A News and Tribune Publication
APRIL 2, 2015 — Issue 59
surfer's turf No Fork In Way not your typical food truck fare
TOP THREE
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
EVENT
Corydon Extravaganza with antiques & art
CONCERT
Gary Clark Jr. at Iroquois Amphitheater
2 SoIn
April 2, 2015 P u b li s h e r Bill Hanson Editor Jason Thomas Design Claire Munn P HOTOG R A P H Y Ty l e r S t e w a r t
WHERE TO FIND SoIn:
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On the Cover: No Fork In Way's pulled pork sandwich with hickory, apple and NFIW BBQ sauce, chipotle slaw and onion on a brioche bun. | Staff photo by Tyler stewart
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Forking it out for a food truck
Southern Indiana’s latest culinary offering is not a brick and mortar eatery but a food truck piloted by a Southern California surfer dude. What else would you expect in SoIn? No Fork In Way is anchored behind Match Cigar Bar in downtown Jason Thomas, Editor Jeffersonville. The business, which is the brainchild of Seal Beach, Calif.raised Robert Comings, 40, is not your typical food truck. Menu items include tri tip steak tacos, a crab cake with roasted pepper aioli, beer-battered fish, baja fish tacos with chipotle slaw, shrimp cocktail, charcuterie and cheese plate and woodgrilled vegetables. Locally sourced ingredients are a focus.
Comings will offer barbecue Friday with the addition of a smoker that can cook 600 pounds of meat at one time. Ribs are on the menu. Jeff Mouttet, who owns Match with his wife, Sara, finally has found the food complement to his high-end cigars and quality bourbon. Who would have thought the answer would be with Comings, who studied for a stint at Sullivan University and worked at several Louisville-area restaurants — his back story is in today’s centerpiece — before opening his own restaurant in Sydney. Yes, the Sydney in Australia. No Fork In Way is serious business, with a grill, a griddle, two fryers, even a sous vide tank, which allows for vacuum-sealing of ingredients that are slow-cooked and finished off on the grill. Where’s my napkin? — Jason Thomas is the editor of SoIn. He can be reached by phone at 812-206-2127 or email at jason. thomas@newsandtribune.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ScoopThomas.
Find treasure in Corydon What: Corydon Extrava-
ganza: Vintage, Antiques & Arts When: 8 a.m. Saturday, April 25, 11 a.m. Sunday, April 26 Where: Harrison County Fairgrounds, 341 S. Capitol Ave., Corydon Info: Admission is $2; children free; online: CorydonExtravaganza.com; phone: 812-972-3982 CORYDON — Make the short drive to the historic Corydon home of Indiana’s first state capitol for a fun-filled adventure and hunt for your next treasure. The Corydon Extravaganza will be held at the Harrison County Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26. The gates open Saturday at 8 a.m. for the early birds and are open until 4 p.m. and also on Sunday from 11 a.m. until
4 p.m., according to a news release. The 155-year old-Harrison County Fairgrounds will be full of the area’s best antique dealers and their wide range of unique finds. Among those items you might find: primitives, old advertising, furniture, architectural salvage, collectibles, art and decor, antiques, and thousands of other vintage and retro pieces.
Organizers are expecting close to a hundred vintage dealers and artist over the two days. There will also be several food trucks and local wines and craft beers served in the beer and wine garden. The event also has a partnership with Corydon Comfort Inn and guest can get a special $72 room rate for the weekend by mentioning the Corydon Extravaganza.
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April 2, 2015
3 To Go
3
Get hitched What: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
When: Through May 10 Info: derbydinner. com; 812-288-8281 A rip-roaring stage version of the MGM classic about seven backwood brothers and their seven blushing sweethearts. This dance extravaganza is all boisterous fun and romance that will take you back to the glory days of the movie musical.
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What: ‘Angels in America’ at IU Southeast When: Tuesday through Friday, April 7-10 at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 11, at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday, April 12 at 2:30 p.m. Where: Robinson Theater of the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center at IU Southeast, 4201 Grant Line Road, New Albany. Info: oglecenter.com; 812-941-2525. Advisory: Adult language and subject matter. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, “Angels in America, Part I: Millennium Approaches” by Tony Kushner, is the critically acclaimed play set in the Reagan era during the height of the AIDS crisis.
