It better be really good and you better have a reason why you did it. That chef is one of the judges. You had to do that off of memory of the taste. Yeah, that's crazy. So, they're building me back up. Like, I'm torn down.
I'm Humpty Dumpty. When you heard them call your name, how'd you feel inside? From South Bend to Evansville and everywhere in between. This is Get In, the show focused on the Hoosier State and the incredible stories happening here today. I'm Nate Spangle, founder of Get Indiana, and I will be your host for today's conversation. Did you know that Indiana has been a hub for sports innovation for over a century?
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Colin, welcome to Get In. Hey, thank you very much. This is exciting, man. This this came together about as quick as any interview I I've ever had, right? I think I saw something pop up on Instagram a day or two ago and I instantly DM'd you and I was like, "Dude, we got to get you on the show." And he responded back within like five minutes or whatever.
Dude, let's set this up. And came in the next day. Yeah, man. Only person that DM so far. So, there you go. Well, some people would be surprised how much work gets done in the DMs on Instagram.
It's incredible. So, I guess starting out, I mean, what it takes to become a world food champion. I think a lot of people remember Indianapolis back in November hosted a large World Food Championship event, but that wasn't like the pinnacle championship, but you didn't win it on your home turf here, but it started there, right? Yeah, 100%. So, that was kind of the preliminary or I guess middle I guess I I don't know the stages of what to call it, but they kind of have like a some preliminary competitions that get you in to that stage. Uh then there's like subcategories.
So, I won noodle. Um Mr. Noodle. Mr. Noodle. Yeah.
And then uh there's 12 others. So there's like bacon, dessert, sandwich, burger, chef, seafood, like it it goes on. So there's like a bunch of different categories 100%. And so the winner of each of those categories then uh 12 of us are were invited to Benville, Arkansas, and that's where we competed this last year. And the final 12 of each different category compete for the overall world food champion. Yep.
Wow. What made you want to compete in a champion, you know, in the World Food Championship? Don't know that I wanted to. It was a it was a buddy of mine, a fellow chef here in Indie, uh, Ben Barnes. Shout out to him, who asked me actually to help him work this event. I didn't fully understand the scope of it.
And he eventually uh had to drop out for whatever scheduling reasons. He's like, "Hey, you should just do it. Um, you need like 150, 200 bytes. Um, and there's like potentially this like competition thing." And I was like, "Okay, sure." So, we kind of went thinking it started at the fairgrounds.
Like that was the first contest you No, this was actually at a uh at an elementary school. um par Paramount uh elementary on the like near east side. They were just like hosting this like tent event I think in might have been September uh outside. It was like a handful of local chefs kind of a ticketed event. come everybody take a bite of your different uh cuisine and then like they voted on it and by by the end of it like what started out as a catering thing uh I was like headtohead with a another chef like doing making a dish right there and you you were kind of like oh yeah we're catering this event it's going to be fun what did you make that day I made a pasta I knew like I knew that the criteria had to be like I needed to either make rice or pasta is what he said right I think rice is actually an extremely intimidating category uh what makes rice an intimidating categor I just have a lot of respect for it as an ingredient.
Um, my wife's Korean and is constantly correcting me on how I'm making rice at home. I I'm at the point now where I just make her make it because I I'm scared. So, I I bring that uh fear into everything. And so, uh, and that's how you became Mr. Noodle. Mr.
Noodle. Yeah. I'm not going to be Mr. Rice. So, you cook a noodle at an elementary school on the near east side and you end up in a head-to-head battle. What was the final like what was the final challenge there?
Uh they just had like a uh like kind of just a general pantry of stuff to grab and they said make a dish in an hour. Um so what did you make there? Uh more pasta I guess. I was just like leaning into that. Uh so I just they had some dried pasta. I think I made some meatballs, put an egg on it that I overcooked.
Uh it Yeah, it was. And so then you make this and it's a taste test. Like how how does the judging process work there? Yeah. Jud judges just went around and asked you asked you to describe it. I think there's maybe like five judges there and uh they just like walked around to each of us after we finished the our time up.
And did only one chef from that event get called up to the World Food Championships? I wanted to say that maybe there was like two different categories going on or three. Honestly, I'm kind of apparently my memory isn't that great on it, but I I won my section of it. I think there was a couple of us that got what what they call uh golden tickets. It's kind of like your Willy Wonka reference to getting into the World Food Championship. So they they gave me a golden ticket and they were like, "All right, we'll see you in a in a month."
Yeah. Okay. So then in a month you come to the fairgrounds. Were people from all over uh was this another like global event or what was this? This one's where it's global. I mean um so I mean it was televised, right?
It was televis I mean certainly there was plenty of cameras in my face. I uh more than I'm used to. Uh but yeah, there's like there's teams from like Soul Korea. One of the guys that actually competed in Bentonville from came from Dubai. Yeah. Oh, international.
I mean, you definitely leaning on the American demographic 100% because I mean, it's based out of here. So, like the majority of people are from the States, but Yeah. So, you get your golden ticket. What's Cunningham saying as it you win this first thing and they're like, "Okay, cool. Now, now Collins's in the World Food Championship." I mean, they they've always been uh nothing but supportive of all of it.
I I think they were as clueless about what is going on with this as we were. Soon there after we were in the talks with World Food Championship about like helping cater the event. So, we actually did have a small presence there at the at the fairground just like to cater the VIP section. They're coming back next year or this uh this fall. So, um Heck yeah. So, maybe you go back to back.
You're going to have to be Mr. Moodle twice. Are you allowed to compete? Uh I'm allowed to compete. I probably will compete again, but no, I mean just in the more like Cunningham Restaurant Group facility like we're we're pro we're going to try to get more involved like they they're uh trying to make it uh something that they bring back to Indianapolis like at least for the next few years. And so we're like, "Hey, cool."
Like, we might we might know a thing or two about Indianapolis. So Oh, maybe maybe a thing or two. So you're competing at the World Food Championships. People come from all over and you're at the fairgrounds. What is that process look like? Like you show up, you bring your own ingredients.
Like how how does the actual nuts and bolts of it work? I mean, bring everything is kind of was what we did. Um they do provide you with like a pretty basic kitchen. Um I mean it's like it's the fairgrounds. It's like set up like where they run cattle and stuff. So, it's uh it's an electric stove, an oven, and some prep tables.
So, you kind of go in knowing you're not like in a professional kitchen. This is all going to be kind of challenging in that regard. Yeah. Um so, yeah, we just pulled everything on a cart uh in. And did you know you were making noodles at that point, too? Yeah.
