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Indianapolis restaurant The Block takes a spin on ‘Great Food Truck Race’ – Indianapolis Business Journal

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Indianapolis restaurant The Block takes a spin on ‘Great Food Truck Race’ – Indianapolis Business Journal


The Block founder Terry Anthony, left, teams up with Crystal Kilgore, center, and Carl Harris, right, to compete on the new season of “The Great Food Truck Race.” (Photo provided by Food Network)

Terry Anthony, founder of downtown’s The Block Bistro & Grill, was open to the idea of competing on a reality TV show when a talent scout reached out about Anthony’s appearances on WXIN-TV Channel 59.

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Anthony saw an immediate roadblock, however, when he learned the show in question was Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race.”

“I said, ‘Dude, I don’t have a food truck,’ ” Anthony said.

Fortunately, the show’s 16th season, which premieres Sunday, is structured as a “David vs. Goliath” battle in which five chefs who have no food truck experience mix it up with four established kitchens on wheels.

“They told me that, and I said ‘Let’s go with it,’ ” Anthony said. “It turned out to be a really good opportunity.”

Which isn’t to say it’s easy to be a rookie whose moves are on display for a national viewing audience.

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In his role as owner of The Block restaurant, 115 W. Market St., Anthony doesn’t devote much attention to traffic reports and weather forecasts. That information means a great deal to a food truck operator, who may source ingredients in a different way than the owner of a brick-and-mortar spot.

“You need to know about grocery stores,” Anthony said. “The price that you may pay to a distributor isn’t the price that you’re going to pay at a grocery store. That’s how many food trucks get their product.”

Before making “Great Food Truck Race” episodes, Anthony enlisted a cook, Carl Harris, and a promotions expert, Crystal Kilgore, to accompany him on the ride.

Anthony met Harris, owner of Cravings Gourmet Catering in Fort Worth, Texas, when Anthony worked as a caterer for IMS Productions, which oversees the TV broadcasts for IndyCar races. Kilgore is a Texas resident who knew Harris.

“You can’t do this thing by yourself,” Anthony said. “You have to deal with the logistics of driving, with the logistics of ‘Who’s going to go get the customers?’ and ‘Who’s cooking?’ ”

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The setting for the eight-episode season of “Great Food Truck Race” is Los Angeles, described by Anthony as the food truck capital of the world.

“It’s a bit daunting,” Anthony said. “Not only are you competing with the eight other contestants, you’re competing with other food trucks to get people’s dollars.”

The close proximity to Hollywood also translates into celebrity cameos, Anthony said.

“You get a chance to rub elbows with some pretty influential people,” he said of the show, which was recorded from late January to early March.

Rewinding to Anthony’s invitation to appear on “The Great Food Truck Race,” he credits “Indy Now” co-host Jillian Deam for bringing him on to make weekly appearances on the Fox59 lifestyle show.

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Anthony’s star power was evident in video clips posted online.

“The talent scout said my personality fits what they were looking for,” said Anthony, who played football at Murray State University in the 1990s.

The overall winner of a “Great Food Truck Race” season receives a $50,000 prize.

Will the Block’s signature item, “Boomerang” chicken wings marinated for 24 hours, help Anthony, Harris and Kilgore topple the competition?

Anthony isn’t offering spoilers, but he would like the chance to get into the food truck community at home.

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“Everybody knows Indianapolis for Monument Circle,” he said. “It would be awesome to have the Circle lined up with food trucks during events. There’s a chance to showcase our food truck scene.”



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Indianapolis, IN

National discount retailer to make it's way to downtown Indianapolis

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National discount retailer to make it's way to downtown Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — The downtown Indy building Claypool Court is getting a new retailer.

Officials hope major names like Burlington will bring more Hoosiers and visitors to Mile Square.

WRTV

“There’s definitely a lot of higher-end restaurants right around this area, so I think bringing in some retail stores isn’t a bad idea,” Wesley Slaughter, who lives downtown, said.

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The store will sit at Washington and Illinois Streets, an area Slaughter says will be a good fit because it’s a heavily trafficked intersection.

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WRTV

“I could see it being beneficial to get more people in the area because otherwise you have to drive outside of 465 just to hit one of those stores,” Slaughter said.

TJ Maxx has been a big part of the downtown retail scene for many years, but now there is some competition with the Burlington that’s going to be a couple of doors down.

