Week 20: The last Statehouse Market of 2018!

All good things must eventually come to an end and the Statehouse Market is no different.

For the last 20 weeks, we’ve been privileged to bring some of the Hoosier State’s finest farmers, artisans and food truck entrepreneurs to Robert D. Orr Plaza each Thursday for a fun time in the sun. And sometimes rain.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the 2018 season as much as we have and we look forward to meeting you for lunch this Thursday!

Saying goodbye is no picnic, but hold back those tears! The market will return in 2019 with amazing street food from an awesome assortment of food trucks, the finest produce in The Hoosier State, and carefully crafted goods that belong on every shelf.

Just thinking about it has us wishing it was already next summer! Until then, stop by Robert D. Orr Plaza between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. this Thursday, Oct. 4, for the 2018 Statehouse Market curtain call.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Vendors:

VanAntwerp’s Farm Market

Poseys and Pumpkins

Chef Bricker’s Brick House Vinaigrettes — Five Questions

Batch No. 2 — Five Questions

Hot Toddy’s — Five Questions

Limelight Coffee Roasters — Five Questions

Groomsville Popcorn — Five Questions

Gluten Free Creations — This week’s items include cookies, brownies, sweet breads, scones, pecan tartlets, paleo items, yeast breads and more!

Food Trucks:

Citizen Hash

The Twisted Sicilian

Brozinni

The Flying Cupcake

Backyard BBQ

Edwards’ Dashboard Diner — Five Questions

BoxBurger — Five Questions

Serendipity — Five Questions

5280 Bistro

Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort — Five Questions

Der Pretzel Wagen

Nicey Treat

General American Donut Company — Five Questions

Nacho Mama’s — Five Questions

Five Questions with Chomp’Z

From the cozy confines of what was once an ambulance, Willie Jimmy Riddle works with all the precision of a medical professional — or at least that of one of the Indy area’s most passionate cooks.

These days, the erstwhile emergency vehicle’s runs don’t require flashing lights and blaring sirens, but it’s still all about getting quickly from Point A to Point B. Only now, the truck’s mission is rushing flavorful food to hungry customers.

The Statehouse Market is one stop along the way, and in only two seasons Riddle’s Chomp’Z, a rising star among Indy’s food truck scene, has endeared itself to State of Indiana employees frequenting Robert D. Orr Plaza on summertime Thursdays.

Willie Jimmy spends his time navigating a 7-foot by 4-foot space to prepare offerings from a diverse menu meant to “fill your belly.” The generous portion sizes certainly accomplish that, contrasting sharply with the small nook in which they’re prepared.

It may not exactly have space in spades, but the Chomp’Z menu is proof enough that there’s more than enough room to concoct a hearty menu sure to curb any “hangry” emergency.

Tacos, tenderloins and even bacon ranch cheese fries are part of a menu aimed at resuscitating even the hungriest “patient’s” taste buds. Just as dedicated is Willie Jimmy’s wife, Kerry, who takes customer orders and serves as the ever-smiling face of the operation.

Both truly seem to enjoy every minute of it.

The Riddles are the embodiment of an old adage: do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.

With amazing food that reflects the happy, pleasant personalities of its owners, it appears big things are in store for Chomp’Z. Read on to learn more about the business and the Riddles’ hopes for the future.

Q: The Chomp’Z menu includes tacos, tenderloins and other types of delicious “comfort food.” What are some customer favorites/recommendations?

A: People seem to enjoy a variety of things on our menu. Our biggest seller would be our mix and match tacos. We have about six to seven different tacos to choose from, and you can get any two tacos in an order or three or four… depending on how hungry you are! Customers seem to enjoy our portion sizes!

Q: Chomp’Z is relatively new to the Statehouse Market. What can customers expect from your food truck?

A: This is actually our second year at the Statehouse Market! We love coming to the Statehouse! Our new thing this year is our nachos, fruit empanadas, a few new tacos and bacon ranch cheese fries! You can still find our tenderloin and staple tacos on our menu! Come hungry!

Q: What do you like best about managing a mobile restaurant? What are some of the challenges involved?

A: This is the perfect “job” for us! Willie Jimmy loves to cook and Kerry is a people person! We enjoy talking to our customers and building relationships! I guess the challenge for us, since we do all of our own food prepping along with other duties, would be time. There are just never enough hours in a day sometimes, but we find the time and get it done! We LOVE what we do!

Q: Chomp’z is close to celebrating its second anniversary. What do you hope for the business in the future?

A: We want to grow, whether that means more trucks or a brick and mortar location one day. We haven’t quite figured that out. We are still trying to make a name for ourselves in the Indy food truck scene. We know it takes time and we are definitely enjoying the ride!