So, they they give you um the parameters of the competition ahead of time. And actually, for that segment, you needed to commit to what you were doing a month out. So, um, I had to write, uh, like a full description of what I was doing and like kind of how it would read on a menu a month prior. And I actually think that we had to we we had to submit a recipe with like everything detailed down. I was a little I was stressing it out not knowing like how fine tooth of a comb they were going to like run through because like there's a lot of things that you like in the moment you you're like, "Oh, this needs more salt." Like a dash of this or that love, right?
They they're not like reading your recipe and staring at you next to you being like, "Oh my god, you're you're doing it wrong. You're out." Like they I think they're just looking for like allergies and things like that. Oh yeah, that would make sense. So you get your recipe. What did you decide to make in the noodle category?
So I had to do some form of noodle pasta, what have you. First one, I don't honest I don't know why I committed to this. I was actually on vacation with my family. We we were in New York and I totally forgot that like I had the deadline like at midnight that night and like 11 PM I'm like typing. I'm like I think we just ate Chinese food and I like I love [ __ ] and lamb and then I loved like the some dim sum that we had with shrimp in it and I was like oh it'll be like pasta with shrimp and lamb together in it and like just kind of wrote up this thing and I in in hindsight after like I was like now I have to write this recipe I was like oh man this is hard. Like I I shot myself in the foot.
Like this is not what I want to cook at all. But um it it it came out okay. Like I I actually ended up I got fifth in that round. Um which made me qualify for the rest, but like by no means was it like Okay. Wait. So So there's rounds of how it happened at the fairgrounds.
So that was round one. You're doing a a lamb shrimp. Yeah. Like lamb lamb shrimp stuffed pasta. Had like a shrimp cream sauce. Uh I did like a green oil.
I made the pasta dough multicolored just to because I thought stuff like that mattered. Um I don't Maybe it does. I still don't fully understand how you get judged uh on some of this stuff. It's just like you're figuring out I just make food and people like it. I mean I I texted you yesterday. I'm generally confused.
Okay. So you get fifth and at that point like what's going through your head? You got fifth, you're like, "Okay, well this is fun." Like yada yada. But you're like at the point when you get fifth that you're like, "Oh, I I want to win this." Are you competitive?
I don't seek out competition like uh by nature. I kind of want to just be your pal and like but I do like pushing myself and so it kind of like it's a it's a challenge to myself and I don't like if I'm going to do something I don't like doing a poor job and so like I I want to win like I'm not I'm a normal person like I'm not like oh d I'm like for sure I went in wanting to win. So um getting fifth was kind of like an aha moment being like oh man I like I worked hard I actually was emailing like the people at World Food being like hey can you give me any feedback so like why did I get fifth? like can I see the judging and stuff and they're like no we don't do that we're not going to tell you and so I it's a guessing game like I and how much I wonder how much of it is like presentation versus taste versus like the way that you market your dish like how you talk to the do you have to talk to the judges?
Yeah, you you got to talk to um so they they do they they they keep it pretty transparent. They have what they call like the eat method. So it's uh execution. Oh, so they're watching how you prepare it. execution, appearance, and taste. And I think it's like 30, 20, 50 of like percentage of like how much.
So like taste is obviously the most important, but execution. So they're comparing what you claimed you're going to do to what is in front of them. So that that's like part of it. Like if you're like, "Yeah, I'm doing like a shrimp dish." And you you leave off shrimp, like obviously you you're losing a lot of points in execution. So where out of those three uh execution, appearance, taste, taste, where do you feel like you really excel?
Like what's your taste? Taste is you're all like I cook for taste. 100%. Been cooking the majority of my adult life, but I from what I what I've concluded out of everything of all of this is like taste is the most important thing for me too. I mean like I I get it like we eat with our eyes. We eat via Instagram nowadays.
Like 100% it's important that food looks awesome, but like how many times have you like gone to a restaurant and been like, "Man, I'm so stoked to like get this that I've seen." You're just like, "Ah, it just kind of falls flat. I'm always worried about being that guy. I want it to taste better than like than it looks than it looks better than I explain it. Like I don't want to have to explain to you why it tastes good. I just want it to taste good.
Like so if I'm not if I'm not there like I feel like I didn't do my job well or I didn't do like I didn't execute that dish well. So So you get through that first round it's it's you get fifth place then what's round two look like? Round two was kind of the same process where it's like all right you got to resubmit a recipe. I think like you got like 36 hours like another like so you didn't have like the month ahead of time like this is like a pretty quick turn right like I mean like you you obviously go into it with the expectation or hope that you're going to like move on to the next round and so we understood the parameters of that but I I didn't have everything hashed out uh there was a lot of things that changed thereafter and is it a fresh slate like if you got fifth it doesn't matter you start from zero yeah doesn't carry over so like that I got fifth just meant I was in the top six that just means I I get to compete Now it's now it's six people just six competing in this.
Is this the final round? Final round. Yeah. Okay. So, what did you make on round two? So, they do have parameters of like things that were required.
This is kind of where they started introducing their sponsorship with Sam's Club. It wasn't a mystery ingredient, but like the the Sam's Club sponsored ingredient was like their Parmesan. So, it's like you just have to use their parmesan and you you show up and they've just got a hunk of parmesan on your station and they're like go to town. Use as much or as little or a certain amount there. Yeah. The criteria is that you've got to showcase that however you want to do it.
And so like some people, did you know that going into that? Yeah. Yeah. So some people like it's like nine parmesan components. Other people like it just they grated it over at the end like to to varying degrees. So like use it as you will.
How did you decide to use it? I tried using it in a couple places. So I I did like a parmesan stuffed pasta because I just kind of I kept doing stuffed pasta because he's Mr. Noodle. Because I'm Mr. Noodle.
I I don't know. I've got I've that's where I've gotten some of the best feedback and so it's competition time to bring your aame. So, I figured do that. Made like a parmesan twee that everybody does. What's a twe? Uh, like like a crispy garnish on top.
Like you just take like you shred the parmesan, you throw it out on like a flat surface and you bake it until it's crispy. It's like a chip. Yeah. Okay. So, that was like and made like crunch that up and put it into like breadcrumbs and uh made a chicken meatball, but there's like some parmesan to help bind it. All that was kind of floating in this sort of um like this winter squash called Kogi nut that I used to kind of just uh fill the bottom of the plate.
So sort of where does the inspiration for something like that come? Like how do you is how do you think of that? I don't know. I don't really have a rhyme or reason to how I do things besides like I I get real stuck in certain flavors or ingredients that I'm like stoked on. So actually that Kogut is where this all started with. It's a it's a squash that there's this company out of New York uh called Row Seven Seeds um where they're just kind of trying to breed things for flavor rather than size and things like that.
You can go buy it at Whole Foods. It's like the only place in India that sells it. But a Kobe nut squash. Kobe nut squash. Yes, sir. So, it's like it kind of looks like an acorn squash or like a little pumpkin.
