Metacom Kitchen

Current news releases—Eat Drink RI is not the source for these items—please follow any links for more information.

Hope & Main Hires Executive Director of Operations Ahead of August Opening

Julie Nahas will head Rhode Island’s first culinary business incubator, set to open its doors in August 2014

Hope & Main, a nonprofit culinary business incubator, has hired Julie Nahas as its Executive Director of Operations. Nahas will lead day-to-day operations of the facility as well as oversee recruitment, coaching and mentoring for the organization’s incubator program.

Nahas brings to Hope & Main a diverse and established career in the Rhode Island food and culinary industry. Owner and operator of the landmark 3 Steeple Street Restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island, from 2002 to 2009, she also managed the Pot Au Feu and former Federal Reserve restaurants.

“Julie has experience in food business management and production, and she’s passionately devoted to local, sustainable food and production practices,” says Lisa Raiola, MPH, founder of Hope & Main. “We are incredibly impressed with her vision for Hope & Main and her enthusiasm for mentoring our members. I am thrilled that she is taking the helm as we move toward our August opening.”

Hope & Main will launch with some 30 new food startups in its newly-renovated headquarters in Warren, Rhode Island, later this summer. As the state’s first food business incubator, Hope & Main will give food entrepreneurs and early-stage culinary businesses the chance to grow in their first two to three years without the cost of equipping their own commercial facilities. Food businesses accepted into the incubator program will receive extensive mentoring, access to fully-equipped and affordable work space, and immersion in an entrepreneurial environment where they can collaborate with peers and industry experts.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the Hope & Main project and to work with so many inspiring entrepreneurs in the culinary industry,” Nahas says. “I’m looking forward to helping to make this a place where food startups can grow and thrive.”

For more information on Hope & Main visit www.makefoodyourbusiness.org

Six Farm Fresh RI Farmers Markets Open in July

Farm Fresh Rhode Island is excited to announce the opening of five farmers markets across the state in the month of July. Find a market in your neighborhood and shop for fresh local fruits and vegetables this summer. In July shoppers can expect to find tomatoes, corn, peppers, blueberries, melons, grapes, greens, herbs, cheese, radishes, mushrooms, carrots, bitter melons, fresh bread and more!

The following markets, managed by Farm Fresh Rhode Island, open in July. For a full list of farmers markets in Rhode Island, visit www.farmfreshri.org.

WOONSOCKET FARMERS MARKET: Tuesdays 3pm – 6pm, Jul. 1st – Oct. 28th

Thundermist Health Center, 450 Clinton St., Woonsocket (NOTE: NEW HOURS!)

• One of 4 national sites running the innovative Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program.
• Woonsocket Thundermist Health Fair will be held Tuesday, July 15th.

DOWNTOWN FARMERS MARKET: Tuesdays 3pm – 6pm, Jul. 1st – Oct. 28th

Near Burnside Park, Downtown Kennedy Plaza, Providence

• Located in the heart of Providence adjacent to Burnside Park
• Many new vendors this season, come check them out!

WEST WARWICK FARMERS MARKET: Thursdays 3pm – 6pm, Jul. 3rd– Oct. 30th

Thundermist Health Center, 186 Providence St., West Warwick

• Two new additional vendors this year, bringing more variety to this market!
• West Warwick Health Fair will be held July 17th.

BROAD STREET FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays 8:30am – 12pm, Jul. 5th – Oct. 25th

Algonquin House, 807 Broad St., Providence

• Come enjoy the greenery at Algonquin House and purchase fresh produce.
• Broad Street Health Fair will be held July 19th

SLATER PARK FARMERS MARKET: Sundays 12pm – 3pm, Jul. 6th  – Oct. 26th

Armistice Boulevard Entrance of Slater Park, Pawtucket

• This market is near the tennis courts in Slater Park.
• Enjoy Sunday afternoons in the park with your family, and grab your veggies to go!

NEUTACONKANUT HILL FARMERS MARKET: Mondays 3pm – 6pm, Jul. 7th – Oct. 27th

Neutaconkanut Park, Plainfield St., Providence

• Stop by the Neutaconkanut Recreation Center and pool on your way to the market.
• Health Fair Week at Farm Fresh markets begins Monday, July 14th at Neutaconkanut.

Farm Fresh Rhode Island markets accept cash, credit cards, EBT/Food Stamps, Senior Coupons, WIC Farmers Market Coupons, and WIC Fruit and Vegetable checks. Customers with credit, debit or EBT cards can purchase Fresh Bucks – farmers market tokens – at the Farm Fresh RI welcome table.

