The Local Food Throwdown celebrates the best and freshest ingredients from Northeast Indiana farms and the talented individuals who produce and serve them - all while raising critical funds for Northeast Indiana Local Food Network programs and initiatives.

Come enjoy locally-sourced Appetizers, Entrees & Desserts prepared by Nine of Northeast Indiana's finest chefs and vote on your favorites in this friendly competition.

The evening includes music performed by the Farmland Jazz Band, our launch of the new Local Food for All Fund, and a local food-themed silent auction with unique local food items & experiences. 

Tickets are $150 per person. Gather eight friends and request to sit together to enjoy this fun & delicious event!

Great Food for the Greater Good

The Local Food Throwdown raises crucial funds for the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network to help grow & connect our local food economy for our farmers, families, food entrepreneurs, schools and restaurants.

Your generous support will help us build a thriving Northeast Indiana food system where fresh, local food is at the heart of the community, readily obtainable by all, and where farmers are empowered by a strong regional food economy.

We believe that with innovation and collaboration, we can develop a resilient food system that regenerates the land, fosters connection, and ensures a healthier future for all Northeast Indiana families generations to come.

The new Local Food for All Fund was created to help make fresh, local food more obtainable for all. Donations to this fund directly support initiatives that reduce food insecurity and build a stronger regional food economy for farmers and families across Northeast Indiana.

Amazing Local Food

During the Local Food Throwdown, guests mingle with chefs to learn about their culinary creations each made with local ingredients, and about the local farms that produce them. Each guest will enjoy 3 appetizers, 3 entreés and 3 desserts prepared and served by our Nine Chefs competing in the Throwdown. Our special chefs for the evening will be announced in early September.

Special gluten-free and vegan dishes featuring local ingredients will be featured during each course for guests who indicate this preference when they buy their tickets.

Local Food Throwdown tickets include two drink tickets for a full service bar featuring special cocktails, mocktails, wines, meads, ciders and beers made with local ingredients.

The Lodge at Camp Red Cedar

The Lodge at Camp Red Cedar is a beautiful new event venue located at 3900 Hursh Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46845, just north Union Chapel Road. We are excited to host the Local Food Throwdown at Camp Red Cedar and help support their mission. The Lodge has spacious indoor and outdoor spaces for our guests to enjoy, and plenty of on-site parking. The venue is also fully ADA accessible.

Sponsorship of the Local Food Throwdown

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network is welcomes inquiries about sponsorship of the Local Food Throwdown. If you, your business or your organization is interested in Local Food Throwdown Sponsorship, please contact Janet Katz at Janet@neifood.org or (260)241-2260. Your generous support is greatly appreciated.

Volunteer at the Local Food Throwdown

The Local Food Throwdown Planning Committee is seeking volunteers to help the event flow smoothly, and assure that each guest enjoys a wonderful evening. We are seeking volunteers to assist the committee before, during and after the event. If you are interested in learning more, or signing up to volunteer, please contact Ellen Bauman at Ellen@neifood.org.

Thank you to Our 2025 Local Food Week Hosts & Co-Hosts

Thank you to each of our Local Food Week hosts & co-hosts for opening your farms and businesses to visitors and sharing how you grow and produce local food and prepare delicious food and beverages with local ingredients.

Thank you to Our Local Food Week 2025 Committee and Vendors

Thank you to Denise Hoff, our dedicated Local Food Week Committee Chair, for all her time and effort planning and managing this region-wide event and to her committee, Michele Schnelker, Vivi Guzman, Alexis Wagner, Ina Mathews, Lauren Knoop, Karen Petersen and Janet Katz for their countless hours organizing and promoting this 10-day celebration. Thank you to Amy Burch who was a tremendous help to us, delivering event materials throughout Wells and Huntington counties. Special thanks to Ellen Bauman, our enthusiastic Local Food Outreach Coordinator, for working closely with our hosts to plan and promote their events and for sharing all the stories around Local Food Week on our social media.

Thank you to Just Sue Graphic Design for their engaging and informative design for our Local Food Week 2024 Companion Guide (See below), and to Courier Printing for putting it all together. We received rave reviews on this booklet from both our Local Food Week hosts and participants.

Thank you to Our Community

Thank you to our enthusiastic supporters and followers on social media and in our local food community for helping to share news about Local Food Week and encouraging their friends and neighbors to participate.

Thank you to the Journal Gazette, The Local, Input Fort Wayne, KPC Media, whatzup and WBCL 90.3 for their coverage and editorials about Local Food Week and for raising awareness of the value that locally produced food brings to our community.

Local Food Week 2025 Photo Gallery

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

The NEILFN highlights both significant challenges and bold opportunities for the region's food system. Spanning 11 counties and incorporating insights from over 500 community voices, the analysis reveals a stark reality: despite Indiana's rich agricultural heritage, a staggering 90% of all food and 98% of produce consumed in the region is imported from outside the state.

The assessment details critical issues, including shrinking farmland and increasing land costs, an aging farmer population and limited infrastructure for local food processing and distribution. At the same time, over 100,000 residents struggle with food insecurity, contributing to growing concerns about obesity and diet-related illnesses.

However, NEILFN asserts that Northeast Indiana is uniquely positioned to become a national leader in the local food movement. According to the report, "Positioned in the middle of multiple U.S. population centers, Northeast Indiana sits within overlapping foodsheds – geographic areas where food flows from regional farms to tables in homes, schools, and restaurants. This presents unique opportunities for local food production growth. By prioritizing local access, Northeast Indiana can maximize the economic and health benefits of its agricultural assets, keeping the value of local food circulating close to home where it can make the greatest impact."

“This moment calls for collaborative action,” said Karen Petersen, Executive Director of NEILFN. “If Northeast Indiana has the capacity and the will to lead in local food innovation, we can get there by working together.” Key recommendations from the Assessment’s Call to Action for the Northeast Indiana region include: A Northeast Indiana Local Food Initiative to coordinate investment into action and build capacity across counties, A Regional Food Hub Feasibility Study to boost aggregation and distribution capacity and Regional Scaling of Double Up Nutrition Incentives and Food is Medicine programs to improve health through access to fresh produce.

In addition, a 2025-2027 Strategic Plan has been released for the NEILFN organization which establishes six priorities: Capacity Building, Financial Stability, Local Food System Development, Healthy and Obtainable Local Food, Food Hub Development and Farm to School Development.

The NEILFN is guided by a revised vision and mission to “collaborate with partners across Northeast Indiana and beyond to cultivate a resilient local food system that connects our communities, reduces food insecurity, creates prosperity for our farms, and nourishes all our families.” The NEILFN aims to serve as a central convener, connector, and catalyst for change by collaborating with farmers, schools, nonprofits, healthcare institutions, funders, policymakers, and community members.

This initiative has been facilitated by sustainable food system consultants, Kristi Sturtz, ALM, AICP with Sturtz Public Management Group, and Katherine Vellucci, ALM. Funding for the initiative has been generously provided by the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation and through a Regional Food Systems Partnership grant from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

Join the Movement

NEILFN invites community members, funders, institutions, and businesses to engage with this vision and turn strategy into action. The full Assessment, Call to Action and Strategic Plan are available at www.NEIfood.org.

Together, we can cultivate a Northeast Indiana where local food is at the heart of our communities - supporting thriving farms, healthy families, and a more resilient future.

Be a part of the Local Food Guide

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network created our online Local Food Guide to help promote and connect the growing number of businesses and organizations in our region that grow, produce, buy, sell, prepare, serve and support local food.

