We welcome John Wechsler, powerhouse community builder, as he speaks towards his newest endeavor, culinary innovation. John is launching a culinary accelerator, "Fishers Test Kitchen" and "The Signature Table", and will join local food advocate Jolene Ketzenberger and Sun King Brewing to bring a completely new concept that will shape the culinary landscape of Fishers for the future.
The Fishers Test Kitchen will host three culinary entrepreneurs who will launch their restaurant concepts from our completely built-out kitchens adjacent to the new Sun King Brewery. These entrepreneurial chefs will be in the Test Kitchen food hall for a year or two as they test their concepts, refine their menus and build a following. We hope they’ll eventually launch out to their own restaurant location, and then we’ll bring in another aspiring chef to take over the space — all with the goal of creating a more vibrant and exciting local food culture.
The entrepreneurs joining John:- Chef Carlos Salazar will share his love of global street food when he opens Lil Dumplings
- Chef Leisha Berg brings her favorite California comfort food to the Fishers Test Kitchen with the debut of West Coast Nook.
- Chefs John & Kim will be serving up fast, fresh Korean barbecue when Korave opens in the Fishers Test Kitchen
----
John has founded, co-founded, or served in C-level roles in several venture-backed startups
including Formstack, Formspring, DeveloperTown, Vontoo, Wishoo and beenz. In 2012, John
founded Launch Fishers, a 52,000 square foot launch pad for startups and high-potential
enterprises. In 2014, John founded the statewide entrepreneurial mentorship initiative, Launch
Indiana, and continues to serve as an active advisor to entrepreneurs.
In 2017 John founded The Indiana IoT Lab in Fishers, a 24,000 square foot innovation hub for
Internet of Things (IoT)-related enterprises. John earned the 2018 Trailblazer Award from
Techpoint, recognizing a “visionary whose contributions have had a significant impact on our
technology ecosystem and state.”
John has been a lifetime volunteer with community organizations, currently serving on the
Boards of Directors of several organizations including the Indiana State Museum, the Indiana
Chamber of Commerce, and the Indiana Technology and Innovation Association.