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Get out the vote
What: Rock the Vote When: 7 p.m. tonight, Thursday, April 2 Where: Wick’s Pizza, 225 State St., New Albany Info: Hannegan4NA.com Hannegan Beardsley Roseberry, candidate for New Albany City Council At-Large, will host a Rock the Vote with the goal of combating voter apathy through entertainment and community. Fun, food, drinks and music from Kolton Norton, Fauna and Delve.
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A Fork Jeffersonville boasts food truck’s eclectic eats By JASON THOMAS jason.thomas@newsandtribune.com EFFERSONVILLE — From Southern California to Sydney to Southern Indiana, Robert Comings’ culinary journey is ripe for its own Food Network prime-time show. Comings’ latest adventure has taken the form a food truck called No Fork In Way, parked behind Match Cigar Bar in downtown Jeffersonville. In a story only Hollywood could invent, Southern Indiana now boasts a food truck owned by a Seal Beach, Calif.-raised surfer dude who honed his craft in a German restaurant near the Sydney Opera House. Roll footage. “I like the concept of a food truck,” said Comings, 40. “I like that you can do whatever you want to do. You don’t have to deal with all the problems of owning a restaurant. If you want to shut it down you shut it down. If you want to open you open. “You don’t have to deal with all that other stuff.” The “other stuff” with the current set-up involves working with Jeff Mouttet and his wife, Sara, who own Match, which offers high-quality bourbon along with high-end cigars — and now eclectic food. “It’s just really nice to have somebody here all the time that cooks food that is of the level of our cigars and our bourbon,” said Jeff Mouttet, who calls Comings’ tri tip beef tacos the best dish in the Louisville area. “We’ve got a high-end cigar store, we’ve got a high-end bourbon bar and we’ve never been able to put the food in here that matches the quality of bourbon and cigars, and now we have all three options. “This just ties everything together for us.” No Fork In Way’s menu features atypical food truck fare, such as a crab cake with roasted pepper aioli, beer-battered fish, baja fish tacos with chipotle slaw, shrimp
J
SO YOU KNOW
What: No Fork In Way food truck Where: Behind Match Cigar Bar, 207 Spring St., Jeffersonville hOUrS: noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
What’S IN a NaMe?
Robert Comings was listening to a skit on “The Bob and Tom Show” in his car when he heard the phrase “No forkin’ way.” He immediately pulled over and recorded the phrase in the notes section of his phone, thinking it was the perfect name for a food truck. “Most of our food is handled with your hands,” Comings said. “People can take it for what it is.”
cocktail, a burger made with Kobe beef, charcuterie and cheese plate and wood-grilled vegetables. Locally sourced ingredients are a focus. Comings will dive into barbecue Friday with the addition of a smoker that can cook 600 pounds of meat at one time. Ribs are on the menu. “I cook the food that I like,” Comings said, “and that I know I can cook well.”
A CULInArY AdVentUre
Comings’ culinary adventure took root when he began working in restaurants as a 16-year-old in Seal Beach. From California it was off to Europe in his later high school years where “he ate all over Europe and really enjoyed the food,” Comings said. “I started to learn to cook from my parents and other people.” Back in the States, Comings enrolled at the University of California - Santa Barbara where he started cooking at places like Isla Vista Beer Co. and Santa Barbara Brewing Co., and began taking culinary
n
a
l
t
n the roAd arts seriously. “At that point I really wanted to go ahead and get a culinary degree,” Comings said. “My parents wanted me to finish up at Santa Barbara and then, once the Food Network came out and it became cool to become a chef, my parents said, ‘OK, go ahead and go to culinary school.’” But first it was one last adventure out west. Comings ended up working for a high-end steak and seafood restaurant called Friday’s Station at the Lake Tahoe Harrah’s Casino, which opened his eyes to a high-pressure kitchen environment. It was also where he went through a tough breakup. “They say when you go to Tahoe, it’s not your girlfriend, it’s just your turn,” Comings said. “And that turns out to be true.” After packing up his car it was off to Louisville, where his parents had moved, and culinary school at Sullivan University.
