Schartner Farms's blueberries and blackberries

The fourth annual Farm Fresh Rhode Island Local Food Fest was held this past Tuesday evening and by all accounts it was a huge success in showcasing the amazing bounty of local food, culinary talent and delicious products that Rhode Island has to offer. Even the weather happily participated and it was a gorgeous night at Castle Hill Inn & Resort in Newport. There were over 20 farms, 10 food producers and 12 chefs offering food and wine under the tent and across the lawn at Castle Hill. Several hundred people attended the event, but because of the layout and aforementioned pleasant weather, the evening never seemed too crowded.

The clear crowd-favorite of the evening was Tallulah on Thames‘s Chef Jake Rojas serving Blackbird Farm Mini Beef Burgers with red wine onion jam, arugula, and Great Hill Blue cheese aioli on brioche. There was a constant long line of people at Tallulah’s table until they ran out of burgers (Rojas told me he prepared about 480 of them). Anyone who knows me knows I’m partial to Blackbird Farm’s beef and Rojas did them and himself proud.

I have to give high praise to Chef Champe Speidel’s Warm Soup of Four Town Farm Sweet Corn. When I walked over to Persimmon’s table I wasn’t enthused to see a warm soup on a 80+ degree day in Newport, but it quickly became my favorite dish. Yes, it was warm, but it was so light, almost airy. When I asked how it was done, Speidel told me to get a Vita-Prep, as if I didn’t covet one already. The wood smoked chanterelle mushrooms and zucchini just added so much flavor without overpowering the corn’s sweetness.

Special mention goes to Blackstone Caterers’ Fried Green Tomato with Braised Pork Rillette. Having learned to eat—and make—fried green tomatoes in the South, I’m always a little leery to see them in RI, but these were delicious. My only wish was that Chef Derek Jolie could have made them to order as I bet crisp, right out of the frying oil, they would have been even better.

Other food highlights for me were Chef Matt Jennings of Farmstead‘s Lamb Sausage with Red Planet Potatoes & Arugula and Chef Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway‘s Bomster Scallops with a Cucumber-Tomato Salad. Dessert was covered by several people, but you had to get in line early for Chef Bruce Tillinghast of New Rivers‘ Blueberry Ice Cream with Barden Family Orchard’s White & Yellow Peaches. Chef Tillinghast hand cranks his ice cream! Unfortunately for me, The Cupcakerie was cleaned out before I had a cupcake, but Chef Jonathan Cambra of Castle Hill Inn & Resort had a “surprise” item of mini blueberry cream pies.

To find out more about Farm Fresh Rhode Island and their mission to grow the local food system please take a look here. Visit your local farmers markets this summer and buy some amazingly fresh and delicious food or, if this heat is too much for you, head to a local restaurant that gets product from Farm Fresh’s Market Mobile and see what the great chefs of RI are doing with it.

Persimmon's Warm Soup of Four Town Farm Sweet Corn

Four Town Farm's peppers

Chef Jake Rojas of Tallulah on Thames with his hugely popular Blackbird Farm's Mini Beef Burgers

Local 121's Arcadian Fields' Bharta Smoked Eggplant with Fresh Spices & Cilantro

Nick's on Broadway's Chef Derek Wagner preparing Bomster Scallops with a Cucumber-Tomato Salad

Schartner Farms's Rye Seed & Rye Flour

Four Town Farm's pole beans

Narragansett Creamery Ricotta with honey

Bally Machree's beets

Bally Machree's squash

Blackstone Caterers' Fried Green Tomato with Braised Pork Rillette

Bomster Scallop shells

Castle Hill Inn & Resort's mini blueberry cream pies

Sunnyside Daytime Dining's Wishing Stone Farm Poached Egg Crostini

The Cupcakerie

frying Lamb Sausage for La Laiterie's Lamb Sausage with Red Planet Potatoes & Arugula

Schartner Farms's blackberries

Portions of this story appeared in edited form on GoLocalProv.

Chez Pascal's Chef Matt Gennuso preparing hors d'oeuvres

On Thursday, June 17th, the Rhode Island Tourism division along with members of the Providence/Warwick and Newport Convention & Visitors Bureaus hosted a Rhode Island Farm, Vine and Sea to Table luncheon at the James Beard House in New York. Four Rhode Island chefs were invited to prepare dishes made almost entirely from local ingredients, paired with wines from the state’s three wineries. Chef Matt Gennuso from Chez Pascal in Providence prepared the passed hors d’oeuvres, Chef Michael Conetta from The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar in Newport prepared a salad course, Chef Matthew Varga from Gracie’s in Providence prepared the entrée course and Chef Kevin Thiele from One Bellevue at the Hotel Viking in Newport prepared dessert.

The luncheon showcased Rhode Island as a local food and wine travel destination, and guests were writers from major media travel magazines, newspaper and Web site travel sections. It was hosted by RI Tourism Trade Manager Katrina White with presentations by all four chefs along with Director of Tourism Mark Brodeur, DEM Agriculture Chief Ken Ayars and Farm Fresh RI Director Noah Fulmer. Steve Krohn from Sakonnet Vineyards was on hand to discuss the wines.

Some of the farms represented with produce were Allen Farms, Baby Greens Farm, Farming Turtles, Four Town Farm, Schartner Farms, Sweet Berry Farm and Zephyr Farm, which Chef Conetta combined in his salad course. RI seafood was represented by Matunuck Oyster Farm and Bomster Scallops from nearby Stonington. Hill Farm supplied pork belly which Chef Varga turned into bacon, Chef Gennuso used eggs from Wishing Stone Farm and pasture-raised RI beef from Blackbird Farm. Chef Thiele also used Rhody Fresh buttermilk in his dessert’s biscuits and basil from the Hotel Viking’s garden. As an added touch of RI, the intermezzo was a slushy frozen lemonade.

All of the guests were given an “I Got Fresh In RI” reusable canvas bag containing a number of RI local treats. Hopefully they also walked out of the Beard House with a good understanding of how local, healthily raised food is abundantly available in Rhode Island and that our restaurants are a treasure trove of great farm-fresh menu items. Rhode Island’s restaurants have always been a great tourist destination for food lovers and perhaps our farms will give visitors yet another thing to see here.

from left to right: Chez Pascal's Chef Matt Gennuso, One Bellevue at the Hotel Viking's Chef Kevin Thiele, The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar's Chef Michael Conetta and Gracie's Chef Matthew Varga

The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar's Chef Michael Conetta preparing his salad course

Gracie's Chef Matthew Varga assisting with the plating of the salad course

One Bellevue at the Hotel Viking's Chef Kevin Thiele plating the intermezzo of somewhat traditional frozen lemon slush

Preparing Fried Wishing Stone Farm Pullet Eggs

Fried Wishing Stone Farm Pullet Eggs with Salsa Verde

Rhode Island Stuffies: Matunuck Littleneck Clams Stuffed with Chorizo, Mirepoix, Herb Bread Crumbs and Lemon Confit

Couldn't resist making sure to get these two photos, first Chef Kevin Thiele photographing the salad course

Second, Chef Michael Conetta also photographing the salad course

Hill Farm pork belly, cured, breaded and fried into "croutons" by Gracie's Chef Matthew Varga

Preparing the dessert course of Sweet Berry Farms Strawberries with a warm Rhody Fresh Buttermilk Biscuit and Hotel Viking's Garden Basil Infused Ice Cream