Edible Indy Winter 2016 by havenhome4

edible INDY

Celebrating the Bounty of Bloomington, Carmel, Columbus, Indianapolis and Beyond

Eat. Drink. Read. Think. Local.

RECIPES

COVER: Photograph by Heather Schlock

I’ve always savored winter as a time to reflect on memories that have shaped me as an adult. My mother’s mother, Grandma Yoder (yes, she cooked the delicious Amish cooking), gave me a lifetime of memories with her love, laughter and kitchen shenanigans . Sunday dinners with the entire extended family, special birthday meals (with our Ronald McDonald plate from 1978), homemade desserts (for me always pumpkin pie) and toasted fresh-baked white bread served with scorched hot chocolate heated in old tin saucepans.

Those smells still tickle my nose, spread a smile across my face, fill my heart with warmness and bring tears to my eyes. Today I cook with two of her seasoned cast-iron skillets daily and store butter on my counter in her glass-and-stainless butter dish. And on special occasions I present homemade bread on the stainless Our Daily Bread plate, just like she would when we were lucky enough to spend time with her.

Those memories are with me every day and I see my mother passing along to my girls those same traditions: cooking in the kitchen with love, building their character and love for scratch-made cooking. We hope this issue will inspire the memories within you and encourage you to build and share memories of your own.

Hoosier Hugs,

Jennifer & Jeff Rubenstein

From the Editor

Iwould hate to be a bear. What? And be forced to hibernate and miss all the fabulous things about winter? No way.

I love winter. Love the crisp air, the shapes Jack Frost makes on windows, the occasional subzero temperatures and the steam-like appearance of my breath when I run in the early morning. Heck, I even like the shorter days—more opportunities to see the stars after the sun disappears to the other side of earth. And I love switching out closets—bringing coats and boots to the front, pushing the swimsuits, sandals and shorts to the back.

But what I love most about the cold months is the promise of more family dinners—although, admittedly, weeknight dinners in my household tend to resemble a mildly amusing sitcom. Still … it’s time spent together. Time when I can break out the Dutch oven, toss in a few root vegetables, spices, olive oil and whatever else might be in the fridge, and voilà! magic.

And seeing how the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a “numbing cold and snowy winter” for the Hoosier State, I’ll have plenty of opportunities to try the heartwarming recipes shared by other families on the pages of this, our winter edition. That’s yet another reason I’m glad I’m not a bear: After all, bears can’t cook. Here’s hoping you too will enjoy all the season brings to the table.

Cheers, and happy winter everyone.

edible INDY

PUBLISHER: Rubenstein Hills LLC

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Jennifer Rubenstein

CFO: Jeff Rubenstein

MANAGING EDITOR: Shauna L. Nosler

DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER & EDITOR: Rachel D. Russell

COPY EDITOR: Doug Adrianson

DESIGNER: Cheryl Angelina Koehler

WEB DESIGNER: Edible Feast

GRAPHICS: Caryn Scheving

ADVERTISING

Jennifer Rubenstein

jennifer@edibleindy.com

317.489.9194

Please call or email to inquire about becoming a member of our advertising partnership and show your support for the local food culture in Central Indiana.

EDIBLE INDY TEST KITCHEN SPONSOR Market District

EDIBLE INDY KNIFE SPONSOR Ash Blæds

Edible Indy PO Box 155 Zionsville, Indiana 46077

317.489.9194

info@edibleindy.com

Edible Indy is published quarterly (March, May, September and November). Distributed throughout Central Indiana and by subscription elsewhere. Subscriptions are $32 for one year and can be purchased online at EdibleIndy.com or by check to the address above.

Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, then you probably have not had enough wine with your healthy food. Please accept our sincere apologies and, if it’s important, please notify us! Thank you.

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Shauna

Lisa Banu

Our Contributors Reflect on Kindred Memories of Their Own

I moved to Dhaka, in Bangladesh, from Ann Arbor at age 7 without speaking a word of Bengali. That confusing day, my Bengali grandmother pointed at the trees in the garden from the veranda and back to the mango she was slicing. As far as I remember, aam (mango) was my first Bengali taste and word. It was spectacularly sun-ripened, sweet, sour and soft. I continue to learn about my “native” and other cultures through food. HungryPhilosopher.com

Charity Singleton Craig

Some of my earliest memories include me standing on a chair or stool helping my mom cook and bake. Over the years, the things I eat and the way I cook have changed from my growing up years. But the enduring food legacy of my parents and their parents is growing food. I don’t have a rural homestead where I can plant a large garden, but wherever I am I always plant something, even if just a tomato plant, to help feed myself. CharitySingletonCraig.com

Erin and Mike Gregory

We have two girls—McKinley (3) and Maggie (1)—and we cherish our family more than anything in this world. Every holiday we travel to see our parents so our children can spend time with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and we rest while enjoying a homecooked meal. MGPhotoCo.com

Shauna L. Nosler

What I remember most about holiday meals growing up—other than the day I graduated from the designated kids table to the grown-up table—is my grandmother’s kitchen: how it would be filled with adults, all chopping and peeling and sautéing, with the precision of a Swiss watch. To this day, it amazes me how they could create such a masterpiece of a spread, complete with everything from the traditional roasted turkey to my great-grandmother’s Scandinavian melt-in-your-mouth spritz cookies and ebelskiver … all made with one oven, by one family. TheFlavoredWord.com and BestFromTheMidwest.com

Rachel D. Russell

My family and food connection began with my Grandma Floyd. She was my maternal great-grandmother, and while my mom and stepdad worked she helped around our house, cooked and baked for us and even rolled my hair in rags she adorned with handmade crocheted hair ties. She made cherry chiffon cake that would melt your heart and dumplings

with perfectly chewy centers. She loved bacon and made it each morning. She would save the grease in a coffee mug she placed in the center of the stovetop and use it later in the afternoon to make fried potatoes. To this day, if I smell bacon my mind goes right to her, and I can’t bake a cake without thinking of her hands that always seemed strong and sure as they folded the egg whites into the batter. The last years of my Grandma Floyd’s life were all hers, and she decided to give a great deal of them to her family—to me. And for that I am grateful each and every day of my life.

RachelGetsIndy.com

Kristen Tauer

Food—catching it, growing it, eating it, writing about it—interests me because there’s always a story attached. Smelt on a restaurant menu takes me back to the streams where my father and I caught fish by the handfuls to fry. Kohlrabi in a salad reminds me of my grandmother, who raised 10 kids on a farm and always had a homegrown vegetable to slice and serve raw. And rhubarb will always be best in a pie baked by my mother, made with stems plucked straight from her backyard. The most delicious dishes always come from a familiar place, and often that place isn’t far from home. KristenTauer.com

Julie K. Yates

One of my earliest memories is being in a hot, steamy kitchen while my grandmother canned bushels of produce. As a teen, I recall helping my Martha Stewart–influenced mother prepare food for ladies’ luncheons. I realize that, for me, cooking has always meant spending time with family and loved ones. Today, nothing makes me happier than hosting a celebration for my daughters and dear friends! YatesYummies.com, OrangesAndAlmonds.com

Caryn Scheving

Even before I can remember, camping was a normal part of life for my family. My parents, and eventually my sisters, would pack up for weeks at a time and live on beaches of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia—don’t worry, I was homeschooled so my parents weren’t guilty of truancy! It was truly an amazing part of my childhood that taught me how to make new friends, be adventurous, and to appreciate time with family.

Christmas 1997: Shauna (in all black); her mother, Eileen; great-grandmother, Emily; and grandmother, Charlotte.

Portrait taken by a childhood friend who has accompanied me on many food adventures; this was taken after eating kati rolls during a visit.

Great-Grandma Floyd under the dwarf crab apple tree in Rachel’s parents’ front yard in the early ’90s.

From left to right, my dad, one of my sisters, and me in a GIANT tree we found on the camp ground.

Black Sparrow Pub

We are happy to oﬀer: whiskey, gin, tequila, craft cocktails, LOTS OF GOOD BOOZE, coasters, brick walls, art, PLEASING ASTHETIC, plates, silverware, unique pub food, seasonal dishes, DELICIOUS FARE, eclectic wines, ipas, sour ales, stouts, pilsners, domestics, ROTATING DRAFT & WINE SELECTION, staﬀ that loves all of these things. Cheers!

223 Main St., Lafayette BlackSparrowPub.com

765.429.0405

Cellar 422

Bistro 501

Bistro 501 has been the premier dining experience in downtown Lafayette for over 15 years, a place where locals and travelers banter over a beautiful Bordeaux or converse over award-winning cocktails. Whether you prefer wine on the patio or a ﬁreside dinner, our fresh menu will bring you in and our hospitality will bring you back. Located at the corner of 5th and Main Street in historic downtown Lafayette.

501 Main St., Lafayette Bistro501.com

765.432.4501

Two sisters bring a love of delicious and aﬀordable wines from around the world to the Lafayette area. We oﬀer wines by the glass or bottle, to enjoy here or carry out, as well as a nice selection of craft beers. Enjoy fresh-made dishes that complement wine in a charming vintage atmosphere.

422 Main St., Lafayette

765.746.6754

Heirloom

Heirloom Restaurant is a farm-to-table restaurant located in downtown Lafayette with a seasonal menu that supports local, sustainable agriculture. Regionally sourced artisan producers provide the best possible quality and freshness to your table.

102 N. 3rd St., Lafayette HeirloomIndiana.com

765.807.0422

EAT DRINK LOCAL IN LAFAYETTE

Catch the vibe, taste the ﬂavor in Lafayette–West Lafayette!

Visit the downtown area to savor a variety of cuisines at delectable, locally owned restaurants, many of which are embracing the farm-to-table movement. While here, be sure to stroll through downtown, visit some of the many local galleries and shops, partake in a farmers’ market or festival, enjoy outdoor art or catch a show at one of our many theaters and nightlife venues. Whatever you decide, there is something to suit every palate.

Visit HomeOfPurdue.com or ReadySetGoDowntown.com for more on what’s going on in downtown Lafayette–West Lafayette!

301 Frontage Rd., Lafayette HomeOfPurdue.com

800.872.6648

La Scala

Greater Lafayette’s favorite Italian food, serving the community for 16 years. We are known for handcrafted dishes, local ingredients and a large selection. We even have our own farm. Eat fresh. Eat well. Eat local.

312 Main St., Lafayette LaScalaItalianRestaurant.com

765.420.8171

Restauration

Restauration, from the same owners as La Scala, is focused on farm-to-table, seasonal eating. We make everything from whole ingredients, often local, even from our own farm. Very allergen and special diet friendly. Restoring authenticity to food from the ground up!

731 Main St., Lafayette RestaurationLafayette.com

765.250.3970

Edible Indy celebrates food and you. Food + Social Media = Our Foodie Party. These social media shoutouts toast the food we love, the food you share and the joy of experiencing something new. Tag #EDIBLEINDY and maybe your masterpiece will score a seat at our celebrating food table.

Welcome, Four Day Ray Brewing!