LIVInG doWn Under
After just a year or so at Sullivan, Comings worked at the Seelbach Hotel, where he did everything from room service to cooking at the Oak Room, as well as banquets and time as a garde manger. He would eventually become head chef at Kitty O’Kirwans in the Highlands. He’d find time to marry his girlfriend, Jennifer. But Louisville winters would wear on his Southern California soul. “Every winter would come, and I would start looking for jobs in Barbados and what not,” said the laid-back Comings. “I needed to get out of here. I’m not a fan of the weather.” Comings’ best friend was in dental
school in Sydney. The Australian city had a nice ring to it, so the Comingses sold their home and moved Down Under in 2004. What was supposed to be a year ended up being nine. Comings’ big break came as executive chef at Lowenbrau Keller, a massive Bavarian-style restaurant that sold $250,000 worth of food in one week. “It was an eye-opening experience,” Comings said. “It was cool because I learned a lot.” After helping open five more Bavarianstyle cafés, it was time for Comings to open his own restaurant. Baja Cantina Mexican restaurant was born and would be named Sydney’s best Mexican restaurant five straight years. In the meantime, Comings’ family expanded to include two boys, Felix and Max. His in-laws, who live in Payneville, Ky., “started playing psychological warfare to get us to come back,” Comings half-joked. See FOOD trUCK, PaGe 7
tOP LeFt: Grilled shrimp and chilled tomatillo cocktail sauce. MIDDLe LeFt: William McClain III bites into a NFIW burger outside of the No Fork In Way food truck in Jeffersonville on Wednesday afternoon. the burger includes Kobe beef, white cheddar and creamy garlic sauce or BBQ sauce on a brioche bun. BOttOM LeFt: Lump crab cake sandwich with dill and roasted pepper aioli, topped with lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun. tOP rIGht: robert Comings, executive chef and owner of No Fork In Way food truck, prepares a NFIW burger for a customer Wednesday afternoon. the food truck is parked behind Match Cigar Bar in downtown Jeffersonville. BOttOM rIGht: teriyaki tri tip tacos with house pico and limes. | STaFF PHoToS By TyleR STeWaRT
6 Entertainment
A tip of the hat What: Fourth Annual LOUISVILLE — Margaret’s Hats Off for Hosparus Consignment will host the When: 5 to 7 p.m. Fourth Annual “Hats Off for Thursday, April 9 Hosparus” on Thursday, April Where: Margaret’s 9, from 5 to 7 p.m., according Consignment, 2700 to a news release. The free event will include Frankfort Ave., Louisville wine and hors d’oeuvres, Info: Call 502-896music by a local harpist, as 4706; online: margawell as a silent auction of new retsconsignment.com and gently used Derby hats, fascinators, jewelry and accessories — many of them have been donated or made by local celebrities, such as Madeline Abramson, Susan Sweeney Crum, Janelle MacDonald, Patti Swope, Katie Bauer, Connie Leonard, Tabnie Dozier, Kelsey Starks, Kelly K, and Kristin Walls. All proceeds from the auction will benefit Hosparus of Louisville, an organization that provides comfort and support for patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments. Margaret’s is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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MOVIES: April 3
é “Furious 7”
“Last Knights”
April 2, 2015
t.v. premieres: April 2
books: March 24
é “Lip Sync Battle” (Spike)
é“Emma: A Modern Retelling”
April 5
by Alexander McCall Smith
“The Folded Clock: A Diary”
“American Odyssey” (NBC)
by Heidi Julavits
Guitar virtuoso invades What: Gary Clark Jr. When: June 16 Where: Iroquois Amphitheater
Info: Tickets for this all
ages show went on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 27. Reserved Seated tickets $30 Tickets are available via IroquoisAmphitheater. com, or by phone at 877987-6487
To sum up Gary Clark Jr. is more challenging every day, according to a news release from Production Simple. He’s a musical universe unto himself, expanding at a nearly immeasurable rate, ever more hard to define — as a mind-blowing guitarist, a dazzling songwriter and engagingly soulful singer. With his debut album "Blak And Blu" he has just become the WHAT’S IN STORE Scan this QR code FOR 2013? and R&B sure, but blues, soul, filledwith “The Night That Changed first artist ever recognized by the phone to visit the A Grammy Salute to SPORTS, PAGE B1 pop, psychedelia, punk and hipAmerica: Recording Academy withyour Gramthe Beatles,” with sparks flying hop are also in Clark’s expansive my Award nominations