INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The 7th annual TURN Festival is happening this weekend in Circle City. It will highlight urban farming, food, the environment, and health.

The TURN “Transforming Urban Neighborhoods” Festival is a two-day educational and community-focused event organized by Paramount Schools of Excellence, in partnership with Keystone Construction.

It focuses on TURN’s four pillars: farm, food, health, and the environment.

TURN is a family-friendly free event featuring food, bounce houses, music, face painting, a dunk tank, crafts, gardening, and workshops.

It will also feature the Perfect Bite Junior Competition featuring the Junior Chef Academy; led by local chef Ross Katz, and the high school cooking teams from Ben Davis’ Area 31 Career Center led by Chef Erin Oeschele.

The TURN Festival is happening on the grounds of a Paramount Schools of Excellence farm. The festival showcases the work being done at the school in urban farming, ecology, green initiatives, food sports, and community outreach.

The planned activities include workshops, demonstrations, information booths, food competitions, a children’s area, and food vendors. There will also be sessions on urban farming, food preservation, healthy cooking, and lifestyle.

Chefs Ross Katz and Tracey Couillard joined me in the Daybreak studios to demonstrate their dishes for the Perfect Bite Championships and preview this upcoming weekend’s event.

Chef Katz is the lead chef for the Junior Chef Academy. He’s also returning as a competitor for the Perfect Bite Championships. He previewed how to make a Japanese-style bite called “Margherita Tomato-yaki” on Daybreak. It was delicious!

Chef Tracey Couillard is a returning competitor. She currently works for the Gallery on 16th.

I got to taste her perfect bite called, “Eggs & Bacon”. It was a unique fall twist to traditional deviled eggs. I must say the one bite I had was beyond tasty. Who knew butternut squash, eggs, and bacon would pair so well together?

Proceeds from the festival will benefit Paramount’s urban farm, environmental education, and summer S.T.E.A.M (Success Through Education Agriculture and Mentoring) programs. The funds will also support annual partners in the Perfect Bite Competition.   

For more information about this weekend’s event, click here.