Fishers’ Nickel Plate District has a new resident—Four Day Ray Brewing. The brewery takes its name from a railroad worker who made a habit of calling off work one day a week. But don’t be fooled, Four Day Ray’s questionable work ethic isn’t part of their brewery attitude or part of their menu. With 4,300 square feet to spread their wings, brewmasters Brian Graham and Mitch Ackerman are pushing out everything from ales to ambers to coffee blondes in their 20-tap tasting room. And if you’re looking for eats to pair with your pint, you can find them in their gastropub adjacent to the brewery, which is dripping with modern flare, an airy loft area that overlooks the dining room and large garage doors to bring in Indiana air when it’s warm and sunshine when you’re drinking winter ales.

Four Day Ray is located at 11671 Lantern Road, Fishers. Open M–Th 11:30 a.m.–11:00 p.m., F–Sa 11:30 a.m.–midnight, Su 11:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Brewery hours

M–Th 3:00 p.m. –7:00 p.m., F–Su 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

317.343.0200 FourDayRay.com

Pema Wangchen’s long journey to Bloomington FROM TIBETAN REFUGEE TO HOOSIER

BY RACHEL D. RUSSELL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH BAGHDADI

Pema Wangchen is far from the typical Hoosier.

He wears a small diamond stud earring in his left ear, a metal om symbol around his neck hanging on a colorful string, a black bracelet on his left wrist that says Paris and a rainbow-colored one on his other that says “H.H. Dalai Lama.” He sports a mini-goatee under his chin with a smaller patch of hair under his lip to match. It’s hard to believe he’s in his late 30s, with his black hair slightly long and spikey on top and his childish grin. But there’s a few grays here and there showing that this Tibetan refugee—once a Buddhist monk and now a chef and owner of the restaurant Anyetsang’s in Bloomington—has lived.

“I lived in Tibet 12½ years,” he said, recounting the remarkable journey that brought him here. “The Chinese took over Tibet in 1959 … poor, no school, no anything, so my parents work hard and they save some money. They sent me to India.”

When he was young enough to still count his age by half-years, Pema’s parents stitched a few hundred dollars into his clothes and sent him on a

three-day bus ride from his hometown of Shingtsang Noe to Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, so he could find a better life. He would stay with one of his father’s relatives for a few days before he paid $75 to take a long, packed truck ride into the darkness, along with 50 other Tibetans, to the northern edge of Nepal. And then, their long journey officially began.

“Then we walk … walk … walk … we climbed the mountain.” He raised his right hand at a 45 degree angle to show how steep the mountain was, then sipped on his chai.

“We climbed mountains that were like sand. You walk, fall down. Walk, fall down. Seven or eight hours we hiked and so heavy my food. I just threw it away … I said ‘I can’t make it, it’s so heavy.’”

It was at this point Pema found himself at the bottom of a mountain people train for years to summit—Mt. Everest. They hiked at its foothills in the night.

After abandoning his food, he ate mostly tsampa, which is a Tibetan staple comprised of barley flour and used to make bread. Light-heartedly

he tried to explain what it was to my friend Kim and me. He then got up and walked to his restaurant’s kitchen. Anyetsang’s is in an old house hidden by low trees on Indiana University’s campus in Bloomington along a street of other Asian food spots. He came back with a bag of what looked like dark-colored flour for us to inspect.

“It’s yummy,” he said, grinning and sitting back down to twist the Dalai Lama’s name around on his wrist for a minute. Then he continued his story.

“Mountain, ice, rocks … so dangerous.” Pema let out a sigh and squinted his already narrow eyes a bit as if he was back in that moment long ago.

And finally, they reached the Himalayas, a place Pema says is sacred and there was often prayer in this area under the hanging flags above them. He was too young to understand the significance then, but understands it now. There, he ran out of food altogether and had to dig into the stash sewn into his clothes to buy goods, like potatoes, from the Nepalese locals.

They walked more. It was cold and snowy. An old woman died along the way; a few people were sent back because it was simply too treacherous for them. And 33 days later, they arrived just outside Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. There they boarded a bus. But before that bus could take Pema any closer to India, he and many others were arrested.

Tibetan sympathizers soon came and helped Pema and others get released—finally Pema would go to India. There, Pema’s older brother was a monk at the Sera Jey monastery in southern India, one of the largest monasteries in the world. According to Pema, the city surrounding this famous monastery holds about 10,000–15,000 Tibetan refugees. At Sera Jey, Pema lived alongside his brother as a monk—amongst a sea of at least 5,000 monks—studying Buddhist philosophy for 11 years. He said he preferred work over going to class, praying and keeping a schedule, and claimed he was a terrible student who often failed coursework. He had his eyes on something else.

“Monk life is the best life … happy … but I wanted to come to America,” Pema said. “I told my brother I wanted to go to America in 1999 and he was so mad.”

The main reason Pema wanted to come to America was so he could make money to send back to his family in Tibet to fulfill their dream, to meet the Dalai Lama. And on August 11, 2003, after four years of convincing his brother he should leave and trying his best to get a passport, which cost his brother $10,000, Pema found himself in New York City. He landed a job at a Chinese restaurant. He started as a dishwasher and quickly moved his way up to cook—a skill he had learned with the monks back at the monastery—a position he held there for two years.

“I just know only ‘thank you’ when I moved to New York City,” he said, laughing at himself and shaking his head, it seemed so ridiculous.

He didn’t have to pay rent and saved every penny he could during those two years to pay back his brother and send money to his parents to travel to India to meet the Dalai Lama, which they did (and he did as well earlier this year when the Dalai Lama was in Indianapolis).

For 10 years, Pema worked in restaurants, had a few odd jobs, and lived in Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia and Massachusetts. During this time, he taught himself

English and learned how much he loved the hibachi business because of the interactions with patrons.

“I’m a very good entertainer.” He passed us a charming glance and moved his arms around as if he was over a hibachi grill.

And in 2013, Pema fulfilled two of his dreams: to be his own boss and to own a restaurant. At the time, one of his uncles, a 23-year owner of Anyetsang’s Restaurant in Bloomington, was looking to retire. With years of restaurant experience, Pema was the natural choice to take over so he left New York City for Indiana.

And finally, they reached the Himalayas, a place Pema says is sacred and there was often prayer in this area under the hanging flags above them.

In Bloomington, there’s no doubt things are a lot different than they are in Tibet, India or even New York, but I suspect Pema’s attitude hasn’t changed much. His peaceful demeanor and happy-go-lucky attitude fill the cozy restaurant with warmth and welcoming. As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted with literature about the nearby Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center, the Dalai Lama and Tibet. And then there’s the food. The menu has traditional Tibetan dishes—like dumplings and khan amdo thugpa (noodle soup)—and Indian food because of all of the time Pema spent there, and a smattering of Thai dishes that are carryover from his uncle’s days as owner.

And after owning Anyetsang’s for two years, last year Pema traveled back to Tibet to see the family he hadn’t seen in 22 years. It took much effort and finagling for him to get there, but his mom was in the hospital so he was approved to visit. He has five sisters and two brothers who still live there, and countless nieces and nephews, and he saw them all. He sent me a photograph he took with his phone of his hometown when he was there. It’s like something out of National Geographic, nestled in between mountains lined with green trees and only a winding, gravel road connecting it and the 25 families who live there to the universe.

And then we moved from the inside dining area to the porch. We ate together under Tibetan prayer flags lining the shady outdoor patio. He made us potato dumplings, yellow curry with tofu and sticky white rice and spicy chicken pad thai. He told us more stories within stories, about coming to America, his family, traveling, what he sees for himself in the future and how much he’d like to go back to India, the place he called home for 11 years and hasn’t seen since.

And when I asked him if he’d stay in Bloomington he just smiled, leaned back in his casual way I’d already learned to admire and said, “I think I not go anywhere … I’ll stay. Work hard, make some money, go on vacation.”

And as the gentle breeze blew over us and I inconspicuously watched Pema eat next to me, I wondered what he looked like as a little boy at the foothills of Mt. Everest, as a monk in India, as a Tibetan refugee setting foot on American soil for the first time. I wanted to hold his hand in mine to see if I could feel the hope, happiness and energy inside of him. And then I took a bite of yellow curry and realized that’s exactly what I was doing.

Anyetsang’s Little Tibet Restaurant | 415 E. 4th St., Bloomington | 812.331.0122 | Anyetsangs.com

TheTibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center | 3655 Snoddy Rd., Bloomington | 812.336.6807 | TMBCC.org

Chef Daniel Orr: It is possible to come home again A RETURN TO FARM AND FAMILY

BY JULIE K. YATES | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH BAGHDADI

Bloomington, the location of Indiana University, is known for its eclectic variety of restaurants, which offer the cuisines of many ethnicities as well as covering the range from bar food to fine dining.

One establishment, award-winning FARMbloomington, has amassed a large following by unabashedly celebrating the fruits of the Hoosier heartland. Patrons are enticed with fresh food prepared in innovative ways and served up in its homestead-like décor. Behind the visible signs of its success is the story of owner and Executive Chef Daniel Orr’s homecoming after following a career path that led him not only out of state, but to exotic places.

Growing up in Columbus with two parents who were foodies before it was fashionable, Chef Orr explored the rural outdoors and connected with nature. As a boy, he experienced firsthand what it was like to take something homegrown right out of the family garden and cook up something honest and delicious. The kitchen was the heart of their home, and Chef Orr was naturally drawn to assisting his parents while they prepared family meals.

“My parents Mary Lou and Tom (nicknamed Lefty) always loved gardening, cooking and winemaking, he said. “They were basically 1960s and ’70s hippies, but without the drugs. My grandparents on my father’s side were first-generation emigrants from Scotland and Poland and suffered through the Depression. They gardened, cooked and canned much of their foods. My grandparents on my mother’s side were farmers from a long line of German and English forefathers in Gibson County. Needless to say, I’ve broken many beans on their porches.”

When Chef Orr reached college age, he was accepted to the prestigious Johnson & Wales University and left the Hoosier state for Rhode Island. Then, after earning a bachelor’s degree in restaurant management, he traveled to France and Belgium, where he climbed up the ranks in several critically acclaimed restaurants. He returned to the U.S. to work in the legendary New York City market. During his tenure as executive chef at La Grenouille, he won a three-star review from The New York Times. On vacations, he traveled to the Caribbean and fell in love with island cuisine. As his charmed life continued, he landed a dream job at CuisinArt Golf Resort and Spa on the eastern Caribbean island, Anguilla.

This story could have ended here as an example of local brain drain, but fortunately it had a happy ending for the folks of Indiana as well as those who come to Bloomington on university business. Chef Orr followed his heart by returning home, and with all of the experience and knowledge he had acquired, opened FARMbloomington in December 2007. For generations, his family has owned a large farm in Princeton and “The name,” he said, “came from me coming back to the farm.”

Throughout all of his adventures and travels he never lost his Indiana roots, nor his appreciation for food prepared from ingredients grown nearby.

“All good cooking begins with good ingredients,” he said, describing his philosophy. “Ninety percent of good food is good shopping; 10 percent is not screwing up what you bought.”

While working in New York, he would rollerblade to the Union Square Market in Manhattan and take local foods to La Grenouille. In Anguilla, he took advantage of the produce raised in the CuisinArt Resort’s organic arable garden, hydroponic farm and Caribbean orchard.

Today, both the menu offerings and the ambience of FARMbloomington reflect the influence of his family.

“The FARMfamous biscuits are fourth-generation Hoosier buttermilk goodness. The fried chicken on Wednesdays is inspired by my Gramma Kolb,” says Orr. “There are many dishes described as Lefty’s favorite in honor of my dad. Mom, at 82, is still inspiring me and the kitchen staff with her organic goodies and her beautiful flowers that go on the tables.”

