Monday, August 29, 2011
Markets & Cooking Dig-IN: Gastronauts delight in Sunday festival
Posted by Neil Charles on Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 12:29 PM
With a blistering summer behind us, and an equally brutal week still to come, the weather gods must have been feeling kindly this weekend when they bestowed an almost perfect day on the Moto GP and our favorite food event, Dig-IN, held at White River State Park.
Eighty degrees, sunny and dry was the order of the day as five thousand hungry gastronauts strolled the grassy thoroughfares of this, the second iteration in what looks set to become an institution on the culinary calendar.
With thirty restaurants and an equal number of wineries and breweries displaying their wares, there was plenty to eat and drink. Another couple of dozen artisan vendors rounded things out, offering a vast array of gustatory delights, from maple syrup to bread to lamb and everything in between.
With the attendance as vast as it was, there were naturally some long lines. Longest of all was for Aaron Butts of Joseph Decuis, an Indiana destination restaurant that food lovers should visit at least once. Almost as long was the wait for Tallent’s restaurant from Bloomington, but there seemed to be few, if any complaints about any delays. Lines moved smoothly as hungry punters enjoyed the beautiful day.
Surprisingly, the shortest waits of all were for the beer and wine tents, which is no reflection at all on the generally high quality of the various offerings. In all, a great event, and an excellent introduction to Indiana’s culinary delights.
Slideshow
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Dining Out A celebration of Hoosier cuisine at Dig-IN
Posted by Matthew McClure on Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 10:16 AM
Food and drink aren’t the only things on the menu at this Sunday’s Dig-IN event at White River State Park. Leaders from the Indiana food community will be on hand to speak about a cornucopia of culinary topics.
Scott Hutcheson, economic development expert at Purdue, and Christine Barbour, IU professor and co-director of Slow Food Bloomington, will be at Dig-IN to discuss Home Grown Indiana, their heavily researched guide to the best sources of local food in Indiana.
“It’s easy to associate places like New York City with the foods it made famous,” Hutcheson says. “But aside from tenderloin sandwiches and sugar cream pie, neither Hoosiers nor the rest of the world has paid attention to foods that are truly part of Indiana culture. That has begun to change as more and more people are regaining an appreciation of what we can produce from our rich Indiana soils.”
Home Grown Indiana highlights the efforts of farmers and producers throughout the state, such as Medora-based Burton’s Maplewood Farm, a producer of 100% pure maple syrup that’s used by top chefs in Chicago, as well as Capriole Farms, a purveyor of award-winning goat cheese in Greenville.
Hutcheson cautions Hoosiers against taking their state’s natural resources for granted.
“We should all consider a longer term view as we make decisions about our economy, our environment and social equity,” he says. “Whether we are growing food, building new buildings or enacting public policies, we need to ask ourselves not only, is this good for us, but also, will this be good for our children and grandchildren?”
Dig-IN kicks off at noon and ends at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28. Hutcheson and Barbour are scheduled to speak at 12:30 p.m. See Neil Charles' feature on Dig-IN.
