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

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!

2018 SECC ‘kickoff party’ headlines Week 15 Market!

This week’s Statehouse Market is extra special as the myriad food trucks and produce vendors will be joined on Robert D. Orr Plaza by numerous dignitaries and state employees for the formal kickoff of one of the year’s most important — and most anticipated — programs.

Indiana Department of Revenue Commissioner Adam Krupp is heading that statewide initiative — the 2018-19 State Employees’ Community Campaign (SECC). The SECC is a charitable effort that sees thousands of state employees donate to nonprofit organizations each year.

Taking charge immediately, the dynamic and driven Krupp helped set a new goal for this year’s SECC that hopes to net at least $1.5 million dollars.

Krupp’s chosen charity is Project 44, a nonprofit that encourages bone marrow donor registration at Be the Match, the goal being to connect potential donors with compatible transplant recipients. Project 44, so named in honor of former Butler basketball star Andrew Smith who wore the jersey number during his collegiate career with the Bulldogs, hopes to save at least 44 lives.

During Smith’s tenure, the team reached back-to-back NCAA Basketball Championship games.  The 6’11 center was instrumental in those tournament runs and was popular with students and fans. Tragically, the talented Zionsville native Butler faithful often called “Moose” died from an aggressive form of cancer in 2016. He was only 25-years-old.

After his passing, Andrew’s wife, Samantha, worked to create the charity that bears his number. Andrew Smith had received a bone marrow transplant in 2015 that family members believe extended his life.

The charity made news when one of the first matches facilitated through Project 44 led to a 2-year-old boy with leukemia receiving a needed bone marrow transplant. The donor? One of Smith’s Butler teammates.

That’s close to a storybook start for a nonprofit hoping to raise awareness of a life-saving process that organization members believe all-too-often goes “under the radar” of many Americans: the continual need for blood stem cell donors and recipients.

It’s truly an effort aimed at saving lives.

In addition to Project 44, dozens of other charities can be the recipients of donations from State of Indiana employees. The results of those donations are real, tangible and often come at just the right time for those in need. Read about the impact of last year’s campaign here.

INDOR Commissioner Adam Krupp (left) meets with IDEM Commissioner Bruno Pigott. Krupp is set to lead the 2018 SECC. Pigott headed the campaign last year.

With plenty of motivation to give back to organizations that fight everything from food insecurity to homelessness, it appears Krupp’s lofty goal is a reachable one.

Last year’s campaign, which was headed by Indiana Department of Environmental Management Commissioner Bruno Pigott, brought in about $1.4 million that was divided among more than 1,600 nonprofit agencies.

Those are the kinds of stories that inspire others to do good in the communities in which they live.

This year’s kickoff will continue to highlight that important point through a series of games and events that coincide with the already-fun and festive Statehouse Market. Indiana First Lady Janet Holcomb and First Dog Henry Holcomb are expected to appear at the event, which will feature a dunk tank, a pie-in-the face event and plenty of informational booths from several charities. Samantha Smith is also set to appear at Thursday’s SECC “kickoff party.”

What’s more, several vendors and food truck owners have decided to donate a portion of their proceeds toward the SECC! Check out the links below to read all about this week’s lineup and the featured items that can be purchased to give a boost to the campaign.

Great food + helping those in need = win-win for all.

It’s sure to be a fun time,  so make plans to have lunch outside this Thursday to learn more about a great cause while enjoying the amazing eats and treats only the Hoosier State’s finest farmers and entrepreneurs can provide.

Vendors:

VanAntwerp’s Farm Market

Poseys and Pumpkins

Biltz Greenhouses

Wildflower Ridge Honey — Five Questions

Uber Green Farms — Five Questions

Limelight Coffee — Five Questions — Limelight Coffee Roasters will donate $1 from each 32-oz. cold brew jug or bag of coffee beans sold Aug. 30!

Groomsville Popcorn — Five Questions — Groomsville Popcorn will donate $1 from each large bag of sea salt and kettle corn popcorn sold Aug. 30!

