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From Filipino 'chili dogs' to South Korean poutine, Indiana's 1st test kitchen readies for launch

Young chefs with concepts that offer everything from Filipino street food to Midwest/West U.S. fusion cuisine are getting all the startup help they need at a novel test kitchen opening soon in the middle of the Hoosier State.

Photo: In-house

September 12, 2019 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

In a state in the middle of the nation. In a city in the middle of that state, tech and restaurant startups may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, that is precisely what's been happening in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, Indiana, where a 600-company tech startup project, called the Launch, is providing the perfect instant customer base for both a multi-million restaurant and residential complex that includes culinary talent and restaurant incubator, Fishers Test Kitchen. 

The project is right on the brink opening this fall when the entire state of Indiana gets mobbed by fall-leaf-crazed motorists, who tour the Hoosier State for its infinite acreage of public forests and, of course, all the leafy display of colors therein. The Test Kitchen in the Fishers District might be compared to an kinder, gentler version of Hell's Kitchen.

Just this week, the first four chefs and three restaurant concepts to start operating at Fishers Test Kitchen when it opens in the next month or so, were announced from a longer list of applicants for the spots. The Test Kitchen will be their domain as they try out their new concepts and hopefully build a following with the goal of eventually opening their own restaurants, according to organizers.

The initial Test Kitchen class chosen this week, include:  

• Carlos Salazar of Lil Dumplings, a Filipino-inspired global street food brand that might include a version of chili dogs, among other items by this up-and-coming young Indiana chef. 
• Leisha Berg of West Coast Nook, a Midwest/California fusion concept under the leadership of a former Los Angeles-based music industry professional who fell in love with food and offerings like pulled pork sliders with pineapple barbecue sauce.
• Brothers, Jung Gyu (John) Kim and Jung Min (Kim) Kim of Korave Korean BBQ, a South Korean concept led by two food truck entrepreneurs who specialize in dishes like barbecue beef poutine and barbecue chicken rice bowls.

The chefs and their brands will enjoy relatively short-term leases at the Test Kitchen of under two years,that also allow the facility to house a constantly evolving line-up of talent and related concepts. During their stays, the chefs will receive business coaching, mentorship and most importantly, ready access to hungry customers that provide that invaluable real-life experience so necessary in any business. 

Rent for the chefs chosen to participate in the venture is calculated as a percentage of their revenue. Chefs also hire their employees, purchase their supplies and buy operational must-haves like ad time and space. But everything from kitchen appliances to other major and often very costly pieces of restaurant equipment are there for their use, along with those aforementioned customers, who will hopefully fill the 350 Sun King Brewing dining area most of the time, the organizers said. 

The nearby tech startup hub, Launch Fishers, and its many companies and their employees, will certainly feed into business at Test Kitchen concepts, along with employees and vendors to the nearby Indiana IoT lab. In fact, the overall overall Fishers District, which officially opens this fall too, will provide a steady flow of residents, hotel guests and other visitors to the kitchen's entrepreneurs. 

"When we created the concept for the Fishers Test Kitchen a few years ago, it was a call to action in response to one of the most common comments I receive from residents, 'Where can we find local, quality chef-inspired food experiences in Fishers,'" Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said during the gala announcing the first set of Test Kitchen concepts this week. "The Yard at Fishers District will be that destination for Fishers residents in the coming months, and we can take pride in growing our own culinary talent as part of the Fishers Test Kitchen."

Test Kitchen co-founders, Jolene Ketzenberger and John Wechsler — who is also a key player in the nearby Fishers Launch — agreed.

"The type ofemployees our innovation-driven companies attract demand more from their dining options," he said during the interview, essentially describing the millennial and Gen Z targets many restaurants today are targeting. "Farm fresh, local, and organic are all options they expect.  These are menus most commonly found in locally-generated concepts and family-owned restaurants."

Ketzenberger and Wechsler see the site as a quasi-restaurant "school of life" designed to give each chosen chef the level of help each needs and wants. They said that may include everything from developing solid business plans and writing menus, to food-costing and staffing. 

"Or maybe a more established chef might want some advice on marketing and promotions or things like taxes or leasing," Ketzenberger said. "We'll tap into the robust entrepreneurial environment here and get our chefs the coaching they need." 

The 18-acre Fishers District development contains dozens of restaurant, retail, entertainment, hotel and residential properties at the junction of Interstate 69 and 116th Street in Fishers, Indiana. All-in, the development has about 105,000 square feet of retail space, including The Yard, Test Kitchen and nearly two dozen restaurant brands. It was developed by Indianapolis-based developers, Thompson Thrift Retail Group. Among the brands taking part already in the project are everything from dessert brand, Nicey Treat, to restaurant brand, Tropical Smoothie Café. This is the state of Indiana's first restaurant incubator. 

Chef photos: Provided

Rendering: Provided

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.