It has been one year since our last stand-alone issue, where we talked about bringing dinner and cocktail parties back into our planners for 2020. And then everything changed around us, around the world. What we have learned during this past year is that we are stronger together than apart, that hate is no longer tolerated on any level, that our loved ones are even more precious and that we are more vulnerable as a society.
Theming this issue “RISE” came naturally. In the stories we’ve been collecting during the past year we have found the word rise to be prominent—from our community embracing a more diverse culture to the rise of our beloved industry entrepreneurs finding sobriety. We celebrate the rising of some of our favorite seasonal treats such as morel mushrooms, asparagus and ramps, and we have fun discussing the smells that arise from certain foods, and what to do about it.
We also challenged ourselves to “rise up” this publication with the addition of our friend and colleague Francine Spiering as our new managing editor. Spiering is superiorly talented and we are honored to share the spotlight with her. I am also super excited to have my brilliant cousin Meg Petersen as the illustrative artist for our cover, bringing home how important our “family” truly is to me. While 2020 was brutal on so many fronts, we are encouraged by the pivots being made throughout our community and within ourselves. May we all find 2021 to be a time when we can all rise and bloom. We hope you enjoy the new Edible Indy 2.0.
Hoosier Hugs, g
Jennifer Rubenstein, Editor in Chief
From the Editor
Can I confess something? I have never been to Indiana. Not physically, anyway. In spirit, of course, I became a fan of the Hoosier State from the very first time I met Jennifer Rubenstein. The bubbly redhead had me hooked on all things Indy simply by talking about them. She shares such passion for her Edible region that it was a no-brainer to tell her yes when she asked me to be her managing editor.
In the Edible community, many of us nailed “remote working” well before the pandemic hit. For instance, I am quite used to working with our copy editor Doug Adrianson, who lives in California and runs his scrutinizing eyeballs over copy for dozens of the Edible publications. He gets what we’re doing, keeps our style in check and chips in with useful suggestions as if he were sitting right next to me. Reaching across the continent, working with like-minded people in other states—be that on content or design—makes that feeling of being part of the nationwide Edible community even stronger. Still, it doesn’t mean I don’t long to discover Indy up close and in person. Quite the opposite, in fact.
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This spring alone I want to get dirty digging for those garlicky ramps. I want to join in a hunt for fresh morels. And then I want to go into Jennifer’s kitchen and chat while we nibble on her fried morels and pickled ramps. I already have the recipe—and now, with this issue, so do you.
Indiana-based Huse Culinary restaurant group is known for the iconic downtown Indianapolis St. Elmo Steak House and their culinary masterpiece dishes including their famous shrimp cocktail. They own and operate seven fine-dining restaurants with locations in Fishers and Indianapolis and are committed to providing the best ingredients and service.
St Elmo’s Steak House 127 S. Illinois St. Indianapolis StElmos.com
E.
Airport: 7800 Col. H. Weir
Memorial Dr., Indianapolis HarryAndIzzys.com
1933 Lounge
Downtown: 127 S. Illinois St., Indianapolis Northside: 9707 District North Dr., Ste. 1120, Fishers 1933Lounge.com
HC Tavern & Bar 9709 E. 116th St., Fishers AtTheHC.com
Harry & Izzy’s Downtown: 153 S. Illinois St., Indianapolis
Northside: 4050
82nd St., Indianapolis
Cook
photograph: Dave Pluimer
FOODGRAM ADVENTURES
#edibleindy
Celebrate edible goodness through the lens of our community by tagging us on all of your culinary journeys. You might find us reveling in your photos here or @edibleindy. Cheers to your next Foodgram adventure!
words: Jennifer L. Rubenstein | photography: alleksana
Lasagna. Some people call it heaven, others call it a hunk of love. Stephanie Daily, founder of Send a Friend Lasagna, calls it her heart.
“Food is in my blood, it’s my passion,” Stephanie says when asked about the creation of her business. “It’s my gift to the world” and that is what it has become.
Daily was a marketer, a social media manager, and oftentimes those skills integrated with the local food businesses she loved. Daily started the business as a side hustle in the summer of 2019 while working her fulltime social media manager position. When the lasagna business started to pick up she decided to go all in, focusing all of her time and attention on her young company on November 1, 2019, before the pandemic hit. When restaurants shut down and business owners had to pivot, going out for dinner became difficult and groceries were somewhat hard to find. Send a Friend Lasagna’s concept shifted into high gear, going from 0 to 60 in a matter of weeks.
Her lasagnas are made by hand out of Indy’s Kitchen by Daily herself. She creates them from her own recipes and pours her heart and soul into each dish. When asked which lasagna is her favorite, she said it is like picking a favorite child, however, her newest creation—which is full of veggies—might be her favorite to date.
Daily is embedded in the community and partners with other local artisans to create bundles for special occasions, like Valentine’s Day with Circle City Sweets and a Mother’s Day promotion soon to be announced with a local florist … just in time to give Mom a sweet-scented gift of love.
When asked about her favorite local makers, without hesitation Daily listed off Little Dumplings (Carlos Salazar’s newest creation), Chef Oya’s The Trap Seafood, Hank’s Brisket, Patties of Jamaica, Circle City Sweets and, of course, her colleagues from Indy’s Kitchen.
You can order her mouthwatering lasagna at SendAFriendLasagna.com, for weeknight supper or Sunday dinner alike. She is also a proud member of Indiana Originals; you can find other truly local artisans to support at IndianaOriginals.com.
MISSING COLOR AMONG COLORFUL FOODS
Where are the minority farmers?
words: Brian Garrido | illustration: Marisa Randles
During the warmer months, Indiana farmers’ markets offer a vivid rainbow of ripe vegetables and fruits. Propped up in crates, boxes and baskets is an astonishing diversity of tempting edibles grown by Hoosier farmers all over the state.
For many consumers, these markets are a prime opportunity to meet the Hoosier farmers, to ask questions and become, if not friends, at least regular customers. It’s a simple idea, the commercial opportunity to give and take while gleaning knowledge about best gardening practices, tastes and even recipes. But while every color of the edible rainbow is represented among the merchandise, nearly all of the farmers are white. The lack of diversity among farmers startles even the most ardent market-goer.
“I would say there isn’t diversity. [The markets] tend to be either Caucasian or just non-minority,” says Vivian Muhammad, a co-founder of The Elephant Gardens, a community vegetable farm in Indianapolis. “Still, we have to consider the fact that the majority of farmers are white, owning 90 to 98 percent of the farmland. Blacks and Hispanics own less land, but there is a kind of new groundswell of urban growth with these minority growers.”
Indy Food Council (IFC) issued a “State of the Food Report” in 2018 for Marion County that confirms Muhammad’s statements. The document, sponsored by Butler University and Purdue Extension, states that African Americans represent 2.2 percent of the area’s farmers with only five farms. It lists only two Latino growers
and one Native American; Asians have zero representation. Caucasians own more than 98 percent of planted acreage.
This isn’t only a Hoosier issue. Nationwide, according to the 2012 U.S. Agricultural Census, Black farmers number 1.4 percent of growers and other groups even less. During the 1920s, nearly 50 years after the Civil War and the emancipation of almost 4 million slaves, African Americans accounted for roughly half of the farmers in the United States, mostly throughout the South.
