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Blackstone Valley Culinary Newsletter – March 7, 2022

Rhode Island Craft Beer Week
March 5-13, 2022

Plan to visit some of the many craft breweries in the Blackstone Valley that are planning events during RI Craft Beer Week, including Bravo Brewing Company (Pascoag), Foolproof Brewing Company (Pawtucket), Smug Brewing (Pawtucket) and The Guild (Pawtucket). You’ll find more information about specific events at RI Craft Beer Week. Don’t forget to download your RI Brewery Passport App to earn prizes for visiting RI Craft Breweries!

Museum of Work and Culture
42 South Main Street, Woonsocket RI 02895
401-769-9675
rihs.org/museums/museum-of-work-and-culture/

Don’t forget to participate in the 6^th Annual Poutine Indulgence from March 1-31, 2022. There will be 7 restaurants competing for the title of Best Poutine, including Adeline’s Speakeasy Kitchen Bar in Cumberland, Ciro’s Tavern in Woonsocket, Ming’s Asian Street Food in Pawtucket. Get your Poutine Passport and sample poutine from the participating restaurants. You’ll have until April 1 at midnight to vote for your favorite poutine. The winner will be announced at the Museum’s annual Salute to Spring Event on Sunday, April 4. Poutine Passports are available for $15 each or two for $25. To get your Passport and to find out more details, including the participating restaurants, click HERE.

White Dog Distilling
560 Mineral Spring Avenue
Pawtucket 02860
401-475-3789
White-dog-distilling.square.site

Don’t forget to get your tickets for the Rhode Island Historical Society’s “Drink in the History” series on Thursday, March 10 from 6 pm to 7 pm, featuring White Dog Distilling in Pawtucket. Join Alecia Catucci, co-owner and co-founder of White Dog Distilling at this in-person event. Check out the story from the Valley Breeze HERE. Enjoy light culinary fare while you are welcomed with a craft-made White Dog mini-cocktail and then be taken through a flight of rum and moonshine tasting selections. Then researchers Traci and Andrew will share the story of Eliza Granger, a female distiller in Providence in the early 19th century. Get your tickets HERE

Munroe Dairy’s Sacred Cow Ice Cream Shop and Market
187 North Brow Street, East Providence 02914
401-537-4424
sacredcowicecreamshop.com/

Bring the kids to the EP Kids Teddy Bear Breakfast on Saturday, March 12, 2022 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am at the Phillips Street Hall, 51 North Phillips Street, East Providence. They’ll be life-sized characters and lots of fun. Stop by the Sacred Cow for tickets. Click here for more information.

Rhode Island Spirits
59 Blackstone Avenue, Pawtucket 02860
401-856-4111
Rhodeislandspirits.com

There’s always something going on at RI Spirits, including the newest addition to their event line up – the Magic of AcesWild on Saturday, March 26, 2022 from 6 to 8 pm. AcesWild, aka Clarke Braudis, will perform for you at your table in the Tasting Room. Cocktails will be available for purchase and there will be a limited snack menu – feel free to bring your own foods or snacks with you. For tickets and more information, click HERE. And for information on all the events happing in March at RI Spirits, click HERE.

A & W Root Beer
460 Putnam Pike, Smithfield, RI 02828
401-949-9892
awrestaurants.com/aw-smithfield-ri

Spring must be coming because A & W Drive-In is opening on Saturday, March 12! Go to their Facebook page for information on opening day specials, daily specials, family packs and coupons.

Harvest Kitchen
2 Bayley Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860
401-335-3766
farmfreshri.org/programs/harvest-kitchen/

Harvest Kitchen’s Dinner-To-Go events have been so popular! They are planning another for St. Patrick’s Day – Dinner for 2 for $40 and you have a choice of house-made corned beef (with local potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips and cabbage with house-made grainy mustard) OR a vegan option(with local potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips and mushrooms in a rich Irish Stout broth), both with a choice of bread and dessert (chocolate Guinness cupcakes). Your must order by Friday, March 11 and pick-up is on March 17 from 10 am to 6 pm. Click HERE to order.

Mapleville Farm
544 Victory Highway, Mapleville, RI 02839
401-568-0544
MaplevilleFarm.com

Have you heard about the Breadbox Subscription at Mapleville Farm? Read about the history of the Breadbox HERE. Basically, it’s a subscription service you sign up for and every week you get delicious, fresh-baked bread. The menu for the next 8-week session is: March 12 – Potato Loaf; March 19 – Guinness Sourdough; March 26 – Garlic Breadsticks; April 2 – Spinach Loaf; April 16 – Hot Cross Buns; April 23 – Spring Hearth Loaf; and April 30 – Earl Grey & Lavender Loaf. You must sign up by Thursday, March 10 to ensure your spot and a steady supply of delicious bread! Click HERE for more information and to sign up. And Mapleville Farm Bakery also has Irish Week Specials – Guinness Sourdough and Soda Bread, Shamrock Butter Cookies, Irish Cream Brownies and Soda Bread Muffins!