inNews bothand Tribune's website. as he dueled with Joe Walsh on musical embrace and insatiable the rock and R&B categories for Employee injured in Jeff an incendiary “While My Guitar hunger for inspiration, which he’s the same album in the same year, liquor store shooting Gently Weeps,” Dave Grohl beinternalized into music all his winning the latter: Best Traditionhind them pounding the drums. own. And his two acoustic blues al R&B Performance — “Please Help when But that barely scratches the performances onit’sthe soundtrack Come Home” (from the album needed most surface. The album’s a rocket ride album for the acclaimed movie “Blak And Blu”). JFD gets relief survivors from the Mississippi Delta of a “12 Yearsto hurricane a Slave” show the And the day after claiming century ago to multiple points distinct talent and personality he those honors he provided of COMMUNITY FOCUSED.one COMMUNITY MINDED. still out beyond the horizon. Rock brings to his music. the highlights of the highlightsnewsandtribune.com
News and Tribune WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2013
Red Carpet Liquors employee gives account BY GARY POPP
Gary.Popp@newsandtribune.com
JEFFERSONVILLE — An employee of Red Carpet Liquors in Jeffersonville was shot during an attempted robbery Saturday night. Jeffersonville police reported Patel Kamleshkumar, 41, of Jeffersonville, was shot multiple times about 8 p.m. Kamleshkumar was shot by the
masked gunman, said another employee, Loretta Banister, of Clarksville, who witnessed the incident. Banister said she and Kamleshkumar were both working when the gunman entered the business on Crestview Court and 8th Street. She said she was in the back of the business retrieving several bottles to stock when she heard the doorbell that rings when the front
NICE ICE
Right, David Mull, of Sellersburg, holds hands with his son Jack, 5, as he tries ice skating for the first time at the Jeffersonville Ice Rink. The rink will be open seven days a week through Jan. 6, then remain open only on weekends through Jan. 27. For specific times visit www.jeffmainstreet.org.
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER FRYER
Below, Blair Kaelin enjoyed some time at the Jeffersonville Ice Rink Monday afternoon.
STAFF PHOTO BY C.E. BRANHAM
door is opened. As she came from the storage area to the front of the business she saw the gunman with his arms stretched over the counter pointing a firearm at Kamleshkumar. “I ducked down so he didn’t see that I was there,” Banister said. She said she never got a good look at the suspect during the incident, but she could see from her crouched position his arms holding a gun pointed at her co-worker.
75 cents
Jeffersonville firefighters Mark McCutcheon, Rick VanGilder and Travis Sharp recently spent two weeks in the city of Long Beach in New York aiding in Hurricane Sandy relief.
STAFF PHOTO BY C.E. BRANHAM
SEE SHOOTING, PAGE A6
Three firefighters spent two weeks in New York BY GARY POPP
Gary.Popp@newsandtribune.com
JEFFERSONVILLE — A group of Jeffersonville firefighters have returned from helping out with Hurricane Sandy recovery and said help there is ongoing. Jeffersonville Fire Department Maj. Michael McCutcheon, Maj. Travis
than 30,000 people following the October hurricane. The work was more paper-filing than pulling people from homes, but their services were greatly needed as the entire four-mile long island had been covered by water during the surging storm. JFD Chief Eric Hedrick said the need for relief services — after initial crews conduct search and rescue efforts — are often underestimated. “After immediate re-
April 2, 2015
Entertainment 7
Local SoIn Happenings Feeling left out? Send your establishment’s and/ or organization’s upcoming events/new features/ entertainment information to SoIn Editor Jason Thomas at jason.thomas@newsandtribune.com
Friday, April 4: Billie and Buddy Hart, Kelly Casey, Christy Miller; Friday, April 11: Kim McCauley, Eric Kerr, Ricky Howsare; Friday, April 18: Mike Boughey, Tommy Lynn; Friday, April 25: Marcus Kinnard, Carla Reisert, Kelly Amy General Admission $10; children 6-12, $6; under 6, free. For reservations, directions or any other information call 812-738-1130. [corydonjamboree.com]
Ross Country Jamboree
Live on State at Wick’s
Where: Wick’s Pizza Parlor, 225 State St., New Albany When: Friday and Saturday Saturday, April 4: J.D. Shelbourne; Friday, April 10: The Jackson Way; Saturday, April 11: 100% Poly; April 17: Wax Factory; April 18: The Killer Lips; April 25: Rick Bartlett and The Rock-N-Roll Soul Revival [wickspizza.com]
