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Thursday, June 7, 2012

What's Cooking At Indy's Kitchen?

Finalists Announced for Local Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge

Original food biz concepts appeal to human and canine customers


Three finalists have been selected to participate in judging for the Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge, a regional contest to find the next great food entrepreneur. The Challenge is sponsored by Indy's Kitchen , a local food business incubator, and by Reliable Water Services a local provider of commercial water heaters, boilers and water softeners. Aspiring chefs and home cooks were invited to enter by submitting a short application and a photo of their recipe or product concept. Finalists were selected based on the originality and viability of their concept and appearance based on an initial photo. Finalists include:
  • Suzanne Clifford- Indianapolis, Ind. – Brainy Kids Snacks - kids and parents will lovethese tasty treats packed full of protein, fiber and Omega 3s. Snacks are individually packaged with fun trivia questions to increase knowledge about the brain and overall health.
  • William Schmidt – Carmel, Ind.Sals"RA"! Taste the Power of the Sun – a unique salsa geared towards the true spice enthusiast. The salsa starts with the sweet taste of berries, and ends with a fiery blast of a signature threepepper blend.
  • Sherri Campbell – Indianapolis, Ind.Blizzard Bones and Polar Paws gourmet, home-crafted, organic frozen treats for dogs. These doggie snacks are available in both sweet and savory flavors that are tasty enough for humans to enjoy.
Finalists will compete for the grand prize in a judging event at Indy’s Kitchen on Tuesday,
June 19th at 2:30 p.m. The grand prize winner will receive $2,500 in seed money to start their
business and over $500 of professional cookware from Reliable Water Services, and expert
consultation and commercial kitchen time from Indy’s Kitchen valued at $500.

Judges for the contest include Ian Kille, executive chef, MCL Restaurant & Bakery, Emory
Costanios, executive chef with Hilton Indianapolis North and Becky Eaton, owner of Becky’s
Healthy Kitchen in Indianapolis.

Finalists of the Hottest Kitchen Entrepreneur Challenge will also have the opportunity to
provide samples of their recipes and participate in a ‘People’s Choice’ judging on Wednesday,
June 20th at Bankers Life Fieldhouse during Schmooza Palooza, the Indy Chamber largest
party of the year and an energetic gathering for business professionals.

Events at the kitchen in June 


Flavor NoLabor Cooking Class - Root Naturals: Cooking with Caramelized Onions
Date: Thursday June 14th
Time: 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Cost: $60
Onions are the workhorses of the kitchen, transforming countless dishes into delicious meals. Learn how to make flavorful recipes. Hands-On.

Flavor NoLabor Cooking Class - Seasons 52 @ Home: Techniques of Healthy Cooking
Date: Thursday June 21th
Time: 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Cost: $60
Learn the secrets of cooking like Seasons 52 restaurant from ingredient selection for calorie control to specific cooking techniques.

Introduction to Small Batch Canning
Date: Saturday June 23rd
Time: 2:00-3:30PM
Cost: $20.00
Excited to learn about one of the oldest methods for putting up food, or just interested in surviving the zombie apocalypse? Look no further - Introduction to Small Batch Canning is the perfect class for you!
Our class will show you the ropes of preserving food in jars. We'll cover the basics of food safety, what jars to use (and where to buy them), pickling spices (how to make them on the cheap and easy), and basic recipes.
We'll include a demonstration of our new favorite recipe, sweet and spicy beer pickles, so you can watch the entire canning process from start to finish. There will also be giveaways and some secrets we just can't share until you get there!


Becky's Healthy Kitchen VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN COOKING
Date: Wednesday June 27th
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Cost: $35.00
Are you interested in decreasing animal proteins? Want to learn about tasty alternatives like tofu, tempeh, soybeans, legumes and nuts? Come to this class! We will also go over vegetarian and vegan alternatives for traditional kitchen staples like mayo and butter. Class limit: 15 participants


Flavor NoLabor Cooking Class Caribbean Flavors for Summer
Date: Thursday June 28th
Time: 6:30-9PM
Cost: $60
Caribbean dishes mix the sweet tastes of tropical fruit with spices to give a dish bursting with flavor. Learn how to bring the tastes of the islands to your table.