The weekly Original Farmers Market at Indianapolis’s City Market runs from May into early fall, midday each Wednesday. It’s an opportunity for the downtown public to stock up on the week’s groceries while buying a fresh, tasty lunch. Community growers and retailers sell vegetables and fruit, plus home sundries such as dog biscuits, CBD oils and soaps. Local vendors such as Barnhouse Farms hawk their handcrafted goat milk cleansers next to their heirloom crops featuring carrots, herbs and lettuces. A few tents down, Redwine Family Farms, a purveyor based northwest of Noblesville, touts spices and gourmet salts, along with hormone-free poultry.
And yet, with all the mixes of food and shoppers clamoring for natural products, almost none of the merchants are people of color. Their absence is felt.
“I was privy to a downtown Indy research study,” said Stevi Stoesz, former executive director for both the Original Farmers’ Market and the historic Indianapolis City Market. “The company was charged with interviewing different
residents in Indianapolis, including some of the older neighborhoods. Black people felt like they didn’t belong in the markets. I’ve always thought of our farmers’ market as a very community-driven and welcoming destination. Through this study, we learned that maybe they’re not felt welcomed in it. I wondered why that is. As a food destination, we certainly must make sure that we represent our neighbors, residents and customers.”
Inside the historic building, housing the market, workers and owners hail from an assortment of backgrounds such as Mexican (The Tamale Place), Greek (The Grecian Garden) and Middle Eastern (Ameri Middle Eastern Cuisine). Employees throughout embody the same melting pot flavors they serve to their varied clientele. But still, no Black-owned farms tending to self-owned kiosks.
Open each year from spring to fall, Garfield Park Farmers’ Market takes a proactive approach in creating a diverse climate for both vendors and customers, says co-founder Ashley Brooks. With experience in opening restaurants and butchering at a local specialty market, she started the family-focused marketplace in 2017 with business partner Julia Woody.
“Part of our mission was to focus on bringing in diversity with our vendors and customers, making sure that we are inclusive so that everyone feels welcome,” Brooks says. “Our vendors know that it is part of our principle. We strived for and achieved over 50 percent of women-owned businesses. While I don’t know the exact
While every color of the edible rainbow is represented among the merchandise, nearly all of the farmers are white. The lack of diversity among farmers startles even the most ardent market-goer.
percentage of Black-owned businesses necessarily, we do have people of color who are vending their products.”
Brooks observes the minority-owned businesses tend to be not farmers but crafters, which are the issues raised by Muhammad. As mentioned by Muhammad, people of color aren’t selling their farm products at the venues because, simply, there aren’t that many. “If 90 percent of the state is white farmers owning the land, then that’s going to be pretty much expected at the markets,” she says. “Homecrafts fit the farmers’ market criteria. It’s these items such as soap makers, jewelry makers and other handmade things where you are going find more of a variety of people.”
The Indiana Historical Bureau says that from 1820 to 1850 almost 30 African American farming communities existed, mostly throughout the central and southern regions. Census figures from that era gave farming and farm laborer as a core occupation for Blacks over that of a barber or domestic servant. The number dwindled after the adoption in 1850 of Article XIII of the Indiana State Constitution, which stated “No negro or mulatto shall come into, or settle in the State, after the adoption of this Constitution.”. In 1866, and after the Civil War, the 13th Amendment added to the U.S. Constitution and its passage rendered he state’s provision unconstitutional.
Brooks and Muhammad both comment that they started their market and gardens respectively to combat food deserts. A food desert’s definition, by the USDA, is “an area where 40 percent of the residents have low incomes and live more than one mile from a grocery store.” According to the Office of Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, nearly 19.4 percent of city residents fit the definition of living in a desert or are food insecure. That makes one out of every five Indianapolis residents.
Muhammad observes, “The number one thing we should be doing is training more urban farmers, particularly African Americans. The second part is a farmers’ market helping [the growers] to establish new venues in areas that need it the most.”
Near the busy intersection of Kessler and Keystone in the Glendale neighborhood, the year-round weekly Broad Ripple’s Farmers’ Market presents opportunities for growers and consumers to meet. Visitors with canvas totes hop from tent to kiosk buying vegetables from a number of Indiana farmers and purveyors. It’s noticeable that the farmers and sellers are almost all Caucasian as are the majority of customers shopping, except for a few mixed-race couples meandering between stalls. The city of Indianapolis population is 61 percent white and 31 percent Black, according to Indy.gov. The remainder includes those who identify as Asian, Latin or other, including multiple ethnicities. However, the markets don’t represent the diversity of the urban landscape.
“I think there is a lot of trauma around Black farmers, their direct work and the infrastructure,” says Victoria Beaty, executive director of Growing Places Indy. “Getting land and creating a farm start-up is expensive. [Additionally] there is a barrier between Blacks and the USDA.”
Beaty references Pigman vs. Glickman, a landmark legal case accusing the Department of Agriculture of racist practices. “Because of these historical practices, Blacks, across the board, are fearful.”
For two and a half years, Beaty, a former marketing and public relations professional, has overseen Growing Places Indy, leading it into new areas for continued expansion. Under her guidance, the nonprofit branched out into a winter market at Circle City Industrial Complex along with yoga workshops and farm stands throughout Indy during the city’s warmer months, allowing customers to purchase locally grown produce.
“We need to be representative of our communities and are working toward that goal,” says Stoesz. “It’s baby steps and not leaps and bounds. We need the baby-steps approach on who we attract, where are they and how do we appeal to a more diverse vendor base. We want to be welcoming to all communities. It’s imperative.”
“As a food destination, we certainly must make sure that we represent our neighbors, residents and customers.”
—Stevi Stoesz
Brian Garrido has written food stories for LA Weekly, Clever Root and DailyMeal.com. He moved to Indy from Los Angeles with two dogs and his partner, Nick. Follow him on Instagram @briangarrido.
TheGOOD(s)BoxExperience
Classes to Create Intentional Rituals and Build Place
Building a sense of peace in life begins with adding simple, nourishing rituals into your daily routine. We invite you to join Goods for Cooks and Edible Indy for a series of virtual classes. From home-brewing a perfect cup of coffee to treating your senses with worldly flavor, these live, one hour classes will include an experience box curated by Goods for Cooks, special guests, education, and mindful discussion of how to create intentional rituals for yourself in 2021.
Each class + box begins at $75, reserve soon, classes are limited to 15 participants.
CLASS 1 | April 11
MOON MILK recipes and techniques for a more peaceful sleep with special guest Anni Daulter, author of Moon Milk
CLASS 2 | June 27
GREEKS IN THE KITCHEN: Mediterranean Mezze (finger foods) + Spice with special artisan guest Marlen Wensel of Apricot Sun.
CLASS 3 | August 22
ALOHA POKE BOWLS: Deconstructed Sushi Bowls with special guest Edible Hawaiian Islands and the Island Poke Cookbook author.
CLASS 4 | October 17
NOT JUST ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE: Learn how to brew a better cup of coffee: From French presses to pour overs with special guest Jane Kupersmith from Hopscotch Coffee.
Scan the QR code to learn more or to reserve your spot.
SPRINGS UP
Pop-up ingredients elevate the season’s dishes
recipes & photography | Jennifer L. Rubenstein
Few things spell spring quite so alluringly as garlicky ramps, wild morels and tender green asparagus. They bring the taste of nature awakening, at once earthy, fresh and invigorating. Drape fried morels over a slice of homemade caramelized onion bread. Stir pearl barley into a creamy hotness with fresh asparagus and beautiful ramps. And guess what: Those pickled ramps literally go with anything.
FRIED MORELS WITH CARAMELIZED RAMP BREAD
Growing up in Northern Indiana, my family hunted for morel mushrooms each spring. These treats were savored by all of us. They were washed, rolled in flour, fried in butter and eaten with a piece of white bread and butter. Here’s is a take on that deliciousness updated for 2021.
