1966
Alex
2021
Alex Lloyd Munroe
March 25, 1966 — January 16, 2021
Alex Lloyd Munroe, 54, died at his Indianapolis home on Saturday, January 16, 2021 surrounded by family.
The Indianapolis native attended Eastwood Middle School and graduated from Culver Military Academy in 1984. He served in the U.S. Marines, attaining the rank of corporal. Alex returned to active duty in 1990 to serve in Operation Desert Storm. After completing additional training, he boarded a transport plane headed for Kuwait. Upon landing in Germany the troops learned that a ceasefire agreement had been signed which ended hostilities, so he returned to the U.S. without seeing any combat duty.
Transitioning to civilian life, Alex lived in Cincinnati for a time, married and started a family. Deciding to move back to Indianapolis to be close to relatives, he began working for the Stuart Anderson steakhouse chain. An opportunity for advancement led him to take the position of head of operations at the New Orleans House. This legendary seafood buffet establishment was where Alex really grew to love food service and honed his management skills. His growing reputation led him to be recruited to craft the menu for John and Nancy Hill’s Broad Ripple Brewpub in 1990, the state’s first brewpub. A year later, he helped Puccini’s Smiling Teeth launch its first store at West 86th Street and Ditch Road.
A stint at Snax/Something Different helped him hone his gourmet cooking skills which he put to good use at Peter’s in Fountain Square. This pioneering high-end gourmet restaurant preceded Indy’s foodie scene by two decades.
Alex’s life was upended in 1994 when he was involved in a terrible motorcycle accident. He severed his femoral artery, required 14 pints of blood and flatlined three times during emergency medical procedures. The injuries were so severe that he was unable to derive nutrition from food. This required total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for the rest of his life, which, he was told at the time, would end before he reached his 40th birthday.
In fact, he survived another 26 years thanks to his pharmacist Tammy McDowel at Nutrishare and to an innate stubborn streak that made him a fighter.
Not one to sit idly, he continued to consult in the food service industry, assisting David Wilson in opening a restaurant in Broad Ripple, the Village Idiot, that eventually became 3 Sisters Café. In 1995 the place was under new management and owner David Hansmann’s girlfriend at the time was a vegan. He needed a chef so he hired Alex to run the kitchen at night and make vegan entrées.
That’s when Alex became reacquainted with Moira Sommers, a server who had been a member of the Village Idiot opening team. Both had mutual friends from middle school but their lives went in different directions and they drifted apart. Working together at 3 Sisters, they became smitten with each other and began dating. When the opportunity arose to purchase the business, they spent a year putting together a proposal. On November 4, 2005, the partners launched their business life at the beloved Broad Ripple restaurant that continues operations to this day.
3 Sisters Café maintains its reputation as a local favorite breakfast and lunch spot. The casual atmosphere and wholesome, hearty portions of homemade food using fresh ingredients has generated a loyal following. Alex took particular pride in his soups, “Never had a lesson,” he proclaimed, and the proof of his expertise was in the flavor.
The restaurant gained national exposure in 2011 by appearing in Season 11 of The Food Network’s Diners Drive-ins and Dives. Watch the episode online and see the rapport Alex has with host Guy Fieri. They were clearly kindred spirits.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no services or calling. Indiana Funeral Care is handling arrangements. On Saturday, January 30, 3 Sisters will hold a celebration of Alex’s life from 4-8 p.m. Social distancing protocols and COVID-19 restaurant occupancy restrictions will be in place.
Alex is survived by his parents, Bruce and Phyllis Munroe; brother Grant Munroe and wife Ginny; daughters Caroline and Lucy Munroe, Josie Sommers and fiancé Alex Hoving; sons Charlie, Owen, and Emerson Munroe, Eliot Sommers and partner Rachel Fleitz, and long-time love, Moira Sommers.
The Indianapolis native attended Eastwood Middle School and graduated from Culver Military Academy in 1984. He served in the U.S. Marines, attaining the rank of corporal. Alex returned to active duty in 1990 to serve in Operation Desert Storm. After completing additional training, he boarded a transport plane headed for Kuwait. Upon landing in Germany the troops learned that a ceasefire agreement had been signed which ended hostilities, so he returned to the U.S. without seeing any combat duty.
Transitioning to civilian life, Alex lived in Cincinnati for a time, married and started a family. Deciding to move back to Indianapolis to be close to relatives, he began working for the Stuart Anderson steakhouse chain. An opportunity for advancement led him to take the position of head of operations at the New Orleans House. This legendary seafood buffet establishment was where Alex really grew to love food service and honed his management skills. His growing reputation led him to be recruited to craft the menu for John and Nancy Hill’s Broad Ripple Brewpub in 1990, the state’s first brewpub. A year later, he helped Puccini’s Smiling Teeth launch its first store at West 86th Street and Ditch Road.
A stint at Snax/Something Different helped him hone his gourmet cooking skills which he put to good use at Peter’s in Fountain Square. This pioneering high-end gourmet restaurant preceded Indy’s foodie scene by two decades.
Alex’s life was upended in 1994 when he was involved in a terrible motorcycle accident. He severed his femoral artery, required 14 pints of blood and flatlined three times during emergency medical procedures. The injuries were so severe that he was unable to derive nutrition from food. This required total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for the rest of his life, which, he was told at the time, would end before he reached his 40th birthday.
In fact, he survived another 26 years thanks to his pharmacist Tammy McDowel at Nutrishare and to an innate stubborn streak that made him a fighter.
Not one to sit idly, he continued to consult in the food service industry, assisting David Wilson in opening a restaurant in Broad Ripple, the Village Idiot, that eventually became 3 Sisters Café. In 1995 the place was under new management and owner David Hansmann’s girlfriend at the time was a vegan. He needed a chef so he hired Alex to run the kitchen at night and make vegan entrées.
That’s when Alex became reacquainted with Moira Sommers, a server who had been a member of the Village Idiot opening team. Both had mutual friends from middle school but their lives went in different directions and they drifted apart. Working together at 3 Sisters, they became smitten with each other and began dating. When the opportunity arose to purchase the business, they spent a year putting together a proposal. On November 4, 2005, the partners launched their business life at the beloved Broad Ripple restaurant that continues operations to this day.
3 Sisters Café maintains its reputation as a local favorite breakfast and lunch spot. The casual atmosphere and wholesome, hearty portions of homemade food using fresh ingredients has generated a loyal following. Alex took particular pride in his soups, “Never had a lesson,” he proclaimed, and the proof of his expertise was in the flavor.
The restaurant gained national exposure in 2011 by appearing in Season 11 of The Food Network’s Diners Drive-ins and Dives. Watch the episode online and see the rapport Alex has with host Guy Fieri. They were clearly kindred spirits.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no services or calling. Indiana Funeral Care is handling arrangements. On Saturday, January 30, 3 Sisters will hold a celebration of Alex’s life from 4-8 p.m. Social distancing protocols and COVID-19 restaurant occupancy restrictions will be in place.
Alex is survived by his parents, Bruce and Phyllis Munroe; brother Grant Munroe and wife Ginny; daughters Caroline and Lucy Munroe, Josie Sommers and fiancé Alex Hoving; sons Charlie, Owen, and Emerson Munroe, Eliot Sommers and partner Rachel Fleitz, and long-time love, Moira Sommers.
is a Go-Fund-Me page established by friends to help her defray expenses.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Alex Lloyd Munroe, please visit our flower store.
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