3 questions with Keith Elchert ’84

It could be the world’s longest progressive dinner. Spanning 3,389 miles across 13 states, the Lincoln Highway begins in Times Square in New York and ends in San Francisco. In Honest Eats, Celebrating the Rich Food History of Indiana’s Historic Lincoln Highway, the husband-and-wife authors introduce us to the restaurants, diners, bakeries and small towns along Indiana’s stretch of the highway. The best? “As cliched as it may sound, it’s impossible to choose a favorite — each is memorable for its own reasons,” said author Keith Elchert ’84.

1. What made you decide to write the book? The Lincoln Highway celebrated its centennial in 2013. Those who can tell its history firsthand are largely gone, and we realized there were stories that needed to be told while they — and the people who could tell them — were still around. The people we encountered throughout the process were incredibly giving of their time and culinary talents.
   
   
2. How did you choose which restaurants to spotlight? No chain restaurants. The story of the Lincoln Highway — the nation’s first interstate — is also the story of the people who made their living from it. As the highway faded from prominence with the advent of interstates as we know them today, smaller, homier restaurants suffered a similar fate. People and their talents deserve to be celebrated. The sites we featured pretty much cover the spectrum from small-town diners to high-end restaurants located in a repurposed bank building or stately restored residence.
   
   
3. Eating for research is an interesting concept, yes? The first words I wrote for the book’s introduction were “genuine and generous.” A large, all-the-toppings pizza and a box of two dozen doughnuts were among the foods people were all too willing to share with us. That made it all the more delicious. It’s certainly not why we got into the project; it was an unanticipated side benefit.