Sliced caramelized ramp bread (recipe below)
Fried morel mushrooms
Ricotta cheese
Salt
Sliced ramps
Fresh lemon
Slice the caramelized ramp bread to desired thickness. Spread ricotta cheese on the bread; top with morel mushrooms, salt and scallions; squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top of the bread.
NO-KNEAD CARAMELIZED RAMP DUTCH OVEN BREAD
1½ cups warm water
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
½ tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon rosemary
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
Caramelized ramps (recipe on page 12)
Olive oil
“Everything” bagel seasoning or sesame seeds
In a large bowl, mix together the water, yeast, salt, garlic and rosemary and stir until mixed well. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to proof. Add the flour to the yeast mixture and with a scraper mix together until all flour is wet. Add in the caramelized onions and fold together until mixture is sticky. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the bread and form into a ball. Cover with a towel and allow to double in size at room temperature. This will take 2–3 hours.
Once bread has doubled in size, place your Dutch oven into the oven and preheat the oven to 450°. Once oven reaches 450°, leave Dutch oven in for another 15 minutes. While oven is preheating place a large piece of parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle with flour. Dump the dough into the middle of the parchment paper and roll it around until the bread is covered with flour and not sticky. Place bread in the middle of the parchment. Remove the Dutch oven with oven mitts and place the parchment paper and bread inside the Dutch oven, cover and bake for 35 minutes. Remove lid and cook uncovered for another 8–10 minutes, until it has a beautiful brown color. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.
CARAMELIZED RAMPS
20 ramps (or scallions), cleaned and chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon raw sugar
2–3 tablespoons water
In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Once butter has a slight brown to it, stir in the chopped ramps. Stir the ramps often for 5–7 minutes, until they begin to get translucent. Stir in the sugar making sure the ramps are coated, and cook for another 1–2 minutes making sure they do not stick or burn to the pain. Add in 2–3 tablespoons of water and continue to stir and cook the ramps for another 10 minutes. Once they have a brownish color and are slightly sticky, remove from heat and allow to cool.
FRIED MORELS
½ pound fresh morel mushrooms
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic power
4 tablespoons butter
Wash and dry the morel mushrooms. Place flour in a bowl with the salt, pepper and garlic. Set aside. Place a medium cast-iron skillet on medium heat with butter. Once butter is melted, flour the morel mushrooms and place them in the skillet. Do not crowd the mushrooms so they will cook more even. Turn morels with tongs after about 2–3 minutes, watching them carefully as to not burn them. Fry for another 2–3 minutes, remove and place on a paper towel. Continue until all mushrooms are fried.
PICKLED RAMPS
Ramps grow beautifully on the hills of Central Indiana in late March and early April. These wild garlic onions are harvested for a short window once a year. Pickling them allows us to savor the flavor just a little longer, until the morels start popping up.
Makes 1 (16-ounce) jar
1 pound ramps
1 dried Thai chili pepper or fresh
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons raw sugar or honey
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon ginger powder
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
8 whole peppercorns
4 allspice berries
Wash ramps to remove all dirt and make sure any loose ends are removed. Trim ramps about 1–2 inches above the purple stalk.*
In a medium saucepan combine all ingredients except ramps, stir to combine and bring to a boil for 3–4 minutes.
In a 12- to 16-ounce canning jar, place the raw ramps with white stalks and bulbs towards the bottom making sure they do not stick out the top of the jar. Remove saucepan from heat and pour liquid into the jar, covering all the leaves completely. Be mindful to keep all seeds and Thai chili pepper mixed in with the ramps. Place canning lid on tightly. Allow to cool, then refrigerate.
Pickled ramps keep for up to a month.
*Reserve the leaves for salads, pesto or sauce. in the future.
ASPARAGUS & RAMPS BARLOTTO
BY FRANCINE SPIERING
We love risotto in our house. But my family— used to beautiful, polished carnaroli rice stirred into creamy goodness—was a little taken aback with this barley version. But then it grew on them and they polished it off to the last grain. Barley has a rustic chewiness, even when you soften it to the full extent. It also packs a lot of flavor, not to mention whole-grain healthfulness.
6–8 cups good, tasty vegetable or chicken stock
1 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive oil)
2 cups pearl barley
1 bunch fresh ramps, chopped
1 bunch green asparagus, stems chopped, tips reserved + a few asparagus spears for garnish
8 ounces plain chèvre
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (optional)
Bring stock to a boil in a saucepan and keep hot.
In a wide saucepan, heat oil and add barley grains. Cook on medium heat until the grains feel hot to the touch. Add the chopped ramps and asparagus. Add about 1 cup stock, stir and simmer until stock is soaked up. Stir occasionally. Repeat until stock is finished and barley is soft to chew. Total time will be about 30–40 minutes. For the final 5 minutes, stir in ch vre and basil (optional). Season to taste with salt and freshground black pepper. Garnish with fresh asparagus and serve immediately.
illustration: Meg Petersen
The industry now appears ready to talk openly about the addiction and mental health issues that have long plagued the sector.
On a Sunday morning in early 2020—just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic washed across American shores—a group of 20 or so individuals gathered around four-top tables reconfigured into a large rectangle in the main seating area of a storied dining institution in Columbus, Ohio. The restaurant would open later that day for dinner service.
Normally this collection of souls—young, old and from varied walks of life— would be at work in kitchens, behind bars, punching away at computers in business offices at the city’s leading hospitality groups, or moving swiftly across dining rooms to serve patrons at institutions like this one all over town.
On this day, however, the group sat somewhat solemnly at tables more accustomed to the sight of hungry smiles and the sound of daily specials being recited. Some participants appeared tired, others alert; many seemed eager to talk, keen to engage with the room; all were at least ready to listen.
“My manager told me to come here,” a blonde young woman told the collective through tears when it was her turn to speak. She said that she drank too much the night before, adding that most nights she makes this same mistake. “I don’t know how to stop,” she continued while a friend squeezed her hand. Sometimes, she said, when she’s well past sober she’ll add a drug or two to the mix.
This was a meeting of the Columbus, Ohio, chapter of Ben’s Friends. The organization, which has representation in 14 cities and counting, was founded in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2016 by restaurant veterans Mickey Bakst and Steve Palmer in honor of their late friend, Chef Ben Murray, who committed suicide after a long struggle with addiction and depression.
The organization bills itself as “the food and beverage industry support group offering hope, fellowship and a path forward to professionals who struggle with substance abuse and addiction.”
“It took me a long time to realize what the reality of being an alcoholic entailed,” one member of the Ohio meeting said above the clamor of pots and pans in the background from a lone cook setting up for the day.
“Alcoholism was an excuse to do whatever I wanted,” another participant added. She then calmly told the group to try one of the red velvet cupcakes, donated by a much-loved bakery in the city, displayed amongst an impressive spread of snacks and coffee in the back of the room.
“We don’t mess around with the treats here,” another member added while the room erupted in laughter.
An Industry Epidemic
Andy Smith launched the Columbus, Ohio, chapter of Ben’s Friends in September 2019 in consultation with the group’s national organizers and with help from Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. Smith had faced his own battle with addiction while watching friends in the industry fall to the disease.
“I’ve never met Ben, but I’ve got 20 of them,” Smith says about Murray, the inspiration for the original Ben’s Friends. “Everyone in this industry has a Ben.”