Um but it it's cra like it's like How'd you find out about it? Since since the inception of row seven seeds, I've just kind of followed along seen what they were doing. So, once once they started bringing some of that to market, I was like, "Oh, hell yeah. I got to try this." And so, like last fall was actually the first time uh tasting that outside of like a restaurant setting. Um and did you bring this with you?
Yeah, I was like I was super stoked. So, so where did you find a coconut squash in Indie to take with you to the World Food Championship? I went to the Whole Foods downtown. So, the ingredients that you prepare for the World Food Championship, you just purchased at Whole Foods and you rip it up and you take it up to the fairgrounds to compete. Yep. Minus the Parmesan that comes from Sam's Club, their sponsor.
Yeah. I mean, I mean, it might be contrary to popular belief like restaurants and chefs aren't necessarily buying that much of different stuff than what anybody has access to. I mean, sometimes we buy through purveyors that uh we we can get some stuff that people aren't bringing to the grocery stores because like no one's going to no one's going to buy it. Like who's going to buy fresh fresh garbanzo beans or something? That's a pretty niche item. But uh yeah, I mean is so is Whole Foods like around Indianapolis like the place to buy I would say that upper echelon of ingredients.
Is that where you're usually going? No, I mean I uh I'm not necessarily trying to like shout them out specifically, but I I they carry that. So 100% I went there for that. What if they wouldn't have had it? Would you just like would you freak out? Uh I mean I would just would have moved on to another squash or I don't know change changed the dish entirely.
There's like this piece of um almost like improv a little bit that comes with it's like an art mixed with like Yeah. the improv piece of like you have to roll with the punches cuz I'm sure it doesn't always go exactly the recipe exactly how you're going to you play. Yeah. Yeah. No, 100%. I mean, even like bringing bringing the conversation actually to to Bentonville this time around, like our first round, the whole parameters where everything you cook you had to buy at the Sam's Club right there.
They're basically like if if you're planning to have something and they don't have it that day, that moment you're shopping, like figure it out. Like, wow. So, okay. So, well, yeah, we'll get to that story. You end up winning with this stuffed pasta parmesan dish at the World Food Championships here, which which is kind of like a It's not They say it's the world. You won the category of I won the category.
So you became officially Mr. Noodle there out of the six final competitors. Correct. You win that. Were you surprised? Uh I Yes, I was surprised.
And you went 10 10 grand there, right? Yeah, I got 10 grand. I got a That's my I've never gotten a big check. Like that was really cool. My daughter uh my parents and uh my wife and daughter were like in the back of the crowd and like my daughter just like slipped out of my wife's arms, ran through the crowd and was like up on stage like so fast. But like all the pictures of me like after I've won like getting photos with the other competitors, getting photos with like the world food champion like executives and stuff.
I'm holding my daughter the entire time because she's just like she she's like there's no way I'm not coming up there. Oh yeah. And it's like dad is a celebrity. Let's go. She biggest fan for sure. Heck yeah.
What What was your like when you heard them call your name? Like what was your feeling? How'd you feel inside? I'm a big ball of anxiety all the time. Like honestly I was just relieved. I was going to be relieved no matter who they said.
Uh but 100% stoked that I won. like always seeking validation in life and so you're like oh cool like did they have feedback for you on what really did it like send it over the top you know not really they don't I guess I didn't really seek it thereafter so you win that and then do you know you're like okay cool next stop is Bentonville uh they they mentioned it on stage like they like once all the categories were named like they invited us all up and they're like all right like you guys ready to find out where we're going to go to compete and I'm like oh cool like what what crazy city are we going to and they're Bentville, Arkansas. And I'm like, "Wait, where?" You're like, "Yeah, oh, you get a roundtrip flight to Bentonville, Arkansas." Maybe. Uh, and I I mean, we talked a little bit before we started recording, but it actually like surprised you of how much like how cool Bentonville was, right?
Yeah. Uh, so maybe I'm making this up, but I feel like I heard somewhere it's like mountain bike capital of the United States or world or something like I actually heard that. It was No, it was like I nearly got ran over by people on mountain bikes the entire time. I mean, I think I I think that like we went while it was also spring break, so there was like a lot of people there, but it's like every storefront, every restaurant, there's like a bike rack full of bikes. Like people are riding bikes everywhere. Bville, Arkansas, baby.
Arkansas. So, so set the stage for us there then. You and it's 12 total. So, you and 11 others, all the category winners now come together and compete to find out who the singular world food champion is. Yep. I mean that.
And it's not like a specific category. It can be anything. Sure. Yeah. I mean, so yeah, there are parameters to each of the things, but yeah, you can tell, you definitely could see people leaning into their category. I mean, there's some people that like they're they're barbecue like barbecue champions, and so they like 100% like that's their wheelhouse.
I mean, some of the competitors like were talking to me being like, I don't feel super comfortable cooking on a stove. I want to be outside with a beer and 12 hours of smoke. Like, and yeah, I mean, that like would definitely put them at a disadvantage for sure. I think that what were the do you know and I'm not going to ask you to repeat all 12 categories but do you have like a general sense like your noodle someone was barbecue? Yeah. I mean it it it kind of runs the gamut of like uh if you were to do like a I want delivery for dinner uh whatever app you choose like probably their like main subcategories of like food that you can search for you kind of have that.
So you've got like ve vegetarian seafood best chef noodle. Uh there's a couple like quasi barbecue like open fire barbecue. I'm sure it's on there. Oh, there's just one for bacon. Bacon. Yeah, bacon.
Bacon, barbecue, burger. The three B's of success right there. Chef. So, that's just like fine dining or I guess utility player. That seems like Yeah. Just just go for it.
Whatever. It seems advantageous to them to be in this final round if you're a utility player. Yeah. Well, I mean, the the guy that won best chef, um, he he was killing it. I mean, rightfully so. So, well, best Okay, so best chef.
That's that's the category. That is what category chef dessert. Mhm. Live fire. Yeah. Noodle.
Yeah. The coveted rice. Rice. Yes. Yeah. Sandwich.
Seafood. Soup. Vegetarian. All I'm saying I think if I thought of disadvantaged individuals here, dessert. She was all the way to the end. No way.
Wow. Okay. And then vegetarian seems hard. Not that I'm There's no knock to Sam, but I just don't think of Sam's Club as the place to, you know, get vegetarian. Like that's where they shop. Oh, 100%.
I I mean that I think that's kind of that was the the thought I was having going into it. But interestingly enough that you said those uh by the final round the three of us were me the chef from vegetarian category and the and the pastry chef. Shut up. Yeah. So not a disadvantage at all actually. Wow.
That shows what I know. Wow. Um that was great. Okay. So So it's three rounds. You start with 12.