Q: Who are the primary personnel behind Chomp’Z? Is there a philosophy or motto that guides your business?

A: Husband and wife Willie Jimmy and Kerry are the owners. We have different family and friends who help us on the truck. Our philosophy is to feed our customers like we’d feed our family — good food and plenty of it!

Statehouse Market Week 17: Down to the ‘final four’

There are only four more Thursdays before the Statehouse Market closes for the 2018 season!

We’re not crying, YOU’RE crying!

Ahem.

That means only four more chances to visit some of the Hoosier State’s finest food trucks, a smattering of amazing Indiana farmers, and a group of entrepreneurs who grow, bake, roast and harvest top-shelf snacks, coffee, condiments, dairy products and much more.

We’re with you; we wish the market would never end too, but the good news is that there is still time to be part of the fun.

The Sept. 13 market is the 17th event of the season, and, like always, we’ll be set-up on Robert D. Orr Plaza with an array of food trucks and vendors representing all that is good about Hoosier entrepreneurship.

We’re looking forward to seeing you as the leaves start to turn, temperatures begin to cool and we bid adieu to another wonderful summer and welcome fall. But for now, it’s still summer and that means the Statehouse Market is still in season!

Check out this week’s lineup below and join us from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the plaza!

Vendors:

VanAntwerp’s Farm Market

Poseys and Pumpkins

Biltz Greenhouses

Wildflower Ridge Honey — Five Questions

Hot Toddy’s — Five Questions

Oberweis Dairy

Limelight Coffee Roasters — Five Questions

Groomsville Popcorn — Five Questions

Simple Taste

Batch No. 2 — Five Questions

Food Trucks:

Nacho Mama’s — Five Questions

Rosie’s Riblets

Pi Indy — Five Questions

J & J – A Taste of Home Catering — Five Questions – This week’s featured menu item is a jerk chicken rice bowl for $10. Dish features cilantro lime rice, and mango salsa on jerk chicken, steak and shrimp.

The Legendary Kitchen — Five Questions

Pierogi Love Indy

Dashboard Diner — Five Questions

Tommie’s Ooo Weee Chicken

Gaucho’s Fire

Droopy’s BBQ – The featured item this week is barbecue nachos!

Five Questions with Pi Indy

Classically trained Chef Lawrence Scully’s dream of bringing something new to the Indy pizza scene turned out to be anything but a “pie in the sky.”

Those culinary aspirations became reality when he converted a full-size shipping container into a glass-lined mobile restaurant, and the proof of concept therein comes from a plethora of pizza pies baked to perfection in a Belforno brick oven.

Scully’s Pi Indy is founded on a simple principle: “eat better pizza,” and that’s the mantra that continues to guide Lawrence and his small crew.

The true Italian-style Pi Indy pizzas are without a doubt something close to vero amore for Circle City pizza-aficionados, and the production process appears to be a labor of love for Chef Lawrence Scully.

Read on for info on how Pi Indy is quickly becoming a favorite of Indianapolis pizza-lovers.

Q: The pizza food truck business is highly competitive. What sets Pi Indy apart from its competition?

A: Really everything!  Our truck is non-traditional. The pizza is rooted in tradition, but [is] very much an urban spin on brick oven pizza.

Being a classically trained chef, my approach to cooking may be a little more refined than most of your food truckers. Our pizza dough is made fresh everyday; sauce, meats and veggies are cut hours before service.

We try to just make everything better. Attention to detail is what I live and die by. I’m sure it shows when we pull up in that monster truck of a food truck.

Q: Pi Indy’s food truck offers several different types of pizza. What are some of the most popular, and are there plans to add new “pies” to the selection in 2018?

A: The most popular by far is our “Figgy Piggy” — garlic heaven sauce, mozzarella, provolone, bacon, prosciutto, mushrooms, goat cheese, fig jam, sea salt, and arugula to finish it off. Its a perfect combination of sweet and salty. I plan on adding a few new Pi combinations within the next couple months for fall!

Q: What do you like most about the Statehouse Market?

A: The business! The name of the game is to make money. We also love the way you guys operate this market on all levels — marketing, logistics, everything runs very smoothly and efficiently.

Q: Who are some of the people behind Pi Indy, who work to make the restaurant and food truck one of Indy’s most popular pizza destinations?

A: My staff has been with me for the last couple years. Working the window most of the time is Cathy Mathis and the man behind most of the pizzas cooking is Taquware Dockery. The owner is Chef Lawrence Scully.

Q: Let’s settle the debate: does pineapple really belong on pizza?

