We had the good fortune of connecting with Tom & Ed Battista and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tom & Ed, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
Tom: I went to Brebeuf a Jesuit high school and their motto is “Men and Women for Others”! I was raised to be a helper. Whether that is family, friends, neighbors, or the community, I think everyone could use a little help.

Ed: The names of our restaurant and non-profit art-house cinema are nods to Hoosier literary icon Kurt Vonnegut and one of his favorite quotes of mine is: “It is hard to adapt to chaos, but it can be done. I am living proof of that: It can be done.” I was a bit of a rebel in my younger years so I do feel like I’m living proof of adapting to the chaos of being a small business owner and handling expansions.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Tom: I’ve been in the entertainment industry for 50 years and recently retired. I’ve worked in various jobs, but on the road with Jimmy Buffet for the last 30 as his stage manager. From 1975-1981, I traveled with the funk sensation Parliment on their tour and had a first row seat to racial tensions in America. For example, they couldn’t play in downtown Boston. After traveling the world, I realized Indianapolis was in need of an authentic Italian-style bakery. I was set on opening something & would love for it to be in an Italian neighborhood of Holy Rosary, just southeast of the downtown core.

Ed: Indianapolis hosted the superbowl in 2012, so the year before the Alcohol and Tobacco commission was selling their liquor licenses for a couple of thousand and they were usually $30,000, but they aimed to be more accessible to mom & pop shops downtown neighborhood spots could open up. I was in law school at the time and we jumped on the opportunity to get one. Over the past decade, Bluebeard has grown into a culinary hotspot in Indianapolis with James Beard recognition, mentions in the New York Times style section, Food and Wine Magazine, Cosmopolitan, among many other regional publications. Our latest venture has been opening a small independent art house cinema with a restaurant and a bar. In March of 2020 we attempted to open Indy’s first non-profit art house cinema, but the pandemic had other plans for the entertainment & hospitality industries. We pivoted to host online group screenings and outdoor movies when the weather was nice, but once the restrictions were lifted we were able to fully operate. After about a year and a half we are finally getting our footing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Tom: Here’s what our perfect Sunday looks like: pick up breakfast sandwiches from Amelia’s and then picnic in Spades Park and then hit up the Kan-Kan Cinema across the street for a matinee movie. I’d take a Pacers Bike Share down the Indianapolis Cultural Trail to The Idle Park to watch the sunset. If you’re visiting during the month of May, it’s my moral obligation to take them to the Indianapolis 500 to see the greatest spectacle in racing.

Ed: A few of my favorite spots are rich with history, very divey and cash only: grab a burger at the Workingman’s Friend on the near west side and hit up the Red Key Tavern in South Broad Ripple. The movie “Going All the Way” starring Ben Affleck was filmed in Indianapolis and they shot some scenes in the Red Key Tavern.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Tom: Somehow growing up as the 4th child in a family of 7 kids, I thrived at getting compliments for jobs well done. Cutting grass, shoveling snow, doing the dishes or helping at my fathers drugstore.

Ed: I’m grateful to my family who has always supported my vision to build community through local restaurants and bakeries. My parents started buying residential real estate when I was a kid, so rehabbing old structures and giving them a second life is always something I have been drawn to.

Website: https://bluebeardindy.com/about/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kankancinema/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KanKanCinema

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