Meet our new columnist, Todd Ellington

Meet our friend, Todd Ellington, grill master, storyteller, girl dad, and restaurant pro. In his first guest column, he shares how decades in the kitchen shaped his love for cooking—and why grilling still brings the heat without the hangover. 

I love grilling, and not because it’s some pre-ordained task assigned to the men of our society.  It is more about the primal feeling that washes over me as I hear the siren song of sizzle, combining with a flame to cause a Maillard reaction on whatever marinated protein is sitting on that grate. The statement should be qualified by noting that I love cooking in general. It is hard for me to find a better accomplishment in a single day than scanning the fridge, deciding what's been there too long, mixing it all to set a home-cooked meal on the table, and cleaning out the fridge.

I first entered a relationship with cooking while latchkey experimenting with white bread slices topped with various ingredients both pre and post toast-r-oven after school. My formative years were spent sweating and hustling in kitchens while earning more per hour than most of my peers. This provided me with the opportunity of changing 60# of shortening in three vat fryers – something I’d suggest avoiding if possible. Toiling in restaurants for nearly three decades also introduced me to a wide selection of wine, beer, and every spirit imaginable. I last worked in the business opening and operating Weber Grill Restaurant, extolling the virtues of a legendary bourbon and scotch list to any ear that would listen. As I get older, it continues to dawn on me that maybe those tasting notes weren’t so virtuous and maybe bourbon and IPAs aren’t that great after all. That’s where Orangily comes in! Finding a way to continue to socialize while imbibing nuanced flavors that don’t lead down dodgy paths is probably something we should all be looking for in middle age. Maybe booze isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

I’m no saint and haven’t sworn off alcohol altogether, but without Orangily my glass would continue only to be high octane. The minds behind this amazing brand asked me to contribute a sidebar column, and I figured it was worth a shot to add a cool perspective to an already great newsletter. Please don’t make this one-way – needing questions, prompts, and general ideas on what you want to hear! So there you have it, introductions out of the way with a plan to break down styles of modern grilling next.  #GetAtMeIndy! is a tag line that I love on LinkedIn. Not sure how # even works and it has never caught on but get at me Indy – let’s talk grilling.

Todd Ellington, Indianapolis