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News Bites: Roger Williams University Eat Local Challenge / “Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day” Author Leanne Brown at RI Farmers Markets / Sage Cellars Brings Rebel Coast Wine to RI

by David Dadekian October 8, 2015
written by David Dadekian

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

RWU Celebrates Local Food Community with Annual Eat Local Challenge

Chef Cambra prepares tasty and nutritious meals today featuring fresh produce, fish and meat exclusively sourced from New England farms and vendors

RWU staff, including Chef de Cuisine Jon Cambra at right, prepare food for the Eat Local Challenge

RWU staff, including Chef de Cuisine Jon Cambra at right, prepare food for the Eat Local Challenge

Today, the University joins together to celebrate the Annual Eat Local Challenge – a day on which the campus community comes together to sample farm-fresh foods at the outdoor farmer’s market and feast on regionally authentic dishes in the dining commons, all to celebrate the importance of environmentally responsible food sourcing.

For this year’s Eat Local Challenge, Chef de Cuisine Jon Cambra will highlight Rhode Island’s best with dishes – grilled swordfish kabobs, lobster sliders, braised beef pot roast and scallop ceviche, among other menu items. The dining commons will also feature a chilled raw bar featuring littleneck clams, onset oysters and east beach blond oysters. Other specialty dishes will include seaweed salad, potato leek soup and eggplant roulades with autumn squash and goat cheese. All of the ingredients are harvesting within 150 miles of the campus.

The Eat Local Challenge is in its 11th year and was created in 1999 when Bon Appétit launched its Farm to Fork program, in which all Bon Appétit chefs have been required to source at least 20 percent of their ingredients from small, owner-operated farms within that radius.

RWU is committed to sourcing a majority of its fresh ingredients from local farms, fisherman and artisans throughout the year. From eggs to potatoes to dairy, many food items come directly from farms in Rhode Island or Southern New England including Little Rhody Farms in Foster and Rhody Fresh in Hope. Approximately 80 percent of the fresh seafood served on campus is exclusively sourced from New England waters and purchased fresh daily from The Foley Fish company in New Bedford; 90 percent of the bread on campus is made locally at Homestead Bakery in East Providence or Calise Bakery in Lincoln, among other local bakeries.

“I’ve participated in nine Eat Local Challenges, yet each menu always ends up being very different as we get inspired to raise the bar on just how local we can go,” says General Manager, James Gubata. “I’m very excited to host our farmer’s market today too.  A few of our farm-to-fork partners join us for the day and get to chat about what they harvest and create with our guests.”

Last year, in honor of the Farm to Fork program’s 15th anniversary, Bon Appétit decided to give something back, from “Fork to Farm.” The company gave away $50,000 worth of grants to local farmers, fishermen, and foodcrafters across the country to help them grow their businesses. The 10 “Fork to Farm” grant recipients were selected from 25 finalists by RWU and other guests and Bon Appétit teams on Eat Local Challenge Day 2014, with more than 26,000 people casting votes. A year later, those small grants have had a big impact for these small farms and food businesses.

On Eat Local Challenge Day, in addition to the all-local meal, the campus community will also get short updates on the projects of their two regional grant winners; they can follow links to read more on the Bon Appétit blog. Local farmers Matt Couzens of Horse Listeners Orchard will be on hand to offer samples and talk to guests about where their food comes from.

 


Cookbook Author to Visit RI Farmers Markets

Farm Fresh Rhode Island is excited to host Leanne Brown author of GOOD AND CHEAP: EAT WELL ON $4/DAY at two RI farmers markets on Thursday, October 8th.  Brown, recently named one of Forbes 30 under 30 for 2015, will be visiting the West Warwick Farmers Market and the Armory Farmers Market as part of her 2015 tour.

GOOD AND CHEAP: EAT WELL ON $4/DAY (Workman; July 14, 2015; $16.95) is a cookbook like no other, demonstrating why kitchen skill, not budget, is the key to great food. GOOD AND CHEAP is not a challenge to live on so little—it’s a resource for those who face this reality, or anyone in need of stretching a tight budget. It teaches a general strategy, and shares flexible, approachable recipes—from mains like Vegetable Jambalaya, Broiled Tilapia with Lime, and Spicy Pulled Pork, to sides and snacks like Green Chile and Cheddar Quesadillas and Broiled Eggplant Salad—even drinks and desserts, like Watermelon Smoothies and Peach Coffee Cake.