After the first round, uh just take us through this whole process. Sure thing. I mean I um so I we live close enough it's like just shy of a nine hour drive. So I I drove there just to kind of have time in the car and think. Did you get like a send off from Cunningham? Like they're like, "Oh my gosh, go this thing."
No, but I got a I got a reception party a surprise party uh yesterday morning which uh I ironically enough I'm not the best recipient of things like that. I don't love surprises and so like I probably was the least excited person. Like I walked in, I was like, "Uh, I'm not giving a speech." Like, but uh uh yeah, I mean like not necessarily a sendoff. Like all all my co-workers were excited. Um two of my co-workers went with me.
Um so, and your big did your biggest fan make it? Uh my biggest fan did not go. My my wife and daughter stayed back. Um they made that decision because it it is a lot of just sitting around and doing nothing. And I mean, how old your daughter? She just turned five.
Yeah. That's like it's a challenge. It's like you if you could only like teleport for like the grand reveals of each round, but like the middle part of that is a lot. Yeah, we we tried to keep them updated, but yeah, until they get there. So, you and two co-workers road tripping down to Bentonville. You show up on what day of the week?
I rolled in Wednesday night. Um, but then come Thursday, like kind of the prelim stuff started. So, we all competitors and like the uh world food championship like film crew and crew, we all met at the Sam's Club there right as it's closing. And then it's like uh did a couple like silly like videos of like they try to you try to make it look exciting on film because it's they're they're pushing for TV, but yeah, like like they they did a countdown and had us like run out, but they give us two hours. Like it's not like it was rushed at all. Okay, we're going to need you to sprint really quickly and then Oh yeah, you have two hours.
You're not actually It's not Oh, what was that? Shopping cart spree or whatever that game show was. It's not nothing crazy like they were they were actually proposing that initially and it's like oh god because that just like adds a whole level of like not unrealistic like you're not going to ever I mean no more than likely not going to have 20 minutes to prepare something for a guest like if you really want to create this vibrant experience you have a little bit of time to like you know get the right ingredients prepare your food all that stuff. So you have two hours to grocery shop round one what did you did you already know what you were making? Did you have to submit a recipe again? Uh, no, they didn't require that this time.
I I have like a whole recipe packet. Um, me and my sue chef have been practicing a couple times just to make sure we have timing down and stuff like that because sometimes you don't know if it's something's doable. Like in a restaurant setting, you've got the entire day to prepare for something and like someone orders a dish, you you're like, "Okay, cool." Like it just takes the last 5 10 minutes to like heat it up and cook the fish or whatever you're doing. Uh, trying to do everything in an hour obviously changes that up. So, we just had to make sure it like it was functional.
Um, and you were practicing with Sam's Club ingredients, too. Yeah, I ended up buying a Sam's Club membership. I think that's really what this was all about. They just wanted to get You wanted to get 12 new members. 12 new members. Yeah.
So, they they got their money's worth, for sure. Uh, all right. So, you you knew what you were going to cook. What were you cooking for round one? Uh, I knew I wanted to do a fish. um looking at their produce.
I mean the the biggest challenge like when I first walked to um into a Sam's Club cuz I hadn't been since I was a kid. Um looking at their produce and stuff and I was just like oh crap there's no fresh herbs and I like love fresh herbs and I like started reflecting. I was like I don't think I've cooked something in the last decade without at least some element of a fresh herb on it. And so it's like what do I do? What do I do? started panicking and stuff, but I uh they they have a plenty of things like we we made do um uh we did just like panciered fish.
I started wanting to do like a romemesco sauce. And was there like a what was the uh parameters for round one? Parameters of round one, it just everything has to come from Sam's Club. You have to at least use one fresh item and you have to uh feature their their um members mark. So like their branded items. So like I mean if you walk through Sam's Club at the every third item is a members mark.
That wasn't hard. Like you're you're already a Sam's Club. You're probably buying a members mark something. So um so it's anything. So like if you think through what was prepared like you have the like live fire. What is someone cooking from Sam's Club with live fire?
Do you know remember what they did? I saw her dish go out. She looked like it was like scallops and pork belly and like it was it was really beautiful. Um but I mean she didn't actually have live fire. I mean, we had a grill in the kitchen, so like maybe she like kissed something on the grill, but it was gas and it's not like completely different animal. So, I don't I don't fully know what everybody was doing.
The guy that Because you're you're focused on yours. I'm focused on mine. Yeah. But they they you do have staggered start and end times so that like it's the same judging panel gets a chance to like judge everybody's in sequence. So like every chef is starting like 10 minutes after each other. And we drew straws for who was going.
So I was number 10 actually. So it was like a hurry up and wait situation where like I'm just sitting with my anxiety for two hours waiting to Yeah. Like cuz it's 10 minutes staggered starts. Yeah. So you're 100 minutes into it is where you get to start. Oh god.
So that was like and you're like looking at what they're doing. Does that like influence you at all? If I let it. But like I mean we already had the game plan. We already have all our ingredients. Like we're not we can't change course at that point.
Like I maybe if I'm like oh like they're working their details on like their garnishes. Maybe I need to focus a little bit more on how this looks versus like X, Y, and Z. I mean, it's for sure it's affecting me. It's definitely like stressing me out watching these people do it. Classic. So, you go through there pan seared fish.
How many people move on? Uh, six. So, it goes 12 to six right there. 50% of the fields cut on the first round. Yeah. Pretty gut-wrenching.
And is it is it placed out like there's a first, second, third? Yeah, they and they like then they go from six to first and like saying it. I've like was really down to the wire on time on that first one. Like I like barely got everything that I wanted onto the plate. Like there was a point where like I it's funny. I actually mentioned they don't have fresh herbs, but uh right when we showed up they had their garden section out front and so I bought a basil plant that was allowed.
So I actually did end up getting fresh herbs. So I like But by the end of that competition, their gardens. Yeah. Yeah. You're making it work, right? It's like you got to make it work on the fly.
Yeah. Um were you were you one of the only ones to do that or the lab? There was one other uh group that bought like a ton of plants and I was like man maybe I should have bought some more plants like Yeah. And that's like kind of in the back of your head. You're like you have a game plan and you want to be creative. You want to put this all together but you're like seeing other people and you're going man I'm not I didn't go all the way on plants, right?
Yeah. I Yeah. I So I ended up garnishing with basil. I don't know that I even got it onto every single plate because like by like how many judges? Five. And so you're making five like tasting portions and then you make like one big plate that's like the presentation that they're like kind of judging like the looks off of that one.