This searchable Guide is designed to help our region’s local food farmers, food stores, artisan food producers, farmers markets, restaurants, breweries, wineries, distillers, caterers, organizations and supporting businesses connect with consumers and visitors across Northeast Indiana and with each other.

There are over 100 Local food Businesses and Organizations listed in the Local Food Guide. This Guide is a valuable start, but far from complete. We look forward to receiving your information for the Guide and to expanding it over the coming months and years.

The Local Food Guide is a resource for those who are seeking to know where their food comes from, how it is produced, and who want to support our Northeast Indiana farmers and producers with their purchases.

Submit Your Information

If your business/organization is within the 11 counties of Northeast Indiana and fits in one of the categories below, please submit your information to be included the Local Food Guide! Complete ONE form for the category that best describes your business.

• Local Food Farm

• Farmers Market

• Artisan Food/Beverage Producer that features products from local farms as key ingredients in your food or beverage products.

• Grocery or Specialty Food Store that sells food from local farms and products from local artisan food/beverage producers

• Restaurant, Food Truck, Brewery, Winery, Distillery or Catering business that regularly features several locally sourced ingredients on your menu or in your products.

• Community Organization or mission-driven business whose work supports and strengthens our region’s local food system

If you know a farmer or food business that is not connected through the internet to our Local Food Community and who you think would benefit from being part of this Local Food Guide, please print out and share this information with them and encourage them to contact us.

More About the Guide

The Northeast Indiana businesses featured in the Local Food Guide grow, raise, produce, sell and serve local foods and beverages made from ingredients sourced from specific family farms in the 11 counties of Northeast Indiana and enjoyed by consumers across Northeast Indiana. Our Land. Our Tables.

This guide is designed to be searchable by location and by product. It will be expanded and updated frequently as locally grown & raised products come into season and our region’s local food market outlets evolve over time. We reserve the right to determine which businesses are listed in the guide and to verify the accuracy and authenticity of the listings.

2025 Local Food Week - Sign up NOW to Host Tours & Events
When: Friday, July 25 thru Sunday, August 3
Where: Local Food Farms, Markets, Restaurants, Businesses & Organization across NE Indiana

Be a part of the 6th annual Local Food Week! We invite local food farms, businesses and organizations to host farm tours and local food related events during this 10-day celebration of Northeast Indiana’s farms, markets, artisan food producers, restaurants, and organizations that bring local food from Our Land to Our Tables. 

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network launched Local Food Week in 2020 to create an opportunity for our families, foodies and visitors to our region to connect with those who grow, sell, serve and support the local food we all love. 

In 2024, Local Food Week featured over 40 different farms and local food businesses & organizations across 6 Northeast Indiana counties, who hosted over 2,000 participants for tours, events and tastings.

This year, our 6th Annual Local Food Week will build on the success of prior years. Multi-host events will provide an opportunity to collaborate with other local farms, businesses, organizations, wineries, breweries, restaurants, or food trucks. This allows attendees to engage with a variety of local offerings at a single event. .

We encourage you to welcome our community to see where our local food comes from, meet the folks who produce it, and taste the bounty that comes from the farms around us.

Local Food Week Host Registration ends Sunday, June 1, 2025.

Sign up TODAY to be a Local Food Week Host

If you are a local farm, food producer, restaurant, market or food-related business or organization, hosting a Local Food Week tour or event is a great way to build connections with consumers and your community. You can choose to host one tour or event on one day during the week, or host events on multiple days of Local Food Week. You choose what works best for you and for other nearby local food farms & businesses you choose to collaborate with for Local Food Week.

We will not highlight farms or businesses that are not doing a special event at their farm, market or business. For example, rather than listing a farm stand as open throughout the week as a Local Food Week event, the farm or business must host a special tour, product tasting, or activity (big or small) in addition that is not part of their regular business offerings. 

We encourage hosts to offer Local Food Week tours and events at NO or MINIMAL CHARGE, so these events remain financially accessible to all families. You are welcome to encourage donations for your farm or business, or to offer items for sale to your guests. We encourage you to consider offering pre-registration for your tour/event for your convenience, so you can predict and control the number of attendees. However, be aware that the need to pre-register will discourage some families from participating.

Have questions? Need help completing the host registration form? Contact Ellen Bauman our Local Food Outreach Coordinator at ellen@neifood.org or text/call (260)739-8748 or Denise Hoff, our 2025 Local Food Week Chair at info@neifood.org or text/call (260)438-0954.

Become a Local Food Week Sponsor

Since Local Food Week was created in 2020, there has been no cost for farms & businesses to host a Local Food Week event, and most events have been free for the public to attend. It's important to us that this region-wide local food celebration is accessible for everyone. Yet, organizing and promoting this 10-day, region-wide event requires considerable time and resources. Your Sponsorship support is greatly appreciated, and will assure that Local Food Week remains accessible and sustainable for years to come.

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network offers three levels of sponsorship for participating hosts: $50, $100 and $250. Our Local Food Week Sponsors will be acknowledged for their generosity in the printed 2025 Local Food Week Companion Guide, on our website and featured in our social media campaign. Contact Denise Hoff with any sponsorship questions at info@neifood.org or text/call (260)438-0954.

Understanding your Safety & Risk Management

Your safety and the safety of your Local Food Week guests is paramount. For additional information about agritourism precautions, and agritourism safety and risk management and managing liability on your property, please review this resource.

Looking for Ideas? Host one of these Local Food Week events…

• Collaborate with other local food farms, businesses, organizations, wineries/breweries or restaurants. Multi-host events are the most popular and allow attendees to engage with a variety of local offerings at a single event. Plan ways you can promote your events together!

• Farm Tours - Self-guided tours, or Guided small group tours. Pre-registration is encouraged to help you manage the number of visitors on the farm.

• Local Food Tastings & Demonstrations - Offer visitors the chance to taste new local foods and show them how to prepare them. Events that give participants the opportunity to taste new foods & beverages, or to purchase special or slightly discounted products are very popular.

• “Meet your Farmer” or “Meet your Artisan Local Food Producer” Events - Offer guests the opportunity to meet the person who grows or produces the local food you sell or serve.

• Picnics on the Farm - Encourage visitors to bring their own picnic, or collaborate with a local food truck or caterer to offer food for sale.

• Special Interest events for gardeners, foodies or families - Design your tour or event to have special appeal: 1) to families with young children, 2) to those looking for tips for their home garden, or 3) to those who are really into knowing more about the ingredients in their favorite foods, or pollinators or how to compost.

Feel free to think outside of the box and if you want to include an event you host regularly, we’re just asking that you provide a special addition to the event that we can highlight for Local Food Week.

Want to be a Local Food Week volunteer? Please reach out to us!

Karen has 20 years of experience in leadership roles in human resources and business/financial operations as well as a BS in Business Administration from Long Island University. Karen moved to Fort Wayne in 2018 and purchased 20 acres just outside the city limits. Together with her husband Dustin, they started Pequash Farms, a market garden farm that values sustainability, environmental stewardship, and responsibility. 

Karen has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for the last 9 years where she has received extensive training & looks out for the best interests of children who have been victims of child abuse and/or neglect in our community. Karen is currently the Eel River Township Trustee in northwest Allen County. In that role she serves residents in times of need, managing and administering Township Assistance and other important programs. 

Karen joined the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network (NEILFN) board in early 2024, taking on roles within the strategic planning and finance committees. Karen is currently participating in the Indiana Regional Food Systems Learning Collaborative as well as the Farm to School Fellowship initiative, sponsored by the USDA and Indiana Department of Health. In collaboration with St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, Karen will manage the Double Up Indiana program in Allen County. These opportunities will further inform and guide her when advancing and supporting nutrition incentive programs and expanding local food access to our community. In early 2025, Karen is excited to work closely with the Board of Directors and our Founding Director, Janet Katz, to develop and implement NEILFN’s strategic plan through our capacity building initiative.

