Food for Thought
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FOOD WASTE FINDS A HOME Indianapolis chef’s new business concept offers a sustainable win-win-win By Leah R. Singer | Photography by Jennifer L. Rubenstein
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edible INDY Winter 2017
hristopher Adkins is a chef with a mission. Every Wednesday evening, he can be found preparing fresh dinners for upwards of 200 attendees at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. But it’s the ingredients in those dinners that really get Adkins excited, and inspired the idea for Ingredient Trading Company (ITC)—a concept that supports his ultimate food mission: food preservation. Adkins’ business idea is simple: ITC will be a conduit between restaurants and Indiana farmers and agriculturalists. Restaurants can purchase produce that typically goes unsold, and then use that to prepare dishes to serve as well as value-added products to sell, such as salsa, jam and pickled items. “Farmers always have excess produce and it typically is turned into feed or compost,” says Adkins. “By buying excess produce at cost, local farmers can make money from their crops. At the same time, it reduces food waste.” The idea of restaurants cooking with local produce is not new, but the idea of one distributor working with dozens of farmers and restaurants is a new business model for the Indianapolis food industry. While ITC is still in the developmental stages, Adkins is partially practicing this concept at St. Luke’s. Adkins was hired to create the Wednesday-night dinner served to members and guests of the congregation during its educational programs and classes. Susan Farquey, director of the program ministries at St. Luke’s, believes this concept fits in nicely with the church’s mission. “We really want to provide a healthy meal that tastes great and supports local farmers,” she says. “We don’t want to buy all premade meals. We want to do what we can to make sure people live a healthy life.” The challenge for restaurants is how to serve meals comprised of local ingredients in a cost-effective way. This is what Adkins, a chef and entrepreneur, is looking to do.
From chef to business owner Adkins was raised in Lawrence Township. When he was 20 years old, he took a culinary class at Ivy Tech Community College and immediately wanted to learn more about cuisine. He attended New England Culinary Institute for three years and was drawn to the curriculum that focused on sustainability. This is where Adkins developed a passion for preservation. “I love understanding preservation methods and extending the seasons,” he says. After culinary school, Adkins interned at Michelin star-rated restaurants in Chicago and New York City. But he wanted to return to his Indiana roots and have an impact in the local economy. He worked as a line cook at Spoke & Steele, and a sous chef for Garden Table. It was during this time that Adkins began thinking