That's for photos, but then they each get like a small portion so that they can have their own personal one. I want to give a huge shout out to our newest partner, Hope Plumbing. Now, Hope Plumbing serves Indianapolis in the surrounding areas when it comes to all things plumbing. Obviously, that includes sewer and drain, water heaters, water softeners, leak repairs, sump pump, gas lines, plumbing inspections, reverse osmosis system installation, router services, downspout installation, and septic tanks. What don't these guys do? Whenever I have trouble, I make sure to call Hope Plumbing.
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So, you're they're going f they're going six, five, four, three, and you're like, [ __ ] Yeah. Like I was like, if I made it, I'm like sixth or fifth. And so like by the time they read like fourth place and third place, I'm like, yep, we had fun. I botched I botched it. Like I'm out. Like they say, I got a weekend in Bentonville.
Here we go. Like a weekend in Bent in Vegas, baby. Come on. And they get to two and they say your name. And what was the feeling there? I I'm relieved again.
Like I'm just like, "Oh, cool." And and then there's another part that of your brain that's just like, "All right, game on." Like Yeah. It's like a little bit of extra advance and they're like you got to dial back in because how quick is the next event? Uh so that one we only did that one competition Saturday. Uh that was like morning into afternoon and then the next event was the following day.
Um based off of a dinner we all had. Oh yes. Cuz this was like taste and recreate. Yeah. So what was dinner? Uh we went to this restaurant called Mezoluna.
Um they describe themselves as like a pasta and mozzarella bar. Um that sounds kind of fire. Yeah, it's cool. like a super super quaint restaurant like beautiful like really I mean because it's a pasta restaurant like everybody's looking at like I I'm feeling like an [ __ ] cuz I'm Mr. Noodle. Yeah.
And well and did they think through that like from the World Food Championship perspective? It's like that's definitely an advantage to the noodle guy, right? But like the year the year prior because every year they have done this so far like they go to a different restaurant that's local to do it. like the year prior they went to um like a Mexican restaurant where he had like a a pig that he roasted in the ground with live fire. And so I guess it's it's kind of anybody's game. Like there's no guarantee that I was going to make it, but yeah.
So it's a it's a gamble. Yeah. And they're like dessert, the pastry chef, right? Has to make a pasta or has Yeah. So yeah, so first round she was required to make a savory dish from Sam's Club ingredients. So she did that and she made it to the top six.
And then uh we go to this this restaurant and like none of us know what it's going to be, but like the the other competitors like I roll in, they're just like, "Are you stoked that it's probably going to be pasta?" And I'm like, "I don't know." Like uh trying not to like put in the back. You're like, "Hell yeah." Yeah. And like Yeah.
So we we sit down and the chef brings out what we have to recreate and it's pasta. It's literally the exact fold that I'm planning to do for the final round if I make it. Like it's like I know how to make this kind of pasta. Like And at that moment, are you like, "Hell yeah, let's go." Well, it's it was really hard because it's really like this pasta is like simple. Like crazy simple.
Like it's it's it's a he like they don't describe it to you really. Like they they give you like the menu item description and let you taste it and then like don't really answer questions and it's like your job to figure out what's inside it. Like oh that could be. So you taste it and it's like you taste it and you're like oh that's lemony. Like I taste a lemony sauce, but it's just like it's like three pieces of pasta, a white sauce, and like there's a couple pieces of uh Brussels sprout, and some orange stuff. Like there's like there's nothing going on.
It's very minimalistic. Beautiful in that regard. But so like I think that's like the challenge is like, "All right, figure it out." Like, and they they tell you like they're like, "All right, taste it. Take as many notes as you want. Take pictures.
Like we'll see you back tomorrow." Did you have to go shopping again? No, you you roll in and they give every contestant uh every team they give you the same basket of ingredients and it takes like it take it took 10 ingredients to make it. They give you 15 just to just to mess with you. And so like so you know and do you know that you have to cut out five? I knew I knew going in that they like they let you know that they're totally adding more than you need.
And they they gave you cheffy stuff on like things that I didn't necessarily taste, but like as a chef, you're like like you get an onion, you get garlic, you're like that, of course I'm putting that in there. Like that's just like the chef instinct, but like at no point did I taste onion. And so like it took some like Yeah. Going going against your instinct to be like, I'm going to set this onion aside. And so I did that. Like that was the right call.
I uh I set I didn't taste any herbs either, so I set the fresh thyme aside, too. And I was wrong. And how many? So there was 10 ingredients that it took. How many did you get exactly right? Do you know?
I got eight. Eight of the 10. I might have added more. Like they're like that's not really where they're judging too hard. I mean like they want it to taste similar. But they're like if you're going to deviate like they're like their advice is like it better be really good and you better have a reason why you did it because like that chef is one of the judges.
You're l like so if you think you can do a better job they're like go for it. You're literally standing in front of the guy and like telling him like, "Hey, I did a better version of this than you." So, what was your approach there? Not to do that, like just to not to insult the guy right like I didn't think I could do a better job. I mean like there was what's interesting about it is I it was actually pretty similar to like kind of how I cook but like you start noticing like those subtle details like like like your doppelganger or something where it's like oh now I can really see where I would go different like that's too much lemon or that's not enough salt here. And you had to do that off of memory of the taste.
Yeah. That's crazy. Okay. So and then they cut it from there. They go from six to three. So you create this pasta, you present it.
Did you get did they give you any feedback at that point? Yeah, I mean what in all of these the the judges like are tasting in front of you and giving you feedback literally like in that moment the chef say he he said it was good. I mean he was he was the last to talk I think and there was a couple of the other judges before that were like I don't know maybe he needs to change his recipe. And I'm like oh hell yeah. Now we're cooking. Now we're cooking.
So they start to read off this one. How do you place? Uh I got first. You got Mr. Noodle gets first. Mr.
Noodle. Okay. And that's where And then I'm still amazed the vegetarian. Mhm. What was there meat in the pasta? Uh crab.
He uh Ricardo, he he's not I think he just chose vegetarian category to compete in. By no means is he a vegetarian. I got you. Or vegetarian chef. He just like think that's either the category that he could find to get into or just went for something challenging. Actually, when I compete again this fall, I'm gonna do vegetarian.
I just wanted to change it up. Yeah. I mean, you already missed her noodle. Vegetarian chef. So, the winner of the vegetarian category and the winner of the dessert category are who you're competing against. 100%.
Yeah. The dessert the pastry chef making it is that just speaks to Is it her him? It's her. Yeah. That just speaks to her and her ability in the kitchen. That's awesome.
I mean, she she was she was uh talking a little crap at our like when we were all sitting down at that restaurant, she was like, "Don't underestimate me." She was like she was the only woman contestant. Like, more power to her. And last year, actually, the the person that won the whole title was the person that won dessert category. there. So, dessert dessert chefs versatile.