In addition to sharing tasty, nutritious recipes that maximize every ingredient and use economical cooking methods, Brown gives tips on shopping, setting up a basic pantry, mastering staples, and even repurposing last night’s dinner. One page, titled “Leftovers,” offers tips on the myriad ways to make good use of old meals, like turning almost anything into a sandwich, or putting the fixings from last night on top of toast, in a wrap, or on a pizza. Eating well on $4 a day also requires a stocked pantry reserves like garlic, canned vegetables, and dried beans can go a long way towards flavor.  GOOD AND CHEAP is more than a book of recipes. It is a book of ideas, made to prove that cooking has a powerfully positive effect.

Leanne will be at the West Warwick Farmers Market, located in the parking lot of Thundermist Health Center at 180 Providence Street, from 3:00-4:15pm.  Her visit to the West Warwick market will include a live cooking demonstration, free book giveaways and book signings.  Following her stop in West Warwick, Leanne will visit the Armory Farmers Market, located at Dexter Park in Providence, from 5-6pm.  Leanne will be joining Farm Fresh RI’s nutrition education program Healthy Foods, Healthy Families which will be featuring free samples of recipes from GOOD AND CHEAP.

These two special events are made possible by the partnership between Farm Fresh RI, Thundermist Health Center, and Neighborhood Health Plan of RI.  For more information on Leanne Brown’s tour visit http://www.leannebrown.com/events.

 


Sage Cellars Brings Rebel Coast Wine to RI

A new brand with an ultra-cool west coast vibe is introduced to the wine market in RI

Rebel Coast Sunday Sunday wine

Rebel Coast Sunday Sunday wine

Sage Cellars is proud to introduce the latest edition to their portfolio of wineries, Rebel Coast Winery. With the tagline D​istractingly Sexy, ​it’s clear that this new brand is all about having fun, but don’t be fooled, this high quality wine is uniquely crafted from different regions of California and is “made by real people, for real people”. Each bottle of Rebel Coast wine embraces the passionate, rebellious and fun feeling vibes of the west coast.

Their smooth and velvety red wine, R​eckless Love i​s a 2013 Red Blend made up of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Alexander Valley in Sonoma, CA and 50% Syrah from Paso Robles, CA. Even their bottles reflect the wineries belief of a rebelicious high quality, the label is printed directly into the American made glass bottle with glow in the dark ink because, as they put it “how else can you find a bottle when the lights are off? And no one had ever done that before.”

The white blend is lovingly called Sunday Funday. Just the name makes it obvious this is a wine for everyone; this perfectly balanced blend is 90% Steel Barrel Chardonnay, 8% Sauvignon Blanc, and 2% Viognier. Every bottle has a peel off label with a ‘Sunday Funday’ to do list that will keep you laughing all day long.

Sage Cellars is thrilled that this vibrant new brand, along with its wildly entertaining, passionate and down to earth winemakers, is being brought to the Rhode Island market.

Sage Cellars is a Rhode Island based company owned and operated by trained professionals in wine and beer. Owners Anne Sage and Jesse Sgro explain: “Our passion for great craftsmanship runs deep and is born out of a life of dedicated study. Our business model is based on a simple premise: We choose to work with companies with whom we feel an equal excitement for their wines or beers and believe pairs well with the Rhode Island consumer. Our focus has been with family run vineyards, we are also a family business and understand the value in our industry. We listen closely, provide genuine and valuable support both for our quality products in our portfolio and our customers who sustain us.”

October 8, 2015 0 comment
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chefs & restaurantswine & drinks

Eat Drink RI Presents Napa Valley’s Barlow Vineyards at The Café of Easy Entertaining

by David Dadekian March 4, 2014
written by David Dadekian

[SINGLEEVENT single_event_id=”lifestyle-2-9-52fbcc4585921″]

March 4, 2014 0 comment
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newswine & drinks

2012 Gift Guides: Wine, Oysters and a Book

by David Dadekian December 11, 2012
written by David Dadekian
90+ Cellars Holiday Wine Essentials, photo credit: Michael Diskin

90+ Cellars Holiday Wine Essentials, photo credit: Michael Diskin

It’s that time of year again: gift giving season. Holidays abound, everyone’s going somewhere where they want to bring something. Heck, sometimes when you’re buying things for others you feel like buying something extra for yourself. There wil be a series of posts this week and next based around a number of items that either we were sent as gifts and enjoyed or picked up ourselves and have to tell you about them.

