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“Bizarre Foods America” featuring Rhode Island Airs Monday, August 5, 2013 – UPDATED

by David Dadekian August 2, 2013
written by David Dadekian
Bizarre Foods America's Andrew Zimmern with Johnson & Wales University Chef Instructor T.J. Delle Donne, photo courtesy of Travel Channel

Bizarre Foods America’s Andrew Zimmern with Johnson & Wales University Chef Instructor T.J. Delle Donne, photo courtesy of Travel Channel

Followers, friends and fans of some of Rhode Island’s favorite restaurants, stores and farms saw a number of photos back in mid-December 2012 featuring culinary explorer Andrew Zimmern as he visited Rhode Island to tape an episode of his show “Bizarre Foods America.” The hour-long episode featuring the Ocean State is airing on the Travel Channel on Monday, August 5th at 9 p.m. EDT.

Zimmern travelled all over the area seeking out the things that make the Rhode Island regions food’s unique. Shops featured in the episode are Antonelli’s Poultry Co., Tony’s Colonial Foods and Venda Ravioli on Federal Hill. Zimmern also went out in the water of Matunuck Oyster Farm with owner Perry Raso, checked out the seafood from Brown Family Seafood and Bomster Scallops, stopped in Portugalia in Fall River, Mass., cooked sea Robin with Chef Matthew Jennings at Farmstead Inc. and spent the day in a culinary lab at Johnson & Wales University.

JWU Chef Instructor Branden Lewis enjoyed the television experience on Zimmern’s show saying, “It’d be fun to say that working on an episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern was in itself a bizarre adventure, but it was actually quite surreal. Chef T.J. DelleDonne and I, along with a top notch squad of students were amazed at how organic the show ran with Andrew directly at the helm. We just started cooking and he jumped right in, camera crew and all.” One of Lewis’s students, Dana Reale, added, “It was a pleasure working with Chef Zimmern and his crew. I was proud to be able to showcase our school as well as sustainability in the culinary industry.”

Make sure you watch “Bizarre Foods America” on The Travel Channel on Monday, August 5th at 9 p.m. to see it all. The Travel Channel can be found in Rhode Island on Verizon FIOS channel 170 or 670 in HD, and on Cox Cable channel 33 or 1033 in HD.

UPDATED: Three video clips added to the “Bizarre Foods America” site.

  • New Fishing in Rhode Island
  • Have a Cabinet in Rhode Island
  • Rhode Island’s Federal Hill
August 2, 2013 0 comment
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chefs & restaurantsnews

The Duck & Bunny and the East Side Win I HEART PROVIDENCE 2013 Culinary Competition

by David Dadekian February 10, 2013
written by David Dadekian
Best Chef winner Chef Brandy Schwalbe of The Duck & Bunny

Best Chef winner Chef Brandy Schwalbe of The Duck & Bunny

On Tuesday, February 5th, the fifth annual I HEART PROVIDENCE was held at Providence City Hall. This year’s event included a culinary competition with the theme East Side vs. West Side. East Side chefs Nemo Bolin of Cook & Brown Public House, Brandy Schwalbe of The Duck & Bunny, and Paul Jalaf of Vanity “battled” against West Side chefs Mike McHugh of Julians, James Mark of North, and Jonathan Dille of The Grange, a plant-based restaurant from the owner of Garden Grille opening in March.

The judges,  David Dadekian of Eat Drink RI, Chef Branden Lewis of Johnson & Wales University and Chef Matthew Varga of Gracie’s, blind tasted the dishes from the six contenders and unanimously decided that The Duck & Bunny’s Chef Brandy Schwalbe’s bacon bread pudding was the winner for best dish. The judges also unanimously named the East Side as the side of Providence with the best food that evening. The People’s Choice vote went to the West Side.

Providence City Hall during I HEART PROVIDENCE 2013

Providence City Hall during I HEART PROVIDENCE 2013

Congratulations to The Duck & Bunny and Chef Schwalbe, as well as to all the participating restaurants who greatly impressed the judges and attendees.

