Indy Chef Throwdown Sizzles Again with Sold Out Crowd
Edible INDY along with Piazza Produce, McFarling Foods and Indiana Wine and Spirits were proud sponsors of the sold-out Indy On Deck, Indy Chef Throwdown Sunday, December 14th at Milktooth in historic Fletcher Place. Guests attending the intimate venue and event were treated to three distinctive and mouth-watering tacos from distinguished local chefs—Jonathon Brooks (Milktooth), Carlos Salazar (Rook) and Alan Sternberg (Cerulean). Guests chose from appetizing top-shelf margaritas or shots of 100% agave quality tequila from the bar or beer from two local breweries, Mashcraft and Daredevil.
The two brilliant chefs featured were Aaron Butts of Joseph Decuis in Roanoke and Greg Hardesty of Recess in South Broad Ripple. The one hour competition began with the two sous chefs, Ryan Schlegelmilch (Recess) and Sean Richardson (Joseph Decuis), prepping their team’s dish for the first 20 minutes. The chefs then took the lead for the remaining 40 minutes of the competition. The featured ingredients—which the teams learned of only five minutes before the competition began—were quail and wild mushrooms.
Three judges—Peter George of Tinker Street, Neil Charles of Sophisticated Living and Knapsack Wines and Jolene Ketzenberger of Eat Drink Indy—judged based on technique, flavor and teamwork.
Greg Hardesty’s dish took top honor with his roast quail, dash braised collard greens, oyster dressing and tomatillo salsa. He gave a heartfelt speech about the food culture and movement in Indianapolis, and how he never dreamed it would’ve come this far in the last 15 years. He explained chefs don’t do it for the money; they do it because they love it and have a passion they want to share with others.
Indy on Deck contributed all leftovers from the event to Second Helpings. The organization has a large impact on feeding the community as it provides around 4,000 free meals every day to hungry adults and children in central Indiana.
Indy on Deck promotes culinary progression through a series of hands on events with central Indiana chefs and restaurants. To learn more about Indy on Deck or upcoming events visit IndianapolisOnDeck.com.