Karen and Dustin have 2 adult children and are recently empty nesters. They enjoy spending time working on projects together around the farm and spoiling their animals which include their 2 rescues - a tripawd pittie mix and deaf cattle dog, barn cats, goats & chickens.

Reach out to Karen Petersen at Karen@neifood.org.

On October 29, the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network hosted the Nourishing our Community with our Local Food System conference to inform and inspire our community on ways we can work together to grow community health and wealth through food.

Keynote Speaker

Our Keynote Speaker was Alex Canepa, the Director of Policy at Fair Food Network, whose national leadership in nutrition incentives and food system impact investing has strengthened community food systems across the country. 

Alex shared his valuable perspective on the past, present and future of the local food movement. He challenged the over 100 attendees to actively collaborate with one another to build strong regional partnerships that can seize the opportunities and address the challenges of creating a resilient community food system. 

Allen County Commissioner Richard Beck and City of Fort Wayne Senior Planner Sherese Fortriede shared their insights on the role and importance of community food systems as highlighted in the recent All In Allen Comprehensive Plan.

Panel Discussions on Key Impact Areas

The event featured Panel Discussions with Q&A on three key impact areas of our Community Food System:

Food Is Medicine

Local produce prescription programs are impacting community health with incentives to patients to increase their consumption of fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Panel Host: Denise Hoff, Board Vice Chair, Northeast Indiana Local Food Network. 

Panelists: Kathy Wehrle, Community Outreach Dietitian, Parkview Health; Dr. Matt Sprunger, Retired Physician, Board member at Neighborhood Health and Indiana Department of Health, and Amber Broxon & Justin Miller, Owners of BroxonBerry Farm.

Food Insecurity 

Nutrition incentive programs such as Double Up Indiana impact community health by making it easy for families to use their SNAP/EBT card to double the value of fruits and vegetables they can buy at farmers markets and select grocery stores. 

Panel Host: Jered Blanchard, Community Wellness Coordinator, Purdue Extension. 

Panelists: Michelle Shippy - Food is Medicine Director, Indiana Department of Health; Logan Haffner - Impact Manager, Community Harvest Food Bank; Eric Manor - Assoc. Chief for Campus & Community Wellbeing at Purdue Fort Wayne; Yin Yin Moe - Burmese Workers Initiative, Worker's Project; and Mary Ann Mings - Inasmuch Ministry

Farm to School

Farm to School programs are growing across Northeast Indiana with nutrition & agriculture education, school gardens and local food procurement for nutritious school meals. 

Panel Host: Kylee Bennett, Community Well-Being Manager, Parkview Health. 

Panelists: Brianna Goode - Farm to School Coordinator, Indiana Department of Health; Felipe Guerra - Director Nutrition Services, Fort Wayne Community Schools; Matt Kurtz, Farmer with Kurtz Produce, and Becky Landes - Food Service Director, Manchester Community Schools.

Conference Impacts

Attendees at the Nourishing Our Community with our Local Food System conference shared with us how much they valued the opportunity to learn about the impactful work of the Fair Food Network and local food initiatives making an impact in Northeast Indiana. 

Participants told us they were especially grateful to be able to connect with local leaders and community members from across Northeast Indiana, who shared their passion for growing the health and wealth of our region through food. 

Conference participants shared that they were impressed by how many people were engaged in these topics and the extent to which people are committed to collaboration to strengthen our local food system. 

Gratitude for Conference Organizers and Supporting Organizations

We are grateful to the Do it Best Foundation for the opportunity to host this conference in the wonderful Don Wolf Conference Center at Do it Best headquarters at Electric Works in Fort Wayne. 

We thank Jain Young and David Greene of Plowshares at the Market for the delicious morning refreshments and amazing box lunches and soups featuring locally sourced ingredients. 

We appreciate Riley Johnson and the team at Fort Wayne Community School's Amp Lab at Electric Works for offering a tour of their unique school that exists to create opportunities for students to explore their passions, apply their talents, and make our community a better place.

We thank the Indiana Department of Health for their generous support through a Regional Food System Partnerships grant from the USDA that made this event possible.

Finally the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network is grateful to the dedicated planning committee for the Nourishing our Community with our Local Food System conference. Working together, we organized an event that will catalyze the growth of our local food system to better serve our community.

Nourishing our Community with our Local Food System Planning Committee
Janet Katz, Founding Director, Northeast Indiana Local Food Network
Eric Beers, Senior Associate, Community Solutions
Jered Blanchard - Community Wellness Coordinator, Purdue Extension
Michelle Bojrab-Wray, Lead Community Outreach Dietician, Parkview Health
Cori Chatterton, Community Food Systems Manager, Indiana Dept of Health
Felipe Guerra, Director Nutrition Services, Fort Wayne Community Schools
Betsy Kachmar, Community Volunteer, Bread for the World
Eric Manor, Campus and Community Wellbeing, Purdue University Fort Wayne
Katie Savoie, Director of Development, Community Harvest Food Bank
Jain Young, Heartland Communities, Plowshares at the Market at Electric Works

The NEILFN Board provides leadership, governance and support for the programs, projects and strategic planning that guide our nonprofit organization and fulfill our mission. The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network is expanding the size, capacity and diversity of our Board as our organization prepares to develop our new Strategic Plan in early 2025.

Serving as a Member at Large of our Board is a great opportunity for individuals who are passionate about local food and service to our community to get involved and use your skills to strengthen our local food system. Applications to join the Board are encouraged at any time.

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network supports the growth of a vibrant local food marketplace across Northeast Indiana. We help to connect and grow the local food economy for our region’s local food producers and businesses. 

Board of Directors Member at Large Job Description

Leadership, Governance and Oversight

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the NEILFN Director, Board Officers and other Members at Large as together you develop and implement the NEILFN strategic plan

• Approve NEILFN annual budget, audit reports, and all legal and fiduciary responsibilities

• Assist the NEILFN Director and Recruiting Committee in identifying and recruiting new Board Members

• Partner with the NEILFN Director and other Board Members to ensure that board resolutions are carried out

• Work in good faith with other Board Members as partners towards achievement of the organization’s goals

• Read all board meeting materials and actively participate in meetings

• Actively serve on at least one board committee or task force, and take on special assignments as needed

• Act as an ambassador for the NEILFN in the community

• Ensure the NEILFN’s commitment to a diverse board and staff that reflects the communities we serve

Fundraising

NEILFN Board Members at Large will consider NEILFN a philanthropic priority and make and / or seek annual gifts that reflect that priority. To permit NEILFN to credibly solicit contributions from foundations, organizations, individuals, NEILFN expects each Board Member to make an annual contribution that is commensurate with their financial capacity.

Board Participation and Term

Board Members at Large agree to a three year term with the option of renewal for one consecutive term. Board meetings are held monthly, twelve times per year. Board Members are expected to attend 75% of meetings in person or virtually. 

Qualifications for Service

• Initiative

• Integrity

• Analytical Skills in Decision Making

• Planning and Organizational Skills

• Collaborative

• Technical Ability (Email, Google Docs, etc)

• Time & Interest for Active Involvement

Questions? Contact Denise Hoff, Vice Chair of the NEILFN Board at info@neifood.org or (260)438-0954.

Thank you to Our 2024 Local Food Week Hosts

Thank you to each of our Local Food Week hosts for opening your farms and businesses to visitors and sharing how you grow and produce local food and prepare delicious food and beverages with local ingredients.

