Richard Hughes, Rome City, IN

My personal connection with food has been a lifelong love affair. Many of my earliest memories involve food, including what I believe to be my first memory in life. I was 4 years old and my Mom had taken me to the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. The only thing I remember is the hot dog she bought me, and the only reason I remember it so clearly is the mustard.

I had put so much mustard on the dog that my first bite turned it into a yellow paint sprayer, covering my clothes with the unmistakable badge of a mustard lover. After that mustard stains became a trademark of my childhood wardrobe. I was nicknamed “mustard man” in elementary school for my ability to use the condiment on almost any meal. A few people still call me that today.

My connection with locally grown foods also dates back to my childhood. Growing up in northeast Indiana, I come from the heart of farm country. One of my best friends lived on a farm, where his dad raised pigs and grew corn, soybeans, hay and straw. Spending the night over at his house was always awesome because every morning his Mom would make huge breakfasts, still the best I have ever eaten. Bacon from a locally owned pig farm is beyond comparison to store-bought bacon, as are home-grown tomatoes, onions, beans and sweet corn.

I have expanded my tastes past mustard since elementary school, but not too far. I highly enjoy kosher dill pickles, banana peppers, pepperoncini peppers, raw lemons, insanity salsas and hot sauces of all types. I am a condiment junkie, and savor such delicacies as carrots with barbeque sauce, celery with franks red-hot and any cheese dipped in A-1 steak sauce.  I eat chicken wings by the pound and destroy shrimp cocktails.

I became involved with the Indiana Foodways Alliance to gain more on-the-job experience in photojournalism. As a photographer, I have traveled throughout Indiana visiting many of the restaurants on the culinary trails and have discovered the obvious reasons why each was picked for IFA along the way. I have discovered lots of excellent locally grown hand-prepared meals available from locally owned Indiana restaurants, starting from just a mile inside the Michigan state line. IFA culinary trails give every Hoosier a guide to experiencing Indiana in its purest form, and I am proud to be a part of the team.