We’re passionate about open fire cooking…
Meet Josh
Josh is our master of the flame. Spending his childhood in the woods of Wisconsin planted in Josh a lifelong love for living off the land. At a young age he learned to fish, hunt, and craft campfires: skills that not only stuck with him but instilled in him a reverence for the elements. After a stint in Chicago studying improvisational theatre (nurturing that animated spirit quintessential to Josh’s presence), he hopped from Cincinnati to Indianapolis to pursue his culinary dreams. He began working at Milktooth shortly after the diner’s opening in 2014 and has since guest starred at nearly every locally owned fine dining restaurant in Indianapolis, even working in up to three kitchens at once. Upon marrying sweet Julie, moving into their shared home in Fountain Square, and then weathering the incubation period brought on by the pandemic, the Bakers conceptualized The Open Fire right in their backyard. When he’s not doing events around town, you can find Josh manning the grill at Milktooth whilst entertaining customers (and staff) with his ongoing comedic antics.
Meet Jonathon
Known for his culinary prowess and onslaught of critical acclaim brought about by the opening of Milktooth in 2014, Jonathan is a man of abundant creativity (and mischief). The highbrow + lowbrow brunch concept of the Tooth remains a cornerstone of Indianapolis as it enters its 10th year of life. Though he entered the scene with a bang, Jonathan got his humble beginnings as a dishwasher at the Jazz Kitchen (and even before then, made his debut as the sidewalk Pizza Slice for Papa Murphy’s in the 90s). His creative experiments began as a teenager in his mother’s kitchen with corn ice cream, but quickly evolved to backyard whole pig roasts for family and friends. Though he likes to keep the majority of his ingredients close to home even still, Jon draws inspiration internationally with globally inspired menus at both Milktooth and his fining dining restaurant. Beholder. Alongside the Bakers, Jonathan connects deeply to an ancestral love for cooking with simple whole ingredients. The Open Fire provides him an outlet for the primal preparation of meals over an open flame, a lifelong passion he’s maintained since youth.
Meet Julie
Julie is a Jane of all trades but a garden witch at heart. Her naturalist tendencies and vast knowledge of all things salve and soothing have blossomed into her very own Two Fish Apothecary, with a product line ranging from flower essence tinctures to beef tallow enriched balms of plenty. Her passion for the land (evident in the mystical forest of herbs growing right in her backyard) spans time spent foraging across the midwest to concocting floral desserts for The Open Fire, such as rosehip jam donuts and calendula cake. Julie’s history of fine jewelry design, inspired by an affinity for timeless beauty and the art of adornment, has taken her from the East coast (even working on a Napoleon inspired line for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts) to right here in Indy at Windsor Jewelry shop. When she’s not at Windsor or in her garden, you can find Julie serving at Milktooth, laughing with Josh, reading alongside her beloved pets, strolling through wildflower fields, or spending time with her fifteen year old daughter Calliope