Also important is the impact of Chef Orr’s beloved Kolb Homestead Farm, which supplies Indiana-grown ingredients to the restaurant.

This tale doesn’t end here, however, since Chef Orr continues to garner awards and attract attention. FARMbloomington’s Lugar Burger was named as the Best Burger in Indiana on Food Network Magazine’s website. The restaurant’s brunch offerings earned it a place on Bon Appetit magazine’s list of favorite breakfast spots in America. He is a contributor to the radio podcast “Earth Eats” on NPR and will soon be featured in the radio program’s upcoming compilation cookbook. And in 2015, Orr was honored to be recognized as a James Beard Foundation nominee for his creativity and originality as a chef.

For those who want to bring a bit of FARMbloomington into their own home, Chef Orr has developed a line of spice mixes as well as written cookbooks. Kitchen D’Orr is a collection of 10 spice blends, some of which reflect his experience in the Caribbean. He is currently working on his fourth cookbook, Sautéing Off the Pounds, which will be co-authored by Dr. Kelly Baute. It will include medical research and is, he confides, “The account of the battle of the bulge that I have been fighting during my 40s and 50s.” His other cookbooks include Real Food, which also shares healthy eating options, and two others that were published right in Bloomington by IU Press: FARMfood and Paradise Kitchen.

Chef Orr sums up his journey back to the Hoosier state by saying, “I believe in sharing the fun and cultural experiences I’ve had throughout my life and throughout the world with my friends back home in Indiana, and the best way I’ve been able to do this is on the plate.”

FARM-bloomington |108 E Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington | 812.323.0002 | farm-bloomington.com

Opposite: Chef Daniel Orr brags about his mother and how she is truly and inspiration and visionary and she is very active with the future of the family farm. From the porch on the farm in Southern Indiana, Chef Orr sees good land where he is working on growing truﬄes.

Spoil the Hostess!

Give the hostess something to remember with these Edible Indy handpicked gifts.

1. Cardinal Spirits

A holiday sampler box from Bloomington’s craft distillery, Cardinal Spirits, makes the perfect gift for anyone curious about craft spirits. Packed with three 375ml-bottles of their handcrafted Songbird Craft Coffee Liqueur, Vodka and Songbird Flora—all which can be sipped on their own or mixed into cocktails—the sampler box is sure to be a favorite gift with even the most discriminating connoisseur. Santa says: Break up the trio and you’ve got three super stocking stuffers.

Available at select Big Red Liquor stores throughout Indianapolis, Cardinal Spirits in Bloomington and other retailers. For a complete list, visit CardinalSpirits.com.

2. Cheese & Charcuterie Knife by Ash Blaeds

If you want to splurge, this hammer forged high-carbon cheese and charcuterie knife with spalted maple handles will impress the inner chef in all of us. Orders are custom made so be sure to shop early.

Available at AshBlaeds.com

3. Cheese by Tulip Tree Creamery

A collection of Indiana’s own Tulip Tree Creamery cheese will add exquisite flavor to any occasion making it a versatile gift for many different palates. Some of our favorites include the double-cream Foxglove, the semi-soft Beer cheese or the beautifully presented Nettle cheese covered with mint, sage and nettle leaves. Santa says: At this price, make sure you buy some for yourself, too

Tulip Tree is available at many Indiana retail locations or online. For a full list of products and locations visit TulipTreeCreamery.com.

4. Fresco Spice Blends

Looking for something extra ordinary? Check out the new Fresco Spice Blends gift package. These all natural spice combinations, contain no gluten, additives, preservatives, MSG, silicone dioxide or any other fillers. They are pure, delicious, convenient and a useable gift for any cook, and they’re made right here in Indiana.

Available at FrescoSpiceBlends.com

5. Artisan Sea Salts

by Hamptons Salt Company

Available in 33 different varieties, there is a flavor of Hamptons Salt to suit everyone’s taste buds. From raw salts to the flavor infused salts like tangy lime and the super spicy ghost pepper, the blends make a flavorful addition to any dish. Plus, each collection comes in beautiful black gift boxes. Santa says: Try the sweet vanilla bean sprinkled over the top of hot chocolate.

Available at HamptonsSalt.com

6. Indy in a Box

This gift is for the Hoosier at heart. Each custom made box is filled with local iconic foodie gifts such as the famous St. Elmo’s Cocktail sauce, Just Pop In popcorn, Revival flavored almond butters, plus local coffees, mustards, pickles and more Indiana artisan food items. The best part is this gift can be shipped anywhere with local delivery available—no reindeer needed.

Available at IndyinaBox.com

7. Fish Platter: Turk Gord by Laura Zindel Design

Artist Laura Zindel combines ceramics and her naturalist illustrations into exquisite housewares. This beautiful Turk Gord fish platter reflects fall’s cold weather and winter’s warming food and is sure to be passed down through generations. LZD has everything from notecards to tableware, textiles to jewelry, gifts for anyone on your list.

Purchase this piece at LauraZindel.com. Select pieces can be found at Artifacts, 6327 Guilford Ave., Indianapolis and at Addendum Gallery, 736 Hanover Pl., Ste. 108, Carmel.

8. Galettes by Pots & Pans

These rustic almond crust galettes are beyond delicious and will put you at the top of every host’s party invite list. Flavors are seasonal and availability varies, so if you find a favorite make sure you stock up.

Order online: PotsandPansIndy.com

9. Succulent Terrarium by Pots & Pans

Glass blown ornaments filled with a variety of locally grown succulents create a unique gift that lasts long after the holidays. These beautiful hanging terrariums are easily stacked and hung in the kitchen or anywhere else in need of some greenery.

Order online: PotsandPansIndy.com

10. Whetstone Woodenware

Wooden spoons, biscuit cutters, mashers, rolling pins, all handcrafted by Hoosiers—and all made with Hoosier hard maple trees. Whetstone Woodenware has been making beautiful kitchen utensils for over 25 years. These kitchen tools are practical yet winsome giving the recipient a gift they can use often. Santa says: Attach one of the wooden spreaders to a homemade jar of jam to give your friends and family.

$5.50 +

Order online at WhetstoneWoodenware. com or take a short drive to their quaint location: Whetstone Woodenware, 108 E. Main St., Silver Lake.

11. Raventos I Blanc

“De Nit” Sparkling Rose

Wine production at Raventos I Blanc started in 1497. It’s a small, quality oriented winery that follows the guidelines of organic agriculture. The wine is made from four traditional Spanish varietals: Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada and Monastrell. It is described as very elegant, with tiny, well integrated bubbles and a creamy smooth body. There are fresh notes of strawberries, aromatic herbs, dry fruits and citrus.

$24.99

It is available at Cork and Cracker (Broad Ripple) and Crown Liquors (Zionsville & Downtown Indianapolis).

12. Bench Cabernet Sauvignon

The Bench label is under the Brack Mountain Wine Company. They are a thriving, family-owned winery dedicated to making artisan, small production wines that offer value to their customers. They work with small growers, many of them multi-generation farmers, and all of them dedicated to sustainable practices. Bench Cabernet Sauvignon exudes a deep, dark purple color in the glass. The nose is vibrant with violets, huckleberry and a touch of vanilla spice. The palate is elegantly wound with dusty tannins and a supple, velvety texture. The long, seamless finish ebbs and flows with flavors of black currant, dark cocoa and black forest floor.

$28.99

It is available at Tasteful Times (Fishers) and Vine & Table (Carmel).

by Justin

Cover

Guerino

DECK THE COCKTAI LS, TOO

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERICA SAGON

Adam Quirk, co-founder of Cardinal Spirits, the craft distillery in Bloomington, remembers one of the ﬁrst Christmases he spent with his in-laws. He wanted to make a cocktail that would impress.

He went simple: the classic, crowdpleasing Tom Collins. But instead of a typical lemon wheel for garnish, he trimmed each cocktail with a rosemary sprig skewered with raspberries.

“They were a huge hit, and it struck me that I could have put pretty much any liquid in that glass so long as it had that pretty, Christmas-y garnish, and they would have been well-received,” Quirk said. “Presentation is everything when it comes to holiday cocktails.”

TOM COLLINS

Makes 1 cocktail

1½ ounces gin (recommended Cardinal Spirits Terra Botanical)

¾ ounce fresh lemon juice

½ ounce simple syrup Club soda

Rosemary and raspberries, for garnish

Add gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and ice to a cocktail shaker and shake thoroughly. Strain into a Collins glass ﬁlled with ice and top with club soda. Skewer a raspberry or 2 with a rosemary sprig, and garnish.

How

three families use lasting memories in modern mealtime

THE TIMELESS TASTES OF ITALY

BY SHAUNA L. NOSLER | PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JENNIFER L. RUBENSTEIN

Ah, the holidays. The time of year when families gather to carry out honored traditions, to join one another for special meals, to reconnect and build memories—memories that not only last a lifetime, but become building blocks for future generations.

“When we were kids, we spent every Christmas Eve at my grandmother and grandfather’s house,” said Robert Knuckles, head golf pro at the Indiana Golf Club in Lebanon and self-proclaimed food enthusiast.

“My immediate family would join with my uncle’s family and spend the day cooking, eating and opening presents. My grandmother would be slaving away in the kitchen and my mom would join her putting together the giant feast that was to come.”

A feast, he said, that would begin around noon and last most of the day.

“It wasn’t until nearly 4 p.m.—when all the food was gone, the kitchen cleaned up and the men had had their smokes—that the presents could be passed out and opened.”

But, says Knuckles, the funny thing about their traditional Christmas Eve dinner was that it was anything but traditional in the usual sense. No turkey. And no ham.

“My grandfather was German and his favorite meal was chili, so our Christmas Eve dinner would consist of huge bowls of my grandmother’s famous chili, stuffed with beef, onion, chili beans and crackers crushed on top of melted cheese. The recipe was given to her from her mom and eventually was passed to us.”

Passing on the goods

Similar to the Knuckles family, the Lacabazzos know that family and food make an unparalleled combination.

“A lot of the time I’ve gotten to spend with my grandfather has been around food,” said Vinnie Salas. “He is not only a conduit of his family’s traditions but a gourmet in general.”

Salas’s grandfather was the first of his family born in the United States. When he was younger, he dropped the Lacabazzo surname and changed his name to Jim Gerard. He was a radio broadcaster, said Salas, and felt he needed a name that sounded more American than foreign. But even without his Italian name, Salas’s grandfather taught his grandson to love and appreciate the foods he himself grew up eating.

“He was the first person to have me try blue cheese as well as drycured salami,” said Salas. “I remember thinking there must be something wrong with the salami for it to be so hard.” But he trusted his grandfather and soon developed a taste for the cured meat.

In addition to cherishing the times spent with his grandfather, Salas says he is particularly fond of the memories he has of his family preparing eggplant parmigiana over the holidays.

“My mother and her two sisters would plan the event of making it for weeks,” he said.

“It’s still a favorite dish for me and more than any other reminds me of the biggest family gatherings of the year.” And although Salas isn’t yet allowed to assist in the making of the eggplant parmigiana, he does hope that one day he can fulfill one of the important duties that go into its preparation.