So, you get often often uh underestimated. Yeah. I mean, yeah, because you think like baking and stuff like that, not necessarily cooking. That's impressive. And like that one. Did you know when they were reading results, you're like, I won this.
Like I know I was feeling pretty confident that I'd at least passed the next round. like I like the the feedback from the chefs even though I missed putting time in there and I missed like a real dumb one where I didn't finish it with olive oil and I like I could see it when I was eating it that day before but I just like I don't know I just like it maybe it wasn't that strong of an olive oil or something I wasn't really tasting it and so I like didn't write in my notes and so I'm like no they're just throwing me off because it's pasta like they're they're messing with me but I it was there so like but even though I missed those two like the the feedback I was getting was pretty positive I was feeling good about it like so You win that one, you get to the final boss of World Food Championship. And at this point, I mean, obviously you came in wanting to to win the whole thing. You know, you're you're competitive, but not necessarily like into to a bad sense, right?
But you wanted and you I loved what you had to say about I like to push myself. And this is definitely like, right, you're in the third round, final boss. You're pushing yourself. What's the final contest? It's like there they called it my culinary journey, but the whole idea was like do a single dish that you feel represents your journey as a chef. like how did you get from point A to point B whether it's this is the first thing I ever learned to cook with my mom or whether it's a culmination of all these things like it's up to us to kind of put a dish that represents you.
I don't I'm a super cerebral guy but I don't I've never really like sat and tried to identify myself as a chef and be like I'm this is this is what I do. Yeah. Your influences and all that fun stuff. So like where did you where did it take you to? Like you get that and did that get posed to you the day before or the morning of? No, we we knew it going into it.
So like we had um like couple months to think about it to brainstorm of like what you were going to do. I'm a bit of a procrastinator. So I didn't like I didn't think too hard about it until like a week or two prior. Classic. So as you put your your journey through food into words to then put into a dish. What was coming to mind for you?
coming back to like why I even do it because it's not like I mean it's a hard career path to follow for a ton of reasons and we don't have to get into that but um why do I still do this and I think I kind come I kept coming back to community camaraderie with other cooks and stuff like that and then also my ability to travel always with it and so I kind of was like that's like where I started wanted to have more of a humble approach I know that like like this is a competition you're trying to do like the most extravagant thing or like super fine dining stuff or something out there. Ultimately, I cook and the most connections I've had has kind of been at like staff meal in a restaurant like a meal you just prepare in 30 minutes for everybody to like eat together whether you're having a conversation with each other or not because you're you're a family for that that short period of time. And like that's kind of like what I went to.
So I I talked I tried to pull from like one my influences of either travel or like working with uh other cooks and chefs from other parts of the world. So like kind of this global influence and then I just wanted to put out something humbling um something a little more honest that who's your humility right like come on and so what' you end up going with doesn't look it and doesn't eat it but I I wanted to do chicken noodle soup and that's kind of how the process started. So it started as chicken noodle soup. It is it is noodles in chicken broth 100%. But by no means is it chicken noodle soup and uh in any regard that anybody would expect which is also I guess like kind of what I self-reflecting what I like to is I kind of like some surprises. I like looking it up is like that thing.
Yeah, that's it. And that looks interesting. Yeah, it doesn't look like chicken noodle soup though. So I uh obviously deviated quite a bit. Um I wanted to do pasta again just cuz like that's like that's what got me into this. So it felt cool to like bring it full circle.
Um, and talk about the journey like the journey to world food championship and to the finals was through pasta 100%. So, and like and honestly I didn't I like I could make pasta and I had done it in my career but until like I started this I wasn't like really leaning hard as like a a pasta cook. I've always had respect for it but like it's a kind of an intimidating category. It takes a ton of time. If you're looking for respect of any restaurants or any like chefs out there, if you go to a place that's making handmade pasta, they put hours of time into that single dish you're eating. So, if you're wondering like why is like why is this simple or why is this expensive or something, it's like this is people standing for hours like fidgeting with their fingers like trying to get it just right.
So, it's it's really uh a formidable category of food and so I wanted to lean into it. Yeah. How long did you have to prepare it? An hour. Okay. So, you have an hour.
you put this out and and at the end when you submitted this was it that feeling of relief again like okay well it's in it's it's out there uh yes and no actually the first chef like they they give you like five minutes this time to talk about it talk about your culinary journey explain what you did I think I did an okay job I like I said I kind of black out when I talk like I just kind of start rambling first chef judge up to talk to me he kind of ripped me one and I was like oh man I I did not do it well like I I I lost this competition. Like he what did he say? He was kind of silent and like looked at it and looked at me. He wasn't really eating it. Um vibes were a little weird and he like the first thing he said was the idea is there and I'm just like oh that's a polite way to say I don't like this. Right.
And like I mean was it anything like super exotic? Like it looks exotic but it's it's all over the place man. Like I and I wasn't trying to like make make a claim that it's like one cuisine. It's kind of a mashup and like I like I always have kind of like this uh imposttor syndrome and so like using like pulling from different cuisines and stuff. I kind of feel guilty or off by doing that. It's like I didn't grow up eating that food.
Like I I grew up in Indiana, man. Like tuna casserole was like where it's at. Yeah. 100%. Like that's kind of like why I started a chicken noodle soup. But like, but to bring that full circle of like my culinary journey, it's like, yeah, like I'd started with something humbling.
Like, I'm used to like Campbell Soup, but like, but I have been exposed to this stuff. Like, I do like I I do know what the story that you told. Yeah. I tried. I don't know. I'd have to like go back and look at footage of what I really said.
So, he rips you. He rips me. And you're like, "Shit, it's over." I was for sure like this is done. Like, there's no way. Like, and did anyone come through and build you back up?
all the chefs thereafter that like all the judges like the judge number two was like said straight to that other judges like hey man I like you but like you could not be more wrong like and they're so they're building me back up like I'm torn down like I'm there's no bringing me back up I'm Humpty Dumpty like there's no way to put me back together so like it feels good to hear this but it's not like I'm just but like the one it's like is that funny because there's five judges again there's five judges so it's like the one negative can outweigh the four positive 100% especially when you lead with that like You're like you're on the edge of your seat and you're like the idea is there. It's like a [ __ ] All right. So then it advances through and then it gets to the part where and do you see them? Were you where were you at in the judging lineup? I was the last. So you had already seen them go through everybody else or were you had to work?
Uh you're not allowed to be you can't watch the other people. If you've already been judged, you can stay and watch other people, but like you weren't allowed. So I'm I'm just walking around the hallways just like losing my mind waiting to go. And was it one hour? Like each chef goes solo by themselves? Uh, I mean I I had my sue chef with me.
