Meet the man behind Indy's mac and cheese fest
Chefs Night Off Indy co-founder R.J. Wall. works tirelessly to bring attention to Circle City chefs and restaurants
How did Indy get a mac and cheese fest? Who brought Culinary Fight Club here? How did Central Indiana chefs get through the door at New York City’s esteemed James Beard House? Thank R.J. Wall. The Chefs Night Off Indy supper club co-founder works tirelessly to bring local and national attention to Circle City chefs and restaurants.
Chefs Night Off Indy dinners usually feature undiscovered sous chefs and line cooks. In 2016, Wall expanded the concept into creating some Indy’s coolest food events, including the ever-growing Return of the Mac: Indy's First Mac & Cheese Fest Jan. 8 at Pan American Plaza. The event Wall, Do317 and Josh Baker of MOKB Presents originally planned at Circle City Industrial Complex. When tickets sold out in a matter of days, Wall moved the festival to the larger venue.
Indy's mac and cheese fest sells out, again
"A special shout out to all the chef's involved in this. What started as 'Hey wanna make some make and cheese for a fun party?' quickly turned into 'Hey you guys want to feed half of Indy?' They've all been champs to work with. A bunch of class acts," Wall said on the festival's Facebook page.
Wall may be Indy chefs' biggest fan. In 2015, he vowed to stage a dinner with some of city's top chefs at the James Beard House. The Beard Foundation that runs the house nurtures America’s diverse culinary heritage and bestows the annual James Beard Awards, the so-called “Oscars of the food world.”
Wall emailed the Beard Foundation to ask, “What time should we arrive for dinner?”
“My dad always said something to the effect of you just have to tell people what you want, not ask for it,” Wall said. When the Beard Foundation reviewed the lineup of cooks Wall had in mind, the organization said, “Please come in.” Wall aimed to showcase Indiana’s stunning artisan and farm foods and chefs rethinking the state’s cuisine.
Deciding who would go was not easy. Wall consulted chefs, restaurant owners, media professionals and savvy diners. He arranged for another group of area chefs to cook at the house in December 2016.
“My decision was based upon what was going to be the most exciting and draw the most attention to Indianapolis,” Wall said. “It wasn’t an easy pick.” Find out about CNO Indy events at facebook.com/ChefsNightOffIndianapolis.
Call Liz Biro at (317) 444-6264. Follow her on Twitter @lizbiro, Instagram @lizbirodish, Facebook and Pinterest.