FARMERS MARKET INCENTIVES AND NUTRITION EDUCATION DETAILS:

Healthy Foods, Healthy Families – A program that provides low-income Rhode Island families with the tools to shop for and cook affordable fresh foods, through a series of hands-on activities at the farmers markets. Families receive incentives to return to the market, such as free bags, recipe books, and fresh bucks to use to purchase fresh produce. The curriculum is available in both English and Spanish.

All of the markets listed above, as well as the Armory Park Farmers Market, host this program, except the Downtown Farmers Market. To learn more, email [email protected].

Fruit & Veggie RX – For 2014, the Fruit & Vegetable Prescription program will run at Thundermist Health Center at the Woonsocket and West Warwick Farmers Markets. The goal of the program is to improve the health of community members by giving them the resources to afford to eat more fresh, locally grown produce. This season, 70 enrolled families will receive healthcare provider-generated “prescriptions” redeemable at the farmers market for local fresh fruit and vegetables. The Fruit & Vegetable Prescription Program is a public health initiative of the Wholesome Wave Foundation. For more information visit: http://www.farmfresh.org/markets/fruitveggierx.php.

Bonus Bucks – Bring your SNAP card to the Farm Fresh welcome table at participating markets and receive extra money for fresh food. Farm Fresh Rhode Island will give you $2 extra for every $5 in EBT spent (that’s an unlimited 40% bonus) thanks to Citizens Bank, Wholesome Wave, June Rockwell Levy Foundation, The Rhode Island Foundation, Bank RI, City of Providence, Frederick C. Tanner Memorial Fund, and generous individuals.

Fresh Bucks, as well as the 40% bonus for EBT customers, are also available at the independently managed Hope Street Farmers Market in Providence on Saturdays.

New Attractions and Businesses Enhance the 2014 Visitor Experience

This past weekend officially ushered in the summer season, and just in time, Newport and Bristol Counties welcomes new accommodations, events, experiences, restaurants, tours and more.

ACCOMODATIONS

The Urban Beach House at The Attwater: With four suites and one guest room, The Urban Beach House at The Attwater brings the vibe of the beach to the heart of Newport. “Outdoor style” showers in the rooms, a sand lounge gathering spot for watching Newport roll by and kick-up-my-heels informality create the sizzle of summer every day. In the main hotel, the new Lark Suite has been unveiled. All have been designed by award-winning Rachel Reider Interiors. The total combined number of suites and rooms available at The Attwater is now 17. 22 Liberty Street, Newport.

EVENTS, TOURS & ATTRACTIONS

Bristol Independence Tour: Enjoy the many sights over Bristol, home of America’s oldest Fourth of July Parade, with Bird’s Eye View Helicopters. This 15-18 minute aerial patriotic tour includes views of Prudence Island, Roger Williams University, the Mount Hope Bridge, Bristol lighthouses and mansions, and historic Colt State Park. You’ll also experience a perfect panoramic view of the upper Narragansett Bay made complete with distant views of Providence (approximately 25 statute miles). 

Cliff Walk: Newport’s most visited attraction has unveiled newly restored section that was previously damaged and closed due to Hurricane Sandy. Work on a small section between Marine Avenue and Ledge Road, which will complete the restoration project, should be finished by mid-summer.

Paradise Farmhouse: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the newly-renovated Paradise Farmhouse in Middletown is the oldest structure on the 325-acre Norman Bird Sanctuary property dating back to the early 1700s when it was a mere shack for tenant farmers. The character of the house has been carefully preserved while bringing all systems up to date. The interior architectural details were carefully removed at the outset of the project and have been painstakingly restored and put back over the past few months. With overnight accommodations for up to 16 people with 6/7 bedrooms, Paradise Farmhouse offers multi-day programs for visiting ornithologists, naturalists, health & wellness groups, eco-conscious travelers, environmentalists and artists on this breathtaking and historical property. In addition, there are plans for an Artists Residency program, the first and only of its kind in RI, where artists will live and work in the farmhouse, carrying on the significant history of artists finding inspiration on this beautiful property. Opened January 2014.

Doris Duke’s Rough Point Mansion: Twice named to best dressed lists, Miss Duke was an individual whose sense of style reflected her confidence, personality and creativity. The 2014 exhibit, No Rules: The Personal Style of Doris Duke, examines a portion of Miss Duke’s clothing collection ranging from exquisite evening gowns to the simple black dress. The exhibit is included in the guided house tour and will be on display in the galleries at Rough Point through the season, which ends November 9th. Also, for the first time since it opened to the public, Rough Point is open Sundays for guided tours.

