ARIEL HENDRICKSON THINKS Indianapolis has room to grow. But she’s proud of what’s already here. “There are so many people in Indy who are ready to do fun stuff,” she says. “These are yes people. They’re creative and collaborative.”
Hendrickson has spent more than a decade in local hospitality, including stints at Tinker Street, Gallery Pastry Shop, and Fernando’s Mexican & Brazilian Cuisine. She’s a co-founder of J’Adore Pastry, the pop-up that earned her business partner, Youssef Boudarine, a James Beard nod this year. And she will join the team at Fletcher Place’s upcoming Lille Bønne Community Living Room, serving as the venue’s hospitality and events manager.
She knows the city’s chefs and diners well, and that’s why she’s optimistic. “Anything that’s high-quality and creative, people here are so ready,” she says. Bringing big ideas to life in a city that’s hungry for them takes the right connections, which is one of the reasons why Hendrickson cofounded Epicurean Indy, a nonprofit she runs with Boudarine. Best known for the free-admission food and art festival of the same name, Epicurean hosts year-round events that introduce “underrepresented voices” in the city’s culinary scene to each other and the dining community. That includes panel discussions, classes, and pop-ups catered by the city’s food and beverage leaders—both well-known and practically unknown.
A July dinner at Fishers Flower Farm features all seven of the local food and beverage professionals on this year’s James Beard semifinalist list. Meanwhile, the program supports Paramount School’s Junior Chef Academy, inspiring the next generation of culinary leaders. “I like to say there’s no competition here,” Hendrickson says, “just a conversation.”
