on April 19 with a menu inspired by the flavors of Spain and Portugal. The “global culinary experience” theme will continue as we spotlight Italy on April 26, France on May 3 and the Middle East on May 10.
Chefs for week one were Abbi Merriss of Bluebeard and The Brasserie at Kan-Kan, Carlos Salazar of Lil Dumplings Noodle Bar and West Fork Whiskey and Pete Schmutte of Leviathan Bakehouse. Wine pairings are included at all dinners and were selected by sommelier Ashlee Nemeth of Tinker Street.
“Tonight’s kick off was so much fun,” said Culinary Crossroads founder Larry Dickerson. “Being involved with Culinary Crossroads and especially the Spring Dinner Series is so enjoyable. A huge shout out to the chefs, strategic partners and patrons who make it happen!”
Once again, the Spring Dinner Series is hosted by Highland Golf & Country Club, and the presenting sponsor is Ivy Tech Community College. Proceeds go to compensate our chefs, support Culinary Crossroads’ initiatives and create a culinary scholarship at Ivy Tech. For more on the dinner series, as well as our upcoming On the Road collaborative chef dinner in Southern Indiana, follow Culinary Crossroads IN on Facebook and Instagram.
by Jolene Ketzenberger | Mar 30, 2022 | Culinary Crossroads
The Culinary Crossroads 2022 Spring Dinner Series kicks off April 19 with three of Indy’s top chefs. Abbi Merriss of Bluebeard and Kan-Kan Brasserie, Carlos Salazar of Lil Dumplings Noodle Bar and Pete Schmutte of Leviathan Bakehouse will be cooking for the first night of the four-dinner series. The dinners are sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College and take place at Highland Golf & Country Club.
“We’re so excited to have chef Abbi and chef Carlos back for the second Spring Dinner Series,” said Culinary Crossroads founder Larry Dickerson. “And to add pastry chef Pete Schmutte to the team is just phenomenal. It’s going to be a fantastic dinner.”
The 2022 Spring Dinner Series has a global exploration theme, with each week featuring a different country or region. The April 19 dinner with Abbi, Carlos and Pete will be inspired by the foods of Spain and Portugal.
The week-two dinner on April 26 features an Italian-inspired menu from chef Alan Sternberg of Iozzo’s Garden of Italy, chef Brad Gates of Convivio Italian Artisan Cuisine and pastry Tanya Smith of Our Table American Bistro in Bargersville.
On May 3, chef Steve Oakley of Oakleys Bistro and chef Esteban Rosas of Milktooth, along with pastry chef Cindy Hawkins of Circle City Sweets, will create a French-inspired menu.
To wrap up the series on May 10, chef Jonathan Brooks of Beholder and Milktooth, chef Erin Kem of Scarlet Lane Gastropub and pastry chef Youssef Boudarine of Gallery Pastry Shop will create a Middle Eastern-themed menu.
Each dinner includes appetizers and a complimentary cocktail hour; the three-course dinners also include wine pairings by sommelier Ashlee Nemeth of Tinker Street. Tickets are $175 each, with a purchase of two tickets; a table of six is $1,000. Tickets are available here on Eventbrite.
A portion of the funds raised will go toward creating an Ivy Tech culinary scholarship, compensating the chefs and supporting future Culinary Crossroads initiatives — fitting with our motto of “great food, great talent and great causes.”
by Jolene Ketzenberger | Mar 19, 2022 | Culinary Crossroads
We’re so happy to announce that tickets for our second-annual Spring Dinner Series, presented by Ivy Tech Community College, are now on sale!
The 2022 Spring Dinner Series takes place April 19 – May 10 at Highland Golf & Country Club and features an incredibly talented lineup of some of the Indianapolis area’s top chefs. Each week, two chefs will work together on a multi-course menu with dessert created by one of Indy’s top pastry chefs! A portion of the proceeds from the dinners will go to create a culinary scholarship at Ivy Tech – the perfect combination “great food, great talent, great causes.”