After only six months, the fledgling Columbus chapter faced a massive challenge with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020 and its economic impact on the food and beverage industry. Smith calls initial shutdowns of the sector a “shock.” However, Ben’s Friends forged ahead with online engagement, bringing participants from across the country together daily to connect on sobriety.
Opposite: Greg Hardesty
“It just took off and I’ve gotten to know so many people,” Smith says about new friends in California, Washington and Arizona, with whom he connects regularly at the organization’s more than 20 Zoom offerings each week. “I’m excited for when we go back to in-person meetings, but I also hope we hold on to Zoom because it’s turned into something really cool, too.”
A 2015 study from the U.S. government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that the food service industry has one of the highest rates of substance abuse in the country.
“The highest rates of past month illicit drug use were found in the accommodations and food services industry (19.1 percent),” the authors of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health wrote, referencing data collected from 2008 to 2012. Additionally, the authors noted that “workers in the accommodations and food services industry (16.9 percent) had the highest rates of past year substance use disorder.”
Many in the sector point to late nights, long hours and demanding work environments as fuel for the epidemic’s bright fire. Others identify a culture of not only excess but access—with alcohol easily accessible before, during and after a shift.
Nearly three years after the suicide of Anthony Bourdain, beloved American celebrity chef, writer and television personality, and 20 years after the publishing of Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain’s memoir profiling his “25 years of sex, drugs, bad behavior and haute cuisine,” the industry now appears ready to talk openly about the addiction and mental health issues that have long plagued the sector.
Additionally, with 2020’s health, social and economic crises—a perfect storm disproportionately impacting low-wage American workers—the food and beverage sector has faced a year unlike any other with crushing stress and uncertainty. For some, these elements have further fueled addiction’s tumultuous fire.
Greg Hardesty, owner of Indianapolis’ Studio C, former owner of Recess and allaround beloved capital city chef, has worked in restaurants for nearly 30 years. Twenty of these have been devoted to fine dining in Indiana’s capital.
“I think the industry certainly fuels it, enables it,” Hardesty reflected pre-pandemic on rampant substance abuse in the sector. “We almost reward somebody for coming in and working through a hangover. ‘You’re a badass,’ we say to them.” This January, the chef and entrepreneur celebrated four years of sobriety.
Smith said he initially thought his problem was restaurant culture. However, after a court order mandated him to attend Alcoholics Anonymous, which finally pushed him to the other side of addiction, and after attempting jobs in other industries, Smith quickly discovered that “the problem was actually me, not necessarily the industry,” he added.
Smith now bartends at Harvest Bar + Kitchen in Columbus’ Brewery District while also operating his own consulting business focused on sobriety in restaurants. He calls the cliché of the drunk, coked-up bartender “outdated.”
“I remember talking to my friend after I got sober and asking, ‘How am I supposed to work in a restaurant? How am I supposed to sell booze?’” Smith says. “I’m living proof that you can work at a restaurant and sell alcohol.”
For Joshua Gonzales, owner of Indianapolis-area bars Thunderbird and Jailbird and one of the city’s best-known mixologists, during much of his 20-plus years in the Indianapolis beverage scene he struggled with alcohol addiction. He has been sober now for more than four years.
“For some, alcohol is a way to sustain 12-hour workdays,” he says about the industry’s often-demanding schedule, which can entail noise, heat and long hours on one’s feet. “It’s also a way to sustain social anxiety when you have to talk to 200 people a night.”
“I think the reason that addiction is rampant in this industry is that it’s just very, very normal,” the bar owner says. “Your staff is consuming with you, you’re doing shots during service, you’re having a beer, you’re having a glass of wine, putting bourbon in coffee. You just have access. Access breeds normalization. Normalization breeds problems.”
Hardesty says his addiction hit its peak when his restaurant obtained a three-way license to sell beer, wine and liquor. “Once the leash was taken off hard alcohol, I was drinking it at the same rate I was drinking beer,” Hardesty says. “I just didn’t change the cup I was using.”
“Everyone in this industry has a Ben,” Smith says, reflecting on the rampant addiction and mental health issues prevalent in the sector.
Opposite: Joshua Gonzales
A New Beginning and a Better Craft
“One of the things I struggle with is some of the regrets,” Hardesty says candidly about his battle with alcohol. “Mainly, regrets about my addiction and my kids.”
“I basically woke up one morning—about 2:30am—my wife asked me if I was alright and I said, ‘No, I need help,’” Hardesty remembers about the fateful day when he finally decided to face his addiction head-on.
Hardesty did a 12-step program, created by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, as part of his recovery. Prior to the pandemic, he says he went to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings three times each week.
“I thought drinking made me a better chef,” Hardesty says. However, now that he’s sober, he says that notion has quickly faded.
“It turns out, I’m cooking better than ever,” Hardesty says. “I cook more honestly. I fuss with the food less. I don’t worry so much about intricate plating. It’s more real to me now. I think that reflects in the food I’m serving.”
Studio C is still in operation despite the personal and professional turbulence Greg Hardesty has faced this year (see sidebar). In the spring of 2020, the operating model for the culinary space quickly shifted to a grocery in response to the pandemic.
Reflecting on his battle with addiction, Joshua Gonzales says that he liked the way booze made him feel but it was tied to a deeper personal struggle. “A lot of it was issues that I have with anxiety and self-confidence,” he notes. “The booze helped to calm down those mental and emotional instabilities.” Gonzales says that by the last few years of his addiction he was having at least 20 drinks a day.
Gonzales says that giving up alcohol has made him a better business owner and manager. “At Thunderbird, I don’t have anyone on my staff that knew me as a drinker,” he says. “When I look at how my staff behaved in those years, those that knew me as ‘Drinking Josh,’ it was all very turbulent. The staff was drinking a lot on shift because I was drinking a lot.”
Even with the stresses of the pandemic, Gonzales says he doesn’t worry about slipping up on his own sobriety as he did in the early days of recovery. However, he adds, he leans on friends in the industry to help him get through the hard moments especially during this turbulent time. Those allies are essential to those in recovery, Gonzales says, and he recognizes his responsibility in this capacity, as well.
“I’m 43 now,” Gonzales reflects. “When I was 25 and bartending, I didn’t have anyone around me that wasn’t doing the crazy things: that wasn’t doing blow; that wasn’t doing shots every night behind the bar; that wasn’t partying until 4am every morning. That was just life. I now think that having people around you that show an alternative is beneficial.”
Gonzales says leaders in the industry—whether it’s a bar or restaurant owner or a manager or veteran at a chain—have an incredible responsibility to those coming up under them. “We need to make sure those people that work for us are in a better position than we were when we were their age,” Gonzales remarks. “If we don’t do that then we’re doing a disservice.”
Gonzales is forging ahead with business as usual at Thunderbird and Jailbird despite COVID-19. He says though there have been hard days during the pandemic, the disruption has confirmed the important role that institutions like his play as gathering spaces. “People need to socialize and feel community,” Gonzales says. “My commitment to making these businesses successful again and maintaining their life cycle has been reaffirmed.”
Back in pre-pandemic Columbus at Ben’s Friends, the group neared the end of one of its last in-person meetings before COVID-19’s arrival. A woman several decades older than the girl who shared that she drank the night before was one of the last to speak. She had matching fair features and blonde hair; the two could pass for mother and daughter.
The older woman looked directly at the younger one while she spoke. “I drank last night too,” she said, explaining that, like most nights, she drank half a bottle of wine after arriving home from her restaurant shift. “I wish I could stop.”
