WHEN I VISIT my parents in Kokomo, the trips are usually focused on spending time with the folks at their house—the place they’ve called home since I was a year old. I beeline directly to their door and directly back to mine without devoting much, if any, energy to getting out and exploring what’s new in my hometown. My mom and I take walks in the neighborhood, so I take notice of updated paint colors and fresh landscaping around my old stomping grounds. But it wasn’t until recently, when our editorial staff discussed this month’s destination dining cover feature, that Kokomo came onto my radar as a dining hot spot. Who knew?
The short answer is Brian Garrido, who collaborated with Eve Batey and Terry Kirts to compile a roundup of standout establishments in Kokomo, Fort Wayne, Louisville, and Champaign, Illinois—another locale to which I sometimes travel to visit family. When I read through Garrido’s Kokomo writeups, I was pleasantly surprised to see some familiar names: Frittata’s, where my cousin worked; Half Moon Restaurant & Brewery, the site of a mini-reunion with high school friends a decade ago; The Foxes Trail, a cozy spot tucked away just south of downtown that’s popular with my parents’ friends; and Radish Market & Cafe, an adorable restaurant and shop on the courthouse square with a healthy, satisfying lunch menu (so charming!). The Korean barbecue spots are now calling my name, but I’m at least reassured that I haven’t missed out on Kokomo’s apparently burgeoning culinary scene after all. It was right under my nose all along; it just took a little nudge from a colleague to reintroduce me to my own hometown.