From northern Italy to the north side of Indy

Like Salas, Andrea Bettini’s love for good food grew from a childhood heavily influenced by his family, their holiday meal preparations and their commitment to passing on cooking techniques as well as recipes to the younger generations.

Bettini grew up in the small, rustic community of Correggioli— about an hour and a half north of Venice in northern Italy. And it was there, among the rich vegetation and flourishing agriculture, that Bettini developed an appreciation for the freshest ingredients.

“As I was growing up,” he said, “I remember we had our own garden,

Above: Andrea Bettini, Bettini Pasta. Right: Robert Knuckles, PGA Pro, Golf Club of Indiana. Opposite: Knuckles Family Sunday I talian Gravy (recipe page 25)

grew our own carrots, beans, tomatoes, peppers and a host of other vegetables. We also had our own fig trees and a very small grape vineyard.”

And his family, he said, were fortunate to grow and harvest enough produce to keep their cellar stocked during the winter months—months that along with the cold would bring friends and family to visit for the holidays.

“My grandmother always enjoyed the holidays, spending time in the kitchen baking and preparing all sorts of foods,” he said adding that for Italians, the center of home is often around the dining table.

“One of my grandmother’s favorite dishes and a traditional dish for the Christmas holiday in Northern Italy is Tortelli di Zucca [Pumpkin Tortelli]. We still fix it today and since I have been in the United States I still prepare it for holiday eating as it is a very unique dish not customary among Americans at the Christmas holiday season.”

Last year, Bettini, a onetime teacher of classical piano, shifted his love for music into his desire to chase what he called his American Dream and founded Bettini Pasta. His pasta is made fresh daily and served in some of the best restaurants in town, including Bluebeard, Ambrosia, Osteria Pronto, Shoefly, Tavern on South, Marrow, Milktooth, Pioneer and many others. But you don’t have to go out to eat to get this authentic taste of Italy; now you can buy Bettini Pasta at Amelia’s Bakery, Goose the Market, R2Go and soon at Market District in Carmel.

The importance of a family meal

Clearly, the Knuckles, Lacabazzo and Bettini families know the importance of sharing a meal with loved ones. For them, family mealtime—be it over the holidays or not—gives everyone the chance to bond, to have conversations, to learn about what’s going on with one another.

“My father,” said Knuckles, “instilled in us all that dinnertime was sacred and was never to be missed. Mealtime is more than the food we eat; it is reconnecting every day to recharge your soul with the ones you love. It keeps lines of communication open between family members, and ensures that all needs are addressed and recognized, and it keeps you grounded.”

And it’s this reconnecting of family relationships that the experts over at the Family Dinner Project—a nonprofit organization operating

Vinnie's 3 tips for making eggplant parmigiana

Although we weren’t able to get the exact recipe Vinnie’s family has mastered over the years, we were given the following three tips for making eggplant parmigiana:

1. The eggplants must be light purple with no brown spots.

2. Remove the skin from the eggplants before layering the dish.

3. Use good cheese—Salas recommends Locatelli’s Romano or any of the new American small production Romano-style cheeses.

through Harvard university’s Project Zero—believe is the foundation for healthy family relationships. Citing over 15 years’ worth of research, the project has shown a direct link between regular family meals and positive behaviors in children such as higher grade-point averages, resilience and self-esteem as well as lower rates of the mannerisms deemed less desirable. Family mealtime, according to the group, is good for the spirit, brain and health of all family members.

Bringing it all together

Knowing all too well the importance of family mealtime, nowadays, when schedules will allow, the Knuckles family has dinner together every Sunday night.

“It has become much more difficult to do it every night as we did when I was a kid,” said Knuckles, but when Sundays roll around, they have a firm standing dinner date.

“No matter how busy we are, Sunday is family night. Most of the time we prepare a home-cooked meal of some kind,” a meal, he said, that he encourages his two daughters to cook with him.

“Sometimes it takes some prodding, but usually once they start preparing the meal with me, they really enjoy the experience, and I get to spend some wonderful quality time with each of them.”

Plus, they get to learn some family secret recipes like the meatballs they make to accompany their prized Sunday Italian Gravy.

As for the family’s Christmas Eve dinner, you can bet they’ll once again be enjoying his grandmother’s beloved chili just as they have for generations.

“Grandmother died about seven years ago,” he said, and so the tradition of preparing and serving this family-favorite dish has been passed on to him.

“When I cook her chili, the memories of those fun days spent with family lift my spirit,” says Knuckles, adding that it’s the food, especially food made from a recipe handed down for generations, that can rekindle memories of those who are no longer with us.

“The food we make and eat, the time spent together at mealtime, is family,” he said.

And the memories made, of times spent laughing and telling stories over a good meal, are the ones cherished for a lifetime.

Vinnie Salas, Capilnger’s Fresh Catch Seafood Market

Knuckles Family Sunday

Italian Gravy

In recipes passed down generation to generation, measurements tend to get less precise and more to taste. In the Knuckles recipe, a pinch refers to /–¼ teaspoon of the ingredient. A heavy pinch refers to a ½ teaspoon. Really, it’s about getting comfortable with making the recipe to ﬁt your palate.

Serves 8

2 celery stalks, including leaves

2 medium carrots, peeled

1 large onion

4–5 cloves of fresh garlic

2 tablespoons good olive oil, divided

6 fresh basil leaves

2 heavy pinches sea or kosher salt, divided

Pinch crushed red pepper ﬂakes

¼–½ cup Pinot Grigio

1 small can tomato paste

2–3 large cans crushed Roma tomatoes, preferably organic

Pinch (each) dried basil, oregano and rosemary

Small pinch white pepper

Pinch fresh oregano

Pinch garlic powder (optional)

Handful grated Parmesan cheese

Chop celery, carrots, onion and garlic into small chunks. Place in food processor. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 fresh basil leaves and 1 heavy pinch of salt. Process until veggies become paste.

In a heavy-bottom stockpot with a good lid, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper ﬂakes. Add veggie paste. Cook until paste heats through and becomes soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the Pinot Grigio. Cook for about 5 more minutes over medium heat. Add tomato paste. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add crushed tomatoes. Stir to incorporate all ingredients. Add dried basil, oregano and a pinch of rosemary and 1 heavy pinch of salt and a small pinch of white pepper. Add a little bit of either water or wine to gravy if it is too thick. Stir gravy to incorporate spices. Cover with tight lid. Bring to light boil, stirring every couple of minutes to keep from sticking, then simmer and cover and cook for a minimum of 2 hours—up to 4 if you have time. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.

Remove the lid during the last 15–20 minutes of cooking to let it reduce. Add 3–4 fresh chopped basil leaves and oregano. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and granulated garlic powder, if necessary.

Just before serving, add about a handful of grated Parmesan cheese and stir.

Serve over your favorite pasta. Add fresh homemade meatballs to make it extra special. (Unfortunately, that recipe is a family secret.)

Hosted by

Saturdays 10am - Noon

Georgetown Market 4375 Georgetown Rd. Indianapolis

$10 per child / $5 additional child or $20 per family (3+ children)

*Each child or family will receive a $10 Georgetown Gift Card

2017 Classes

February 25 No Bake Sweet Treats*

Learn how to make great tasting treats without baking!

May 13

August 19

Summer Smoothie-palooza

Kick off the summer and learn to make fruit and vegetable smoothies.

Healthy Lunchbox Eats

Shelf the boring lunch. Kids will learn how to make salads, homemade lunchables and more!

December 2

Bread in a Bag + Jam = Delicious

Kids will create bread in a bag they can bake and home + homemade jam!

*Gluten- and dairy-free options available

Hoosiers share heritage recipes

Tortelli di Zucca (Pumpkin Tortelli)

Recipe courtesy Andrea Bettini, Bettini Pasta | Photography by Jennifer L. Rubenstein Pumpkin pasta along with few other unique dishes like pumpkin risotto and fried pumpkin remind me where I come from, memories of my grandparents. I remember Grandma spending days preparing large quantities of food; the incredible smell was all over the house, waking me up on Sunday morning or for Christmas. These are the things I took for granted then and they’ve been so precious since I moved here to the United States. The pumpkin is very popular in Italy, where I come from, and tortelli di zucca are one of my alltime favorites.

Pumpkin Filling:

2½ cups pumpkin purée

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

1 (16-ounce) package amaretto cookies, crushed

Pasta:

2 cups all-purpose ﬂour

3 eggs

Sage Butter Sauce:

½ cup unsalted butter

Pinch salt

Pinch pepper

—Andrea Bettini, Bettini Pasta

Roll out each ball of dough using a rolling pin or a pasta attachment or machine, until the dough is / of an inch thick. Place a sheet of dough on a ﬂat work surface and place hazelnut-size balls of pumpkin ﬁlling on the sheet, about an inch away from each other.

½ teaspoon garlic paste or garlic powder

6–8 leaves fresh sage

Parmesan cheese to top

First, prepare pumpkin ﬁlling by mixing all the ingredients in a food processor. Set aside.

Prepare the pasta dough by combining the ﬂour and eggs on a ﬂat surface and using your hands to mix them together. A stand mixer may also be used. Continue working the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Separate dough into 2 parts.

Place the second sheet of pasta on top of the pasta with filling. Use your fingers to seal the pasta around the filling, trying to remove any air bubbles. Use a ridged pasta cutter or sharp knife to cut out your tortelli. Cook pasta immediately.

The tortelli can be also stored uncooked for months in the freezer as long as they are sealed well in airtight food containers or freezer bags.

Pasta Cooking Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While water is boiling, make the Sage Butter Sauce: Melt the butter in a sauté pan over low heat. Add sage and some grated Parmesan cheese. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes. Once the pasta water is boiling, add the tortelli and cook for 5 minutes. Drain tortelli well, add sauce and top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Pão de Queijo

Recipe and photography courtesy of Corrie Quinn, Smoking Goose and Goose the Market

When I say it, it sounds like she’s from south of Indianapolis. “Oh, your mom is from Brazil … Indiana?” But when she says it, there’s no question she’s from south of the equator. Folks generally pick up on my mom’s accent, but to me her voice isn’t foreign. It’s just the voice of my mother.

She must have experienced the same with her own mother: a Connecticut Yankee who raised ﬁve kids in the boondocks of southern Brazil and learned to speak Portuguese through her New England accent.

A new language wasn’t the only thing Grandma had to learn in her new home. Even the kitchen was new territory. She taught herself to bake in a wood-ﬁred oven, brewed her own beer and let the milkman have it when she caught him diluting her share with water from the garden spigot.

When her children were grown, grandma moved back to the U.S. She packed up her kitchen along with a new repertoire of Brazilian recipes: feijoada, baño maría, brigadeiros, pão de queijo and more. Dishes like these have become staples at family reunions and dominate long-distance conversations between visits. Mom and her siblings keep the recipes alive by sharing tips on sourcing ingredients and adapting Grandma’s techniques to modern kitchens. A wild mix of Portuguese and English may waft from the kitchen, but when we sit down to the table together, it simply translates as delicious.