A: There is no debating! Of course it does! Just try my Pineapple Express, then get back to me!

Five Questions with Las Tortugas

Luis Ramirez and his family are passionate about creating a menu that brings a (delicious) taste of Mexico to Indianapolis area food truck lovers.

For the accomplished chef, the array of authentic Mexican food offered via Las Tortugas Food Truck & Catering is certainly something akin to an art form. Each dish is lovingly crafted to reflect as closely as possible the entree’s origins, and no corners are cut in the process.

Anything less just wouldn’t pass muster for the business’ crew of culinary experts, who pride themselves on serving customers flavorful food with zero filler.

After all, it’s a family tradition.

Ramirez’ father has spent close to two decades as a chef, and his experience has proven invaluable to the family’s mobile restaurant venture. The younger Ramirez, his family and friends are following in those footsteps by serving up each and every item with the excellence, craftsmanship and care that reflects their ongoing dedication.

A popular stop for many at the Statehouse Market, read on to find out how the Las Tortugas family’s passion for amazing food is helping the food truck with the distinctive happy tortoise logo stand out in a competitive industry.

Q: Las Tortugas Food Truck & Catering is a family-owned business that offers a taste of authentic Mexican cuisine as well as other items. What are some of the differences between authentic Mexican food and the more Americanized fare available at other restaurants and food trucks?

A: Americanized Mexican is not bad, but it relies on over-seasoned meats and very neutral flavor vegetables to fill out the meal. With authentic Mexican food, we use variety of produce to enhance the flavor of our main item. Cilantro and onions may seem very basic on a taco, but they add a fresh bite that contrasts with the savory meats. Our salsa adds an earthy flavor and a pleasing kick to engage your senses. Even the corn tortilla, which just seems like a mode of delivery to the mouth, has a very rustic grain flavor. No item in Mexican cuisine is used as a filler. Each ingredient brings a unique flavor to enhance the overall dining experience.

Q: How long has your family been involved in the restaurant business? Who are some of the primary people making Las Tortugas a success in Indianapolis?

A: The restaurant industry has always been with my family for as long as I can remember. My family has a passion for cooking and serving people to share our culture and skill. My father expresses that passion the most. Las Tortugas is a product of his 18 years’ experience as a chef and his dream to own his own restaurants. With the help of my mother, uncle, and a few friends, we have been able work efficiently and work more events this year!

Q: What are some of your most popular menu items?

A: Our popular item varies by location. Indianapolis loves La Tortuga torta. Westfield goes crazy for our buttery shrimp tacos. Our chips and guacamole is a favorite for catering.

Q: What do you enjoy most about the Statehouse Market?

A: Statehouse market is a very unique experience for us. Everyone is so nice! The customers, staff, and the other vendors are always friendly. It is also very busy, but very organized compared to other events we have been. The customers are also willing and even excited to try new foods.

Q: What is the most unique item on your menu and how was it created?

A: The most unique item has to be our Tortuga Torta. It is our version of a Mexican torta that we enhanced with a few our own touches. We use panko for our bread chicken, and we made our own spicy sauce called “Torta Sauce.” The pineapple is the real kicker, which brings a sweet and citrusy flavor to every bite!

Five Questions with Soul Sista On the Move

From festivals to farmer’s markets throughout the Circle City, Tressie Mickens-Maxwell’s blue and gold-hued food truck strives to bring a little heart and a lot of soul (food) to her customers.

With a menu that features many “comfort food” items and sides, Mickens-Maxwell’s mobile restaurant has quickly gained a following and made an impact in the competitive, ever-busy Indianapolis food truck scene.

Mickens-Maxwell’s distinctive truck is always “on the move,” perpetually roaming to and fro to bring home-style meals — and plenty of smiles — to hungry patrons. Soul Sista On the Move has proven to be a popular lunchtime stop for many at the Statehouse Market as well, and with a menu that features familiar favorites like mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, pork chops, chicken wings and a whole lot more, it’s easy to see why.

Fortunately, Soul Sista On the Move makes frequent stops at the Statehouse Market.

Read on to hear how Mickens-Maxwell and her crew are bringing their own brand of delicious soul food straight to you.

Q: Soul Sista on the Move specializes in “soul food.” What, to you, is “soul food,” and what inspired you to bring it to Indy via food truck?

A: Soul food is food that is good for the soul. I have always enjoyed cooking and once I started seeing the new trend of food trucks, I was determined to have one.

Q: Who are the people making the Soul Sista food truck a success with customers, and what are their roles?

A: My aunt has been with me since the first day I opened the truck. She helps me prep, wash the dishes, and she cleans the truck. One of my high school friends has helped me these last few years preparing food or cashiering.  But I do all the cooking to ensure that the food tastes the same every time.

