The featured Face of the Fort for this month is Reneta Ushana Thurairatnam. Reneta works in the private wealth management industry by day, which affords her many adventures as a foodie by night. She loves the big city amenities Fort Wayne offers while still feeling like she can easily make a difference in the community around her. Find out more about Reneta and what she loves about our city below.
1.) Tell me about your roots: when did you move to Fort Wayne and what brought you here?
I moved here in 2002 for a job, but I was already familiar with Fort Wayne because I went to Huntington University and the Fort was the closest city with decent shopping! My husband Steve is Fort Wayne born and raised--and his father before him and his father’s father before him. He's never really ventured beyond northeast Indiana, so sometimes he feels like he's missing out. I think I have given him an appreciation for the city through my eyes.
While my sister and I were born in the United States, we definitely didn't have a traditional American upbringing! My parents immigrated from Sri Lanka in the 70s prior to a 26 year civil war. The effects leading up to war started much sooner for my parents, who were part of the Tamil ethnic group which at that time was being persecuted by the Sinhalese ethnic group. My dad left his job as an attorney to come to the United States and start all over again, bringing his family over once he had established a life here.
2.) What’s your favorite thing about Fort Wayne?
I am a foodie. I absolutely love Fort Wayne’s restaurants, and I love the food truck scene. One of the things I love the most is that while Fort Wayne cuisine is predominately American, over the past several years we have opened our arms to several ethnic restaurants including Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Korean, and even Burmese! Fantastic! Now if only we had a Sri Lankan restaurant…
3.) What makes the Fort stand out among other cities?
Many people think Fort Wayne is small, but it's not to me. While I love cities like New York and Toronto because they are constantly active and culturally diverse, I grew up in a town of a couple thousand. With a graduating class of 48, that’s small. What I love about Fort Wayne is that we do things like big cities (festivals, crazy 5k races, and social media events), but we are small enough that your voice can be heard. If I want to be involved in something, I just ask. Or someone asks me. I highly doubt if I was in New York City I would have been a regular guest co-host for a TV show or co-chaired an amazing charity event called Cookin Men with over a thousand people in attendance. Last year I helped connect a philanthropic chef of Eddie Merlot's with Street Reach Ministries, a group that provides clothes and food to the Fort Wayne homeless population. I feel like I can impact a change in this city. One of my favorite quotes is by Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world." I feel it’s easy to do that here.
4.) Let's say you have friends visiting Fort Wayne for the first time. What 3 places/activities are a must?
DeBrand Fine Chocolates: I am a chocoholic and DeBrands is a local staple. They were founded here in 1987 and recently expanded to Kuwait. It's really fun to take a tour and see how they make their delicious, signature chocolate. Heck, it's even one of Oprah’s favorite things!
Downtown Fort Wayne: I love our downtown area. I work there, and I play there, too. It's pedestrian friendly and home to some amazing restaurants, a minor league baseball team with a phenomenally designed stadium, great places to catch a show or exhibition, or even just take a walk along the beautifully designed Martin Luther King Bridge.
Catablu: This is one of my favorite local restaurants. They craft amazing cuisine, the staff is extremely friendly and courteous, and the atmosphere is great. I recommend sitting at the bar so you can meet other Fort Waynians.
Runners up (because it's so hard to name only three!): I would take my friends to any of our parks. One of my favorites is Buckner. They have an awesome splash pad area, picnic tables, and a track where most recently I have been running our goldendoodle, Raji. There are trails, as well, for when he gets tired of running in circles. And after we hit the park, we would stop by Banh Mi Barista for an avocado smoothie. They are so addictive!
5.) If you could make a 5-year plan for Fort Wayne, what would it be?
I would love to see Fort Wayne continue to revitalize its downtown area. I would love to see something like a Trader Joe’s come downtown. It's one of those "if you build it, they will come" stores. Besides some amazing West Central homes, we have all sorts of new residences that have cropped up downtown such as the AWB Luxury Condos and the Harrison Apartments. I think for those to continue to flourish having grocery and drugstore options downtown would be extremely beneficial.
