? Porktober is Back: Win Exclusive Prizes, Help Your Favorite Restaurant Win Big?

For Immediate Release

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 29, 2022) ? This October,?Porktober returns and diners can?celebrate?by visiting locally-owned restaurants on the Tenderloin Lovers Trail. The trail can be found on?the?Indiana Culinary Trails Passport, which was launched by?Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, the?Indiana Destination Development Corporation?(IDDC) and?Indiana Foodways Alliance?(IFA).

The breaded pork tenderloin (BPT) has been Indiana's unofficial sandwich since 1908. Native Hoosiers know it as a piece of pork, pounded and breaded and usually fried. It might be crispy and flat or thick and juicy, but almost all of them are bigger than the bun.

"The breaded pork tenderloin has been Indiana's most beloved sandwich for well over 110 years," Crouch said. "While it's appearance is often unconventional, no bun can contain the pork tenderloin when it is done right. It is an iconic and delicious feature in the Hoosier culinary world." Diners who use their Indiana Culinary Trails Passport to check-in to three restaurants on the Tenderloin Lovers Trail during the month of October will receive an exclusive pair of "It's a Pig Deal" socks.

"The?Indiana Culinary Trails?Passport is a free digital passport designed to encourage people to eat at locally-owned restaurants," said Elaine Bedel, Secretary and CEO of IDDC. "With over 70 restaurants making up the Tenderloin Lovers Trail, Porktober is the perfect opportunity to discover a new favorite restaurant."

The three restaurants with the most check-ins will partner with Indiana Pork Producers Association to donate a pork meal for every check-in at their location to a food pantry within their community. Indiana pork farming employs more than 14,000 Hoosiers and?contributes more than $3 billion each year to the state's economy.

Indiana Soybean Alliance will also be donating $1,500 worth of high oleic soybean oil to each of the top three restaurants. As Indiana's second-largest commodity, soybeans?total $3.08 billion in sales annually and?account for half of the state's agricultural exports.

"We're excited to be teaming up with the Indiana Pork Producers Association and Indiana Soybean Alliance once again to support our members and the many local farmers across our state," said Lindsey Skeen, IFA Executive Director. "The Tenderloin Lovers Trail highlights a distinctive Indiana classic with a variety of forms to please any food lover."

For more information about the Indiana Culinary Trails Passport, go to?VisitIndiana.com/Cuisine?or scan the QR code.?Follow Visit Indiana on social media at @VisitIndiana on Facebook,?Twitter?or?Instagram. ### *All prizes are available while supplies last. To access a media kit, click here.