“I also wish I had the gift of time,” she added, nearly willing the younger woman the decades that have slipped away to addiction. Both women cried; sniffles from the group could be heard echoing off the dining room walls.
“I was lying in bed feeling sorry for myself,” the older woman said about that morning, just a few hours prior. “I logged onto Facebook and found Andy and news of today’s meeting,” she added, her gaze turning to Smith, seated nearby.
“I just want peace,” she said assertively, optimistically, in a voice that had been quivering only moments before. Across the room, heads nodded in appreciation, the group welcoming her to their fray.
Nicole Rasul (nicolerasul.com) is a freelance writer covering food and agriculture. In addition to Edible Indy her work has appeared in Edible Columbus, Civil Eats, Modern Farmer Forbes.com and others. Follow her on Twitter at @rasulwrites.
Finding Support
If you work in the restaurant industry and are struggling with an addiction or mental health issue, here are several resources that may assist you:
Ben’s Friends is a Charleston, South Carolina–based organization offering hope and fellowship to those in the food and beverage space struggling with substance abuse and addiction. The organization has chapters in 14 cities across the country. There is not yet a chapter in Indianapolis but there is a need. If you’re interested in launching one locally, reach out to the organization’s founders via their website to express an interest. bensfriendshope.com
Chefs with Issues is devoted to the “care and feeding of the people who feed us” and offers a website with a slew of resources and reading on addiction and mental health. The group also has a very active private Facebook group where conversations on addiction and mental health are undertaken daily. chefswithissues.com
Indianapolis maintains active Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous chapters where members from all walks of life, not just the restaurant industry, engage on addiction and recovery. indyaa.org, centralindianana.org
Finally, if you are struggling and need immediate assistance, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a toll-free, 24/7 hotline available to anyone in who is suicidal or in emotional distress.
800-273-8255
Greg Hardesty’s Health Battle
In July 2020, Greg Hardesty was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In November, he was scheduled to have a stem cell transplant after undergoing chemotherapy. The procedure fell through due to the loss of the donor.
“The goal was to get me into remission with chemo and then have a stem cell transplant,” he explains. However, his journey has included the return of the cancer— yet again delaying a transplant—and in January he began his first of two rounds of immunotherapy. By March, he says, his doctors hope he will once again be in remission and the needed transplant can occur.
“Much of the pandemic I’ve been dealing with this,” Hardesty says about his cancer diagnosis in this most unusual time. However, he remains optimistic, he says, and the shake-up in both his personal and professional lives has helped him to reprioritize.
“I’ve been in this business for 30 years and I had gotten somewhat burned out,” he says about growing dissatisfaction in his work as a chef in the years and months prior to the pandemic and his life-altering health diagnosis. The changes to Studio C’s operating model due to the pandemic and Hardesty’s health struggles have opened his eyes to potential opportunities on the horizon. “The idea of being more of an entrepreneur and less of a chef now excites me,” he adds about the next phase of his career.
Hardesty says he’s also focusing on his wife and children at this important time as their support has been a bedrock for his battle with cancer. During his initial treatment, his wife visited him daily despite COVID-19 restrictions as she worked at the hospital where he was receiving care. “I felt pretty blessed,” he says about his time with her during those tumultuous first days of his fight.
To follow Hardesty’s battle and donate to support his care, visit ghf.betterworld.org.
SMELL YOU LATER!
5 foods that stink us up
words: Madeline Crozier
What we eat affects how we feel, look and even smell—and sometimes not in a good way. Plenty of foods give us smelly skin, bad breath and body odor, usually caused by the ways our bodies metabolize compounds of sulfur. These five foods might make us smell, but we can combat offensive odors naturally and keep enjoying the smelly foods we love.
Garlic
Vampire repellent. Love the taste of garlic but hate the way it lingers on your skin? The smell oozes from our pores because crushed garlic releases a sulfur compound called allicin.
What to do: Wash the garlic smell from your hands by replacing it with something more pleasant, like coffee. Rub a handful of coffee beans between your hands or exfoliate with ground coffee under cool water.
Asparagus
Stinky pee. What makes asparagus unforgettable, other than its grassy-green flavor and satisfying snap? Most people will smell it again when they urinate, because the sulfur compound mercaptan breaks down and leads to seriously smelly odors.
What to do: Drinking plenty of water helps dilute your urine and make the smell less strong. Bottom line: Asparagus lovers simply have to put up with the stinky pee—fortunately, the smell evaporates quickly.
Onions
Tears of pain. The smell of sautéed onions sticks around long after a savory dinner. The smell seeps into our lungs and comes out through our breath, and the more we eat, the stronger the smell.
What to do: Sautéing onions can help cut through their bite, but make sure to blot sautéed onions with a paper towel to remove excess oil for a significantly weaker smell. If onions make you cry, place them in the fridge or freezer a few hours before chopping to help slow down the release of irritating chemicals.
Coffee
Coffee breath. Ugh. Caffeine can jolt the central nervous system and make us sweat, and the highly acidic pick-me-up can also reduce saliva, which leads to dry mouth and bad breath.
What to do: If you can’t skip the coffee, cut down on milk and sugar, which only increase bad-breath bacteria, or eat an apple, which contains enzymes that can help kill those bacteria. Drink water to keep your mouth hydrated, and try replacing your second or third cup with an herbal or green tea.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Fiber farts. Crunchy cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts are packed with nutrients, antioxidants and sulfurs that can give a rotten smell (comparable to rotten eggs) to body odor.
What to do: You want these nutrient-dense foods in your diet. What helps to combat the gas are high-potassium foods like avocados, sweet potatoes and bananas, and probiotic foods like yogurt. Whenever you eat high fiber foods, drink plenty of water as it will help reduce gas.
Madeline Crozier is a freelance writer and student based in Chicago. An Indianapolis native, she attends DePaul University as a graduate student in the Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse program. In the fall, she will begin studying for a PhD in English.
TALKING TRASH
Food waste takes big toll on restaurant profits—and on the planet words: Julie Yates | photography: Joshua Gaal
The closing of a restaurant and the warming of the planet might seem unrelated but a common culprit might contribute to both: food waste.
An unused supply of ingredients or an under-ordered menu item comes at a cost—and not just for the restaurant. When unsold and expired food ends up in a landfill, it rots and releases methane, a gas more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide. Fortunately, awareness of food waste in the restaurant industry continues to increase and several Indiana organizations are providing solutions to combat it.
“Consumer-facing businesses, which includes the restaurant and hospitality industry, account for 40 percent of the 63 million tons of food waste generated in the U.S. each year,” says Emily Jackson, program manager for the Indiana Recycling Coalition and a stakeholder in the Indiana Food Scrap Initiative (IFSI). “The Indiana Food Scrap Initiative was formed in 2015 as our state’s response to the food waste challenge. For two years, we dove deep into educating ourselves about Indiana’s unique food waste landscape and the most effective and feasible solutions. Now we are an educated network moving into action in three arenas of food waste solutions: source reduction, food rescue and food waste composting.”
Stopping Waste at the Source
Ivy Tech Community College has been a partner with IFSI for two years. Each culinary class is educated about waste reduction. Each classroom is equipped with a compost bin. Ivy Tech’s association with IFSI has allowed the school to expand the types and amounts of acceptable substances in the bins. However, a key point that must be conveyed to students is stopping food waste at the source, says Alex Spicer, chef educator and assistant director of purchasing.