Azzitshudbe Farm
Berry Hill Farm 
Bloomingdale Gardens
Bolinger Family Farm
BroxonBerry
Copper Spoon
Cordes Berry Farm
Cupka’s Bee Good Meadery
E Brewing Company at Esterline Farms
Eel River Bison Ranch 
Filler Family Apiary LLC
Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory
Fort Wayne’s Farmers Market
Greener Pastures
Hawkins Family Farm 
Health Food Shoppe 
Hine Farms
Hoffman Certified Organics
Johnnie Mae Farm
Josh’s Jungle & The Process
Junk Ditch Brewing Company
Lone Tree Farms
Maple Acres
McComBees Apiaries
Merkat Moon Herbals & Earthworks
Orchard Hill Farms
Parkview Greenhouse & Learning Kitchen
Plant Happiness
Plowshares at the Market in Union Street Market
Poplar Village Gardens
Pork ‘N Cleaver
Purdue University Fort Wayne School of Education Urban Garden
Rose Avenue Education Farm 
Rowdy Rooster Artisan Meats
Small Batch Distributor
Springfield Acres
The River Farm
Timberline Delites LLC
Wood Farms Premium Meats
YLNI Farmers Market

Thank you to Our Local Food Week 2024 Committee and Vendors

Thank you to Denise Hoff, our dedicated Local Food Week Committee Chair, for all her time and effort planning and managing this region-wide event and to her committee, Kathy Wehrle, Karen Petersen, Susan Anderson, Michele Schnelker, Chris Knipstein and Janet Katz for their countless hours organizing and promoting this 10-day celebration. Special thanks to Ellen Bauman, our enthusiastic Local Food Outreach Coordinator, for working closely with our hosts to plan and promote their events and for sharing all the stories around Local Food Week on our social media.

Thank you to Just Sue Graphic Design for their engaging and informative design for our Local Food Week 2024 Companion Guide (See below), and to Courier Printing for putting it all together. We received rave reviews on this booklet from both our Local Food Week hosts and participants.

Thank you to Grapevine Local Food Marketing for creating the dynamic on-line Local Food Week Calendar of Events that seamlessly provided all the details for over 110 tours and events host over this 10-day celebration.

Thank you to Our Community

Thank you to our enthusiastic supporters and followers on social media and in our local food community for helping to share news about Local Food Week and encouraging their friends and neighbors to participate.

Thank you to the Journal Gazette, The Local, Input Fort Wayne, KPC Media, 21 Alive and Fox 55 and for their coverage and editorials about Local Food Week and for raising awareness of the value that locally produced food brings to our community.

See full listing of event details for all 2023 Local Food Week Events

We are so grateful to each of our Local Food Week hosts for opening their farms and businesses to visitors and sharing how they grow and produce local food and prepare delicious food and beverages with local ingredients.

Take Our 5-Question Local Food Week Participant Survey

If you participated in one or more Local Food Week 2024 events, please tell us about your experience. Please take a minute to participate in our 5 Question Local Food Week Participant Survey.

2024 Local Food Week Photo Gallery

Enjoy these photo of the sights and smiles from this year’s Local Food Week celebration!

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network is expanding our Northeast Indiana Local Food Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan Initiative and we want to hear from YOU!

We launched this initiative in June 2024 with four Public Engagement Sessions held in Kendallville, Fort Wayne, Columbia City and Bluffton. This next phase of the needs assessment includes both targeted and public focus groups, interviews, and surveys on selected topics - all designed to gather input from a broad range of community members and stakeholders from across the region. The assessment portion of the initiative will run through the early fall of 2024 with development of our strategic plan following in early 2025.

The purpose of this initiative is to increase the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the local food system in Northeast Indiana. This planning process for our local food system will also help determine how to build capacity and resilience, increase inclusivity, and better serve vulnerable and/or marginalized populations in our region.

To learn more about Local Food Systems and why they are important, scroll down to the Local Food System infographic below.

Share Your Experiences and Ideas about Local Food in Focus Groups and Surveys

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network wants to learn your experiences and ideas about local food and our local food system. We want to hear about how and why you purchase or produce local food and what are the opportunities you see, and the challenges you face. Your input is extremely valuable to us!

We want everyone to be a part of this regional needs assessment. Whether you are a farmer, a teacher, and small business owner, a consumer who has never bought food from local farms, or someone who buys local food every week we want to hear from you. Your perspective is very important to us as we work to understand the local food needs of our community, and make plans to address these needs, so we can serve our community better. 

Be a Part of Our Virtual Focus Group

We are holding two Virtual Focus Groups later this month to gather insights and ideas about local food from community members. Each of these online discussions will be facilitated by Kristi Sturtz of Sturtz Public Management.

Join others from across our region to discuss the role that local food does and can play in Northeast Indiana.  We will discuss a variety of topics including the local food system, food insecurity, food access, nutrition, the local food economy and more. 

Register for the Local Food Virtual Focus Group of your choice on either

• Tuesday, September 24 - 6:00pm - 7:30pm

• Thursday, September 26 - 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Registration for each focus group is limited to 25 participants. Your link to participate in this online discussion will be emailed to those who register.

Take Our Survey to Share Your Input

Please take a few minutes to participate in one or more of the surveys we developed for our Local Food Needs Assessment. Click on the link to access each survey. Your participation is greatly appreciated!

Consumer Survey

This survey is for anyone who buys food for themselves or their family.
Survey Monkey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NEILocalFoodConsumerSurvey

Producer Survey

This survey is for anyone who grows, raises or produces food for sale or donation.
Survey Monkey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NEIProducerSurvey

Farm to School Survey

This survey is for anyone who is interested in Farm to School educational programs and serving more local food in our schools.
Survey Monkey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NEIFarmtoSchoolSurvey

Local Food System Infographic

Click here to download and print this infographic

Our Facilitators

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network is very grateful to be conducting our Local Food Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan Initiative with the guidance of Kristi Sturtz, ALM, AICP, President of Sturtz Public Management Group, and Kate Vellucci , ALM who have been hired to facilitate this process. They bring a wealth of experience in planning sustainable development, food systems, project funding and building partnerships across Northeast Indiana to this work.

Thank you to our generous grant funders

The Local Food Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan Initiative is a key part of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network Three-year Capacity Building Initiative. This initiative is partially supported by a generous grant from the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, as well as a USDA Regional Food System Partnerships grant.

Questions? Contact Janet Katz, Founding Director of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network at Janet@neifood.org or Kristi Sturtz, President of Sturtz Public Management Group at kristi@sturtzpmg.com for more information.

This planning process for our local food system will also help determine how to build capacity and resilience, increase inclusivity, and better serve vulnerable and/or marginalized populations in our region.

If you are an elected official, local government professional, community or economic developer, foundation leader, nonprofit director, farmer, rancher, retail business owner, farmer’s market manager, chef, or general consumer, we are interested in hearing from you!

You’re Invited to Participate! We want to hear from you.

Please mark your calendar to attend in one of the Four Public Engagement Sessions we are holding across the region.

