How Chuck and Bird's Bistro and Home Delivery Service is Boosting Fort Wayne's Local Food Scene!

Fort Wayne has several nicknames. We have been called the City of Churches, the Summit City, Three Rivers, and been recognized as an All-American City three times! We even were named a Playful City by Kaboom last year because of our dedication to kids.

And, yes, we have even been called the City of Restaurants.

In a city with a little more than a quarter of a million people food is a big deal. And, there is a little known segment of the city's population that is leaning more towards good, local, organic foods.

Chuck Putterbaugh, the owner of Chuck and Birds Home Delivery and Bistro, really enjoyed the atmosphere and mission of the local farmer's markets and became intent on bringing the brilliant taste of organic, clean foods to Fort Wayne.

Putterbaugh, a CPA, was familiar with restaurants and wanted to bring together a multiple group of services that would help Fort Wayne residents have access to foods not easily found in the city.
And, so, Chuck and Birds burst onto the Fort Wayne scene, bringing a '˜farm to table' vision. Chuck and Birds began as a home delivery service (very cool for Fort Wayne residents!) and now has a little grocery store and bistro located at 4301 Fairfield Avenue in Fort Wayne.

I wanted to find out more about Chuck and Birds services so I decided to catch up with Chuck and find out all about his new venture. Here is what I found out.

ABS) Tell me a little bit about your background and why you decided to open a locally based bistro/ store?

Chuck) I am a CPA who has worked on and off in the restaurant industry since I was in high school. Over the last several years I have become very interested in the local food movement. The position I had a few years ago allowed me the opportunity to get more involved with the farmers markets and local artisan food producers. I enjoyed not only the great products I was getting but also talking with the local farmers and artisan producers. I learned so much about what is going on here in Indiana. There are so many great stories about what people are doing to produce great foods.

ABS) Do you plan to hold learning events at your store? Such as local food cooking classes or urban gardening workshops?

Chuck) Absolutely. We have talked about starting a neighborhood outdoor/indoor market with cookouts this summer. These would provide us a great opportunity to offer some food preparation classes.

I love the idea of the gardening workshops. We have a home garden every year. A lot of the fun is not just the fresh vegetables (and raspberries) but how much my kids enjoy helping to plan the garden and the reward of picking things when they are ready. They may not be exciting about the weeding but they know that is part of a garden.

ABS) Why did you pick the south side of Fort Wayne as your initial store location?

Chuck) I had lived in the neighborhood for about 10 years and still own a home here. This neighborhood and surrounding area are a great part of Fort Wayne. There are so many beautiful homes and a great park right down the road. The support we have had from the residents has been overwhelmingly positive. One couple and their kids came in with some Christmas cookies the little ones had decorated. That was such a nice thing to do.

We looked at other locations but this one seemed to make the most sense. First it was already a well known existing restaurant, which fit into our plans. Also, a big part of our business is home delivery which is nice because we are close to downtown and right off airport express way.

ABS) Are you involved with any of the local Fort Wayne food alliances, such as Fort Wayne Urban Gardening?

Chuck) Not yet, but we are very interested in getting involved as we move along.

ABS) If I was a new customer and came into your bistro what meal would you recommend?

Chuck) That would be a tough one to answer. I think everything on our menu will be delicious. Everything I have tried so has been. We have two of Fort Wayne's most talented chefs helping us so I believe we have something very special going on here. Our menu using local, fresh, and natural foods. Maybe I would make a drink recommendation. If you like milk, try ours, it is by far the best I have ever had (kid approved).

Those of us who are familiar with the restaurant scene here in Fort Wayne know there is nothing like Chuck and Birds anywhere else in the city.

Chuck and Birds is making clean, organic foods available throughout the city, with their new home delivery service. This type of service is unknown in this area- unless, of course, a pizza is on the menu!

Chuck also told me that his endeavor is entirely focused on lifting the local economy. He believes that the more our local businesses trade within the community the more we will boost our local style of living.

I believe Chuck and Birds Home Delivery and Bistro is a watershed event for our city. Bon Appetit!