“There is a razor-thin margin for success in the restaurant industry,” Spicer says. “The amount of food that is never used, due to becoming a hazard from going bad or being too ugly to sell, comes to $218 billion each year. Billions of dollars’ worth of food is wasted by being carelessly thrown away in restaurants. Today it’s so easy for chefs to order food—they can get anything from anywhere. We need to be humbler and start using 100 percent of food that is ordered.”
Restaurants and hospitality groups can address food waste by adopting an intentional attitude before dishes are even put on a menu. One option is conducting a waste audit by using a commercial tracking system like Leanpath or Winnow as well as asking servers to report amounts of food left on plates. Food inventories can be monitored for quantities nearing expiration dates or ingredients that are underutilized. Seasonal novelty dishes that often go unordered, such as St. Patrick’s Day corned beef and cabbage, can be limited. Most importantly, food scraps can be used in innovative ways.
Rethink Ingredient Use
“We cross-utilize ingredients in as many dishes as possible to make sure we do not have excess,” says Jessie Harden, co-founder of the Garden Table. “If we do have any excess, those ingredients are utilized in our rotating quiches, burritos, soups and specials. Our citrus zest, which is used on many different dishes, is made from the peels discarded when we juice. Last spring we used the beet pulp from cold-pressed juice to make a beet burger.”
Tyler Herald, executive chef at Patachou, Inc., adds, “Patachou is a very sustainable company. We are proactive and try to make the most of every ingredient we have—even the water in the table carafes is used to water the plants. As a chef, I use things we might not serve, such as all the parts of a chicken to make stock.”
Rescue to Fight Hunger
Donating or repurposing unused food is another way to fight food waste, but it can be a tricky process due to what can be accepted. Patachou, Inc., includes 13 restaurants plus the Patachou Foundation, which supplies after-school meals for children. If Herald finds he has a surplus, he can contact one of those establishments to
see if they have a use for it. Ivy Tech’s Culinary Program donates to organizations such as Gleaners Food Bank, Wheeler Mission and various women’s shelters. Many area caterers and event centers donate to Second Helpings, which has a 22-year history of fighting hunger and training individuals for food service careers. Each day they distribute rescued food to more than 90 Indiana social service organizations.
“Food safety is our concern,” says Nora Spitznogle, senior program director of Second Helpings. “A lot of restaurant food is cooked to order and if it goes out on a plate or has been on a buffet table, we can’t take it. We can take prepared food that has never been served. Sometimes we repurpose it by adding protein and other vegetables.”
Besides the economic considerations and the fact that food waste is a contributing factor of global warming is the irony that one in seven Hoosiers struggles with hunger. It is heartening to know that strides are being made due to increasing awareness of this misuse of resources. It’s up to each establishment within our communities to embrace the practices that organizations like IFSI endorse.
Food waste generated by restaurants and processing plants can be the inspiration for profit. Within the United States and internationally, start-up companies are using materials that previously would have been headed to landfills. Entocycle, based in London, raises black soldier flies on discarded brewery and coffee waste. The flies are used to replace protein in animal feed. Protein-packed chips made from oil-excreted sunflower seeds are the brainchild of Palo Alto, California, start-up Planetarians. Closer to home, Chicago’s Real Good Stuff Co. uses fruit and vegetable pulp to produce dog treats and popsicles.
“There are countless success stories and the field is growing. IFSI believes that any movement is a step forward for our state. We need to employ all solutions if we are going to move the needle on eliminating food waste in Indiana—and each community has their own infrastructure, including human capital, that can be mobilized to make Indiana a leader in this arena,” says Jackson.
Julie Yates is a freelance writer and food blogger from Fishers. She enjoys sharing the stories of individuals who pursue culinary-related experiences. Visit her blogs at YatesYummies.com and OrangesAndAlmonds.com or on social media @YatesYummies.
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Gleaners.org
Society of St. Andrew EndHunger.org
GreenCycle of Indiana GreenCycleIndy.com
Midwest Dairy MidwestDairy.com
101 Inc. 101-Inc.com
Purdue University purdue.edu/hla/sites/cea Second Helpings SecondHelpings.org
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Defining LOCAL
What local really means, and what it doesn’t
words: Shauna L. Nosler | photography: Jennifer L. Rubenstein
Consumers are willing to pay more for locally produced foods. I mean, why wouldn’t they? When you buy local, you’re supporting your neighbors, promoting your community’s economy and protecting the environment by jumping on the sustainability bandwagon of the smaller ecological footprint of locally grown food. But what if the products you buy that are labeled local really aren’t local at all?
And for that matter, what exactly is local food? What does the word local mean to consumers, to producers, to those doing the labeling?
To explore this, we did a little face-to-face research and asked people what criteria they think make a product worthy of being labeled local. The answers varied, especially when the true origin of a product was in question.
For example: Take a guy making wooden chairs in his garage with wood and nails purchased from Home Depot. Some people would consider those chairs local, as they are locally made by a local resident, whereas others might take it a step further and want the wood to also be from within the state. Similarly, a woman making salsa in her kitchen using tomatoes she grew in her garden but chilies imported from Mexico. Some would be OK with her product being labeled as local, while others would not.
Ask a group of people if the term local should be defined with geographical boundaries, and most everyone agrees that yes, to be considered a local product it needs to come from within a 100-mile radius and be bound by state borders. But, as it turns out, there is no one definition for what constitutes a local product, at least not from a legal standpoint. There are, however, some broad standards when it comes to distance.
In May 2010 the U.S. Department of Agriculture acknowledged the definition of locally and regionally produced food as referenced under the 2008 Farm Bill to mean: food raised, produced, aggregated, stored, processed and distributed in the locality or region where the final product is marketed to consumers, so that the total distance that the product travels between the farm or ranch where the product originates and the point of sale to the end consumer is at most 400 miles, or both the final market and the origin of the product are within the same state, territory or tribal land. But, adds the USDA spokesperson I talked with, “Local or regional food may mean very different things to different stakeholders, depending on a variety of factors, including where one is located or the time of year (based on growing capacity and seasonality) or what their needs or goals are for prioritizing local and regional food sourcing or marketing.”
Similarly, a spokesperson for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed that the term local is not defined on the federal level and “can be used by companies as long as it is used in a truthful and not misleading way.” As for what happens when a purveyor labels his product local when it isn’t, the FDA can “view on a case-by-case basis the context of the entire label,” but finding the time and resources to do so is challenging.
Trusting (or not) the labels on the food you buy
Fortunately, here in Central Indiana there are some organizations and individuals who are deeply invested in bringing truly local products to local consumers.
“Local or regional food may mean very different things to different stakeholders, depending on a variety of factors, including where one is located or the time of year.”
“Loose guidelines muddy the waters of what is local and what’s not,” says Mel McMahon Stone, co-owner along with her husband, Lance, of Indiana Originals, a private membership organization for locally owned businesses.
“Our goal is to help people discover and support local faster and easier and that means more than just shopping. We engage restaurants, farmers, artists, banks, accountants, crafters, manufacturers, nonprofits and more. When you see us promoting an Indianamade product, we’ve certified that it is created and/or assembled here.” As for how they make sure the products carrying the Indiana Originals logo are truly Indiana originals, Stone says all of their members are vetted and required to go through a certification process.
“All our members [businesses] are headquartered in Indiana, locally owned and operated, and not part of an out-of-state chain. We are very protective of our brand and we do not extend membership to entities that do not currently originate in Indiana,” she says. “When we have a specific Indiana-made campaign, we look for products created and manufactured here in Indiana—not just sold here. We take into consideration what our members can produce in our state and understand that some pieces of the product may have to come from or be packaged elsewhere.”