• Monday, June 24th - 1:30 - 3:30 pm in Kendallville
  Community Learning Center
  401 Diamond Street, Kendallville, IN 46755
  Focus on DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble & Steuben Counties
  Panelists:
  Grace Caswell - Visit Noble County,
  Greg Gunthorp - Gunthorp Farms,
  Denise Hoff - Retired Owner of the Fresh Food Hub,
  Christina Blaskie - Parkview LaGrange
  

• Tuesday, June 25th - 1:30 - 3:30 pm in Fort Wayne
  Walb Union Classic Ballroom at Purdue Fort Wayne
  Union Circle Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46815
  Adjacent Free Parking in P2 Parking Garage
  Focus on Allen County
  Panelists: 
  Aaron Butts - Chef at Bistro Nota,
  Ty Simmons - Human Agricultural Cooperative,
  Dr. Matt Sprunger - Neighborhood Health,
  Jain Young - Plowshares Food Hub/Rose Ave. Farm
  

• Wednesday, June 26th - 1:30 - 3:30 pm in Columbia City
  Peabody Public Library
  1160 E, State Route 205, Columbia City, IN 46725
  Focus on Kosciusko, Wabash & Whitley Counties
  Panelists:
  Jennifer Esterline - Whitley Co. Chamber/E Brewing Co.,
  Dennis Wood - Wood Farms, Wood Farms Premium Meats
  Jeff & Zach Hawkins - Hawkins Family Farm,
  Keri Salb-Mertz - Purdue Extension
  

• Thursday, June 27th - 1:30 - 3:30 pm in Bluffton
  Wells County Commerce & Visitors Bureau
  211 Water Street, Bluffton, IN 46714
  Focus on Adams, Huntington & Wells Counties
  Panelists:
  Amber Broxon & Justin Miller - BroxonBerry,
  Amy Burch - Purdue Extension, 
  Caleb Fiechter - The River Farm

Each of these Public Engagement Sessions will include: A What is a Local Food System? presentation, A Northeast Indiana Local Food System Panel Presentation, and Facilitated Tabletop Discussions. Plenty of free parking is available at each location. Light refreshments will be served.

This initiative is being funded through the generous support of the USDA Regional Food System Partnerships grant and the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation.  Kristi Sturtz, ALM, AICP with Sturtz Public Management Group and Kate Vellucci, ALM will facilitate this planning process.  

The Engagement Session at Purdue Fort Wayne is sponsored by the Well-being and Recreation Department of Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Please contact Janet Katz at Janet@NEIfood.org or (260)241-2260 with any questions regarding the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network Public Engagement Sessions.

Please register using this form to let us know you plan to attend. Registration is appreciated, but not required.

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network created Local Food Week in 2020 as a way for families and farmers to connect around the food they both love. Hundreds of families and local food enthusiasts participate each year.

Our 5th Annual Local Food Week features 40 tours and events hosted by farms, markets, artisan food producers and organizations, with 20 new Local Food Week hosts joining this local food celebration for the first time. Come learn where our local food comes from, meet the folks who produce it, and taste the bounty that comes from Our Land to Our Tables.

This calendar provides an overview of all the events being offered each day during this region-wide 10-day local food celebration. Most Local Food Week events are free, though some require pre-registration. If no pre-registration is needed, just come to the event location at the appointed time to participate.

Scroll down to Browse All Events to see a complete list of our Local Food Week Hosts, as well as our generous Local Food Week Sponsors.

Friday, July 26, 2024

Featured Events

Additional Event Times

Saturday, July 27, 2024

Featured Events

Additional Event Times

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Featured Events

Additional Event Times

Monday, July 29, 2024

Featured Events

Additional Event Times

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Featured Events

Additional Event Times

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Featured Events

Additional Event Times

Thursday, August 1, 2024

Featured Events

Additional Event Times

Friday, August 2, 2024

Featured Events

Additional Event Times

Saturday, August 3, 2024

Featured Events

Additional Event Times

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Featured Events

Additional Event Times

Browse All Events

From Friday, July 26 through Sunday, August 4 these farms, businesses, and organizations are hosting tours and events to help us all celebrate our local food community!

• Azzitshudbe Farm: Family-friendly Farm Tour, Hay Ride and Games

• Berry Hill Farm: Farm Tour: Growing in Harmony with Natural Systems & Rhythms

• Bloomingdale Gardens: Food Forest Guided Tour & U-pick Garden Harvest

• Bolinger Family Farm: Family-friendly Guided Tour of Our Family Farm

• BroxonBerry: Grow Your Own Food Forest: Learn How to Grow Large Amounts of Food on Small Plots

• Copper Spoon: Copper Spoon & Wood Farms’ Meet Your Farmer Prix Fixe Dinner

• Cordes Berry Farm: Let’s Talk Blackberries Farm Tour with U-pick Available

• Cupka’s Bee Good Meadery: Local Honey & Mead Tastings

• E Brewing Company at Esterline Farms: E Brewing Company - Your Destination Farmhouse Brewery

• Eel River Bison Ranch: Visit the Bison & Tastings with Small Batch Distributor

• Filler Family Apiary: Learn about Bees at Our Bee Yard and Farm

• Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory: Incredible Edible Food Hunt

• Ft. Wayne’s Farmers Market: Local Food Week at Ft. Wayne’s Farmers Market

• Greener Pastures: Walking with the Sheep & Hay Rides

• Hawkins Family Farm: Fridays on the Farm Pizza Night & Farm Tour

• Health Food Shoppe: Special Deli Dishes featuring Local Ingredients

• Hine Farms: Food Preservation Workshop: Pressure and Water Bath Canning

• Hoffman Certified Organics: Brats, Wings and Photos with Ben

• Johnnie Mae Farm: Guided Urban Farm Tour

• Josh’s Jungle & The Process: Local Food Canning Demo AND Local Food Week Party!

• Junk Ditch Brewing Company: July Tasting Dinner highlighting Gunthorp Farms

• Lone Tree Farms: Guided Family-friendly Tour of Our Regenerative Farm

• Maple Acres: Family-friendly Guided Maple Syrup Tour

• McComBees Apiaries: Watch the Bees & Honey Tasting

• Merkat Moon Herbals & Earthworks: Mocktails & Kombuchas made with Local Ingredients

• Orchard Hill Farms: Family-friendly Guided Apple Orchard Tour

• Plant Happiness: Transform Your Yard into a Thriving Pocket of Paradise

• Parkview Greenhouse & Learning Kitchen: Market Scavenger Hunt

• Plowshares at the Market: Local Food Tasting Days AND Buddha Bowl Cooking Class

• Poplar Village Gardens: Picnic in the Garden & Family Garden Tour

• Pork ‘N Cleaver: Locally-made Sausage Sampling

• Purdue University Fort Wayne School of Education Urban Garden: Tour and Create Art at an Urban Garden

• Rose Avenue Education Farm: Open House Farm Tour & Burmese Food Tasting

• Rowdy Rooster Artisan Meats: Local Charcuterie Tastings & Demo

• Springfield Acres: BBQ & Brews in the Blooms at Springfield Acres

• The River Farm: The River Farm Store Grand Opening

• Timberline Delights: Family Farm Day with Tastings, Wagon Rides & Farm Animals

• Wood Farms Premium Meats: Facility Tour, Tastings and Sandwiches

• YLNI Farmers Market: Farmers Market, Food Trucks and Special Family Activities

Most Local Food Week events are free, but some require pre-registration. Check each event listing for details.

2024 Local Food Week Companion Guide

Click below to see an At-a-Glance overview of all the Local Food Week tours and event in the 2024 Local Food Week Companion Guide Flipbook, or get a hardcopy of the 2024 Local Companion Guide from any of our 40 Local Food Week Hosts.

Show your Support for Local Food Week

Since Local Food Week was created in 2020, there has been no cost for farms & businesses to host a Local Food Week event, and most events have been free for the public to attend. It’s important to us that this region-wide local food celebration is accessible for everyone.

If you value the experiences that Local Food Week offers, please consider making a donation in appreciation and support of this program.

