Recess is the ultimate culinary playground. Every day chef  Greg Hardesty and his culinary team create a four-course pre-fixe dinner from scratch, using for inspiration the season’s freshest local and regional ingredients.

GREG  HARDESTY

Greg  Hardesty  is  the  chef-‐owner  of  Recess  restaurant  in  Indianapolis.  His  enjoyment  of   food  began  at  his  family’s  dining  table  where  meals  and  time  together  were  savored.   However,   cooking   took   on   an   increased   importance   when   he   was   in   college   and

Hardesty   graduated   from   Indiana   University   in   1991   and   then   began   working   at   the   Glass   Chimney   in   Carmel,   Ind.   There   he   received   a   solid   foundation   in   continental   cuisine   that   is   still  evident  in  his  cooking  today.  Seeking  to  expand  his  cooking  knowledge,  he  moved  to  Los   Angeles  in  1995  and  began  work  for  Chef  Joachim  Splichal  and  his  expanding  Patina/Pinot   restaurant   group.   Greg   moved   up   to   become   a   sous   chef   and   helped   open   Splichal’s   third   Pinot  restaurant  in  Hollywood.  During  this  time  he  was  introduced  to  the  light  and  simple  flavors  of  Splichal’s  cuisine,  and   the  importance  of  fresh,  seasonal  ingredients.  His  next  career  move  was  to  Drew  Nieporent’s  Rubicon  in  San  Francisco.  As   a  sous  chef  there  he  learned  the  importance  of  a  well-‐paired  wine  with  expertly  executed  food.

In   1999,   Hardesty   returned   to   Indianapolis   and   opened   H2O   Sushi   Bar,   where   he   created   food   using   classical   sushi   techniques  from  a  contemporary  California-‐French  perspective.    He  opened  his  second  restaurant  Elements  in  2003  which   featured  modern  American  food  that  married  many  of  the  influences  of  the  Mediterranean  with  the  simplicity  and  clean  lines   of  Japanese  cuisine.  Elements  was  named  ”Restaurant  of  the  Year”  by  Indianapolis  Monthly  that  same  year.  Hardesty  sold   H2O  Sushi  in  2004  to  concentrate  on  Elements  and  his  two  young  daughters.

Despite   the   success   of   Elements,   Hardesty   was   still   not   experiencing   the   culinary   freedom   he   desired   in   the   kitchen.   He   decided  to  sell  the  restaurant  and  concentrated  on  developing  a  format  that  would  allow  him  to  focus  all  his  energy  and  efforts   on  the  food  and  service  –  a  restaurant  where  there  were  no  culinary  boundaries.  Recess,  which  opened  in  2010,  offers  a   format  where  Hardesty  is  free  to  offer  his  interpretations  on  any  cuisine  he  chooses.  His  menu  is  a  playground  for  him  and   a  flavorful  ”break”  for  his  customers.  Hardesty  and  his  culinary  team  create  a  new  four-‐course  pre-‐fixe  menu  daily  that  is   inspired  by  the  season’s  freshest  local  and  regional  ingredients.

To  build  on  the  success  of  Recess,  Hardesty  opened  Room  Four  in  early  summer  2011.  Located  next  to  Recess,  Room  Four   offers  a  new  á  la  carte  menu  daily.  Just  like  at  Recess,  the  menu  is  inspired  from  cuisines  around  the  globe  and  showcases   local  and  regional  ingredients.  Room  Four  is  Hardesty’s  fourth  restaurant,  hence  the  name  Room  Four.

Hardesty  has  garnered  national  attention  including  mentions  in  Food  Arts,  USA  Today,  The  New  York  Times,  Popular  Plates,   Wine  Spectator,  PBS:  Food  and  on  Martha  Stewart  Living  Radio  Sirius  XM.  In  2012,  he  was  honored  as  a  semifinalist  for  the   James  Beard  Foundation’s  ”Best  Chef:  Great  Lakes”  award.  Several  high-‐profile  celebrities  have  dined  at  his  restaurants   including  NBC’s  ”Late  Night  with  Jimmy  Fallon”  host  Jimmy  Fallon  and  ”How  I  Met  Your  Mother”  TV  star  Neil  Patrick  Harris.

Hardesty  is  also  dedicated  to  helping  the  community.  He  has  been  the  Taste  of  the  NFL  Indianapolis  chef  since  2006,  where   he  works  with  a  former  or  current  Indianapolis  Colts  player  to  raise  funds  and  awareness  for  hunger  relief.  He  has  an  urban   garden   behind   his   restaurants   and   is   known   for   hosting   innovative   themed-‐dinners   like   “Rainier   Cherries”   and   “The   Big   Leboswki.”

Chef/Owner

RECESS  |  4907  N  COLLEGE  AVE.  |  INDIANAPOLIS,  IN  |  TEL.  317.925.PLAY  |  WWW.RECESSINDY.COM