Newport Concert Series: Gregg Allman, Yes, Bare Naked Ladies, 3 Doors Down, The Beach Boys, Josh Turner, Alanis Morissette, KC & The Sunshine Band, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, John Hiatt, The Robert Cray Band and Chris Young are just some of the talented musicians headed to downtown Newport with many more to be announced. newportwaterfrontevents.com/music/newport-concert-series

The Newport Comedy Series: The most sought-after talent performs in the City by the Sea including Bill Cosby, Amy Schumer, Artie Lange, Jim Jefferies and Nick Swardson with many more acts to be announced. newportcomedy.com

The Newport Jazz Festival: Marking its 60th anniversary, a third day of music featuring emerging artists has been added. More than 40 artists will perform over the weekend including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin spirityouall, Trombone Shorty, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Robert Glasper, Dr. John, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Gary Burton, Gregory Porter, Jon Batiste, Dave Holland, John Zorn, Miguel Zenón, The Cookers, Snarky Puppy and more.  In addition, the Newport Jazz Festival will present a symposium at Fort Adams State Park. Curated by New York Times critic Nate Chinen, the symposium will discuss how jazz relates to popular culture in today’s society, compared to when the festival began in 1954. It will feature internationally-known jazz aficionados and historians, including Henry Louis Gates.

Newport Mansions:

• New this summer will be a revised audio tour at Marble House which will shed new light on the “self-made myth” of Alva Vanderbilt and share more personal stories about the Vanderbilt family.
• Mandarin translations of the audio tours at The Breakers and The Elms will debut. Chinese-speaking visitors are the fastest growing segment of foreign visitors to the Newport Mansions.
• The 2014 costume exhibition at Rosecliff, Dressing Down: Private Life and the Dressing Gown, includes a series of vignettes depicting “life at home” from 1890 to 1950 featuring a variety of dressing gowns and other personal apparel that gave women and men a reprieve from the elaborate and often constricting formal clothing of the period.
• Point to Point: Hunter House and the Constellations of Communities will present Hunter House and its collections through a wide range of perspectives, from wealthy merchants, to enslaved Africans, French troops, and others whose daily lives shaped the world in Newport’s Point neighborhood.
• At the Isaac Bell House, an exhibition presented in partnership with the Newport Historical Society will examine an early photographic portfolio commissioned by architect Charles McKim. Reinventing the Colonial: The Charles Follen McKim Photographs will showcase a series of 29 black and white photographs of buildings, architectural details, furniture and landscapes taken in and around Newport in 1874, which helped to shape McKim’s later work, including the Bell House.

Newport Rocks the Fort: This new concert series at historic Fort Adams will include food, beverages and fun. There will be two major concerts (Sun. June 29 and Fri. Aug. 29) and a series of Thursday evening concerts featuring regional musicians. June 29 performers include: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, Another Tequila Sunrise (Eagles Tribute band), Hey Nineteen (Tribute to Steely Dan), and more. The Aug. 29 concert features Rick Derringer and more.  “Newport Rocks the Fort Sundown Thursdays” are free concerts set on the Fort’s North lawn starting at 6:00 pm and ending shortly after sunset.

In conjunction with the 375th anniversary of Newport, The Preservation Society of Newport County and designer Angela Moore will host a Champagne Brunch Fashion Show this summer at Rosecliff on Thursday, July 17, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  All proceeds from this debut event will benefit the Preservation Society’s mission to protect, preserve and present its exceptional collection of house museums and landscapes. The theme of the show will be “Newport Forever,” celebrating Newport’s 375th anniversary.

RESTAURANTS

Ború Noodle Bar: A small, casual, ramen-inspired eatery with six seats at small tables and 12 bar-style seats. Noodle bowls are made with savory broths, fresh vegetables and a variety of proteins. 36 Broadway, Newport.

Café Bellavista: This small, Italian-inspired café in the former location of la Masion de Coco serves Italian gelato, coffee and pastry and offers lunch selections including Paninis, salads and daily specials. 28 Bellevue Avenue, Newport.

Caleb & Broad: A casually hip restaurant and bar on Broadway’s growing “restaurant row” serving dinner selections including starters, salads and entrees ranging from dry rub ribs to duck flatbread. 162 Broadway, Newport.

Despina’s Café: A small Greek-inspired café serving fine pastries, deli-sandwiches, soups, salads and home-style meals in a relaxing setting. 258 Bellevue Avenue, Newport.