Q: What do you like most about the Statehouse Market?

A: I like the staff because they help you get to the right spot; they are very informative. The customers are always pleasant and they buy food. I also love the fact that we are very well-welcomed at the Statehouse.

Q: What are a few of your more popular menu items?

A: wings, pork chops and sweet potatoes

Q: What do you like best about operating a food truck in Indianapolis?

A: Going to all the different events, jobs and especially the festivals. Indianapolis is so welcoming of food trucks.

Five Questions with Limelight Coffee

Liz Laughlin believes in letting your light shine through.

That “light,” of course, is each person’s passion – the inherently unique spark that guides us toward the pursuit of our dreams.

For this relatively nascent coffee connoisseur, following her passion for people — and for creating smiles with carefully crafted goods — meant trading barley and hops for caffeinated beans of nearly every sort. After a decade brewing beer, Laughlin saw the emergence of a new trend — specialty coffees — and set out to put her own spin on the ol’ “cup o’ Joe.”

One sip is all it takes to see that her choice was the right one.

Now a staple of the Statehouse Market each summer, Laughlin’s inimitable smile greets passersby each week as she fills every customer’s cup to the brim or offers take-home bags of three distinct coffee flavors, one of which rotates seasonally.

We’re being “brutally honest” when we say Laughlin’s Limelight Coffee Roasters is a one-of-a-kind take on java, and her craftsmanship and care shine through in every cup.

Read on to hear how Liz Laughlin is bringing the specialty coffee scene in Indy “into the limelight.”

Q: What are some things that separate Limelight Coffee Roasters from other brands?

A: I select and roast the most flavorful coffees from around the world. I have formulated two flagship blends that were created to be very balanced, yet complex. Everything is roasted fresh at my roastery in northeast Indianapolis.

Each roaster is going to be unique to themselves because we all have our own roast profiles. I roast coffees that I enjoy drinking.

Q: What is your favorite flavor from your company’s selection?

A: My favorite would probably be the “Brutally Honest” blend. It is a blend of Colombian, Ethiopian and Brazilian coffees. It is roasted to a medium/dark roast that really brings out notes of chocolate, berry and nuts. It is also a very versatile coffee for different brew methods, like espresso, French press, drip or cold brew.

Q: What’s the most rewarding part of producing/selling coffee products? What is the most difficult?

A: I love giving samples to people who are tentative about trying the cold brew or to people who say, “I don’t like cold coffee.” Then their eyeballs light up — not everybody, but most. It is enjoyable to give people a new experience.

Q: What do you like best about the Statehouse Market?

A: I love being a weekly vendor this year because I have been able to establish closer relationships with State of Indiana employees and the other vendors. I also like being able to provide fresh-roasted beans to people weekly, or if they just want a cup or jugs of cold brew to go back up to the office with.

Q: What do you hope the future holds for your business?

A: I hope to continue serving State of Indiana employees with hot coffee, cold brew and bags of fresh-roasted coffee beans.

Five Questions with Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort

You don’t have to go all the way to Louisiana for a true taste of the bayou!

Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort has been offering authentic Cajun dishes to the Indianapolis area for nearly a decade via a menu that is anything but standard food truck fare. Chef Dan Carter and Sous Chef Cyrus Braud are the architects behind an array of sandwiches that are as unique as the Mississippi Delta.

Catfish, alligator, oyster and more “po’ boy” sandwiches are staples of the truck, and those treats join sides fashioned in just the way Cajun cooks have been preparing meals for decades.

Talk about southern comfort!

Read on to learn more about Chef Dan, Chef Cyrus, their popular food truck and the inspiration for its deliciously eclectic menu below, and be sure to check them out this season at the Statehouse Market!

Q: Your mother was an obvious inspiration for your career, but who else had a hand in setting you on this career path?

A: Chef Dan’s has been around since 2009. Cyrus came to work for me in 2013 as I showed him how to prepare the dishes that my mother and grandmother showed me. My grandmother was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. Those recipes have been in the Carter and Brady families for years, so I brought them to Indy.

Q: Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort prides itself on serving authentic dishes from the bayou and the Mississippi Delta. What do you use for inspiration in creating your menu?

A: My grandmother cooked Cajun food for the family, and I just loved it. So, I created my menu from the same meals I grew up on.

Q: What is your favorite thing about appearing at the Statehouse Market?

A: To hear the [State of Indiana] employees tell me how they love the flavor of the food and how good it is makes me want to appear more.

Q: What are some new items this year that fans can look forward to trying at your food truck?

