RAMPS, the funky, pungent wild leeks foraged from local woodlands, have become such a harbinger of spring at area restaurants that they show up in everything from pasta and pizza, to compound butters for steaks, to eggs Benedict, sausages, and pickle platters. They’re an ancient delicacy that inspired the name of Rapunzel in the common fairytale, and they’re a folk food favorite throughout Appalachia. Just a few years ago, however, almost no Indy diners even knew what they were. “We still get a few people asking if we’re sponsoring a skateboarding competition,” says Demian Hostetter, portfolio manager for Crossroad Vintners and an avid ramp fan whose mother is the legendary vegetarian chef and forager Becky Hostetter. He is also the lead committee member for Indy’s second Ramp Fest, held April 21 at Kan-Kan Cinema and Brasserie. The event is a celebration of all things related to this prized member of the allium family, which is available for just a few weeks of the year from late March to early May.
While this is just the second year the festival has offered sample dishes, drinks, live music, and pop-up shops to the public, the celebration is an homage to a much more longstanding spring ritual among friends. “The actual event goes back at least 15 years to the family farm of Jane Henegar near Bloomington,” says Hostetter. “Jane was offering the leeks to area chefs, and she invited some of them to come forage ramps on the farm. Someone decided to bring a cooler of beer, and the chefs got cooking.”
One of the chefs who joined in this early iteration was the late Greg Hardesty, whose foundation and scholarship benefits from Ramp Fest proceeds, along with the American Civil Liberties Union. Hardesty often built a fire and made a paella dish dressed with ramps, similar to the way Spaniards from Catalonia dress their paella with calçots, a type of spring onion. During the Covid pandemic, the chefs stopped their foraging tradition, but a few decided to bring it back and make it a public event last year.
The festival featured over a dozen chefs. Last year’s festival featured empanadas prepared by Julieta Taco Shop’s Esteban Rosas and dishes by Samir Mohammad of 9th Street Bistro, Nick Detrich of Bloomington’s Small Favors, and Chris Benedyk of Love Handle. The festival committee expanded ticket sales to 400 for this year’s event. Wine and spirits from Crossroad Vintners, including canned cocktails from 8th Day Distillery, were on offer, as well as drinks from the bar inside at Kan-Kan. Stomping Ground owner Martha Latta had spring bedding plants on display and for sale.
The committee also timed the festival for the day before Earth Day as a reminder to be mindful of what we can do to thank the planet for all of the delicious foodstuffs we take. “All in all, it’s a great way to get our food community together,” says Hostetter, mentioning that the festival raised $14,000 for charities last year, “and the ramp is a delicious reason to throw a party to spring.”
