IMPACT. KATIE BARNETT AND ROB CAPUTO, THANK YOU SO MUCH. >>>INDIANA HAS MORE THAN 300
FARMS, 12,000 RESTAURANTS AND AROUND 150 FARMERS MARKETS. CHEFS ARE REDEFINING FARM-TO-TABLE WITH UNIQUE MENUS
AND COMBINATIONS. WHETHER YOU HAVE A SWEET TOOTH OR ENJOY SAVORY PORK TENDERLOINS, YOU CAN TRAVEL THE
STATE AND FIND SOMETHING TO TEMPT EVERYONE IN YOUR GROUP. >>>GERRY: JOINING ME NOW TO DIG INTO THE CULINARY SIDE OF
TOURISM IS MARKETING AND MEDIA DIRECTOR OF THE INDIANA FOODWAYS ALLIANCE LINDSEY SKEEN. WELCOME! >>: THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>>: I THINK THIS ALLIANCE IDEA I REMEMBER WHEN IT LAUNCHED A LITTLE OVER A DECADE AGO THINKING AT THE TIME THIS WAS A
COOL IDEA AND DIDN'T IT START JUST ALONG I 69 IN THE BEGINNING. >>: IT DID IT WAS THE I 69
CULTURAL CORRIDOR ASSOCIATION AND THEY HAD A STUDY DONE ON ALL OF THE COMMONALITY OF THE DIFFERENT AREAS AND WHAT THEY
FOUND WAS FOOD. AND THEN FROM THEN INDIANA FOODWAYS ALLIANCE WAS BORN. >>: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE GROWTH
IN FAST-FORWARD TO TODAY AND YOU'VE GONE FROM ONE TRAIL TO HOW MANY? >>: 20 DIFFERENT CULINARY
TRAILS SPANNING FROM THE HOOSIER PIE TRAIL, TENDERLOIN LOVER TRAILS JUST CRUISING TRAIL AND WE HAVE A SO DELICIOUS TRAIL
WHICH FEATURES HANDCRAFTED SODA THROUGHOUT THE STATE SO OUR GOAL IS TO HELP THOSE LOCALLY OWNED RESTAURANTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE
AND PROMOTE AND MARKET THEM. >>: WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE IMPACT BECAUSE YOU MAY NOT HAVE NUMBERS ON WHAT THE ECONOMIC
IMPACT IS. IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RESTAURANTS AND VENUES AND COMMUNITIES TO ENGAGE AND DRIVE
A LITTLE BUSINESS TO TOURISM IMPACT IN THEIR COMMUNITY. >>: ABSOLUTELY. WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE CHANGE IN
CULINARY TOURISM HAS REALLY EVOLVED. AND WITH THAT WE HAVE FOUND THAT PEOPLE ARE PLANNING THEIR
GETAWAYS AROUND THESE SMALLER RESTAURANTS. THEY WANT TO HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE AND THE DINING
EXPERIENCE IS DRIVING THEIR DECISION ON WHERE TO TRAVEL. >>: FOOD TO TABLE, THAT BY LOCAL INITIATIVE, IF YOU WILL IS
REALLY KIND OF PLATE INTO THAT. >>: IT REALLY HAS. WE HAVE FOUND THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON LOCAL
COMMUNITIES AND AREAS THROUGHOUT INDIANA THROUGH OUR CULINARY TRAILS. >>: NORTHEAST INDIANA HAS
BECOME A DESTINATION AND QUICKLY I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THE PIE TRAIL. SEVERAL YEARS AGO THAT WAS
RANKED AMONG THE TOP FIVE TRAILS, FOOD TRAILS IN THE COUNTRY. >>: USA TODAY RANKED US AND WE
BEAT OUT THE BOURBON TRAIL AT THAT POINT IN TIME. >>: GOOD STUFF. THE FOODWAYS ALLIANCE IS DOING
SOME GREAT THINGS AROUND THE