Well, I meant like But not all three of you were cooking at the same time. We Yeah, we had 15 minute stagger times. So, it was I waited 30 minutes from the first person that went up to when I started. So, like they're in the kitchen like celebrating, cleaning while you're like stressing it still. Like, so Oh, man. And then it gets to the grand reveal.
Yeah. And they like what do they what's kind of like their monologue? What do they say as they start to reveal the names? I mean they they drug it out like they really like kept the kept the suspension going like and did they go 321? They did they went three one two cuz I mean like either either however you say that second one like you know so so who got third? Uh the pastry chef got third.
Okay. And then at that point you're like oh sh like are you are you back? Uh I mean like the the guy that got second like him and I were neck and neck the whole time. Like so when I got second the first round he got first. when I got first, the second round, he got second. So, it was like it was him and me eyeing each other the whole time.
Like you Where is he from? Uh he's from Mexico City, but he works in Dallas. Oh man. Wonderful dude. Like I really loved working uh near him. Like I mean we Yeah.
And against I mean but there never did it really feel it's a competition against yourself. Like all the all the competitors like we shared contacts, we shared hugs, we cried together. It was like it's very like it it was a cool experience. And and then at the end they read your name and you win and you are the world food champion. Uh and you win 150 grand. Yeah.
Uh what was going through your head at that point? I relieved um stoked remorseful for the people standing literally on each side of me like it's like the old bad like in order for me to get this you couldn't have. So like that it's kind of gut-wrenching like and that's not a Yeah. That's not usual. You mean it's not a football game, you know? It's not like a boxing match where you're like usually in, you know, I'm assuming in cuisine, it's not like for us to win, your competitors have to lose, right?
You like the best restaurants in town can all make great food and everyone can win. But in this there's only one winner. No. Yeah. This is it's straight up a competition and like that's again, like I said, it's not really something I normally would seek out or something. So, it's like it's a little foreign to me.
Yeah. 100%. I'm not going to lie, it feels good to win. I wanted to win. I was ecstatic that I did. I mean, there's video of me.
I probably look like I was about to fall over. I was like I I jokingly have been saying to people like because they're like, "You kind of looked like you're gonna pass out." I was like, "Can you imagine if I passed out and got third?" Like, how embarrassing. I I'd have to I'd have to move. I'd have to like never go anywhere near a kitchen ever again.
But you didn't. You got first. I got first. You won 150 grand. You got the I mean the pride of winning. Uh, what does that mean for both you personally in your career trajectory as a chef as well as Cunningham Restaurant Group?
We were all caught by surprise. Not that we didn't know that I had a chance or that this wasn't happening, but it's just that this it's a whirlwind. You're not used to this kind of lifestyle. I'm not used to this kind of attention. I've mentioned before, like I keep joking about it, but like yeah, I'm like I got a lot more cameras and mics in front of me than I ever have before. Do you like Do you like that?
Uh, historically, no. Historically, honestly, I like want to hide, want to act. I'm like, "This isn't a thing." But like, I'd be lying if I don't like You're always seeking validity. Like, when is it going to be okay for me to like accept a little bit of praise? And so, I'm kind of trying to grow up a little bit in this and and and accept it like I I accomplished something really hard.
Like, yeah. A bunch of other people tried at it and worked their their butts off and like so I I don't know. I be a little proud. Well, and I agree. I love it. And it's like I think that we talked with a lot of Hoosiers is like just humility is baked in, you know, like not to be braggadocious, but like I think what's cool is you to come on here and and like share this inspiring journey because maybe a high school kid who wants to get into uh and wants to become a chef one day sees the story and is like, man, I could make 150 grand into this world food championship and I could cook meals that delight people and, you know, win over judges and come back and work in my city and help bring all this global influence.
I think it's super super cool. And back to your original point of like you like to push yourself like if you're have have been in the kitchen away from the mics, away from the limelight, like what better way to like push yourself professionally too is like oh I I have to get on a podcast and talk and it's just another layer of growth onto the the cooking ability. Yeah. No, 100%. I mean I uh public speaking and like that sort of thing is like it's a it's a learned skill and I I've definitely gotten better at it. my my boss at CRG actually like right when I started could definitely sense that that was not like what I was into and so like threw me into it.
Um so the classic right? Oh, you hate that? Welcome to Yeah. Yeah. I mean like so I do like I do a lot of like wine dinners and stuff where like we'll have like 40 people sitting down and then like each dish goes out and it needs to be explained and he's just like right out right out the gate just kicked me in the butt and was like, "Yeah, you go go talk loud. Go like represent what you just did sort of thing."
And so like I I I in that regard I think I've had a lot of practice in the last couple years with CRG like getting a little more used to that conversation because like outside of that like unless it was like a more intimate conversation like I could I could go out to a table in a restaurant setting and like talk to them and be like hey this is what I made for you like thank you for coming like that that conversation's fine but like you put a group of people in front of me and it's like whoa like this is well I have just a few more questions as we wrap out here. I know the constant thing you get as two questions you've probably been asked a ton is like what 150 grand what are you going to do with the winnings? What do you want to like open a restaurant? Like what does that look like? I mean I' I' I'd lie if I if I didn't say that's not like a thought of mine. I mean I've said since the start of my career like that was like the end goal or like a a feather in the cap.
At least at some point I wanted to own my own thing. It's crazy as life goes on though like you get different opportunities your priorities change. Like I'm a I'm a dad now. like that kind of life also really takes you away from like being around your kid and like those sort of situations. So like right now honestly it's just uh I'm kind of doing a lot of reflecting. I've got like probably the sweetest job out there.
So like it's like why would I run from that? So I'm like I'm taking it day by day and reflecting. But like whatever I do like with the money it'll be responsible and for my daughter's future be that via a business or do that via investment or what have you. Just trying to trying to lean into being a good dad. Amen. And I think that's cool.
I mean, you are right. Like if you want to work within food within Indianapolis, like it's there's like a few spots and Cunningham's a good one, you know, like there's a lot of I mean really really good restaurants, but there's a couple main groups that put together really good concepts. And the thing I wanted to get into was like what Chef Day cuisine looks like. Like a lot of people are asking like where can we eat your food at? And it's like everywhere and nowhere at once, right? Yeah.
It's a it's a hard uh thing to answer. And um I feel like I'm disappointing people because it's like no, I'm not like the chef at like this one restaurant. You can walk in and see me at the expo and calling out tickets and stuff. Yeah. But one of your big projects uh preWorld Food Championship was Shindai. He's wearing the shirt for it today.
Uh which is the new pizza joint down by uh pizza joint. Yeah. North Mass Boulder like right in that district there. Correct. Yeah. I don't even know what neighborhood to call that.