2024 Local Food Week Sponsors

Got questions? Please reach out to the Local Food Week Host of the event you wish to attend. For general inquiries about Local Food Week, reach out to Local Food Week Chair, Denise Hoff at info@neifood.org or text/call her at (260) 438-0954.

Are you planning to attend a food or farming conference this winter, or participate in a training course this year to help expand our business or make it more resilient? We want to help. 

Applications for our 2024 Local Food Scholarships are now available. We encourage all Northeast Indiana local food farmers, producers, processors and entrepreneurs to apply for a scholarship to help you seek the training and networking opportunities you need to make your businesses grow and thrive. 

Review complete details about the 2024 Local Food Scholarship below. All 2024 Local Food Scholarships will be awarded on a rolling basis, until our annual scholarship funds are deleted. Apply Today!

Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarship Fund

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarship Fund was established in 2019 to help current NE Indiana local food farmers, local food entrepreneurs and owners of small food processing and aggregation businesses pursue the education and training opportunities they need to grow their local food businesses. 

Local Food Scholarships support participation in educational and training opportunities through on-line or in-person courses, or to pursue key networking opportunities at conferences. Review the wide variety of opportunities that previous scholarship winners have pursued listed below

Scholarship Eligibility

Farmers, processors and product aggregators who seek to expand their participation in our local food supply chain are eligible to apply. Successful candidates must operate an existing farm or business physically located within the 11 counties of NE Indiana: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties.

Eligible Expenses

Local Food Producer Scholarships reimburse registration fees, travel and lodging associated with educational local food opportunities. Successful applicants may be awarded up to 50% of submitted costs with a maximum scholarship of $500 per application. Applicants are limited to one scholarship award every five years. Upon request, one half of the award may be paid up front, to accommodate the up front cost of registration fees and travel arrangements.  The balance is payable after completion of the educational coursework or training session and submission of the following: 1) copies of all receipts of eligible expenses, and 2) a written summary of what they learned and the benefits to themselves, their local food business and/or our local food economy.

Questions and Requests for paper scholarship applications

If you have questions, or to request a copy of a paper application, please contact Steve Engleking, Chair of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarship Committee at (260)499-6334 or sengleking@purdue.edu.

Previous Local Food Scholarship Awardees

Over the last 5 years, ten Northeast Indiana local food entrepreneurs have received local food scholarships. We are proud to have helped these individuals gain the knowledge and confidence they need to take on new challenges, so they can bring more and different local foods from our land to our tables!

• Ty Simmons attended the National Black Farmers Association Convention which allowed him to network with other black farmers from across the country and expand the Human Agricultural Cooperative in Fort Wayne.

• Samantha Yim participated in a course on marketing to wholesale businesses which helped her market her True Kimchi products nationwide, as well as open True Kimchi Korean Cafe in Fort Wayne.

• Joshua Cockram pursued PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) training which allowed him to open his processing facility for Josh’s Jungle at The Process in Huntertown.

• Pam DeCamp attended a Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training to assure her products at DeCamp Gardens near Albion are grown & handled correctly.

• Beth Ritzman learned ways to operate a successful microgreens business through an online course, which helped expand her business Something Better with Beth.

• Edison Bender visited meaderies in Washington State to learn about their operations as he seeks to expand his mead product line at Ambrosia Orchard, Cidery & Meadery.

• Kara Filler enrolled in the online Better Process Control School offered by Purdue University in order to expand her line of honey products at Filler Family Apiary.

• Zachary Banks participated in the Flourish Farm Online Aquaponics Course in order to expand food production at the Ivy Tech Community College Greenhouse and share his knowledge with others.

• Foy Spicer participated in the Seed Seva Online Course to expand her knowledge about holistic, indigenous permaculture-based seed stewardship, which she utilizes in teaching youth and cataloging produce varieties at Joyfield Farm.

• Sarah Trombley attended the Kombucha Kon Conference and Expo to network with other business founders and learn about kombucha operations and marketing as she expanded Lunar Infusions Kombucha in South Whitley.

We are grateful to each of these Local Food Scholarship awardees for working hard to produce delicious food for our community and for eagerly taking on new challenges so your business can grow and thrive. We’re honored to help!  

With dozens of farm tours, family-friendly activities, food preparation workshops and local food & beverage tastings to choose from, over 2,000 people participated in over 80 Local Food Week events across 7 counties in Northeast Indiana.

We are so grateful to each of our Local Food Week hosts for opening their farms and businesses to visitors and sharing how they grow and produce local food and prepare delicious food and beverages with local ingredients.

Take Our 5-Question Local Food Week Participant Survey

If you participated in one or more Local Food Week 2023 events, please tell us about your experience. Please take a minute to participate in our 5 Question Local Food Week Participant Survey.

2023 Local Food Week Photo Gallery

Enjoy these photo of the sights and smiles from this year’s Local Food Week celebration!

Our 2023 Local Food Week Hosts

Thank you to each of our Local Food Week hosts for opening your farms and businesses to visitors and sharing how you grow and produce local food and prepare delicious food and beverages with local ingredients.

3 Rivers Natural Grocery
Berry Hill Farm 
Beyond Able Commissary Kitchen
BroxonBerry
Cedar Creek Meats
Cordes Berry Farm
Creation Celebration
Eel River Bison Ranch 
E Brewing Company at Esterline Farms
Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory
Foods Alive
The Fox Den & DeCamp Gardens
Hardy’s Farm Market LLC
Hawkins Family Farm 
Health Food Shoppe 
Hoffman Certified Organics & Rowdy Rooster
Ivy Urban Farm at Ivy Tech Community College 
Johnnie Mae Farm
Lone Tree Farms
Lunar Infusions Kombucha Brewery
Market Wagon at Ambrosia Orchard
Parkview Greenhouse & Learning Kitchen
Plowshares at the Market in Union Street Market
Poplar Village Gardens with Uncle Doc’s
Purdue University Fort Wayne: FRIENDS of the University Pantry &
School of Education Urban Garden & Glenn’s Natural Honey
Rose Avenue Education Farm 
teds beerhall
The Process & Josh’s Jungle
Three Rivers Distilling Company
True Kimchi 
Vineland Reserve Winery

Our 2023 Local Food Week Sponsors

Thank you to each of our Local Food Week Sponsors. Your commitment and generous support for Local Food Week, our local food community and the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network makes this event possible

Our Local Food Week 2023 Committee and Vendors

Thank you to Denise Hoff, our dedicated Local Food Week Committee Chair, for all her time and effort planning and managing this region-wide event and to her committee, Amber Bouthot, Kathy Wehrle, Michele Schnelker and Janet Katz for their countless hours organizing and promoting this 10-day celebration. 

Thank you to Just Sue Graphic Design for their engaging and informative design for our Local Food Week 2023 Companion Guide (See below). We received rave reviews on this booklet from both our Local Food Week hosts and participants.

Thank you to Grapevine Local Food Marketing for developing and creating the dynamic on-line Local Food Week Calendar of Events that seamlessly provides all the details for over 80 tours and events host over this 10-day celebration.

Our Community

Thank you to our enthusiastic supporters and followers on social media and in our local food community for helping to share news about Local Food Week and encouraging their friends and neighbors to participate.

Thank you to Amber Broxon & Justin Miller from BroxonBerry, Jain Young from Plowshares at the Market at Union Street Market, Carry Zeigler from Lone Tree Farms, Sarah Claycomb from The Health Food Shoppe and Michele Schelker from the Parkview Health Youth Well-being Team and Kathy Wehrle, Board member of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network for helping to promote Local Food Week by participating in recent media interviews, some of which are listed below.

