From Indiana Foodways:

The Indiana Foodways Alliance was created by members of the I-69 Cultural Corridor Association in January 2007 after a commissioned feasibility study revealed 68 authentic rural culinary tourism sites in eight Northeastern Indiana counties alone.

The Indiana Foodways Alliance is the first membership-based association of its kind in Indiana dedicated to the development and promotion of the local food culture of Indiana and small businesses from field to table.

The Alliance identifies and nurtures Indiana's varied community culinary heritages through education, partnerships, public relations and regional cooperation. While it began with the I-69 corridor, the Alliance has quickly grown into a statewide organization.

The mission of the Indiana Foodways Alliance is:

• Serve as a conduit for communities and towns, businesses, residents and visitors in pursuit of authentic and palatable dining experiences that enhance the understanding of local cultural heritages of Indiana
• Seek out and promote information related to these experiences
• Encourage private and public support for educational and promotional activities which benefit local communities by creating vibrant culinary tourism
• Encourage, at all times, the use of local ingredients and products, the preservation of local food culture identity and the search for excellence in culinary pursuits.

Founding members of the Indiana Foodways Alliance include the following Convention and Visitors Bureaus of the I-69 Cultural Corridor:

• Anderson/Madison County
• DeKalb County
• Fort Wayne/Allen County
• Hamilton County
• Huntington County
• Marion/Grant County
• Steuben County

Programs of the Indiana Foodways Alliance are governed by a board of directors comprised of food professionals from all regions of Indiana.