Pete Eshelman on Transforming Urban Neighborhoods

This September marks the fourth annual TURN (Transforming Urban Neighborhoods) Feast and Festival. Born out of the collaboration between Paramount Schools of Excellence (PSOE) and Community Health Network, the concept is to bring together four pillars of revitalization in Indianapolis: farm, food, health and environment. The night before the event, the TURN Festival team holds a feast with top-notch family style service by six prominent Indianapolis chefs. Proceeds from the feast go to Paramount Schools’ Farm, Slow Food Indy and East downtown Indianapolis neighborhoods.

The TURN festival is managed and hosted by PSOE, coordinated by its staff and volunteers while the farm is used as a site for the festivities. The school works with its Brookside neighborhood and Ross Kratz from Rooster’s Kitchen to provide food for guests. The team at PSOE gives demonstration of farming by way of the school’s chickens, goats and honeybees, as well as cheese making and gardening programs. The TURN Festival educates attendees through 16 expert-led workshops, including pop-up events on yoga, construction and farming. The goal is to give visitors take-home examples of sustainability. Through demonstrations and information sharing, TURN unites the four pillars of revitalization to spark interest and motivation for working toward a more sustainable Indianapolis. 

In conjunction with donations and fun, educational workshops, the TURN Festival features an informed keynote speaker. This year, Pete Eshelman will address the impact of food on conversations, politics and social change. He and his wife, Alice, own Joseph Decuis Farms, which features a restaurant centered around fine dining and the American Dream. The Joseph Decuis restaurant opened to the public in 2000 and is consistent in excellence; Pete Eshelman is known for his dedication to fresh food, sustainability and improving the localized food economy in Roanoke, Indiana. He hopes to set an example as to how local food can rejuvenate a community and enhance the overall quality of life. 

At the TURN Festival, Eshelman will speak on his belief in localized and urban food economies, as well as “culinary diplomacy—bringing the world together with food.” He will share his ventures of graduating from Williams College, joining forces with the New York Yankees and dedicating his life to the culinary arts. 

Eshelman is an influential man in food whose speech will help fuel the purpose of the annual TURN Festival: to educate the Indy community—parents and children alike—on food, health and sustainability. PSOE believes that education is the key to a successful future. In sponsoring the TURN Festival, it gives guests the opportunity to learn about positive sustainability practices that can be passed on and taken home for a cleaner, more efficient food and social network. 

Pete Eshelman | Joseph Decuis | 191 N. Main St Roanoke, 46783 | 260.672.1715