A: Cajun chicken pasta, shrimp creole, Cajun potato salad and seafood gumbo

Q: Chef Cyrus’ mother often visits the restaurant and prepares authentic New Orleans pralines. What, exactly, are New Orleans pralines and how do they differ from traditional versions?

A: Praline is a candy made with brown sugar, pecans and butter.

Lucky Market #13!

Many people believe the number 13 is one that is especially unlucky.

We, on the other hand, are not at all superstitious; as a matter of fact, we tend to think that good fortune and the Statehouse Market go hand-in-hand.

How else can you describe the circumstances that brought some of the Hoosier State’s freshest produce together with (deep breath) homemade granola and baked goods, quality dairy products, carefully crafted cold brew coffee, gold standard popcorn, top-of-the-line gluten free snacks, fresh-from-the-hive honey (and tons of products made from it) vegan nachos with all the best toppings, crab cakes and elk burgers (from the same truck!), baked-to-perfection brick oven pizza, donuts to die for, mouthwatering barbecued everything, grilled chicken quesadillas and real fruit smoothies (again, from the same truck!), arepa and other amazing sandwiches and meals straight from Venezuela, home-style Chinese food, pretzel sandwiches with delightful “twists,” a couple dozen flavors of healthy frozen pops, and burgers, fish, fries and more that will take you back to the days of drive-ins and sock hops?

Phew!

That sounds like some (extremely tasty) serendipitous happenstance to us!

And when you stop to think about it, visitors to Robert D. Orr Plaza each Thursday truly are lucky as they’ll have the opportunity to try out an enormously varied selection of food and artisan goods like these — and many others — each and every week throughout the summer.

Come out between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16 for a look at Week 13’s best eats and treats. Check out the list below for details on this week’s vendors and food trucks.

With a baker’s dozen markets “in the books” in 2018, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for this season.

We’re crossing our fingers and hoping you’ll join us each Thursday through Oct. 4.

Vendors:

VanAntwerp’s Farm Market

Poseys and Pumpkins

Biltz Greenhouses

Hot Toddy’s — Five Questions

Oberweis Dairy

Limelight Coffee

Groomsville Popcorn — Five Questions

Simple Taste — Items this week include empanadas, calzones, vegan options, baby peach pies (it’s Peach Month!), and plenty of sugar free Paleo cinnamon rolls!

Wildflower Ridge Honey — Five Questions

Food Trucks:

Serendipity Mobile Catering — Five Questions

Nacho Mama’s — Five Questions

Pi Indy

General American Donut Company — Five Questions

Backyard BBQ

Soladine Concessions

El Venezolano

Rolling Asian Delight

Der Pretzel Wagen

Dashboard Diner — Five Questions

J & J – A Taste of Home Catering — Five Questions — This week’s lunch special is a Philly cheese steak egg roll, French fries and a drink for $7.

Five Questions with General American Donut Company

General American Donut Company (GADCO) owners Adam Perry and Kari Nickander have spent years crafting delectable donuts — and it shows in every delicious bite.

Read more about their quest for the perfect pastry below, and check them out at this year’s Statehouse Market. Trust us: you ‘donut’ want to miss them.

Q: The General American Donut Company is a leader in the Indy craft donut movement. What exactly is a craft donut, and how do you create donuts with a difference customers can taste?

A: We make everything from scratch — the exact ingredients that you use in your kitchen. Not fancy, but made the old-fashioned way. We actually just completely changed our recipe. It took years of trying many recipes before we found one we fell in love with — and we fell hard.

It’s butter, eggs, live yeast, sugar and bread flour mixed, cut and fried with care for Indy.

Q: Who are the people behind GADCO in Indy and what are their respective roles?

A: Adam Perry and Kari Nickander: husband and wife team in life and ‘in crime.’ Adam holds the business together and Kari is all in the details.

Q: The Bennie (a half donut/half croissant), the maple bourbon bacon donut, and the ‘donut dog’ are few popular GADCO treats, but what are some other customer favorites?

A: Our powdered sugar cake donut is listed by Food and Wine as one of the 26 best donuts in America. And the best part is it is my Grandma Nettie’s recipe.

Q: What do you like most about the Statehouse Market?

A: It has become a tradition and a place to make new friends and fans.

Q: Is there a coffee and donut combo that goes together particularly well? If so, what do you suggest?

A: Truly, I am a purist. An old fashioned donut with a black cup of coffee is the best, but you can skip a step and get both! Our coffee and cream donut, which is a crowd favorite, [features] Stumptown Coffee/espresso frosting and is filled with a real fresh whipped cream.

Keep up with GADCO at their website and on Facebook and Twitter.