• Interview with Sarah Claycomb from The Health Food Shoppe on The Pat Miller Program on WOWO

• Interview with Amber Broxon & Justin Miller from BroxonBerry on 21 Alive

• Interview with Carry Zeigler from Lone Tree Farms on WANE Channel 15

• Fort Wayne foodies rejoice about Local Food Week - Journal Gazette article, July 29, 2023

See full listing of event details for all 2023 Local Food Week Events

It’s been over four years since our partners with the Youth Well-being Team at Parkview Health asked the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network to help them launch the Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team.

By working closely with local farmers, teachers, child nutrition professionals and school partners across our region, this team is making an impact by improving the nutrition and agricultural education of thousands of students in K-12 classrooms and early childhood education programs all across our region.
 
Our team helps kids learn about locally grown fruits and vegetables through monthly Harvest of the Month taste tests of local produce and new Farm to School curriculum resources about each Harvest of the Month product.

Students learn about how these fruits and vegetables grow and the farms who produce them through working in with school tower garden and “meeting” local farmers in our Harvest of the Month farm video series.

We are grateful for the generous support this project has received a USDA Farm to School Planning Grant to Parkview Hospital in 2019 and a USDA Farm to School Implementation Grant awarded to Wells County Revitalization in 2021.

Impact of School Tower Gardens
- Gina Dundon, RN, MHA, BSN, Wellness Coordinator, Fort Wayne Community Schools

“Fort Wayne Community Schools has more than 50 Tower Gardens with grow lights! Schools have the ability to use their Tower Gardens how they see fit. Some schools use the for a specific grade level or classroom. Allowing the students to learn how to plant, transfer, adjust PH and water levels, as well as taking care of the plants, harvesting, and tasting!  Some of our special education classrooms are using them to allow a new and exciting experience.

In one of our high school biology classes they grew lettuce in the Tower garden and planted lettuce in soil to compare and contrast the differences. They learned that lettuce growing in Tower Gardens grew faster, was greener, and tasted better!  

We have grown the salad mix, lettuce, thai basil, rio grande tomatoes, nasturtium, basil, thai eggplant, tomatillo, oregano, bib lettuce, arugula, rainbow chard, baby lettuce, mixed greens, and kale. The students have tasted items, made pesto, taken it home, and made yummy salads.”

Harvest of the Month Taste Tests

Each month our partner Michele Schnelker with Parkview’s Youth Well-being Team purchases our selected seasonal Harvest of the Month produce item from local farms. She buys enough produce to supply tastes test samples to serve 1,500 to 3,000 students.

In April, Michele delivered 85 bags of fresh local herbs such as parsley, cilantro, rosemary and dill from Berry Hill Farm and RiverRidge Farm to regional schools. These herbs provided taste tests for 1,592 students in 63 classroom, in 11 schools, in 6 different school districts across Northeast Indiana.

May’s Harvest of the Month product is rhubarb.

Impact of Harvest of the Month Taste Tests
- Lindsay Schroeder, 2nd Grade Teacher, Bluffton-Harrison Elementary School

Shared following recent taste tests of locally-grown pickled beets in March

“By the way, we are pickling an egg with the leftover beets and juice from March. Surprisingly students really enjoyed the beets and are really excited about trying the pickled egg! So much fun!”

Harvest of the Month projects at Westview Schools

At Westview Junior-Senior High School in LaGrange County, teachers encourage their students to learn about Harvest of the Month products not only through taste tests but as part of special assignments in their art, history, business, science, math and English classes as well. Educators had students connect the variety of produce to historical and geographical things they’ve been talking about in class. One teacher shared that “My students have really enjoyed it and are always curious about what next month will bring.”

Impact of Farm to School Program
- Jaime Heller, RN, BSN, School Nurse, Weisser Park Elementary School, FWCS

“Thank you for the daikon radish delivery today. We will be making a Polish dill pickle and radish soup, as well as roasting radishes for our 2nd graders to sample in our Harvest of the Month tomorrow.

This program has been great for the kids at this school. I have even had parents call and thank me for getting their kids to ask for butternut squash for dinner! With this program as a foundation, we have taken on improving nutrition as our school wellness initiative. We currently have students designing an eat the rainbow/fruits an veggies mural for our cafeteria, I make surprise visits to the cafeteria to give Koala Kash out to those students who are eating their fruits and veggies from the lunch, we have been promoting the Kids in the Kitchen classes that the Parkview Dieticians are providing in our newsletters and we have added signage around the school promoting healthy eating. I will be meeting with our Wellness Committee on Thursday morning to collaborate on new ways to incorporate the promotion of making healthy food choices here at school and beyond. The Harvest of the Month Program has been such a success here at Weisser, I was wondering what the likelihood was for Weisser to continue to be a part of the program next school year. Just let me know your thoughts on this.             

Thanks again for all of your leg work in getting this produce to our student’s tables.”

Harvest of the Month Farm Videos

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network is working with Purdue Extension - Allen County to create Harvest of the Month farm videos on 24 different farms in Northeast Indiana that grow our Harvest of the Month fruits and vegetables.

In recent months, we recorded our Microgreens video at the Something Better with Beth micro-farm in Allen County, and our Spinach video with Elaina Robbins and Andy Balabuch at Hungry Dog Farm.

Watch for the release of many more Harvest of the Month farm videos in the coming months about local fruit and vegetable crops from asian greens, to pears, herbs, kale and cabbage. These videos showcase the diversity of our local farms, farmers and delicious produce grown in our region. We’re proud to help local students “visit” local farms and “meet” local farmers who grow our Harvest of the Month products.

Save the Date for Farm to School Summit

Mark your calendars to participate in the first Northeast Indiana Farm to School Summit on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 from 2 pm - 5 pm at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Join area college students, teachers, farmers, child nutrition professionals, parents and advocates to learn and network about school gardens, food & farming curriculum and serving locally-sourced food in our schools and early childhood education programs across NE Indiana.  

Want to help with the Farm to School Summit? Contact Julia Smith with Purdue Fort Wayne School of Education at smitj@pfw.edu or Janet Katz with the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network at Janet@NEIfood.org.

Join the Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team

If you are interested in joining the Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team and helping to support Farm to School programs in your schools and/or early childhood education programs, please reach out to Kylee Bennett, Parkview Community Well-being Manager at Kylee.Bennett@Parkview.com.

On Monday, September 26, we hosted the 2022 Local Food Throwdown-- our 2nd annual fundraiser to benefit the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network! Thanks to all who attended and helped us raise money for our programs.

The event featured a friendly competition between some of our community’s finest chefs and mixologists, each featuring fresh local ingredients from our region's farms, and a unique local food focused Silent Auction.

Thank You to all the
Local Food Throwdown
Chefs & Mixologists:

Aaron Butts - Copper Spoon
Andrew Smith - Junk Ditch Brewing Company
Bo Gonzalez - Bravas
Cassie Hoskins - Ambrosia Orchard, Cidery & Meadery
Corey Bowers - Chance Bar
Grace Kelly May - GK Baked Goods
Jasmin Ehrlinspiel - Copper Spoon
Jason Brown - One Ten Craft Meatery
Johnny Perez - Mercado
Samantha Yim - True Kimchi
Spencer Maule - Mercado
Trevor Scovel/Sam Albertson - Penny Drip

Special thanks to all of our participating chefs and mixologists, our hard-working volunteers, all those who generously donated special local food items and experiences for the Local Food Throwdown Silent Auction, and to the marvelous Farmland Jazz Band for providing great musical entertainment throughout the evening.