—Corrie Quinn, Smoking Goose and Goose the Market

1½ cups sour cassava ﬂour (look for packages marked “tapioca ﬂour,” easily found at Saraga in Indianapolis and in most Asian groceries)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

/ cup milk

/ cup water

/ cup either unsalted butter or olive oil

1 egg

1 cup ﬁnely shredded sharp, dry cheese—in the Midwest, try one of these regional brands: Jacobs & Brichford Everton Premium Reserve, Kenny’s Farmhouse Dry Fork Reserve or Swiss Connection’s Pazia

Mix the cassava flour, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl. Heat the milk, water and butter or oil until the milk just begins to boil. Stir the hot liquid into the flour mixture with a spoon or with the dough hook of an electric mixer. Keep stirring until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture is warm but not hot. Touch the dough with the back of your fingers—they should feel comfortably warm against the dough. Beat the egg in a separate bowl then mix it into the dough. Keep blending until the dough is elastic and smooth, then fold in the shredded cheese. Cover the dough and chill—it should be colder than room temp before baking but can rest in the fridge up to 24 hours. Heat the oven to 375°F. Drop spoonfuls of dough about as big as a golf ball onto a lightly greased cookie sheet or spoon the dough into muffin tins, traditional size or mini. Bake until the tops are golden and a roll sounds hollow when you tap the bottom, about 20 minutes depending on size. Serve immediately. Baked rolls will hold up to a day, but reheat in the toaster oven before serving.

These Brazilian cheesy bread rolls have a crunchy outside and a chewy middle. They should be served hot and are best right out of the oven.

Great-Gramma Wolfe’s Buttermilk Biscuits

Recipe courtesy of Chef Daniel Orr, FARMbloomingtion, Photography by Sarah Baghdadi

With the holidays coming up I always remember my Gramma Kolb’s biscuits. She inherited the recipe from her mother, Great-Gramma Wolfe, who made them on the family farm in Gibson County near Princeton. Gramma Kolb taught my mom, Mary Lu, to ﬁx them, often serving them with her famous fried chicken. Mom ﬁxed them so often, she never measured a thing. I’m so happy I got to bake them with my mom enough to get the unmeasured recipe. Great-Gramma and Gramma Kolb are gone now, but they live on through my memories brought to me by the buttery smell of these freshly baked breakfast favorites. Now you can pass them down to your family!

—Chef Daniel Orr, FARMbloomington

2 cups ﬂour

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

½ cup butter, cut into pea-sized pieces and chilled well (or grate the chilled butter on a box grater just before needed)

¾ to 1 cup buttermilk*

Optional: Add dried raisins or currants to the mix, turning these biscuits into scones, or season the mix with grated Parmesan, scallions or cracked pepper for a savory biscuit.

Roasted Chestnuts

Sift dry ingredients into a stainless steel bowl and chill in the freezer.

With a dough cuter, large fork or in the bowl of a food processor cut the butter into the dry ingredients, being careful not to overwork the dough. The butter should remain visible in the dough.

Pour out the mixture and form a well in the center. Put ¾ of the buttermilk in the well and quickly incorporate it. Add more liquid if needed until the dough holds its shape.

Press out to an even 1-inch thickness and cut into desired shape.

Bake in a pre-heated 400°F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until golden brown and light to the touch.

* Use sour milk, or fresh milk with a little vinegar in it, when buttermilk isn’t available.

These are great as the base for biscuits and gravy, but try them with FARMbloomington apple butter, peach and lavender preserves or strawberry rhubarb jam.

They make great country ham sandwiches with good stoneground mustard.

Leftover biscuits can be sliced and baked as savory biscotti to go with cheese and sliced charcuterie, or add a little extra sugar and some sweet spices for wild berry shortcake with a dollop of whipped cream.

Leftover biscuits can be split in half and crisped in a slow oven for great croutons.

I used to love roasting chestnuts with my grandfather, Jim (Lacabazzo) Gerard. We would eat them listening to tapes from his Indianapolis broadcasting career, which has always fascinated me. Grandad was a ﬁrst-generation American. He honed his broadcasting craft at Kent State (Ohio) during WWII following his work in the U.S. Navy. Realizing the last name Lacabazzo was not going to be a popular name in broadcasting given the political climate of the time, he changed it to Gerard—launching his long, prosperous career.

I was too young to remember hearing the radio segment called “Sounds of the City,” a show in which he would interview celebrities as well as average Joes on the street. Years later, he had a local television program called “The Jim Gerard Show.”

My kindred memory is with him and here is my favorite recipe for roasting chestnuts as my grandfather would do it every holiday season.

—Vincent Salas, Caplinger’s Fresh Catch Seafood Market

3 pounds Italian chestnuts

Chestnut knife

Chestnut roasting pan

Salt

Take a chestnut shelling knife and score an X shape into the ﬂat side of each chestnut. Then they go into a copper chestnut roasting pan and over the ﬁreplace. The pan has

a long handle so you can hold it over the ﬂames; Grandpa would just set it right on top of the burning logs. Stir the chestnuts often to keep from burning. They take about 20–30 minutes to roast. The shells bend away where scored and the chestnuts are tender when done.

Here’s a Jim Gerard tip for you: Oftentimes when it was a casual aﬀair he would simply

roast them in the oven on a baking sheet at 400°F for about 30 minutes.

The chestnuts peel easily after roasting. Salt them to taste.

While you’re roasting the chestnuts, it’s important to eat blue cheese and olives—or “olee-voes,” as my grandfather calls them.

Great-Grandma’s Fig Gravy

Becomes Maple Fig Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Recipes courtesy of Chef Kris Kraut of The Butler’s Pantry, Photography by Mike Gregory

On Christmas morning, memories of familiar scents fill our thoughts. For some, it may be sweet cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting; for others, roast turkey with homemade cranberries. For Certified Executive Chef (CEC) Kris Kraut of The Butler’s Pantry in Terre Haute, it’s fig pudding gravy on fresh roasted ham.

As a child, every Christmas Chef Kraut would travel with his family to New Jersey, where his great-grandmother lived. From Terre Haute originally, his family didn’t make the long drive often, but when they did, he remembered.

“My mother couldn’t cook to save her life, and my grandmother wasn’t much in the kitchen either,” said Kraut. “But my great-grandmother … she would make this amazing ﬁg pudding gravy and drizzle it over a big roasted ham for the holidays. I will always remember that sauce.”

Chef Kraut has been the CEC of The Butler’s Pantry for over two years. The Red Barn at Sycamore Farm has proven to be a perfect venue for Kraut to pursue his passion as professional chef and caterer, and this year, he will bring his great-grandmother’s recipe to the people of the Wabash Valley.

This Maple Fig BBQ Sauce, a take on great-grandma’s pudding, is designed to complement a holiday roasted pork shoulder. With a sweet and savory ﬂavor, this thick holiday topper tastes like the ﬁggy pudding of yesteryear we all remember. Cheers!

Yield: 2½ cups

¼ cup ﬁg preserves

¾ cup dark brown sugar

¾ cup ketchup

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients over low heat in a heavy-bottom sauce pan until sugar is dissolved and sauce is smooth. Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Holiday Roasted Pork Shoulder

Serves 6–8

1 boneless pork shoulder roast, about 5 pounds

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon cumin

1 yellow onion, sliced medium

1 bay leaf

2 bottles dark beer

1 cup water

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Preheat oven to 350°F

Pat the pork roast dry with paper towels and rub with salt, pepper, rosemary and cumin. Sear the roast on all sides in the skillet and place in a large roasting pan, preferably a Dutch oven, with the fat side up. Add the sliced onion, bay leaves, beer and water to the pot with the roast. Bake covered with foil or lid. Roast for 1 hour, remove from oven and carefully ﬂip the roast, then return to oven for an additional hour and a half. After an hour and a half, remove the lid and return to oven for 1 more hour.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 45 minutes before slicing and generously drizzling with sauce.

Sugar Cream Pie

Recipe courtesy Paula Haney, Hoosier Mama Pie Company, reprinted with permission from The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie by Paula Haney (Agate Midway, 2013) Photography © Debbie Carlos, courtesy of The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

1 single-crust, blind-baked All-Butter

Pie Dough shell (see next page)

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose ﬂour

Pinch kosher salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place the pie shell on a baking sheet. Set aside. Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, ﬂour and salt in a medium bowl. Mix with a whisk or your hands to break up any clumps and to combine ingredients. Gently stir in the heavy cream with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not overmix. Whipping the cream will prevent the pie from setting. Stir in the vanilla paste. Pour the ﬁlling into the prepared pie shell and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate 180° and bake for 20 to 25 more minutes, until large bubbles cover the surface. The pie will not appear to be set when it comes out of the oven. Cool to room temperature, then chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight, before slicing. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

The baked pie can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

Hoosier Mama Pie makers like to throw leftover sugar creams in the freezer and snack on the frozen slices.

All-Butter Pie Dough

Makes 1 double-crust pie or 2 single-crust pies

1¾ sticks unsalted butter, divided

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ cup cold water

2¼ cups all-purpose ﬂour

2¼ teaspoons kosher salt

½ tablespoon granulated sugar

Cut the butter into ½-inch cubes. Freeze 5 tablespoons for 20 minutes or overnight; chill the remaining 1/ sticks in the refrigerator until ready to use. Stir the red wine vinegar into the cold water and set aside.

Combine the ﬂour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times to combine. Add the chilled butter and mix for 25 to 30 seconds, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the frozen butter and pulse 15 to 20 times, until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add 6 tablespoons of the vinegar water and pulse 6 times. The dough should start to look crumbly. Test the dough by squeezing a small amount in the palm of your hand. If it easily holds together, it is done. If not, add ½ tablespoon of the vinegar water and pulse 3 more times. Repeat this process as needed until the dough holds together.

Transfer the dough to a lightly ﬂoured work surface and knead together until smooth; dough should never come together in the food processor. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and roll each into a ball. Flatten the balls slightly and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator until ready to use, at least 20 minutes but preferably overnight.

Once the dough has rested, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 1 week.

Blind Baking

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place a frozen, crimped pie shell on a baking sheet. Line the inside of the shell with parchment paper or a coﬀee ﬁlter. Fill with uncooked beans until the beans are even with the top edge of the crimp. Press down on the beans to make sure they spread to the edges of the shell. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating 180° halfway through. The outer edge of the crimp should be dry and golden brown.

Remove the shell from the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper or coffee filter full of beans. If the paper sticks to the pie, bake it for 3 more minutes and try again. Once the parchment paper or coffee filter is removed, prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork. Bake for 3 more minutes, until the interior of the shell is dry and light golden brown.

There’s living. And there’s loving life. We’re here to help with the second one. Our intriguing blends of herbs and botanicals support energy, stamina, focus, and overall well-being. Cup after cup, day after day, life is good.

Whetstone Woodenware’s rare ability to hold both stories and stew

RAISING THE GRAIN

BY LISA BANU | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER L. RUBENSTEIN

Asmall square patch of sandpaper with advice to help “raise the grain” accompanies every purchase at Whetstone Woodenware. It represents company owners John and Debbie Whetstone’s trust that the hallowed task of crafting the piece will continue in the home kitchen, if properly done, for generations.

As consumers, few things are so enduring and entrusted to us to care for, to use, to enjoy and to pass down. Unlike most disposable, temporary and industrially produced kitchenware, Whetstone Woodenware requires a commitment to quality and care.