WATCH RELATED COVERAGE | Downtown Indy’s Future Plans announced

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Downtown Indy’s future plans announced

“We’re excited anytime that there’s a new addition to the retail landscape here in downtown Indianapolis,” Taylor Schaffer, with Downtown Indy Inc., said.

Schaffer says this is just part of a pipeline of new projects and development coming to the area.

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The space Burlington will take over is the lower level of Claypool Court. It used to be home to the Rhythm! Discovery Center.

The store is set to open this fall.





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Indianapolis, IN

A Yard Of One’s Own – Indianapolis Monthly

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A Yard Of One’s Own – Indianapolis Monthly


Credit: Angela Jackson/Indianapolis Monthly

REALTOR Summer Hudson was always waiting for the perfect midcentury modern home to hit the market and lure her away from her beloved Irvington. On Hudson’s popular TikTok channel, Find a Lot to Love, she cooed over original 1960s woodwork and intact bathrooms for the 207,000 followers who enjoyed watching her walk through houses for sale in Central Indiana. But the eXp Realty agent’s own family needed a yard for their 5-year-old daughter more than she needed a pristine Avriel Shull A-frame, so she gave her husband, Ryan Sloan, one criterion: Find a house with the exact same layout as their 3,000-square-foot Irvington ranch, plus a yard, and she’d move.

Lo and behold, he did, in Crows Nest. The three-bed, two-bath house has a circular layout with semi–open concept living, dining, and kitchen spaces and, as a bonus, a pool on the half-acre lot. “I always said I’d never turn down a pool,” Hudson says. The home had been sitting on the market for a while because, in Hudson’s opinion, the listing for 1,800 square feet was misleading; the homeowners couldn’t include the 1,200-square-foot finished attic because the ceiling was too low. Additionally, the photos didn’t do the home justice. “From the outside, it looks tiny and bungalow-ish, but you don’t realize how deep it goes,” she says, adding that the images didn’t showcase the layout’s attractive flow, either. The couple got it under list price for $410,000, and Hudson, who uses the attic as her office, has no regrets—her dream midcentury home can wait. Downsizing forced the couple to purge, and they discovered the joys of a simplified lifestyle. “I’m actually spending more time with my kid out- side. That has been the most amazing part of all of this,” Hudson says.

FAVORITE FEATURE
The nature-filled backyard

PURCHASE DATE
March 2024

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NEIGHBORHOOD
Crows Nest

SQUARE FOOTAGE
1,800





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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis man sentenced to 110 years for 2021 double homicide

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Indianapolis man sentenced to 110 years for 2021 double homicide


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to 110 years in prison for his role in a north side shooting that resulted in the death of two men during a $20 marijuana deal in 2021.

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced the sentencing of 21-year-old Camran Perry on Thursday, following a jury’s verdict after a two-day trial. In July, Perry was found guilty of two counts of murder and carrying a handgun without a license, a release said.

Andrew Jones, 21, and Blake Coffman, 20, died in a shooting about 6:45 p.m. Dec. 1, 2021, in the 8800 block of Westfield Way at the 9000 Westfield apartments. That’s just southeast of the intersection of East 91st Street and Westfield Boulevard.

Investigators interviewed a witness who reported hearing “three loud thumps” and seeing a man in a gray sweatsuit standing behind the victims’ vehicle before fleeing the scene. The witness, along with others, then approached the vehicle and called the police.

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Two cellphones were recovered at the scene. Investigators obtained warrants for the phones, one of which belonged to Coffman.

According to a release, on Coffman’s phone, which was logged into his personal Instagram account, investigators found video chats and private messages indicating his intention to meet someone at the location of the shooting. The other user of this account deleted their account just hours after the incident. Digital forensics teams traced this account back to Perry.

Perry was taken into custody on Jan. 10. Initially, he denied knowing either of the victims, but later confessed to meeting up with them to make a purchase. Perry later admitted to engaging in a verbal altercation with Coffman and Jones, before shooting both men, police say.

Prosecutor Ryan Mears issued the following statement after the conviction:

“Young people having easy access to firearms leads to them making poor, split-second decisions that result in senseless deaths and tragedy,” stated Prosecutor Mears. “It is incumbent upon us to continue to empower young people with the tools to be mindful of the long-term consequences of gun violence in order to avoid tragedies like this.”

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