I HEART PROVIDENCE founder Mike Ritz has declared 2014’s event will be themed “Will you marry me?” Ritz posted to Facebook, “Get ready to formalize your love with the city and that special someone. Take the big leap . . . renew your vows . . .dedicate yourself to a principle/idea . . .take an oath to your great city . . .make a lasting commitment in 2014 at I HEART PROVIDENCE.”

 

 

 

 

I HEART PROVIDENCE East vs. West Award Artwork by Ahlers Designs

I HEART PROVIDENCE East vs. West Award Artwork by Ahlers Designs

February 10, 2013 0 comment
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chefs & restaurantsnews

I HEART PROVIDENCE Hosts Culinary Competition Between East Side and West Side Chefs, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

by David Dadekian February 3, 2013
written by David Dadekian
I Heart Providence, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I Heart Providence, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Now in it’s fifth year, I HEART PROVIDENCE 2013 is hosting a culinary competition at Providence City Hall between East Side chefs Nemo Bolin of Cook & Brown Public House, Brandy Schwalbe of The Duck & Bunny, and Paul Jalaf of Vanity versus West Side chefs Mike McHugh of Julians, James Mark of North, and Jonathan Dille of The Grange, a plant-based restaurant from the owner of Garden Grille opening in March.

“This year’s collaboration with RI Food Fights is exciting to have at I HEART PROVIDENCE,” said Mike Ritz, the I HEART PROVIDENCE event founder. “It’s a free party that includes complimentary food, two live bands, a graffiti-styled art project, and hundreds and hundreds of Providence lovers . . . a fun celebration of our diverse city!”

Ritz created I HEART PROVIDENCE in 2009 as a way for positive Providence people to congregate and shout to the world why their city is so great. Since 2009, the annual event has expanded to all three floors of Providence City Hall.

The culinary competition judging panel of David Dadekian of Eat Drink RI, Chef Branden Lewis of Johnson & Wales University and Chef Matthew Varga of Gracie’s will determine the winners for two awards: Best PVD Chef and Best Side of Providence. The winners will be announced by Mayor Angel Taveras in front of his second floor office at 7 p.m. In addition to these two awards, the public will get a chance to vote for their favorite chef to determine the “People’s Choice” award which will be announced at the event’s after party at The Dorrance at 9 p.m.

This year’s event will showcase staggered performance times on the second and third floors with local bands Bored with Four and Miss Wensday & The Cotillions. Restaurants offering food sampling include Abyssinia, Ebisu, El Rancho Grande, Eye Cookies, Fertile Underground Grocery, Kabob and Curry, Los Andes, Olneyville New York System and Whole Foods Market. The RI Convention Center is supplying two cash bars. The Avenue Concept, a sponsor of the event, will oversee a graffiti wall for participants to “tag,” leaving an artistic memory of the evening.

I HEART PROVIDENCE is held at Providence City Hall on Tuesday, February 5 from 6 – 8 p.m. and is free to the public.

February 3, 2013 0 comment
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cookingnews

Rhode Island’s own Mary Jo Fletcher LaRocco Wins the 2012 Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off

by David Dadekian October 21, 2012
written by David Dadekian
Mary Jo Fletcher LaRocco with her $10,000 Grand Prize for winning the 2012 Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off. Photo courtesy of HP Hood

Mary Jo Fletcher LaRocco with her $10,000 Grand Prize for winning the 2012 Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off. Photo courtesy of HP Hood

Mary Jo Fletcher LaRocco of North Kingstown, R.I. was the grand prize winner at Sunday’s 4th Annual Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off which was held at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. LaRocco won $10,000 for her Cranberry Limóncello Tarts in a Gingersnap Hazelnut Crust.

LaRocco lives with her husband and two children and has competed in all four years of the Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off. During her four years of entering the competition LaRocco also earned her Ph.D. in Education from a joint program with Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island.

As a judge for the event, Eat Drink RI’s David Dadekian recorded an interview with LaRocco.

Eat Drink RI: Where did you learn to cook and get your love of cooking?

Mary Jo Fletcher LaRocco: I moved to Sarajevo, Bosnia in 1996 and at that time if you wanted to eat something in Bosnia you had to go learn how to cook it. So I learned how to cook living over there where everything had to be done from scratch from seasonal ingredients. When I came back to the States that became my hobby.

EDRI: When did you move to Rhode Island?