It's kind of like just west Circle City Industrial Complex area. Yeah, sure. Yeah. Like just east of Windsor Park. Like we actually we put a we put what we called Windsor Park wedge uh salad like on the menu initi it's got canned but tried I tried to I don't know be so yeah just a nod to the the local area but a ton of your work went into that from you know designing the little doodle that is now like the mascot to I mean the menu all the the vibe and if you haven't been I will say Shindig is phenomenal. It's got some very interesting pizza like it's it's a I mean a really cool experience.
I like the one that stuck out to me that I just remember is the sauerkraut pizza, which is just like a cool concept. Come to Shindig if you're looking for kind of my vibe and food to kind of bring it full circle. Uh I'm the corporate chef to cuisine, so I kind of like my wheelhouse is menu development or writing menus, writing items. Um so like when we have new concepts like shindig, uh I got the the privilege of writing that. Um, but yeah, that that was a challenge because like we didn't exactly have a a direction outside of like pizza and the name. And so, yeah, as you mentioned, I I started with a doodle.
I didn't even have like a menu item. I just started drawing these little pizza and uh I thought wing I mean wings made sense. Piece of chicken and a and a pizza dancing together. Isn't that funny that like from a doodle from a name menu item like a menu a broad menu category pizza and a doodle a restaurant was created. Yeah, I mean that's pretty sweet. Okay, as we wrap up, I have u just just a few kind of more rapid fire questions.
One, is there like what what's the next project you're working on? Right. Shindig is up and running. Is there another concept? Are there more restaurants opening? Uh yeah, they're they're a little further out, but yeah, we um we have a um like a concept in Lafayette that we're working on that we're actually doing with like Purdue and the whole idea is they want to like involve a bunch of the agriculture that's up there.
And so it's going to be like very to death, but he's going to say farm to table. How did I know? But it uh it like we're trying to work out how that actually looks because I people really use that uh in the wrong setting or don't do it at all when they say it. And we're trying to look work with local gardens, work, local farmers. Uh maybe like the a department of Purdue since they're fronting a lot of uh the the capital for this and so like what does that look like? So yeah, that's one that we're working on, but outside of that, it's just uh 43 restaurants already.
So we we got plenty of work to do all the time. So Amen. This is our younger year segment. It's brought to you by our friends at OR Fellowship. They're a great organization here in Indiana helping develop young business leaders across the state. So, Colin, what advice would you give to your 22-year-old self?
Stay the course. You don't have to have all the answers. Enjoy life. There's always going to be work. So, find work that you have meaning in. That's a really good answer.
I think that the patience of, you know, like when you started in food and then you we're in Indiana, go out to San Francisco, end up coming back, get this opportunity, it's like saying yes to things and, you know, continue to work hard and hone your craft and compete against yourself. I think that's that's spectacular. Okay, final three questions I ask everyone who comes on the show. First one, what's something the world needs to know about Indiana? That we that we have that hospitality, man. We want to be your buddy.
Indiana's just like everybody I've met outside of the states that like has come through Indiana, they're like, "Man, you guys like you guys just like are so accommodating and so sweet and like and also like I'm sure everybody can attest to this who are Hoosiers that have either moved away or encounter other Hoosiers. You are so stoked to meet another person from Indiana. Like I have never not met somebody from Indiana like when I lived in San Francisco. Like you run into each other and you're just like ah you don't even know what to say to each other. just like, "Yeah, we vibe. We vibe."
Yeah, absolutely. I love that. Again, you're crushing it on these answers. We have two questions left. What is a hidden gem in Indiana? If you haven't gone up to uh up in Castleton, if you haven't been to Sarraa as a as a grocery store, it's a great place to get produce.
If you haven't eaten in their food courts, it's a fantastic place. Sura Sarraa, that's the international international market. There's there's like three of them in the city, but like less of a hidden gem. It's huge. Uh it's obvious like Julietas, Julietas, Tacos in the Stuts building. Oh, I haven't I haven't seen that.
You got to go. Oh, is that right next door to the bar? That's right there. Yeah. Yeah. Right next door.
They literally have that little pass that you can like see the chef like sticking his head through. Yeah. Okay. Uh Juliet's Juliet. I mean, depend depends on what language you're speaking. There we go.
Okay. That's those are two really good ones. I've had I think one other person has recommended uh Sarra. Okay. Well, then scratch that. I didn't say that.
Yeah. Right. Uh final. No, that just this is the validation. Like two means it's when the world food champion says go there, you drop what you're doing in your head there right now. Well, I mean like if you go on a Sunday or a Monday, the your odds of seeing one of the local chefs here shopping and buying like the obscure ingredients that they can't find anywhere else are like so high.
It's like you run into industry people all the time. Industry people. I want to go I want to shop where the chefs are shopping and I want to eat where the chefs are eating. Like that's that's the thing, right? Final question. This is where you get to share the love with someone that you see that that's just doing great things and kind of helps us source new guests.
So, who is a Hoosier we need to keep on our radar? Someone who's doing big things. I think the team at Modita right now is like killing it that it's like it's a chef and sue chef. Um Megan and Chase that they're like they're both super young, like mid20s, uh kind of just finding themselves now as chefs. And I'm blown away every time I go eat there. I'm blown away every time like we do a tasting and see what they're they're doing and they're like they're really starting to find their groove.
Uh and it's a cool thing to watch. I mean like one of the most exciting things I have in my uh position here is that I kind of get to take a role of mentorship with some of these chefs and just like seeing them just like nail it without you having to help at all. Like like they like they're like they they're putting these dishes out. They're just like, "Yeah, you you get it." The sensei has become the master, right? Like yeah, the whole I I can't take any credit for what they're doing.
Like they they they already got it. This is just something like I just have like point of pride just like watching them and so it's cool. Yeah. I'd say watch out what they're doing. See what's new. Modilla.
Yeah. All right. Put that on the list, man. Colin, thanks for coming in and uh sharing a little bit about your journey through World Food Championship and the work that Cunningham's doing both in central Indiana as well up to Lafayette. That's super cool. You said 43 restaurants now.
43. Yeah. Holy smokes. That's awesome. Well, it's awesome. You're I mean, incredible.
You're great storyteller. Thank you for One of the things I love is seeing Hoosiers do big things on a national or global stage and to be the world food champion like from one Hoosier to another. Like, man, super proud. Like, it's awesome that we have whether it's athletes or chefs or movie star, whatever it might be. It's always fun to see someone thriving in uh whatever it is they're doing. So, continue to keep up the good work.
I'm excited. If there is an event that you are like where you're actually going to be preparing stuff, like get me on a list somewhere. Let me buy tickets. I'm totally in. I'll invite you for sure. Yeah.
Heck yeah, man. Wait, keep up the good work and we'll talk soon. All right. Awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you for listening to this episode of Get In.
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