Our 2022 dinner series will feature a Global Exploration theme, and menus will focus on Spain/Portugal, Italy, France and the Middle East. Our chef teams include:
April 19: Spain & Portugal with chefs Abbi Merriss and Carlos Salazar and pastry chef Pete Schmutte.
April 26: Italy with chefs Alan Sternberg and Brad Gate and pastry chef Tanya Smith.
May 3: France with chefs Steve Oakley and Esteban Rosas with pastry chef Cindy Hawkins.
May 10: Middle East with chefs Jonathan Brooks and Erin Kem with pastry chef Youssef Boudarine.
What a great lineup!
Last year, more than 500 guests joined us including First Lady Janet Holcomb, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, and Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann who each shared kind words about the dinners and the Culinary Crossroads dinner series initiative. Nearly two dozen partners and underwriters participated and helped make our dinner series a success.
Tickets are available in pairs for $350; or you can purchase a table for six for $1,000. In addition to helping to create a culinary scholarship, portions of the revenue are used to compensate participating chefs, cover food costs and provide support for future Culinary Crossroads initiatives. And we’ve got more great dinners coming up – stay tuned!
by Jolene Ketzenberger | Mar 11, 2022 | Culinary Crossroads, News
We’ve been busy here at Culinary Crossroads with our efforts to spotlight Indiana’s culinary culture and shine a spotlight on chefs and restaurants throughout the state. After last year’s successful Spring Dinner Series, we decided to take the show on the road!
“The On the Road dinner series is very important to us,,” said Culinary Crossroads founder Larry Dickerson. “So often statewide programs end up being Indy centric. We were committed to the fact that this is a statewide initiative.”
Our first On the Road dinner took place in Evansville in October and brought together three of that city’s top chef ambassadors for a collaborative dinner.
The dinner took place at Copper House with chef/owner Charissa Perkins along with chef Jeremiah Galey of Amy’s on Franklin, and chef Lake Russell of Schymik’s Kitchen. The chefs created an incredible menu and worked together to serve up a memorable evening.
Along with beer from Sun King, Huber Winery and Starlight Distillery provided wine pairings and a signature cocktail for the evening.
Our next On the Road Dinner will take place in May at Huber’s Orchard, Winery and Vineyards in Starlight, Ind., near New Albany. Look for ticket info soon!
And look for other On the Road dinners to take place in 2022. Fort Wayne is on our short list as are South Bend, Lafayette and Terre Haute.
by Jolene Ketzenberger | Mar 5, 2022 | Culinary Crossroads
We love it when one great idea leads to another!
For more than six months now, Culinary Crossroads has partnered with Paramount Schools of Excellence on a terrific dinner project, our Sunday Supper Club series.
It all came about after Paramount CEO Tommy Reddicks attended one of our spring dinners last year. Following the dinner, Tommy reached out about his goal to continue an effort he and his late wife, Kelly Wensing, had begun during the pandemic. Their “Bring Back the Chefs” series of multi-course dinners prepared by some of the city’s top chefs had provided much-needed support to chefs when so many of their restaurants had been shuttered due to Covid restrictions.
We worked with Tommy to continue the series under the Culinary Crossroads dinner series umbrella, and we launched it last August. We couldn’t be happier to be involved!
The monthly $125-per-person dinners are held on Sundays at 6 p.m. at Paramount’s Cottage Home campus. An art-filled hall at the school is transformed for 30 guests into a supper club for the evening, complete with flowers, white tablecloths and complimentary champagne. The chefs’ creative six-course menus, prepared and plated in the school’s kitchen, are served alongside bread from Leviathan Bakehouse and coffee by School Grounds Coffee Shop. Diners are encouraged to bring their own wine or beer to accompany the meals.
In keeping with the original “Bring Back the Chefs” effort, $100 of each ticket goes straight to the chefs. The remaining $25 is set aside to fund a culinary scholarship at Ivy Tech Community College, continuing our Culinary Crossroads motto of “great food, great talent, great causes.”
The Supper Club dinner series will continue through September and beyond. You can purchase tickets for upcoming dinners here.