How “local” are your local farmers markets?
In order to sell anything at the Carmel Farmers Market, vendors sign a 16-page contract stipulating their products are made, raised or produced in the state of Indiana. The
market board does make case-by-case exceptions, says President Ron Carter, for a few products that cannot be grown or produced in Indiana—like coffee, which in order to be sold at the CFM must be roasted and ground in state.
In an effort to ensure vendors adhere to the strict guidelines, the contract also requires they agree to allow the Vendor Relations Committee visit their operation to validate the vendor’s claims: Those who grow plants and/or animals must show they have the required land and facilities needed to produce the amount of product they claim to produce; and for those who bring prepared foods to the market, their kitchen must be certified for commercial use, as the CFM does not allow the sale of home-based preparations. Additionally, to help assure consumers that the goods they purchase are truly local, the CFM enlists a 50/50 rule.
“Vendors,” Carter says, “must produce at least 50 percent of everything they sell.” They can, he said, supplement their offerings with other products but only if purchased directly from another grower or maker within the state of Indiana.
“We expect our vendors to be with us every week of the season, however,” explains Carter. “Some vendors might grow crops with a short growing season, requiring them to supplement what they sell with product from another grower.” Additionally, CFM vendors may not purchase any type or amount of product from an auction, a commission house, a retail establishment (unless that product is incorporated into an end product made by the vendor) or from a middleman of any kind.
But even with all these policies in place, occasionally bad apples slip in. One time, recalls Carter, they caught a vendor selling apples with UPC stickers on them. Needless to say, he was asked to leave immediately. In another case, an established vendor had stopped growing their own product and was, instead, purchasing it from an Amish auction and reselling at the market. That vendor was terminated.
How state agriculture departments are helping (and how they’re not)
Throughout the Midwest, and the U.S. at large, state agriculture departments are doing what they can to monitor how products are represented to consumers. But, the programs designed to regulate what gets the official “locally made” stamp differ—and no, not all states require a product to be 100 percent “locally made” to qualify for their program.
In Ohio, for instance, the Ohio Proud program promotes food and agricultural products that are at least 50 percent raised, grown or processed within state lines. But while it may only have a 50 percent requirement, the state is completely transparent with their program and the criteria are plainly stated on the website, OhioProud.org.
“We are very upfront with promoting that percentage to consumers,” says Ashley McDonald, Ohio Proud program manager and SCBG (Specialty Crop Block Grant) coordinator. Vendors, she says, sign a licensing agreement with the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) stating their product’s percentage and attesting that their product(s) are state or federally inspected.
“Once an application is submitted, we do some online research about the company, in addition to reaching out to our food safety divisions to make sure that, if they are operating in Ohio, they’re in good standing with Ohio’s regulatory requirements,” she added.
And if they discover someone has falsified information, they are quick to act.
“Should a complaint or conflicting information come to us about a company, we do respond. For example: Last year, ODA’s Division of Food Safety notified us that an Ohio Proud partner had moved their processing facility out of state. We took that information and contacted the company. Our office was able to verify that while the company had moved its processing facility, it was still getting 80 percent of its ingredients from farms in Ohio. Additionally, our Division of Meat Inspection regularly checks with us when they do label verification to make sure that if a meat processor is using the Ohio Proud logo, that they are licensed to do so. Consumers can and should feel good about buying a product with the Ohio Proud label.”
Like Ohio, the State of Kentucky also runs a pretty tight ship when it comes to its Kentucky Proud program. “The program,” says Sean Southard, public affairs director for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, “is for restaurants, caterers, schools and
other food service participants that source and support local farms.” Offered by the State’s agriculture department, Southard says it rewards participants for enhancing their menus with locally sourced Kentucky Proud farm ingredients. There are three categories: Those qualifying for the gold label are 100 percent grown, raised and produced in Kentucky and are the only products that can be promoted with the Buy Local program; those in the silver category are farmed in Kentucky but blended with out-of-state ingredients; and bronze products are not sourced from within the state, but may be manufactured or processed within state lines.
“This program,” Southard says, “incentivizes participants to enhance their menus with locally sourced Kentucky Proud farm ingredients. We work to attempt the highest degree of accurate product origin in participant reimbursement submissions through multiple checks such as careful staff review at registration, a requirement of annual product updates, distributor input, and product vetting.” In addition to those guidelines the Kentucky Proud staff maintains communications with growers and producers to ensure accuracy of products reported as well as gather input from other partnering programs such as Food Connection, Bluegrass Farm to Table program, Community Farm Alliance and other Value Chain coordinators.
And, says Southard, though it is a rare occurrence, if they discover a product is flagrantly misrepresented, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture will either have a discussion with the party or its legal team will issue a cease and desist letter.
Indiana born, bred, grown and raised
As for the Hoosier State, Indiana Grown, an arm of the Indiana State Agriculture Department, works in ways similar to its neighboring states’ programs as it strives to promote local products to consumers. According to its website, a statewide branding initiative aims to not only form a clearer designation of which products truly come from Indiana, but to also help Hoosier consumers easily identify and buy these products. But, according to Indiana Grown Program Director Heather Tallman, they use a “big tent” approach when it comes to membership.
“We market and promote all forms of agriculture in the state of Indiana that is packaged, processed, raised and grown within the confines of the state.” And adds Tallman, “Indiana Grown has no regulatory authority and we certify nothing. The only thing we do regulate is the use of our logo, our terms of service and the use of the words ‘Indiana Grown’ on products and in marketing materials.”
Like the Kentucky Proud program, Indiana Grown has different categories for labeling and marketing purposes, ranging from (1) 100 percent Indiana grown and/or all ingredients come from Indiana; to (2) ingredients can be sourced elsewhere but production is done in Indiana; to (3) Indiana Grown partner; to the final category (4), which applies to all other Indiana Grown members.
Indiana Grown has just over 1,700 members listed on its website. These range from small farms, mom-and-pop baking operations and small brick-and-mortar shops to large distilleries and national mega-stores. At last check, Walmart in Benton County, for instance, is member number 1,639. Perhaps this is what Tallman, who was not available for further comments, means by a “big tent” approach?
Regardless, it definitely goes to echo what Indiana Originals owner McMahon Stone had to say: “Loose guidelines muddy the waters of what is local and what’s not.”
Since there is still no widely recognized definition of the word local, either on the federal or state level; what gets labeled as local food can and does vary significantly from state to state. Perhaps with the new administration and the looming 2023 Farm Bill, Congress will address this issue and maybe, just maybe, we’ll all come to a conclusion that makes for clearer water, at least where the guidelines for what constitutes local, and what doesn’t, are concerned.
Shauna Nosler is a contributor to many publications including U.S. News & World Report and the USA Today Network Read more of her writing on her blog, Gastro-Licious.com, where she posts about living a flexitarian life, and shares plant-based recipes and eco travel stories.
enroll online
responsible harvest
feel good fish
SWEET & SAVORY OLADI
Russian pancakes with a twist recipes: Francine Spiering | photography: Raymond Franssen
These fluffy little risen pancakes are inspired by Russian oladi, which are traditionally made with a yeasted batter and soured milk (kefir, buttermilk or yogurt). Between the buckwheat flour and good-for-the-gut bacteria in yogurt and sourdough starter, our oladi are nutrient-dense, easily whipped up and beautifully versatile. Add a splash of color with beetroot or dark chocolate, and they’ll make for eye-catching presentation, too.