Eli’s Kitchen: From the former chef of Bristol’s beloved Beehive Café, Eli Dunn, this Warren eatery offering locally sourced and lovingly prepared comfort food in a warm, casual and inclusive atmosphere. 40 Market Street, Warren.

Empire Tea + Coffee: This third location of Newport’s own coffee den faces Bellevue Avenue and features teas, coffee, pastry and more. 112 William Street, Newport.

Ida’s Restaurant: Serving lunch and dinner including a wide variety of salads, seafood, homemade pastas and much more. 21 Valley Road, Middletown.

Inpopnito: “Popcorn in disguise,” Inpopnito serves flavored popcorn in unusual flavors like Summer Strawberry, Orange Soda and Lemonade. 435 Thames Street, Newport.

Meg’s Aussie Milk Bar: Formerly Café Bellevue, this cozy café serves breakfast and lunch plus a few select Australian and Australian-inspired favorites including meat pies, Anzac biscuits, a Vegemite & cheese sandwich and Cherry Ripe Slice. 111 Bellevue Avenue, Newport.

Metacom Kitchen:  A casual dining American Bistro which will be opening in Warren, Rhode Island later this summer by Chef Richard Allaire, formerly of Newport’s beloved Tucker’s Bistro and current chef/partner at Providence Coal Fired Pizza.

The Parlor: Formerly Café 200, the newly renovated space features multiple bars, pool tables and a new menu. 200 Broadway, Newport.

Provencal Bakery: This popular bakery and lunch locale in Middletown has opened a new Newport location. 469 1/2 Thames Street, Newport.

The Revolving Door: This addition to the critically-acclaimed French restaurant Bouchard features local, regional and national chefs cooking for two weeks to a month serving a prix fixe menu. 505 Thames Street, Newport.

Rhino Bar is now called Perry Mill Tavern, also home to the Perry Mill Music Hall. The outdoor patio is now called Perry Mill Clam Shack. 337 Thames Street, Newport.

The Shop on Thames Street: This cozy, centrally-located spot serves creative soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps. 397 Thames Street, Newport.

Simone’s: Spearheaded by Joe Simone, formerly of the Sunnyside, to open in Warren by mid-summer.

Regina Rotisserie Chicken: Wood-fired and fried chicken plus wraps, sandwiches and more for take-out. 266 Bellevue Avenue, Newport.

Willy’s Burger Bar & Rotisserie: This 75-seat restaurant focuses on fresh ingredients and dishes including burgers, rotisserie chicken, simply roasted food and cocktails with shakes in the summer. The restaurant is open seven days a week for dinner with lunch service. 599 Thames Street, Newport.

Hope: Opening late summer or early fall. 180 Broadway, Newport.

SHOPPING

Bellevue Kids: children’s store with clothing and accessories for boys and girls. 206 Bellevue Avenue, Newport.

Bellevue Rug & Home: Rugs, furnishings, home décor. 268 Bellevue Avenue, Newport.

Digs Design Company: chic home furnishings, accessories and interior design services. 99 Spring Street, Newport.

Egg + Dart: a gallery and home boutique. 57 America’s Cup Avenue, Newport.

Newport Jerky Company: offers a variety of exotic jerky snacks including kangaroo, alligator, rainbow trout, Ahi tuna, venison and more. 424 Thames Street, Newport.

IE Cycle: electric bike store.  400 Thames Street, Newport.

La V Curiosité: a collection of thoughtfully curious yet functional finds: gifts, home decor, kitchen wares & lifestyle accessories. 146 Bellevue Avenue, Newport.

Lemon & Line: nautical bracelets and accessories. 421 Thames Street, Newport.

Lolo: the originators of vinyl on vinyl accessories with pop color silhouettes. 468 Thames Street, Newport.

Nando’s Gallery on Thames: Original pieces by artist Nando Pellegrino. 491 Thames Street, Newport.

P.S. Gear 2: Fun and unique gifts and gear for men and women (part of the shops by Pleasant Surprise). 359 Thames Street, Newport.

SummerTies: specializing in men’s bowties as well as pocket squares, pajama bottoms, boxers, decorative pillows, and women’s accessories including earrings and scarves. 424 Thames Street, Newport.

Soap and Water: featuring Molton Brown and other fine bath and body products for men and women as well as luxury home fragrances. 16 Bowen’s Wharf, Newport.

Thomas Rudd: ties, bow ties and assorted accessories not limited to cufflinks, suspenders, belts, and pocket squares. 36 Bowen’s Wharf, Newport.

Tervis: tumblers, water bottles, mugs, goblets & more made in America since 1946. 192 Thames Street, Newport.