Simple Taste Specialty Bakery

Hot Toddy’s — Five Questions

Oberweis Dairy

Food Trucks:

Nacho Mama’s — Five Questions — Nacho Mama’s will donate $1 from every indescribably delicious mini taco salad sold Aug. 30!

Simply Divine Cupcakes — Five Questions

Droopy’s BBQ — Got a hankering for some mac ‘n cheese? How about barbecue mac ‘n cheese? Droopy’s BBQ will donate $.50 from each barbecue mac ‘n cheese dish sold Aug. 30!

Chomp’Z — Who doesn’t like a delicious tenderloin? It’s called “Hoosier Comfort Food” for a reason, after all. Chomp’Z will donate $1 from each tenderloin sold Aug. 30!

Da Blue Lagoon

Las Tortugas — Five Questions

Nicey Treat

Serendipity — Five Questions

Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort — Five Questions — Chef Dan’s will donate 10 percent of Aug. 30 sales to the SECC!

Soladine Concessions

Pierogi Love Indy

The NY Slice

We’ll see you on Robert D. Orr Plaza Thursday, Aug. 30!

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.

Market moves on to Week 9

Like everyone else, we wish we could celebrate our birthday every day of the year.

But as is the case with all good things, our week-long birthday party, unfortunately, must come to an all-too-brief end.

Don’t be sad for us! We had a wonderful time, and our special day was that much more memorable since we were able to spend it with you!

Even better news is that the Statehouse Market’s seventh season still has a long way to go before we close up “shop” for the fall. And this week’s line-up, as always, will bring along enough great food, quality produce and artisan specialty products to last until next year’s birthday.

We hope you’ll visit us on Robert D. Orr Plaza this Thursday, July 19, and help us continue making fun summer memories and sharing the distinctly Hoosier food and entrepreneurship that will always form the heart of the Statehouse Market.

As always, we’ll be there from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

We can’t wait to see you there!

In the meantime, check out this week’s awesome line-up below:

Vendors

VanAntwerp’s Farm Market

Poseys and Pumpkins

Biltz Greenhouses

Wildflower Ridge Honey  — Five Questions

 Hot Toddy’s  — Five Questions  — Hot Toddy’s will have all of their usual goodies this week, including granola, fruit preserves, muffins, brownies, cookies, pound cake, buckeyes, and more!  Gluten free versions of some items are also available!

Limelight Coffee Roasters

Groomsville Popcorn  — Five Questions

Simple Taste

Batch No. 2  — Five Questions

Food Trucks

The Twisted Sicilian  — Cucumber salad and watermelon salad are on this week’s menu!

Nacho Mama’s  — Five Questions

Gigi’s Cupcakes

Wild Boar BBQ

Soladine Concessions

El Venezolano

5280 Bistro

J & J – A Taste of Home  — Five Questions — A Taste of Home is bringing along its famous jerk fries — a pile of their seasoned fries with cheese sauce, jerk chicken and jerk steak, shredded cheese, cilantro and onions! They will also be offering a $5 lunch special for a limited time that includes a fried all-beef hot dog, French fries and a drink. Supplies are limited!

Nicey Treat

Lucky Louie’s Sausages and Hot Dogs

The NY Slice

Market marches on to Week 7

Celebrate your independence from a boring, banal or otherwise bland lunch by visiting the Statehouse Market this Thursday!

Almost a dozen food trucks will line up from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Robert D. Orr Plaza with a selection of cuisine we declare is delicious.

As always, this week’s vendors will bring along top-of-the-line Hoosier-grown produce and lovingly-crafted, homebaked goods sure to be the stars of any summer get-together.

We think that visiting the Statehouse Market each week is pretty much the definition of the pursuit of happiness. After the fun and fireworks of this Fourth of July, why not join us for our weekly celebration of Hoosier farmers and good, old-fashioned American entrepreneurship?

We hope to see you there!