John Whetstone’s reputation for finely crafted woodenware earned him the trust of the historical market, which in turn helped shape the direction and reach of the company. Whetstone products can be found in more than a dozen museum gift shops across the U.S., including Colonial Williamsburg. In the flagship store located in Silver Lake, Whetstone’s Early American line of kitchenware makes these unique historical forms available to everyone. Focusing his woodworking skills on kitchenware rather than cabinetry allows John to share and ship his creations more easily, preserving historical product forms and inventing new forms to meet diverse contemporary needs.

Whetstone Woodenware’s own history is over 25 years old. Their most awarded and internationally renowned piece is Whetstone’s French rolling pin. Earlier this year The Sweethome Review considered 30 rolling pins and voted Whetstone’s the best: “This tapered pin rolls dough more efficiently than handled pins, works well for rolling both pies and cookies, and is one of the easiest to clean. Plus, it’s good looking and sturdy enough to last a lifetime.”

For John this appreciation of usability, beauty and efficiency is exactly the attention he hoped his product would attract. And this is not the first time the rolling pin was recognized. Celebrating the rolling pin’s exceptional quality, Midwest Living included the rolling pin in its 2012 holiday gift guide.

In addition to developing pieces from historical references, John also draws inspiration for his products from children’s storybooks, the process of production itself and consumer needs. For example, his wok spoon resulted from reshaping a damaged Early American deep-bowled long ladle spoon. In a similar creative leap, inspired by a children’s book illustration of a fishtail-shaped backing on a pipe box, John designed his fishtail cutting boards. The mixture of original designs and historical reproductions allows the Whetstone offerings to address diverse kitchen and dining needs.

Left to right: Making of the Whetstone Biscuit Cutter, an Indiana favorite.

Tom Sittler (left) is an 82-year-old retired high school basketball coach and math teacher. He has been working for John Whetstone (right) for almost 20 years.

John’s attention to every aspect of the production ranges from sourcing Indiana sugar maple from a trusted local lumberyard, Pike Lumber Company (originating in Wabash and in business since 1904) to shipping the products in appropriate containers to his customers worldwide. In between the steps of sourcing and distribution, John and his team of craftsmen and craftswomen draw, cut, shape, sand, dip, brand and package each product with care. A small example of the workshop’s dedication to quality can be found in their use of ballpoint pens to draw and maintain the consistency of the forms, having discovered the traced shape was affected by the variability of pencil sharpness. Even the scraps are used as mulch or firewood. This attention to wood, tools, packaging and scraps make the products a holistic investment in honoring the material, production and use.

During my visit, I overheard a mother and daughter talking. One had given the other a Whetstone spoon for Christmas. Both were thrilled to be in the store buying more kitchen utensils and talking with co-owner Debbie. The shared love of the product was clearly felt on both sides of the counter. Repeat customers are undeniable evidence of trust and appreciation.

While the enduring quality of Whetstone Woodenware is well documented, the endearing charm of owners John and Debbie has yet to be celebrated. The couple not only enjoy sharing their hard work, but they also enjoy cooking and eating together. They were more than happy to share their own favorite recipes and recipes that would match their products, like a biscuit recipe for the biscuit cutter.

“What do you like to cook?” Debbie asked as she rang up and inspected each of the pieces I had chosen, ready to offer personalized recommendations and to exchange some of the pieces for ones with a more interesting wood grain. I left the showroom with a new set of long-handled spoons perfect to swirl curries, chilies and stews; a biscuit cutter; a set of recipes and inspiration to stir up my own stories.

Will the business of creating an enduring product itself last? Whether the business is family or not, John hopes the next generation of Whetstone products will honor the tradition of quality.

Whetstone Woodenware products are invitations to stir, simmer and ladle family stories. In my own kitchen, I treasure my grandmother’s brass flat slotted spoon she used to fry luchis (a Bengali fried and puffed bread). It even has the indent of her thumb on the handle. What a gift it would be to pass down storied utensils to my daughters. A Whetstone spoon has the rare ability to hold both stories and stew, much like my grandmother’s brass spoon.

Whetstone Woodenware |108 East Main St., Silver Lake | 800.253.3670 | WhetstoneWoodenware.com

Whetstone Woodware is located in what was the early 1900s Summe’s Hardware.

Top left: Jessica Smith started This Old Farm to recapture childhood memories of her grandparents’ farm in Idaho.

Left: The Blacker family raises pork and pastured chickens across the street from Jessica Smith.

Below: Bailey Blacker (with chick) and brother Brenton (with pig) are being raised to understand the importance of next generation farmers.

Lower left: Lucas Roosa, This Old Farm Livestock Harvest Floor Manager.

Lower right: Jessica Smith works daily with her staﬀ to make This Old Farm her second family.

Beyond the Family Business THIS OLD FARM

BY CHARITY SINGLETON CRAIG | PHOTOGRAPHY BY: TERRY MADAY

The phrase “family business” takes on a whole new meaning for Jessica Smith and the folks at This Old Farm in Colfax. In a recent interview, I asked Smith about the connection between her business and her family, and she immediately turned around in her desk chair and pulled a photo off the wall behind her.

“Why am I in this business? It’s because of this little guy,” she said, holding up a photo of her firstborn son, Conner, who just graduated from Purdue University. “That first child makes you rethink life and how you want to eat. He was the instigator of change, of moving from city to country. We wanted him, and the rest of kids, to have a rural upbringing.”

When This Old Farm started, it was just that: a diversified livestock and vegetable farm in Montgomery County, producing, what Smith calls “real food.” Many of their customers came looking for healthy food to help them or family members heal from illnesses.

“Probably 75 percent of the people who came to see us were sick in some way,” Smith said. “It was heartbreaking and educating at the same time. Those individuals had lost all hope from modern medicine and were looking to find something different to redo their diet. They taught me as much as I was learning from reading at the time. I understood the value of good, responsible, clean food from that experience.”

She also talks about an experience in her garden one summer morning shortly after they began farming when she knew that she was in exactly the right place.

“I was standing there, and it was a nice misty morning and I realized that my whole search of country life was to get back to where I was safe as a child, which was on my grandparents’ homestead in Idaho,” she told me. “We’d go spend the summers with them. And I loved it. It was safe, and it was meaningful, and I liked to be in the garden with them as a child. I hadn’t even put that connection together. We make decisions in our lives, and we don’t necessarily know why, but since then it’s been evident that my grandparents had a good solid role [in my decision to farm].”

Eventually, the demand for food exceeded what the Smith farm could produce, however. “My one single operation had a hard time supplying food year round, so to solve that we developed an alliance of growers that raise a variety of naturally raised products,” Smith said. That was 2009.

That same year, they purchased a processing facility to alleviate their growing concerns about how their food was being processed. They had begun asking questions like “How do you ensure your processing is ‘clean’ if you are producing a clean farm product [free of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and additives]?” With their own processing facility, Smith said they could answer those questions.

Then, about five years ago, after overcoming several major setbacks, including rebuilding their entire processing facility after a devastating fire, This Old Farm recognized another hurdle: Not all of their potential customers were willing to come out to the farm. “So, ‘How do you get food out?’ became an important distribution question,” Smith said.

So what started out as a small business that allowed the Smith family to homeschool their children on their 88-acre rural farm has turned into a large-scale food processing and distribution company, employing more than 20 and marketing the food products of more than 100 local farms.

“Today, I’m excited because the message of knowing your farmer and sustainable ag and local food has gotten out there enough that our customer base has broadened. We still have those customers that are seeking good food to heal themselves, but now more than ever we have people who are looking for good food to stay healthy,” Smith said.

Despite the changes and growth over the years, the core of This Old Farm is still family. But not just Smith’s own family anymore. “The rural economy stretches beyond your family, which I think is so important,” Smith said. “But also stretches to your community.”

When Smith thinks about the farming legacy she’s leaving, it’s no longer just about her own five children, though she suspects at least a couple of them might want to carry on the family business.

“Since the business has expanded, we have 20 families to think of,” Smith said. “This is a family-run business, so I constantly tell my employees to put their family first: ‘Family comes first. Work next. If we all do that, then things will be possible here. So do what’s right for your family.’”

One of those families belongs to Lucas Roosa, slaughter floor manager at This Old Farm. “Family is how I got involved in This Old Farm,” Roosa said. He moved back to Indiana to be with his then fiancé, and now wife, after living out of the state for 20 years. The couple began farming and quickly discovered they had a lot to learn.

“I started small with just a garden and chickens, but knew I needed to learn how to farm better, how to grow things,” Roosa said. “I thought, ‘I’m going to need to know what the market’s like,’ so I asked the local feed store what direction to go. That’s when I got invited to an [This Old Farm] alliance meeting.”

As Roosa learned more about This Old Farm and its humane, clean processes, he wanted to become more involved. “I told Jessica, ‘What I am doing right now is planning to work on my farm, but if you have a position for me, I would do about anything to be part of this.’ That’s when she said, ‘I have a real need for a slaughter floor manager,’” Roosa explained.

Employees and their kin are just part of the This Old Farm family, though.

Not to mention the hundreds of farm families who are part of their alliance.

“Beyond my single farm operation, which oftentimes is what gets focused on, there’s so many family farm operations coming together here and interacting together in a nice community,” Smith said.

Then there are also the customers’ families This Old Farms serves.

“When people come in for the service side of our business, the most fun I have is to see whole families come in and fill their freezer at the same time,” Smith explained. “That’s a side of the business I never anticipated.”

Since Smith started This Old Farm looking for a way to give her kids a healthy, rural upbringing, I wondered whether she still feels like she’s accomplishing her goal, even now as the president of a growing company. So I asked her.

“There’s been a lot of change in our family,” Smith admitted. “The kids are growing older and they’re involved in a lot of things, and there’s the realization that you can’t do everything. We were homeschooling, and that’s not a possibility anymore. There’s a whole different lifestyle from

a homeschooling family on the farm to a business with kids in school.”

But at the same time, Smith still sees her work at This Old Farm as valuable and important.

“God walks us down a path and we never know what that path is going to be,” she said. “No, my vision was to have a homeschooling family and farm together. But in some ways, I have been granted a blessing that is far larger than I asked for in that I’m able to help lots of other families achieve their dreams.”

Congratulations to This Old Farm for their collaborative work to bring farm fresh foods to the underserved

Farmers make food. They nurture livestock, tend to crops and supply food for people both near and far. Sounds easy enough. But, sadly, it’s not so simple.

“There’s a breakdown in the supply chain,” says Jessica Smith of This Old Farm. And Smith, along with her partners—Top Box Foods, a nonproﬁt bringing healthy, aﬀordable grocery boxes to food-insecure neighborhoods in Chicago, and FarmLogix, an organization using proprietary technology to facilitate distribution, purchase and access to foods from the Midwest foodshed—is on a mission to change that.

The three companies formed a local food initiative called, “Team Leverage: Bringing it Home,” and late October were awarded a $500k grant to help their collaboration succeed.

“Along with many others, we’ve been awarded USDA grants before,” said Smith, “but to win the Food to Market Challenge, where there was only one set of winners, is huge.”

And what’s just as meaningful as the award itself is the vote of conﬁdence that they’ll accomplish what they set out to, according to Smith.

“To be selected out of 24 organizations who all came together to help ﬁx the supply chain problem in Chicago, and be voted as the single most likely to succeed in getting local food into the city—or any other metropolis for that matter—is an honor.”

