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Cox Local Video: Eat Drink RI Festival

by David Dadekian
written by David Dadekian

Showcasing the best of the ever-expanding Rhode Island culinary scene, the Eat Drink RI Festival returned to Providence for an expanded four-day all-local food festival. The Festival, now in it’s third year, was held Thursday, April 24th through Sunday, April 27th and featured a star-studded line-up of over 80 chefs, farmers, bartenders and producers including: James Beard Foundation Best Chef Northeast semifinalists Benjamin Sukle of birch and Champe Speidel of Persimmon, eight top culinary instructors from Johnson & Wales University, Gold Medal Cheese award-winning Narragansett Creamery, Blackbird Farm, two-time James Beard Foundation Rising Star nominee Chef Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway, Easy Entertaining Inc., Good Food Award winner Daniele Inc., Dave’s Coffee, Walrus and Carpenter Oysters, among many others.

This year’s Festival was a great success and everyone involved is looking forward to the next in 2015. Thank you to everyone who participated in and attended the Eat Drink RI Festival!

Cox Presents Eat Drink RI with David Dadekian is a video series produced by Cox Sports Online to showcase the vibrant and friendly food community in the Rhode Island area. Check out coxsportsonline.com for more local programming.

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Coming Sunday, October 6th, 2013: Chefs Collaborative 4th Annual Rhode Island BBQ

by David Dadekian
written by David Dadekian
Chef Derek Wagner of Nick's on Broadway gets the picnic bonfire going

Chef Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway gets the picnic bonfire going

On Sunday, October 6, from 4 – 7 p.m., Chefs Collaborative, the leading nonprofit network of chefs that’s changing the sustainable food landscape using the power of connections, education and responsible buying decisions, is assembling some of Rhode Island’s best “farm-to-fork” chefs to promote awareness of local and sustainable ingredients available in the Ocean State. The BBQ is held at one of the most beautiful farm locations in the state—Schartner Farms private picturesque pond in Exeter.

The event Co-Chairs, Chefs Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway in Providence and Jake Rojas of Tallulah on Thames in Newport are teaming up with the following Rhode Island chefs to create a locally sourced, home-style, barbecue-themed menu:

In Providence

In Newport

In Bristol

In Westerly

Cocktails are to be provided by The Avery in Providence and Berkshire Mountain Distillers with M.S. Walker. Wine will be provided by local vintners Newport Vineyards in Middletown, Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington, Connecticut and via Wine Wizards: Greenvale Vineyards, Stonington Vineyards and Farnum Hill Cider. Revival Brewing Company of Providence and Grey Sail Brewing Company of Westerly will be offering beer selections.

The Rhode Island BBQ is a chance for some of Rhode Island’s most talented chefs to showcase the bounty of the season, from the farms, pastures and coastal waters of Rhode Island. Proceeds from this barbecue help to fund the important work that Chefs Collaborative is doing, both in Rhode Island and across the country, in their mission to make sustainability second nature in the professional kitchen. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds help to fund a scholarship to send Rhode Island chefs to the Chefs Collaborative Sustainable Food Summit.

“The RI Farm BBQ has become one of the premier chef-oriented events in Rhode Island and we are very happy to be a part of it,” said Chefs Collaborate Executive Director Melissa Kogut. “We’re also thrilled that the local community has come out to support this event and the bounty of Rhode Island food and drink each year.”

The event is family-oriented and is held rain or shine. While there is some limited seating, guests are encouraged to bring their own blankets or chairs to sit on. Beer, wine and cocktails are included in the ticket price, but please bring any non-alcoholic beverages that you might need for yourselves or your little ones. The event is $65/adults, $25/children ages 8-18, children under 8 are free. Tickets include all the food and beverage offerings and can be purchased online at http://www.chefscollaborative.org/events/rhode-island-bbq/.

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Newport Restaurant Week, November 2 – 11, 2012

by David Dadekian
written by David Dadekian

Newport Restaurant WeekFrom Discover Newport comes the news of the next Newport Restaurant Week. As has become the tradition in the area, Restaurant Week has grown to over a week, running for ten days beginning Friday, November 2. All the information, including the complete list of participating restaurants can be found in the release below and at GoNewportRestaurantWeek.com.

Celebrate Our Culinary Community Throughout Newport Restaurant Week

Newport Restaurant Week returns November 2-11, 2012 with more than 45 participating restaurants throughout Newport and Bristol Counties, Rhode Island. Now a highly anticipated fall tradition, restaurants dish up extraordinary cuisine at affordable prix fixe prices with ingredients sourced from local farmers, foragers and fisherman. As in years past, the prices remain at $16 for a three-course lunch and $30 for a three-course dinner.*

Newport Restaurant Week has come to be a crowd-pleasing event among local residents and visitors alike since being introduced in 2006. This fall’s 10-day affair will highlight local food purveyors, new seasonal menu items and the talents of creative chefs who orchestrate unforgettable dining experiences. Visiting gourmands can come for dinner and stay for breakfast by taking advantage of reasonably priced Newport Restaurant Week lodging packages while culinary enthusiasts can savor food-related events including cooking classes, Greenvale Vineyards‘ Harvest Festival and the Taste of Newport—a savory extravaganza benefiting Child & Family, the largest and most comprehensive social service provider in Newport County. Information on packages and the growing list of events can be found at GoNewportRestaurantWeek.com.