Vendors:

VanAntwerp’s Farm Market

Poseys and Pumpkins

Biltz Greenhouses

Hot Toddy’s  — Five Questions

Limelight Coffee Roasters

Groomsville Popcorn  — Five Questions

Simple Taste Specialty Bakery

Brick House Vinaigrettes  — Five Questions

Food Trucks:

The Twisted Sicilian  — Cucumber salad is this week’s special.

5280 Bistro

Pi Indy

Simply Divine Cupcakes  — Five Questions  Simply Divine will be offering gluten free and vegan options this week.

Droopy’s BBQ  – Special will be a Cubano Sandwich (pulled pork, honey ham, Swiss cheese, pickle and Droopy’s mustard BBQ sauce) with a bag of Grippos potato chips for $12.

Boxburger  — Five Questions

Edwards’ Drive-In Dashboard Diner  — Five Questions

Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort  — Vegetarian red beans and rice is this week’s special.

Da Blue Lagoon

Ooo Weee Chicken

Nicey Treat

Five Questions with Hot Toddy’s

Longtime flight attendant Todd Keys has spent the better part of the last two decades perfecting his homemade granola.

Keys’ interpretation of that beloved breakfast/snack food quickly gained a positive reputation with family and friends who encouraged him to sell his creation. Keys gradually added other items to a growing product line he later named “Hot Toddy’s.”

Now, Keys’ lineup features jellies, jams, cookies, brownies, lemonade and more. That smorgasbord of treats firmly puts Hot Toddy’s in the rarefied air occupied by some of the Indy area’s most diverse entrepreneurs.

Like the Statehouse Market itself, with Hot Toddy’s, there’s definitely something for everyone.

Q: Your business began with homemade granola but has quickly expanded to include baked goods, preserves and more. Was it always the goal to include more items, or did you originally envision your business as a granola-only shop?

A: I began making my own granola about 20 years ago. I experimented with many different recipes before finally creating my own, which is more or less what it is today. I would say around eight to 10 years ago, I began giving it as gifts and sharing it with others. People began telling me that I should sell it, so I did.

I first sold it at the farmers market in my hometown of Winchester. A good friend of mine asked me if I could sell not only granola, but other baked goods as well, in her snack shop at a local school. I began using her kitchen space to make granola, cookies, brownies and other treats. She carried lots of varieties of local apples in her shop and asked me if I could use the apples that were not perfect to sell.

That is when I began making apple bars and apple butter. I quickly decided I could also make other fruit preserves and jellies, as I had watched my mother and grandmothers do it many times over the years. So, to answer your question, I never really envisioned having a shop at all. I have always loved to cook and bake, so this evolution has been a lot of fun.

Q: What did you do prior to starting Hot Toddy’s, and what was the catalyst that led you to start your own business?

A: I am currently a flight attendant and have been for 27 years. While I still enjoy it, I longed to do something that would allow me to spend more time at home. So now I fly a little less and bake a whole lot more.

My partner, Earl, joined me about three years ago, and while he is a good baker as well, he definitely runs the business side of the operation. We make a good team and have plenty of work to keep us both very busy.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about appearing at the Statehouse Market?

A: The Statehouse Market allows us to be right downtown where we are able to share our product with so many more people. We love introducing our granola and other goodies to new customers, and really love it when they return to us or write to us telling us how much they loved everything.

Q: What has been the most rewarding part of running your own business? What has been the most challenging?

A: The most rewarding part of running Hot Toddy’s is the freedom to create new products every day. The most challenging part is finding enough time to do everything we want to do!

Q: Tie dye is a signature of the Hot Toddy’s brand. How did you decide on this unique look for your logo?

A: A good friend of mine, who is a flight attendant and a graphic designer, designed my Hot Toddy’s logo. I wanted something simple, yet fun. I have always loved tie dye. So when we decided on making the T-shirts, we simply had white shirts made with our logo, and Earl and I tie dyed them all.

I love all of the color. We want to stand out at a farmers market. Colorful tie dye shows what we are all about — having fun and sharing our natural and delicious goodies!