James Beard Foundation

Indianapolis restaurants receive attention from one of the most-prestigious awards in the dining industry.

Downtown’s new caffeinated table-tennis spot is a smash hit.

Irvington gets The Mug, and Ohio gets Shapiro’s.

Scratch Truck’s new venture, the James Beard Foundation recognizes Indy chefs and restaurateurs, and new restaurants coming to Circle Centre.

R.J. Wall’s audacity and love for local cuisine led him to cold-call The Beard House in New York City, announcing that he would be bringing a quintet of Indiana chefs for a dinner slated for August 6.

These days, it seems, a restaurant opening has become reason enough to visit parts of the city outside of our natural circles.

Last Thursday, the idyllic Joseph Decuis Farm in Roanoke played host to a Celebrity Chef Tour benefiting the James Beard Foundation. The tour travels the United States, replicating the once-in-a-lifetime dining experience at the historic James Beard House in Manhattan. The farm’s gorgeous spread, located six miles from the restaurant, offered the kind of perfect backdrop that made you wonder when the Saveur photo shoot would begin. In fact, before guests were seated at a sprawling white-clothed barn table decked out in vases of fresh flowers, visiting James Beard rep Jeff Black, owner of the series, hailed the Indiana venue as the third most beautiful site the series had ever visited, Number One and Number Two being Hawaii and Napa Valley. According to Pete and Alice Eshelman, the owners of Joseph Decuis (that’s pronounced day-QUEEZ, by the way) and gracious hosts for the evening, the 130 guests came from as far as Texas, Boston, and North Carolina to partake in the festivities.