Guests, Chefs and Farmers enjoy Local Food Throwdown

Greg Gunthorp, Ben Hoffman, Dennis Wood and Jeff Hawkins (L-R) enjoy great food and conversation at the Local Food Throwdown

Inaugural Fundraiser for Northeast Indiana Local Food Network was a Big Success!

Guests, chefs and local food farmers enjoyed the Local Food Throwdown, a friendly competition between some of our community’s finest chefs and mixologists, each featuring fresh local ingredients from our region's farms.

On October 4, 2021, guests at the inaugural Local Food Throwdown enjoyed sumptuous local food dishes and cocktails created by some of our region’s finest chefs and mixologists. The event featured talent from: Bravas, Chance Bar, Copper Spoon, Hetty Arts Pastry, Landing Beer Company, Mercado, Tolon, True Kimchi, & Walnut Hill Catering.

This first fundraising event hosted by the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network raised over $10,000 which will support the Network’s programs and help establish a strong financial foundation for nonprofit organization. The event also launched the new Northeast Indiana Farm to School Fund, raising $1,000 to support regional Farm to School programs!

In addition to the friendly chef and bartender competition, the evening included a local food-themed silent auction filled with special local food products and experiences generously donated by local food farms, markets and restaurants across Northeast Indiana.

Our thanks to Caleb France and Brendon Maxwell of Landing Beer Company & Utopian Coffee+Kitchen for being the Host Sponsor for this inaugural Local Food Throwdown. Their spaces provided the perfect venue for our guests to interact with the Local Food Throwdown contestants and each other in a relaxed atmosphere. 

We were thrilled by the lineup of talented chefs and mixologists and the special recipes they created for each dish and cocktail to highlight the diverse bounty of local ingredients that come form our region’s farms.

Check out all the photos from the 2021 Local Food Throwdown and the complete lineup of chefs, mixologists, descriptions of their delicious creations and lists of their local ingredients.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who organized, participated in and attend the Local Food Throwdown. We are so grateful for your generous support!

Everyone had such a great time this year, they are already asking about our plans for the 2022 Local Food Throwdown! We’ll announce our plans and the date by early next near!

Chef Adam House of Landing Beer Company & Utopian Coffee+Kitchen