Chef Josh Kline and his wife, baker Zoe Taylor, opened Borage at the start of summer 2024 in Speedway, about a 10-minute walk from the track. The culinary couple met while working at Milktooth, where he was the head chef, and she handled pastry. Together, they assisted in positioning Indy as a Midwest culinary destination. Now at their own restaurant, Kline, a Crawfordsville native, uses fresh ingredients from more than 70 Indiana farms to create delicious, thoughtful dishes. After only four months of opening, Indianapolis Monthly named the eatery, a 7,000-square-foot space designed with a modern, flea market flair, one of the city’s best restaurants.
What made you become a chef?
I cooked throughout college but never thought of it as a career. I graduated with a degree in social work from Indiana University and moved to Chicago because I had
friends there. I got a job at a restaurant called Etna Village Grill. The guy who was the chef had worked at a couple of Michelin-starred places. He took me under his wing and started teaching me techniques. It just piqued my interest in a way that nothing else had.
What is your favorite type of food and why?
My favorite type of food goes all the way around the Mediterranean. So whether it’s Spain, French, Moroccan or Middle Eastern, vegetable forward, very bright and acidic, and tons of herbs are just what I love to eat and make.
Where do you get your inspiration?
[At Borage], we work with so many farms. That’s really what inspires us. The ingredients we are getting from our farm partners inspire us to create what we do.
What is your favorite thing to make for yourself and family?
My favorite thing to make for myself and my family would be the very first thing I learned how to cook. It’s what my grandpa taught me. It’s called a one-skillet breakfast. I do that frequently, not only for people [at Borage] at brunch weekends, but also for my family.
If you could eat anywhere in the world, where would that be, and what would you eat?
If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to San Sebastian, Spain, and probably spend two straight nights just going out, eating all the tapas, and then spend a couple more days eating the many, many Michelin star restaurants they have there.
If you could choose a favorite place in Indiana to visit, where would that be and what would you eat?
That’s tough. Nothing’s like popping straight up into my mind. I went to school at IU, so
I love going to Bloomington. And there are so many cool restaurants along Fourth Street. I think there are Ethiopian, Italian and Thai restaurants.
What items are always in your fridge?
We always make hummus, a couple of dips and tons of fresh vegetables. Neither of my kids like to eat cooked vegetables. It must always be raw cucumbers, peppers and all the fruits.