MJFL: We’ve been in Rhode Island for ten years and fell in love with [Rhode Island]. We love the Ocean State. We feel like we’ve been her forever. It’s very special, especially tonight because I’ve been part of Hood [New England Dairy Cook-Off] for four years and it’s great to win in Rhode Island.

LaRocco's winning dish Cranberry Limoncello Tarts in a Gingersnap Hazelnut Crust

LaRocco’s winning dish Cranberry Limoncello Tarts in a Gingersnap Hazelnut Crust

EDRI: How did you do the first three years of the Cook-Off?

The first year [of the Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off] I cooked in the semi-final round, the second year I was a finalist that came in third place, last year I didn’t win my category and then this year we were able to take the whole thing.

EDRI: How did you come up with your winning dish?

MJFL: Honestly, it was a late night inspiration. The night before the Hood deadline, I was sitting down, dreaming up what am I going to come up with and I just created it. I love fall ingredients and I like to use local things: cranberries, maple syrup. I think lemons and cranberries complement each other and the ginger snaps is a nice touch for a holiday dish.

The following is the news release from HP Hood following the Sunday, October 21 Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off.

“As always, the Cook-Off was an exciting and fun event and we enjoyed meeting all of the semifinalists and their supporters. They put such passion into their recipes and it really showed,” said Lynne Bohan, Vice President of Public Relations, HP Hood. “The recipes gave our judges a challenge in selecting a winner but ultimately, Mary Jo Fletcher LaRocco recipe best met all of the judging criteria. The Cranberry Limoncello Tarts were a great combination of creativity and amazing presentation.”

The competition began at 7:30 a.m. when 30 semifinalists competed in their individual categories. The five categories were: breakfast/brunch, soups/chowders, appetizers/side dishes, lunch/dinner (entrée) and dessert. One amateur chef from each New England state competed in each category. Competitors had 60 minutes to prepare and plate their dishes. All recipes were original and included at least one Hood dairy product and were judged based on taste appeal, presentation/appearance, and creativity/originality.

By 6:30 p.m., a panel of judges helped narrow the field from 30 semifinalists to five finalists. They were:

  • Breakfast/Brunch: Jean Dziedzinski of Chelmsford, MA – Late Summer Layered Crustless Quiche
  • Soups/Chowders: Kevin Towle of Gonic, NH – Heaven & Hell Chowder
  • Appetizers/Side Dishes: Forrest White of Williston, VT – Acorn Squash’n’Blossom Fritter with Vichyssoise Shooter
  • Lunch/Dinner (Entrée): William Gillard of Damariscotta, ME – Ocean Bounty Creamery
  • Dessert: Mary Jo Fletcher LaRocco of North Kingston, RI – Cranberry Limóncello Tarts in a Gingersnap Hazelnut Crust

Billy Costa from the New England Cable News show ” TV Diner” hosted the event as the finalists went head-to-head in front of a live audience for the $10,000 grand prize. Shaw’s Supermarket was once again the Official Supermarket of the event.

The final round judges included Celebrity Chef Michele Ragussis; Chef Branden J. Lewis, Instructor, Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts; Peggy Poole, Vice President of Quality Systems and Regulatory Affairs, HP Hood; Cindy Salvato, Chef and founder of Savoring Rhode Island culinary walking tours; and David Dadekian, Eat Drink RI.

Each of the semi-finalists received a prize of $100; each of the finalists, except for the winner, received $500.

from left to right: host Billy Costa, judge David Dadekian, judge Michele Ragussis; winner Mary Jo Fletcher LaRocco, judge Peggy Poole, HP Hood Brand Manager Patrick Maguire, host Rick Tarantino and judge Cindy Salvato. Not pictured, judge Branden Lewis. Photo courtesy of Rob LaRocco

from left to right: host Billy Costa, judge David Dadekian, judge Michele Ragussis; winner Mary Jo Fletcher LaRocco, judge Peggy Poole, HP Hood Brand Manager Patrick Maguire, host Rick Tarantino and judge Cindy Salvato. Not pictured, judge Branden Lewis. Photo courtesy of Rob LaRocco

Prior to being named a judge, Dadekian worked with and received compensation from HP Hood to promote the New England Dairy Cook-Off.

October 21, 2012 0 comment
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