BUILDING Bridges Authentic Italian restaurant features local ingredients and a seasonal menu that reflects the best of Indiana food in the heart of Greencastle words: Leah R. Singer | photography: Jes Nijjer
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n any given day, Chef Sal Fernandez can be found creating dishes such as artisan pizza with mushrooms and fresh mozzarella cheese, bacon-wrapped prawns and a summer melon salad with prosciutto and vinaigrette. These dishes sound like they’re straight off a five-star Italian restaurant menu in Chicago, New York or San Francisco—but they are enjoyed at Bridges Craft Pizza and Wine Bar, located in the heart of Greencastle’s historic Courthouse Square. Bridges is the creation of Joyce and Judson Green, two DePauw University alumni with a mission of giving back to Greencastle. Their vision started with Music on the Square (Music Squared, or M2 as it’s frequently called), a music center that provides free music classes for students. When the space next to M2 came available, the Greens saw that as an opportunity to “bridge” music and food by creating a small café or wine bar to further their vision. That small café soon became a larger endeavor when the Greens decided to create a true, authentic Italian restaurant that would highlight local farmers and feature a seasonal menu with dishes that changed on a regular basis. The restaurant brought in the Mario Acunto wood-fired oven from Naples. All its pasta dough is handmade in house with Antimo Caputo Italian 00 flour. And the menu changes weekly to highlight the farmers and make sure the dishes were created with local ingredients.
The Bridges Chorus While Bridges is a collaborative effort among all its chefs and staff, Chef Fernandez is the conductor of this culinary orchestra. He was raised in Napa Valley, before it was home to today’s premier California vineyards, and would often help his farmer father pick grapes. When he was 13 years old, he got a job washing dishes at a pizza parlor in St. Helena, California. It was in that job that he first tasted pepperoni and salami, and learned how to make pizza. That’s when he knew the cooking life was what he wanted. But becoming a chef was not an easy endeavor, especially during a time when cooking and the Food Network were not popular like they are today. Chef Fernandez
Chef Fernandez (right) with Bob Zaring, owner of Zaring’s Produce. Opposite: Dinner at Bridges Wine Bar featuring the Melon Salad with Citrus Honey and Mint Vinigrette feature in our Eats section see recipe on page 22.
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