BASIC BUCKWHEAT SOURDOUGH DISCARD PANCAKES
Makes about 16
½ cup sourdough starter discard
1 cup buckwheat flour
½ cup plain yogurt
1 good pinch salt
1 egg
(Non-dairy) milk as needed
Butter or oil, for frying the pancakes
Combine discard, flour, yogurt and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix in the egg. If the batter is too stiff, add milk as you go. The final batter should be thick like runny polenta. Cover with a tea towel and leave to set in a warm spot in your house for at least 1 hour.
Heat a nonstick skillet and brush lightly with butter or oil over medium-high heat. Take the pan off heat and drop in a heaping soup spoon of batter; repeat enough times to fill the surface of your skillet without crowding the pancakes. Do this quickly, then return the pan to heat. Once the batter on top is firming up, flip them over and cook for another minute. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.
While oladi are at their best hot off the skillet, they do keep well 1–2 days in an airtight container. To reheat, place them on a baking sheet and bake for about 5–8 minutes at 350°F.
If you are no sourdough baker, then perhaps you know someone who is and will have some discard to spare?
Buckwheat is a gluten-free flour. However, if you want these pancakes to be gluten free, make sure you use discard from a gluten-free starter.
CHOCOLATE OLADI WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE YOGURT MOUSSE AND STRAWBERRIES
Serves 4–6
½ cup white chocolate chips
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 pint ripe strawberries
1 tablespoon raw cane sugar
Pinch fresh-ground black pepper
1 batch buckwheat sourdough discard batter
2 tablespoons dark cacao powder
1 tablespoon raw cane sugar
Put white chocolate chips in a microwave bowl. Set the microwave at 50 percent and run for 30 seconds. Stir the chips and repeat, until all chips are melted. Mix in half of the Greek yogurt, stir to combine well, then proceed with the remaining yogurt. Stir until smooth, cover and chill in the fridge until set (you can do this a day ahead).
Cut the strawberries in half lengthwise (quarter bigger ones). Combine in a bowl with sugar and black pepper and leave on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes, or overnight.
Mix the cacao powder and sugar into the batter. To fry, proceed as in basic recipe.
To serve: Put a dollop of white chocolate yogurt mousse on each warm pancake and divide strawberries as needed. Drizzle just a little of the strawberry liquid left in the bowl overtop and serve immediately.
BEETROOT OLADI WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS AND RAMPS RICOTTA
Serves 4–6
1 batch buckwheat sourdough discard batter
1 tablespoon finely grated roasted red beetroot*
1 (14-ounce) tub ricotta
2–3 whole ramps, chopped
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 nice-sized fresh morels, cleaned thoroughly (or rehydrated from dried)
Optional garnish: thin-sliced ramp greens and rose peppercorns
*I use roasted beetroot (it deepens the flavor) but raw beetroot works fine too.
Mix the grated beetroot into the batter until you have a homogenous red-pinkish color. Leave to set on the kitchen counter for about an hour. To fry, proceed as in basic recipe.
Combine ricotta, chopped ramps and lemon zest in a small bowl. Season aggressively with fresh-ground black pepper and sea salt. Pour back into the tub, close the lid and keep in the fridge until needed.
(Note: Use leftover ramp ricotta on a sandwich, toss with pasta or use to make potato salad, for instance.)
Split (rehydrated) morels lengthwise. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet. Add morels and sauté quickly for about 3–4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm on a plate.
To serve: Add a good dollop of ramp ricotta to each warm pancake. Divide sautéed morels on top and garnish to taste with ramp greens and rose peppercorns. Serve immediately.
FRAMBUESA
recipe: Amanda Swanson
photography: Gabi Porter
1 ounce Hiatus Tequila Blanco
½ ounce orange liqueur
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce agave syrup
3 raspberries
Prosecco
Raspberries for garnish
Muddle raspberries, then add to a shaker. Add remaining ingredients (except Prosecco). Add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into flute. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with lemon twist and/or raspberries.
Find Hiatus Tequila at all Huse Culinary Restaurants.
12 TIPS TO REDUCE WASTE IN THE HOME KITCHEN
from our friends at EDIBLE BOSTON
There are so many suggestions for preventing food and plastic waste peppered throughout this issue. Here are 12 more—these are the ones we use most in our home kitchen.
words: Sarah Blackburn | photography: Joshua Gaal
BONUS BAGS // If you’re still buying cereal in boxes, what do you do with that plastic liner bag? You can use it to pound out chicken breasts or smash stale bread into crumbs; they’re more durable than a ziptop. Wash and reuse as many times as possible.
EAT YOUR MEAT // Beef, pork, lamb, duck, chicken, turkey: These leftovers get new life shredded into a Bolognese-style ragù to toss with pasta.
NO-BRAINERS // Make crumbs and croutons from old bread. Fry chips from stale tortillas. Make jam from softening fruits. Purée soups out of wilty vegetables and season them with hard cheese rinds. Use soured milk in your pancakes in place of buttermilk. Easy peasy.
WASH ’EM IF YOU’VE GOT ’EM // Make a pledge that the plastic storage bags you currently own will be the last ones you buy, then wash after use and hang to dry. Kick your disposables habit with a collection of cloth napkins from a thrift store or flea market; embroider initials for every family member so you know whose is whose.
COLLECT THEM ALL // Keep a designated “Stock Bank” bag in the freezer to collect scraps of vegetables and meat bones; when it’s full, make a pot of broth. If you don’t need it right away, freeze that, too. You’ll never buy a box of stock again. Why throw away a poultry carcass when homemade stock is so easy?
JUST USE IT // Use your herb stems, carrot tops, kale ribs, broccoli stalks and celery hearts in smoothies and soups; they have a ton of flavor and nutrition and are better inside your body than in the trash. Deep fry potato and carrot peels; make broth from ginger trimmings; candy your citrus rinds.
GROW YOUR OWN
// Want to create a tiny kitchen garden during the coldest months?
Arrange the end trimmings of scallions, with roots attached, inside a short glass and fill halfway with water. New scallions will emerge from the core. Try this with leeks, celery, romaine lettuce— anything with a stem
end will re-grow with a few days in water. Trim the new growth and use in salads or as a garnish—kids love watching the daily progress.
WILL IT FRITTER? // Anything can be made into a fritter: Clean out the crisper drawer and shred every root vegetable in it. Add some minced onion, an egg or two and some seasoned flour. Fry in patties and serve with lemon or sour cream.
WILL IT TACO? WILL IT DUMPLING?
// Likewise, anything can be made into a taco. Shred leftover meat and simmer with chilies, tomatoes, garlic and spices. Fold into charred tortillas and top with scallion trimmings and minced cilantro stems. Or make dumplings: Combine minced leftover meat with scallions, tamari, ginger and garlic; seal inside wonton skins and steam or pan-fry.
RICE IS NICE // Leftover rice is like money in the bank. Make fried rice with forgotten vegetables. Mix with shredded meat and roll into cabbage bundles. Make rice pudding with coconut milk and honey. Blend with water, sugar and cinnamon; strain over ice for the freshest horchata.
STOP BEFORE YOU SHOP // Make “Sweep the Kitchen Twice” into a regular thing. Go shopping in your fridge before heading out to the supermarket. You’ll be surprised by what can be re-used and repurposed, and how thinking this way will save you both money and time.
YOUR NOSE KNOWS // The most important tip of all: Use printed “expiration” or “best by” dates as a suggestion, not a rule. Be cautious, of course—if something smells bad, it’s bad. If it still smells good, taste it! Compost what you can’t reuse and get rid of food that’s really, truly gone bad.
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