Winners of the 2022 Local Food Throwdown

Samantha Yim of True Kimchi- Best Locally Sourced Appetizer
Japchae (Korean Noodles)
featuring local spinach, eggs & mushooms
Aaron Butts of Copper Spoon- Best Locally Sourced Entrée
Chinese Braised Beef Cheek
featuring local beef cheeks, polenta, fennel & mushrooms
Grace Kelly May of GK Baked Goods- Best Locally Sourced Dessert
Chiffon Cake
featuring local apples, wheat and microgreens
Spencer Maule of Mercado- Best Locally Sourced Cocktail
Salt. Fat. Acid. Heat.
featuring local apples and pork

A Big Thank You to our generous Local Food Throwdown Sponsors

Their generous sponsorship of the Local Food Throwdown helped make this fun & delicious event possible.

Proceeds benefited Northeast Indiana Local Food Network, a 501(c)(3) organization that works to grow and connect our local food economy, so we can bring more local food from Our Land to Our Tables.

October is National Farm to School Month! Across the country thousands of schools, early childhood education programs, farms, communities and organizations are learning about and celebrating nutritious food and agriculture in classrooms, school gardens and cafeterias.

As the 2022/2023 school year begins, our Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team is working closely with local farmers, teachers and school district partners across our region on several different projects.

Great Apple Crunch

Each year in October, during National Farm to School Month, schools and organizations across the country host Apple Crunch activities to promote the healthy eating habit of crunching apples and the value of supporting local orchards.

This year the Northeast Indiana Farm to School team, led by Kylee Bennett, Parkview Community Well-being Manager is encouraging our schools, early childhood education programs, local after school programs, local organizations and everyone be a part of the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch celebration on Thursday, October 13 at Noon.

Gather your family, friends, co-workers, or classmates and sign-up to participate the the Great Apple Crunch using the QR code on this flyer and share your Apple Crunch using #GreatAppleCrunch, #NEIAppleCrunch, #INAppleCrunch, and #F2SMonth

Harvest of the Month Taste Tests

In September, our Harvest of the Month product was peppers. Michele Schnelker with Parkview’s Youth Well-being Team, purchased 1,795 snack peppers from RiverRidge Farm in Wabash County and distributed them to nine school partners all across Northeast Indiana. Thousands of local students enjoyed tasting these brightly colored sweet peppers as part of classroom activities.

Harvest of the Month projects at Westview Schools

At Westview Junior-Senior High School in LaGrange County, teachers encourage their students to learn about Harvest of the Month products not only through taste tests but as part of special assignments in their art, history, business, science, math and English classes as well. Educators had students connect the variety of produce to historical and geographical things they’ve been talking about in class. One teacher shared that “My students have really enjoyed it and are always curious about what next month will bring.”

More Harvest of the Month Farm Videos

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network is working with Purdue Extension - Allen County to create Harvest of the Month farm videos on 24 different farms in Northeast Indiana that grow our Harvest of the Month fruits and vegetables. This project is funded in part by a USDA Farm to School grant awarded in 2021.

In late August, we filmed our Tomato video at DeCamp Gardens in Noble County with Jim and Pam DeCamp. In early September, we filmed our Harvest of the Month farm video about peppers with Nathan Fingerle at RiverRidge Farm in Wabash County. In late September we filmed our video about Asian greens with Jain Young and the Burmese farmers at the Rose Avenue Education Farm in Allen County.

Watch for these new Harvest of the Month farm videos to be released in the coming months.

Bringing the Farm to School

In early October, our Director of Local Food Coordination & Outreach, Terri Theisen, Founding Director, Janet Katz and Michele Schnelker with the Parkview Youth Well-being Team will participate in the Bringing the Farm to School training being hosted by the Indiana Department of Health for our statewide Regional Food Systems Partnership collaborators.

Using a tiered, train-the-trainer model, the Bringing the Farm to School training program prepares State agencies and other representatives with the knowledge, resources and skills necessary to offer trainings to local producers in their states regarding local food procurement in to school food services.

The goal of Bringing the Farm to School program is “to give agricultural producers training and tools to build their capacity to launch or grow efforts to market to schools, therefore increasing sales to schools for farmers while expanding farm to school activities for students in schools and communities across the nation.

We are excited to participate in this valuable program as we work to bring more local food into our school cafeterias across Northeast Indiana. To learn more, check out this one-page overview created by the USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and the National Farm to School Network (NFSN).

Join the Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team

If you are interested in joining the Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team and helping to support Farm to School programs in your schools and/or early childhood education programs, please reach out to Kylee Bennett, Parkview Community Well-being Manager at Kylee.Bennett@Parkview.com.

The 2022 Local Food Throwdown is SOLD OUT !

Join us for the
Local Food Throwdown!
Monday, September 26, 5:00 - 9:00pm
Rudisill Hall at The Summit **
1025 West Rudisill Boulevard, Fort Wayne, IN 46807
A fundraiser for the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network

Don't miss this friendly competition between some of our community’s finest chefs and mixologists, each featuring fresh local ingredients from our region's farms.

Featuring competitions for: Best Appetizer, Best Entree, Best Dessert, and Best Cocktail - all made with local ingredients, plus vegan & gluten-free choices in each round!

Introducing our 2022 Local Food Throwdown lineup:

Aaron Butts - Copper Spoon
Andrew Smith - Junk Ditch Brewing Company
Bo Gonzalez - Bravas
Cassie Hoskins - Ambrosia Orchard, Cidery & Meadery
Corey Bowers - Chance Bar
Grace Kelly May - GK Baked Goods
Jasmin Ehrlinspiel - Copper Spoon
Jason Brown - One Ten Craft Meatery
Johnny Perez - Mercado
Samantha Yim - True Kimchi
Spencer Maule - Mercado
Trevor Scovel/Sam Albertson - Penny Drip

Proceeds benefit Northeast Indiana Local Food Network, a 501(c)(3) organization that works to grow and connect our local food economy, so we can bring more local food from Our Land to Our Tables.

** Rudisill Hall at The Summit is located at 1025 West Rudisill Boulevard, Fort Wayne, IN 46807. There is plenty of free parking and guests should enter through Door G for easy access to Rudisill Hall.

Local Food Throwdown Silent Auction

Our Local Food Throwdown Silent Auction features a variety of unique local food items and experiences.  ANYONE can register to participate in the mobile bidding for these special local food themed auction packages regardless of whether they are able to attend the Local Food Throwdown event.

Mobile Bidding for the Local Food Throwdown Silent Auction is NOW OPEN on the GiveSmart mobile bidding platform at 2022Throwdown.givesmart.com. Registration for the auction is FREE, but is required in order to place an auction bid.

The Local Food Throwdown Silent Auction will close at 8:45 pm on Monday, September 26th during the event!

Local Food Throwdown Schedule
Monday, September 26th, 5:00-9:00 pm

Best Locally-sourced Cocktails from 3 local bartenders will compete throughout the evening
5:00 pm - Doors & Bars open
5:30-6:30 pm - Best Locally-sourced Appetizer - Selections from 3 local chefs
6:45-7:45 pm - Best Locally-sourced Entree - Selections from 3 local chefs
8:00-9:00 pm - Best Locally-sourced Dessert - Selections from 3 local chefs

Check out photos & highlights from the 2021 Local Food Throwdown!

A Big Thank You to our generous Local Food Throwdown Sponsors

Their generous sponsorship of the Local Food Throwdown helps make this fun & delicious event possible and supports the work of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network to grow and connect the local food economy across our region.

For questions regarding the 2022 Local Food Throwdown contact Janet Katz at Janet@NEIfood.org or (260)241-2260.