The Juneteenth Food Festival is set to take place this Friday, June 14, at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, highlighting Black culinary cuisine. Among the featured participants is Arias Crowell, owner of Zodiac Chef, and Shanet Wallace, special events coordinator at the site.

Crowell, who started Zodiac Chef out of a passion for food, transitioned from baking to becoming a private chef. “I just had a passion for food and needed something to do, and it turned into a business,” Crowell explained. The name “Zodiac Chef” is a playful nod to her name, Aries, rather than a focus on astrological signs.

This year, the festival aims to showcase a variety of new chefs and vendors. Wallace expressed excitement about the event, noting, “We had a partner reception a month ago, and meeting the new chefs and seeing their excitement to join the festival has been incredible. Arias catered the reception, and tasting her food made me even more excited to see what everyone will bring on Friday.”

Last year, the festival drew a couple thousand attendees, and preparations are underway to accommodate a large crowd again. Crowell is looking forward to the opportunity to introduce her food to a broader audience. “It feels good. I’m excited about it because I’m getting more into teaching people about food as well,” she said.

Crowell provided a preview of her offerings, including a strawberry tres leches cake, biscoff cookie butter cupcakes, peach cobbler, a bacon jam burger, Parmesan risotto with salmon and pesto, and spinach dip. She recalled the origins of her business, “I started in 2016 or 2017 with baking, and a friend named Brandon came up with the name Zodiac Chef. It stuck ever since.”

The Juneteenth Food Festival promises a unique culinary experience, celebrating the contributions of Black chefs and bringing diverse flavors to the heart of Indianapolis.