Winners were notiﬁed October 26. More information, including a short video on the project, can be found online at FoodToMarketChallenge.org.

—By Shauna L. Nosler

A.J. Foyt Family accelerates in the winery race FROM INDYCARS TO CABS

BY RACHEL D. RUSSELL AND CHI SHERMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER L. RUBENSTEIN

The cool interior of the Foyt Wine Vault welcomes visitors as soon as they walk through the door. Barstools bound in smooth, dark leather, complemented by brick walls and hardwood floors, give the room an elegant feel. Bottles of Foyt Family Wine are featured throughout, along with photos of racing legend A.J. Foyt, including a photo wall creating a timeline from the 1930s to today of the four-time Indy 500 winner and the actual IndyCar he raced in 1993. A small room to the side of a merchandise area awaits a family gathering, perhaps to taste wine or enjoy a meal around a long table while seated on plush, cream-colored chairs.

The vault, located in Speedway, is the business venture of Larry Foyt and A.J. Foyt IV (also known as AJ4), grandsons of the champ. Open since May 2015, the vault was built “to showcase Foyt Family Wines and give appreciation to A.J. Foyt, his career and what he did for our careers,” AJ4 says. “Lots of people know the man behind the wheel of the race car, but he’s got a gentle heart. He’s the funniest guy I’ve ever met, for sure.”

The business began in 2008 with the opening of Foyt Family Wines. Larry Foyt and AJ4, ages 39 and 32, respectively, had both been involved in racing, competing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR events. The cousins were

getting out of racing at the same time and, according to AJ4, they have always been very close and they wanted to continue with a new adventure together.

“We wanted to show we were making good wines right away,” he says. “We started slowly, using our resources and minds to make things happen.”

The duo teamed up with co-owner Chris Perry, who works for the business full time in Sonoma, California, where all of the family’s grapes are grown and made into wine. The owners meet in California from time to time to watch wines being mixed and, of course, stick around for tastings.

“It’s a fun process to get to learn,” AJ4 says, marveling a bit at how much a wine can change between its creation and bottling. “Making the wine doesn’t ever stop,” he says, referencing Perry and how he monitors trends and ventures the Foyt family might want to explore.

As a race car driver, AJ4 was focused on driving, not business. Being a small-business owner has helped him grow and learn. He looks at business ownership differently now that he has firsthand experience.

“I’ve learned a lot in a short period of time,” he says. “I always have ideas about increasing the ‘wow’ factor. We definitely listen to what our customers want.”

The vault currently offers 14 varietals, including several types of Cabernet, Riesling, rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, red Zinfandel and a Port-style dessert wine. The business started with “a few cases of Cab,” which both Larry and AJ4 enjoy, along with Pinot Noir and Viognier. AJ4 enjoys the No. 14 Speedway Cabernet the most. Why the No. 14? All of the Foyt wines are given numbers that speak to an important year in A.J.’s racing career; maybe one of the years he won the Indy 500 or because it was his race car number. The No. 14 was his grandfather’s racing number and

Harvest at Mount Veeder, Vineyards of Foyt Family Wine

quarterly pickup parties, members gather to enjoy a free glass of wine in the vault’s cozy confines, some piano and a tasting when Foyt Family Wines releases a new varietal.

Family is strong when it comes to the business of winemaking. Much of the Foyt family resides in Texas, including A.J. Foyt and his wife, Lucy, whom AJ4 calls Nana. During the holidays, family members gather in Houston and stay over on Christmas Eve so they can wake up together on Christmas morning, a tradition AJ4 remembers from his childhood and has now passed on to his three young children and wife, Casey Irsay.

“It’s a good time for everybody,” AJ4 says. “Everyone can see what we’ve been doing and what we’ve been making.” Nana keeps the family “close and strong” with a big Christmas Eve meal and a matching Christmas Day breakfast, and has recently begun accepting more help with holiday preparations from AJ4’s mom and aunt.

Nana (Lucy) and A.J. Foyt (King of the Indy 500) celebrating his win at the 1961 Indianapolis 500.

also his. Turn over each bottle of wine and you can find the family’s story behind the wine, including the number’s significance. If you want to truly be steeped in Foyt family history, try the No. 77 Cabernet Sauvignon, a nod to the year A.J. won his fourth and last Indy 500.

One way the Foyts keep customers happy is through membership in Club Foyt. Levels are based on racing names, including Heat, Feature and Champion. Members can order anywhere from two bottles to a case, specifying their preference for reds, whites or a mixture of both. During

The house is always stocked up on Foyt Family wine, AJ4 says, and around the holidays they enjoy a healthy assortment of reds, like Cabernet, which pair well with the season and reflect their beginnings as a business that began with a just “a few cases of Cab.”

“[Our grandfather] has always been very supportive of us. We’ve always done business right and I think he’s appreciated that. We made sure the wine is good. We’re protecting the family name and reputation … we always made the decision to not go the cheap route or depend on our name to make a sale. We really want people to enjoy what’s inside the bottle. We want to be around for a long time.”

AJ4 says to expect a new wine release just before Christmas this year.

Foyt Wine Vault |1182 N. Main St., Speedway |317.672.4246 | FoytWineVault.com

Indianapolis 500.

Larry Foyt and A.J. Foyt IV, partners in the Foyt Family Winery

3 Foyts (Left to Right) A.J. Foyt IV, A.J. Foyt and Larry Foyt at the

Did you know the Sugar Cream Pie

Hoosier State Pie?” FUN FACT!

A slice of Indiana in the heart of Chicago Eyes on the Pies

BY KRISTEN TAUER

Pastry chef Paula Haney’s love for pies is homegrown.

“I grew up eating pie,” said the Chicago-based pastry chef, owner of the successful Mama Hoosier Pie Company. “That was the dessert of choice at our house.”

The company operates two bakeries: The original shop in downtown Chicago and a larger outpost in Evanston, which offers a wider assortment of savory pies and quiche, in addition to its sweeter mainstays.

“There’s a reason I became a pastry chef,” Chef Haney admitted, “I have a tremendous sweet tooth.”

Chef Haney, who hails from Indianapolis, didn’t originally set out for a life of baking. While studying journalism at Indiana University, she got a side job making pastries at the Runcible Spoon, which is where her career path began to cement. A few years later, she decamped to Chicago to work towards becoming a pastry chef.

Her first job in the Windy City was working in a hotel, which handled a high volume of banquets.

“I would segment two cases of oranges, or I would separate 200 eggs. It wasn’t highly skilled, but they were patient and willing to teach me,” she said.

From there, she moved on to an assistant job and eventual pastry chef position at Trio, Chef Grant Achetz’s first Chicago-area restaurant.

“The expectations were very high,” she said. She was tasked with creating desserts to follow Achetz’s innovative courses. On her days off from the restaurant, all she wanted to eat was a simple piece of pie.

“I developed this fantasy pie shop in my head,” Chef Haney continued. She and her husband talked for several years about the idea of opening their own bakery. “One day I was, like, ‘You know, we might as well do it.’”

Photography courtesy of Paula Haney

It took them a while to find the right space. Chef Haney and her husband, Craig Siegelin, sold their pies piecemeal, courting customers at local farmers markets and coffee shops, and according to her that’s how they built their reputation. At the same time, they searched for a space of their own. They found it in a small defunct hotdog stand near Wicker Park; the infrastructure was already in place and the space was cozy. The move was a testament to their ability to see potential in the past.

“A lot of emotion is tied up in pie, and it’s not just about the taste— everybody has such warm memories of their mother or grandmother making them a pie.” While apple pie is the company’s best-selling variety, Chef Haney put special effort into making sure another Indiana staple— Hoosier sugar cream—caught on with her customers. But the embrace wasn’t immediate.

The first week the shop added sugar cream to the menu, they were forced to throw them all away.

“It tanked,” she said. “But everybody in the kitchen tasted it and thought it was amazing.”

The store baked sugar cream pies to hand out as samples to everybody who came into the shop; the pie is now a favorite of customers. Chef Haney’s sugar cream is based on a recipe she came across in a 1964 issue of Farm Journal. The pie was listed as a historical oddity.

“So of course we made it, and it was wonderful,” she said. She tweaked the original recipe, and the version now served at Mama Hoosier has more heavy cream and vanilla.

The oldest variation for sugar cream included only a few ingredients: cream, sugar and flour for thickener.

“The story goes, the early pioneer farm wives would run inside, throw those ingredients in a pie shell, mix it up with their finger, and throw it in the oven. They didn’t do any dishes, they were only away from their work in the fields for a few minutes,” she said.

Chef Haney is also paying homage to her Midwestern rural heritage through her baking.

“One of the things I really wanted to do when we opened the pie shop was partner with local farmers,” she said. “My grandparents were farmers, my in-laws are farmers. Indiana has some of the best farmland anywhere.”

With this in mind, she partners with local farmers markets, and sources many of her ingredients from family-owned farms in northern Indiana.

“It’s really nice to have resources like that. If I have questions I can just call them up and be, like ‘Hey, I need to make a cobbler, what have you got right now?’”

For Chef Haney, her business boils down to a few ingredients: Midwestern produce, historical curiosity for baking and of course, pie.

“The thing I really love about pie is it’s not fancy,” she said. “It reminds me of my aunt and my relatives, and how resilient the Midwestern farmers were.”

The Oasis Diner, manufactured by Mountain View Diners in Signac, NJ, was shipped via railroad to the east side of Plainﬁeld in 1954. The original owners were James Canavan and

BY JULIE K. YATES | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER L. RUBENSTEIN

Acouple of generations ago, shiny stainless steel eateries shaped like railroad cars were a common sight along our nation’s highways. Travelers and locals alike could expect a square meal that was economical as well as tasty. Here in Indiana, Plainfield was host to a gleaming silver diner that sat on U.S. Route 40 as it ran from east to west through the state. The Oasis Diner was a place where memories were made as people stopped in to get a bite to eat while enjoying family and friends.

Times and attitudes changed, however. In 2008 the diner shut down and it seemed as if its days as a gathering place were over. Happily, the kindred spirits of Plainfield officials worked diligently to prevent that from happening, and together with Indiana Landmarks—America’s largest private statewide historic preservation organization—secured both a new location and new owners so that old recollections could come alive again.

One Plainfield native with special ties to the diner is local realtor John Dininger. As a young boy during the 1980s, he loved going to the restaurant with the giant coffee cup on its rooftop sign. An added bonus was getting to visit with his Great Uncle “Bus,” Walter Dininger, who was the diner’s owner. His uncle lived in a little house right behind the building, and he also owned the town’s American Motor Company and Dodge dealership. The two shared a love of cars and enjoyed lively conversations while spending time together at the diner. Those talks made such an impression on John Dininger that today he is the proud owner of a 1970 AMC Javelin.

“It’s the type of car my uncle would have sold and years ago my dad actually had one just like it.”

Recalling that his uncle was more involved in the business side of running the diner than in its culinary aspects, John Dininger said, “Walt had the good fortune to hire a great cook, Ray Piercy. A lot of the recipes came from him.”

Later, when the elder Dininger fell into poor health, Piercy took over the entire running of the restaurant, and the family eventually sold it to him.

When asked what he remembered as the specialty of the restaurant John Dininger replied, “It has always been about the breaded tenderloin. The place was famous for it back then.”

