Feed it Forward

Beyond the Plate Local Food Hero Nominee: Born into a family with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a love for food, Indianapolis-based Chef Ross Katz grew up knowing he wanted to be in the restaurant business. He opened Rooster’s Kitchen—a hip eatery tucked into the Bottle Works side of Mass Ave—in October 2016, and has loved serving the local Indianapolis community ever since.

And now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though it’s not business as usual. Katz has remained steadfast and found ways to continually provide good food to patrons as well as those not so fortunate.

“We’ve retooled and changed the functionality of the restaurant to conform to the current situation,” says Katz of his decision to remove seating and create space for prepping takeout orders, grocery packing, and more.
“We still offer a traditional but limited takeout menu for customers,” says Katz noting that the ever-popular brisket melt and build your own macaroni and cheese is still available, but, taking things a step further, Katz and his staff are also now packing groceries for folks—many of them from local purveyors for curbside pick up.
By using their wholesale buying capacity, Katz says they’re able to offer fresh foods, many of which come from local purveyors, to those living in the area.

“The mission of Rooster’s Kitchen has always been to feed the community,” Katz said as he explained the groups Feed it Forward program which uses both monetary and product donations to prepare meals for the homeless.

“We have three main goals,” Katz says one of which is sourcing fresh groceries through the newly-opened neighborhood market. Additionally, they are working to obtain food-insecurity meal sponsorships from local businesses and individuals alike. “With unemployment rates at record highs and school closings, food insecurity has increased exponentially … our staff is aiding nonprofits fighting against food insecurity and on average, we’re able to provide one meal for every $5 sponsored.” The money is then split between their cost of goods and staff payroll, forgoing any direct profits to Katz.

The third goal of the Feed it Forward program is to help feed those working on the frontline, including everyone from healthcare workers to first responders. Since starting the program Katz has provided more than 2,000 meals and he isn’t slowing down.

“The obligations they have often come before their own health and wellbeing,” Kats says and the program is geared towards providing nutritious meals to those who continually put others first.

Read more Beyond the Plate local food hero stories. Learn more about our partners, Niman Ranch at nimanranch.com.