Knights of Columbus
Pawtucket Councils

The Knights of Columbus in Pawtucket is offering Clam Cakes and Chowder (red or white) on Fridays during Lent (upcoming dates are March 11, 18, 25, April 1 and 8) from 5-7 pm. Call in your order Monday through Friday before 5 pm and leave a message with your order, including whether your order is for pick-up or dine-in. All proceeds will benefit Knights of Columbus charities. Click HERE for more info.

HG80 Announces Name Change to Tacofied

HG80, one of Rhode Island’s highest-rated food trucks, announces that the truck will now be known as Tacofied. The company revealed a new design for the truck, logo, and tagline “World Cuisine in a Tortilla,” created by Boston-based Garfinkle Design, as well as a new website (www.TACOFIEDTRUCK.com). The ownership and concept have not changed, and the truck will continue serving fan-favorite tacofieds like Fish ‘n’ Chips, BBQ, Greek Chicken Gyro, and Spring Roll, as well as its popular housemade chips, sodas, and seltzers.

The rebranding represents the evolution of the company and its vision for the future. “We’re focused on making our guests’ experience as easy, comfortable, and accessible as possible. We’re not your run-of-the-mill taco truck, and our old name – while personally significant – didn’t tell the whole story,” said Josh Berner, owner. “I’m excited that we’ve kept a hint of whimsy, and the Tacofied name, logo, and tagline clearly communicate what we do and who we are”.

“Every detail of the truck tells our guests that they’re getting something unique and special. We don’t have tacos — we make tacofieds!”

First new labels are on shelves now with the entire line getting new art

Yacht Club Bottling Works, The Official Soda and Water Company of Rhode Island, is rolling out new labels for all thirty-three flavors of seltzers and sodas that the company produces. Mixed and bottled in North Providence for over one hundred years, the labels on Yacht Club’s bottles have always included Rhode Island imagery, and now each flavor has its own unique identity.

The seltzers, of which there are now eight available flavors with the latest addition of Grapefruit Seltzer, will have historic images on their labels, while the twenty-five soda labels will all show ocean scenes. The Grapefruit Seltzer has an image of College Hill with First Baptist Church and the Providence Art Club clearly visible, while the new Sparkling Water label shows a scene that many people will immediately recognize as the iconic WaterFire along the Canal Walk.

Two sodas now shipping with new labels are Root Beer with a painting of a mermaid looking upon the lighthouse at gorgeous Beavertail Point, and Blue Raspberry with Rose Island lighthouse and the Newport Pell Bridge in the background. The sodas will all have ocean scenes on their labels and the next to be released will be Cream soda with an image of Block Island’s Southeast Light. The seltzers will continue the historic theme with the release of new Cherry Seltzer showing Blackstone Boulevard on its label.

The new labels were all created by Mike Bryce, artist at Bryce Studio, who felt it was a “great collaboration.” Bryce has always liked to make art that invokes nostalgic Rhode Island and said, “I’ve been a professional artist for over 30 years, have had the soda for years and [Yacht Club owner] John Sgambato approached me to make some new labels. They went over well and so it works out great for both of us.” Bryce Studio can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/Mikebryceart.

Two of Yacht Club’s newest flavored sodas, Orange Cream and Grapefruit already have the new style artwork with Plum Island and Colonial Wharf on their labels respectively. All these great flavors will be joined by Yacht Club’s newest creation, their very first caffeinated soda, Rhody Red which will have artwork of the Misquamicut Festival on its label. Rhody Red may remind you of certain Dr. named soda, but Yacht Club’s uses no high fructose corn syrup and is, of course, bottled locally. All of Yacht Club’s sodas and seltzers will now be capped with “Official RI Soda” bottle caps as well.

Yacht Club Sparkling Water label
Yacht Club Root Beer label
Yacht Club Blue Raspberry label
Yacht Club Bottling Works bottle cap

root beer

News Bites: Blackstone Valley Culinary News / HG80 Changes to Tacofied

Blackstone Valley Culinary Newsletter – March 7, 2022

HG80 Announces Name Change to Tacofied

Yacht Club Bottling Works Unveils New Label Artwork and a New Flavor “Rhody Red”