Updates on events, participating restaurants and menus can be found via our social networks, including Newport Restaurant Week’s Facebook page and on Discover Newport’s Twitter feed (use hashtag #nptrw). Also, diners from Providence and around the state can rely on Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) bus routes for $4 per round trip ticket or $6 for an all-day pass to save money on parking and gas.

Participating restaurants span both counties, reaffirming the destination’s identity as a premier culinary destination. Chefs from Brick Alley Pub (Newport), Hourglass Brasserie (Bristol), Jamestown Fish (Jamestown), Scampi (Portsmouth), and Windward at the Hyatt Regency (Newport) will appear on The Rhode Show on WPRI TV 12 in advance of and during Newport Restaurant Week, each cooking up a dish that will be featured on their prix fixe menus.

For the first time ever, Newport Restaurant Week will be sponsored in part by OpenTable.com; a free, real-time online restaurant reservation program. Participating OpenTable restaurants have a reservation button on their individual listing on the GoNewportRestaurantWeek.com web site (along with their Restaurant Week menus) so that users can conveniently book a time to dine directly from the site. Additional sponsors include Absolut Vodka, American Express, Brancott Wines, the East Bay Chamber of Commerce, the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, Samuel Adams and Yelp.com.

To view an up-to-date listing of participating restaurants, menus, lodging packages and events, visit GoNewportRestaurantWeek.com.

*Prices are for prix-fixe menus only. Tax, beverage and gratuity not included. Other restrictions may apply.

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Coming Sunday, October 14: 2012 Chefs Collaborative RI Farm Picnic

by David Dadekian
written by David Dadekian
Nick's on Broadway's wood grill at the 2011 Picnic

Nick’s on Broadway’s wood grill at the 2011 Picnic

On Sunday, October 14, from 4 – 7 p.m., Chefs Collaborative, a non-profit organization that works with chefs and the greater food community to celebrate local foods and foster a more sustainable food supply, is collaborating with some of Rhode Island’s best “farm-to-fork” chefs to promote awareness of local and sustainable ingredients available in the Ocean State.

The event Co-Chairs, Chefs Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway in Providence and Jake Rojas of Tallulah on Thames in Newport are teaming up with Chefs Matthew Gennuso of Chez Pascal, Mike McHugh of Julian’s, David Reynoso of Al Forno, Darius Salko of Tini, Matthew Varga of Gracie’s and Beau Vestal of New Rivers—all in Providence, Champe Speidel of Persimmon and Eli Dunn of The Beehive Café in Bristol, and Tyler Burnley of TSK (Thames Street Kitchen) in Newport to create a locally sourced, home-style barbecue-themed menu. Wine will be provided by local vintners Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth and Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington, Connecticut. Local breweries Grey Sail Brewing Company of Westerly and Revival Brewing Co. will be offering beer selections.

An Autumn Harvest will celebrate local and sustainable food at Schartner Farms in Exeter, Rhode Island. The fundraiser is to support Chefs Collaborative and to support the Rhode Island Chefs Collaborative Local, a group of chefs that network together to represent the state in culinary competitions, dinners and fundraisers, promoting Rhode Island as a “farm-to-fork” culinary destination. It will also aid Rhode Island chefs in working together with their communities to bring more awareness of buying local and sourcing sustainable products through dinners, events and programs at each chef’s restaurant.

“This is by far my favorite event of the year. An event that truly celebrates all of the things that we as cooks, chefs, farmers, artisans and food lovers are so passionate about, hand-crafted food and drink, the farm, the fall harvest in New England and our sense of community,” said R.I. Local co-leader Derek Wagner. “This is our 3rd year and it just keeps getting better and better. This is an event put on by chefs for chefs and gives us the opportunity to break bread with our friends and fellow food lovers in the most fun, sincere and beautiful setting possible: on the farm.”

“We are very pleased and excited to be working with such a wonderful and forward thinking group of chefs. Not only is the food coming out of Rhode Island delicious, but the chefs cooking for this event really strive to cultivate a vibrant, sustainable community,” said Chefs Collaborate Executive Director Melissa Kogut.”

Chefs Collaborative is a partner with the National Food Day, a nationwide celebration of and movement toward more healthy, affordable, and sustainable food culminating in a day of action on October 24 every year. The Rhode Island Farm Picnic embodies Food Day’s message of “Eat Real” and seeks to reinforce Food Day’s aim to bring us closer to a food system with “real food” that is produced with care for the environment, animals and the women and men who grow, harvest, and serve it. For more information about National Food Day, visit www.FoodDay.org.

The Rhode Island Farm Picnic is a perfect event for families and friends. Ticket holders are encouraged to bring a blanket for the picnic and enjoy the pristine beauty of the pond-side environs of Schartner Farms. The event is $55/adults, $25/children ages 8-18, children under 8 are free. Tickets include all the food and beverage offerings and can be purchased online at http://ri-bbq.eventbrite.com/.

Photos from last year’s event.

Panorama of the Schartner Farms site. Please click the image for a larger version.

Panorama of the Schartner Farms site. Please click the image for a larger version.

Gracie's Executive Chef Matthew Varga at his barbecue pit

Gracie’s Executive Chef Matthew Varga at his barbecue pit

A full Steamship Round (leg of beef) from Blackbird Farm on the Gracie's grill

A full Steamship Round (leg of beef) from Blackbird Farm on the Gracie’s grill

The Beehive's grilled pizza

The Beehive’s grilled pizza

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