According to Doug Huff, current co-owner of Oasis Diner, the Hoosier-style tenderloin is still a huge favorite with patrons. Based on Piercy’s original recipe with input from the memories of people such as John Dininger, the present version overspills the plate.

“We use a bigger and better cut of meat,” Huff said, “and we sell about 400 of them a week.”

Before Huff, along with his father-in-law Don Rector, purchased the building from Indiana Landmarks, he had driven past the diner for years. “I’d wonder how such a historic landmark could be brought back to life,” he said.

After the Town of Plainfield conducted a feasibility study on the impact of a new location, Huff and Rector seized the opportunity and secured a new spot for the diner a short four miles west of its original site.

Today, the Oasis Diner is completely renovated to look exactly how it did in 1954 when it was shipped via the railroad for assembly in Plainfield. The inside is decorated with displays of vintage lunch boxes and car license plates that span the 1950s through the 1990s.

“People come in all the time and share memories of being here. Some are former employees and others came in while on dates. The décor lets them relive their own history while reliving the history of the diner,” Huff said.

A promotion that changes seasonally, Back in Time Tuesday, enables customers to further reminisce. Select menu items, such as a slice of pie for 50 cents or a cup of coffee for a quarter, are offered while the music playlist features songs from past decades.

The menu still includes many traditional favorites such as chicken fried steak and biscuits and gravy. However, it has timely options such as gluten-free choices and vegetarian dishes, as well. Some iconic items such as the deluxe grilled cheese have been upgraded to reflect today’s more sophisticated palate with the addition of roasted tomatoes and avocado relish. The restaurant bakes all of its own breads, buns and pies in an inhouse bakery. Sodas made in Avon are free of high-fructose corn syrup and taste very similar to the ones served in the 50s.

Different from the original diner is the free WiFi and additional dining space now available.

“I feel like it is about two or three times larger than it was when my uncle owned it, since there are more tables in the back,” Dininger said.

There is also a dog-friendly outdoor seating area in front. Plans are being made for an event room next to the basement bakery to further augment the catering business already in place.

“The new owners have done a great job of restoring the diner back to just how I remember it,” Dininger said enthusiastically. “I love to bring my daughter Morgan here for dinner so I can build memories with her.”

For him the new location is the perfect spot for the diner. “Besides being in a busy section of Plainfield, it’s right across the street from where Walt’s Motors, my uncle’s car dealership, used to be.”

In 2010, Indiana Landmarks listed the Diner on it’s 10 Most Endangered Indiana Buildings list. This listing prompted the Town of Plainﬁeld to conduct a feasibility study on the possible relocation of the Diner just four miles west of their recently revitalized Town Center.

Both the exterior and interior of the Oasis Diner have been restored back to their original appearance. The Diner also remains located on the Historic National Road and is the only diner on the National Road in Indiana and is only one of less than ﬁve historical diners to remain on U.S. 40 from Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois.

The Garden Table is a local eatery and fresh juicery in the heart of the Broad Ripple Village. We serve seasonally inﬂuenced and locally sourced food and cold pressed juice. We believe in simple dishes, made from natural ingredients, grown and harvested by local farmers. Downtown location opening soon. 317.413.3778. TheGardenTable.com

908 E. Westﬁeld Blvd., Indianapolis, Tu–Sa 8am–3pm, Su 9am–3pm.

Looking for a great burger and beer? Look no further than Punch Burger. Our award winning burgers are made from local grass-fed beef provided by Fischer Farms in Jasper, Indiana. Our beers crafted are from local breweries such as Sun King, Quaﬀ On, Scarlet Lane and more. Need a suggestion? Make sure to order up our famous Burnt Cheese burger and a side of sweet potato tots . You won’t be sorry! PunchBurger.com

Downtown: 137 E. Ohio St., Indianapolis, 317.426.5280. Su–Th 11am–9pm, F–Sa 11am–10pm

12525 Old Meridian Ste. 100, Carmel: 317.564.0637. Su–W 11am–9pm, F–Sa 11am–10pm

Eating Local Simpliﬁed

Getting Hoosier-grown goodness on your plate doesn’t have to involve hours in the kitchen. These ﬁne establishments proudly serve up the freshest locally sourced cuisine.

The farm-to-table movement begins with Central Indiana farms and dedicated producers who care about bringing only the best to market, which is a very good thing for locally owned restaurants that search out the best dairy, meat, produce and beverages for their patrons.

Farm-to-table is gaining momentum not only with born-and-bred Hoosiers, but the many visitors to Central Indiana. Edible Indy connects growers, producers and food artisans with their community.

Here is a select list of some of those chefs and owners who take great pride in celebrating Hoosier-grown goodness.

*This is a paid advertisement.

St. Elmo gives a big thank you to our local partners! As a locally owned business for over 110 years we take great pride in our local business relationships. Cheers to independent businesses! 317.635.0636, StElmos.com

127 S. Illinois St., Indianapolis, M–F 4–11pm, Sa 3–11pm, Su 4–10pm

Milktooth is a neighborhood brunch destination, serving up Indy’s ﬁrst Mod Bar coﬀee program along with upscale breakfast and lunch. Focusing on seasonal, local ingredients— everything is made in house. 317.986.5131, MilktoothIndy.com 534 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis, W–M 7am–3pm

A Mass Avenue staple oﬀering non-hpp raw juices and smoothies in a hip and trendy walk-in location. All juices are cold-pressed, old school centrifuge, and freshly juiced on site and their cleanses programs are available year around. 317.797.4254, NaturalBornJuicers.com

865 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis. M–F 7am–7pm, Sa 9am–7pm, Su 10am–6pm

We’re proud to keep it local at Harry & Izzy’s! Three restaurants sourcing locally from 10 regional farms, four breweries and seven locally owned purveyors or producers leads to one great meal. All open M–Th 11am–11pm, F–Sa 11am–midnight, Su noon–9pm. HarryAndIzzys.com

Downtown: 153 S. Illinois St., Indianapolis, 317.635.9594

Northside: 4050 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis, 317.915.8045

Airport: 7800 Col. Weir Cook Memorial Dr., Indianapolis, 317.241.0533

Oakley’s Bistro, a neighborhood American Bistro focuses on rotating seasonal menus encompassing the Midwest rustic appeal with local sustainable ingredients making every meal a special occasion. Owner and operator, Chef Steven Oakley is a James Beard Nominee with Bon Appétit recognizing the bistro as “one of the hottest restaurants coast to coast”. Join Chef Oakley at this Northside Indianapolis staple for lunch or dinner, whatever the occasion, the experience will be divine. 317.824.1231, OakleysBistro.com

1464 W. 86th St., Indianapolis. Lunch: T–Sa 11am–1:30pm, Dinner: T–Th 5–9:30pm, F–Sa 5–10pm

Hotel Tango, the first small batch distillery in Indiana and is also the first service disabled, combat veteran owned distillery in the country. Using only high-quality, local ingredients allows us to stand out. We invite you to come in and taste what our Hoosier heads, hands, and hearts have made, sit by the fire, or belly up at the bar. Drink local, buy local. 317.653.1806, HotelTangoWhiskey.com

702 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis. M–F 2–10pm, Sa–Su noon–10pm

Founded in 2005, Chef JJ’s is a unique, personal and handson culinary experience with a focus on the Big Green Egg®, corporate team building, private events and grilling classes. Chef JJ’s provides clients with the most innovative culinary experience in Indianapolis. Our multi-course meals are prepared and served backyard or family style. We oﬀer distinctive private dining opportunities for your event with personal attention to detail. Call us to set up your event today. 317.602.3828, ChefJJs.com

Downtown: 42 W. South St., Indianapolis

1040 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis, M–F 11am–6pm, Sa 10am–5pm.

Cardinal Spirits is a craft distillery and cocktail bar just oﬀ the B-Line in Bloomington. We combine age-old distilling techniques with modern technology, and specialize in creating memorable experiences. CardinalSpirits.com

922 S. Morton St., Bloomington, M–Th 4–10pm, F–Su 12pm–12am, 812.202.6789

From a store full of fresh, seasonal foods and a team of Chefs and Culinary Experts comes a celebration of food called table by Market District — a restaurant that brings passion for food right to your plate. Open daily for lunch & dinner, as well as brunch every Sunday. 317.689.6330, MarketDistrict.com/Table

11505 N. Illinois St., Carmel. Su–Th 11am– 9pm, F–Sa 11am–10pm

Dine at a true farmstead restaurant, located inside a beautiful historic barn on an organic dairy farm. Food grown and raised on-site takes center place on organic menus shaped by seasonal rhythms. Open for Lunch, Dinner, and Sunday Brunch. 317.733.1700, TraderspointCreamery. com

9101 Moore Rd., Zionsville. Lunch: M–Sat 11am–2:30pm; Dinner: Tu–Th, Su 5–9pm, F–Sa 5–9:30pm; Sunday Brunch: 9:30am–2:30pm

Upland oﬀers a brewpub, beer bar, tap house and tasting room, all serving up Indiana’s ﬁnest craft brews,gourmet burgers to beet and pesto pizza. The Carmel Tap House and the Brew

Pub have full service lunch and dinner menus.

For a full listing of locations visit UplandBeer.com

Bloomington BrewPub: 350 W. 11th St., Bloomington, M–Th 11am–12am, F–Sa 11am–1am, Su 12pm— 12am, 812.336.2337

Carmel Tap House: 820 E. 116th St., Carmel, M–Th 11am–12am, F–Sa 11am–1am, Su 12pm–12am, 317.564.3400

Local Roots, California Wines (and vibes)! If you love tasting great Napa Valley wine in a fun, eclectic, groovy atmosphere, then Peace Water Winery is your place! Best yet, 50% of our proﬁts are donated to charities. So come in for a tasting, buy a glass, take home a bottle or join our wine club and learn how “One Bottle Does a World of Good!”. 317.810.1330, PeaceWaterWinery.com

37 W. Main St., Carmel, T–Th 2–9pm, F–Sa noon–10pm, Su noon–5pm

TBY JENNIFER L. RUBENSTEIN

he smiles. The laughter. The feeling of home. All echo in this kitchen. My mother (better known as Pretty Grandma), my daughters and one set of my nieces and nephews all gather in the kitchen for a lesson of love. This lesson, much like the ones given to me by my own grandmother, will warm the hearts of these little ones for a lifetime. Measuring the sugar, stirring the batter, scooping the cookies and licking the leftover (sometimes not-so-leftover) batter and begging for just one more bite—a recipe I hope will continue to be passed down for generations. Through a mother’s eyes, cooking with love is just about the most precious gift that can be given to anyone. Thank you, Mom (and Dad), for making these memories with our children.

With love,

Your favorite daughter

Chefs take great pride in their sources. They are as carefully selected as the carrots, cucumbers and peppers they feature on their menus. Chefs know great meals begin at the source.

In the vast Panna Estate, rich in natural beauty and situated in the heart of Tuscany, lies the source of the pleasingly balanced and refreshing Acqua Panna spring water. Acqua Panna boasts a unique smooth and velvety taste, giving it the rare ability to please all discerning palates. A Taste of Tuscany.

Naturally filtered over 30 years by the Italian Alps and bottled at the source in Bergamo, Italy, S.Pellegrino has been a key ingredient in ex ceptional meals since 1899. Chefs trust their sources. Chefs trust S.Pellegrino.