Live music at Big Four Burgers + Beer
Where: Big Four Burgers + Beer, 134 Spring St., Jeffersonville When: Friday and Saturday Friday, April 3: Kelsey and Rachel; Saturday, April 4: Drew Alexander; Friday, April 10: Aquila; Saturday, April 11: Eric and Kenny; Friday, April 17: Kelsey and Rachel; Saturday, April 18: Kelsey and Rachel; Friday, April 24: The Strays; Saturday, April 25: Kyle Hastings [bigfourburgers.com]
Live music at Charlie Nobel’s
Where: Charlie Nobel’s Eatery + Draught House, 7815 Ind. 311, Sellersburg When: Friday and Saturday Friday, April 3: Drew Alexander; Saturday, April 4: The Strays; Friday, April 10: Kyle Hastings; Saturday, April 11: Kelsey and Rachel; Friday, April 17: Drew Alexander; Friday, April 24: Eric and Kenny; April 25: Kelsey and Rachel
Corydon Jamboree
Where: 220 Hurst Lane, Corydon When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: 31 Wardell Street, Scottsburg When: 7 p.m. Saturday Saturday, April 4: Al Hilbert; Megan Stout; Rick Howsare; April 11: Natalie Berry, Dave Campbell, Roger Conley; Friday, April 11: Doo Wops All-Stars, 7:30 p.m., $15; Saturday, April 18: Kiwanis Rock & Roll with Lannys Band — KIngs of Wing; April 25: Ross Country Car Show on the Square, Cornhole Tournament; Natalie Berry, Billy Nett, Maisy Reliford, Alex Miller General Admission $10; children 6-12, $6; under 6, free. For reservations, directions or any other information call 866-573-7677. [rosscountryjamboree. com]
Dine with a view
What: Thunder Over Louisville at Bristol When: 3 p.m. Saturday, April 18 Where: Bristol Bar and Grille, 700 W. Riverside Drive, Jeffersonville Cost: $180 per seat inside or $110 per seat on the covered patio. Limited view tables and bar seats can be reserved for $130 Info: 812-218-1995; bristolbarandgrille.com A feast of seafood, barbecue and Mexican accompany prime seating for Thunder Over Louisville at the Jeffersonville Bristol Bar and Grille Saturday, April 18. Doors open at 3 p.m. just in time for the start of the air show. The appetizer buffet begins at 4 p.m., followed by dinner stations at 6 p.m. All are available until 8:30 p.m. Dessert trays will be served to each table with a coffee station open from 8:30 to 11 p.m.
Robert Comings, executive chef and owner of No Fork In Way, opened his food truck three weeks ago in Jeffersonville behind Match Cigar Bar. | staff photos by tyler stewart
FOOD TRUCK: Bread truck turned into portable kitchen CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
FOOD TRUCK DREAMS
Feeling the tug to return to the States, Comings sold his restaurant to his best friend in Australia and moved his family to Payneville about two and a half years ago. “I came here and joked that I was semi-retired because our house was paid for,” Comings said. Upon his return, Comings fell in love with the idea of a food truck. It wasn’t long before he converted a bread truck into a kitchen on wheels. Comings’ design included a space worthy of haute cuisine: a 36-inch griddle, a 24-inch grill, two fryers, even a sous vide tank, which allows for vacuumsealing of ingredients that are slow-cooked and finished off
on the grill. “Not many food trucks have that,” Comings said. “We can pretty much cook anything.” Where to locate? It just so happened that Mouttet, the Match owner, is friends with someone associated with a place called Stulls Market near Payneville, which was a frequent stop for Comings. Word got out that Mouttet was having problems with the kitchen at Match, and destiny took care of the rest. A food truck is about location, and Comings feels like Jeffersonville is the perfect spot. “I just think Jeffersonville is blowing up,” he said. “It’s such a cool area. You can live in Jeffersonville and walk across the bridge and have everything Louisville has to offer.”
Thunder Over Louisville Celebration
When: noon to 10 p.m., Saturday, April 18 Where: Flat12 Bierwerks,130 W. Riverside Drive, Jeffersonville Cost: $75; 21 and over Info: Email Shanna Henry at shanna.henry@flat12werks.com or call 812-590-3219 Web: www.flat12.me Flat12 Bierwerks will host its inaugural Thunder Over Louisville Celebration at the Jeffersonville taproom Saturday, April 18. A $75 VIP Experience ticket includes the first two pints, light snacks throughout the day, one dinner entree, all-day private access to the taproom and covered patio, seating, free water, indoor restrooms, in and out privileges, plus a unique variety of craft beer on tap.
Robert Comings, executive chef and owner of No Fork In Way, cooks corn for his roasted corn chowder dish.