The Future of Fine Dining

A select group of culinary stars (Brown, Mehallick, Hardesty, Dunville) spearheaded the renaissance in Indy’s restaurant scene, but these days, the young chefs training under them are just as likely to be the ones making your dinner. We caught up with the next wave and grilled them about personal favorites and inspirations. It’s an enticing taste of where cuisine is headed.

<< ERIN TILL

Personal Culinary Style: American, plain and simple.

Weeknight Dinner at Home: Tacos. “My poor husband probably gets tired of them.”

Culinary Inspirations: Ferran Adria for his innovation, Julia Child for her humor.

JOHN ADAMS >>

Best Meal Ever: Bone marrow with grilled bread and tomatoes at Casa Mono in NYC. 

Weeknight Dinner at Home: Steak or hotdogs and chips. “Who wants to cook and clean all day just to do it again?” 

<< TYLER HERALD

Weeknight Dinner Out: H2O. “I can’t get enough of their barbecued eel.”  brush with fame: Cooking for Anthony Bourdain on his stop in Indy. 

Favorite Snack While Working: “I’m a gummi-bear fiend.”

JONATHAN BROOKS >>

Night-off Restaurant Choice: H2O. “There is absolutely no other reason to eat sushi in this town.” 

Weeknight Dinner at Home: Sardines on toast with mayo and pickles. 

Best Meal Ever: Tacos de chicharron in Oaxaca, Mexico. 

>> MORE: See fun outtakes from these up-and-comers’ photo shoots.

<< LAYTON ROBERTS

Can’t Live Without: Butter, bacon, and really good bread.  

Weeknight Dinner Out: Jockamo Pizza 

Music to Cook By: Tool, Grateful Dead, Radiohead. “But none in the kitchen after 5. It drives me crazy!”

SHANE DeWEESE >>

Hobbies Outside of Cooking: Chess. “It’s a lot like working in a kitchen. You must always be two steps ahead.” 

Music to Cook By: Good old rock ’n’ roll for cooking; Aphex Twin when it’s time to clean up. 

<< MATTHEW BUSH

Weeknight Dinner Out: Ale Emporium for Hermanaki Wings. 

Weeknight Dinner at Home: Broken-yolk sandwiches with any kind of cured meat.

ABBI MERRISS ADAMS >>

Weeknight Dinner at Home: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and grilled pizza. 

Music to Cook By: DeVotchka, the Ramones, and Frank Black.

>> BONUS: See outtakes from the chefs’ photo shoots here.

Photos by Gregory Miller and Stacy Newgent.

This article originally appeared in the March 2012 issue.