First up, the 90+ Cellars Holiday Wine Essentials. From the New England-based 90+ Cellars comes this curated selection of six wines for celebrating the season from a Prosecco to a Cabernet Sauvignon, wrapped in a convenient festive gift box. I’ve seen 90+ Cellars wines over the past year since they launched, but I’ll be honest, I was a little leery of buying wine, even well-priced wine, where I knew nothing about the wine other than where it came from and the varietal. Here’s how 90+ Cellars describes what they do.

“90+ Cellars is a limited collection of wine sourced from elite vineyards all over the world with a history of producing wines with 90-point ratings, gold medals, and best buy awards. The 90+ Cellars team tastes several wine samples each month, selects the best of the best for the 90+ Cellars label, and offers them at up to 50% less than the original brand’s price so savvy wine consumers can enjoy great wine anytime.”

As I tasted the six wines in the Holiday Wine Essentials box I realized, of course there’s value in finding a producer who’s wine you know and trust, but I have also come to trust certain importers of wine. For instance, I know I enjoy wines produced by Marchesi di Barolo, but at the same time, I’m more willing to blindly try a wine that Frederick Wildman imports. So perhaps I could put that same trust in the wines that 90+ Cellars is curating. 90+ Cellars is maintaining a form of producer individuality in their Lot number labeling. For example, their Lot 66 Riesling which was included in this Holiday Wine Essentials box is a 2011 vintage from Mosel, Germany, while they also sell a Lot 19 Riesling, which is a 2008 vintage from Columbia Valley. So we are getting specific wines, we just don’t know the producer’s names.

The 90+ Cellars Holiday Wine Essentials includes, with my notes in italics:

Lot 50 Prosecco, Veneto, Italy, NV: Possibly the best Prosecco I’ve ever had. Seriously. We opened it on Thanksgiving before dinner and as our guests took tastes the bottle quickly disappeared. Everyone wanted more of Lot 50.

šLot 64 Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County, CA, 2011: The weakest wine in the box, but drinkable. It seemed more like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with a lot of grapefruit up front. But it was a little too sharp and would be overpowering some foods you might have considered to be a good pairing.

Lot 66 Riesling, Mosel, Germany, 2011: This was excellent, very typical of a Riesling from Mosel, off-dry but not overly sweet. I rarely have met a Riesling I didn’t like and this was love.

Lot 68 Pinot Noir, Central Coast, CA, 2010: Also typical of a Central Coast Pinot Noir. It was very juicy, not particularly exciting, but good, and a nice, light red for all kinds of food.

Lot 21 French Fusion Red, Languedoc, France, 2009: Here’s where we saw some depth. This wine shouted Languedoc. It was a bit heavy and needed to open up a bit. This is a good wine for slow drinking over the course of a meal and seeing how it develops. Great spiciness and fruit as it opened.

Lot 72 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, CA, 2010: This was very enjoyable, and at it’s suggest price point on the 90+ Cellars site, a very good value. An easy drinking Cabernet Sauvignon with lots of cocoa and warm spices. It was very silky and of course went well with a steak.

The Holiday Wine Essentials is available for purchase at these Rhode Island retailers:

  • Madeira Liquors, Providence
  • Nocera’s Liquors, Providence
  • Haxton’s Kent Liquors, Warwick
  • Bobby Gasbarro’s Oaklawn Discount Liquors, Cranston
  • Bristol Wine & Spirits, Bristol

Suggested retail is $60, but you may find it on sale. It’s a great value for some very good wines. Plus, as I’ve found in person and read on Twitter, the whole 90+ Cellars concept is a great conversation starter, and isn’t that a large part of what holiday gatherings is all about?

The "Ditch the Fruitcake and Get 'Shucked'" Holiday Package

The “Ditch the Fruitcake and Get ‘Shucked'” Holiday Package

This next gift I haven’t received, but it was suggested to me and does seem like a perfect item on many levels. One, I love oysters and Island Creek Oysters from Duxbury, Massachusetts are excellent. Two, I’ve been reading Erin Byers Murray’s Shucked and very much enjoy it. Three, my good friend Jacqueline Church created the Oyster Century Club© this year and it’s a phenomenal way to get into eating the delicious bivalve. So I give you:

The “Ditch the Fruitcake and Get Shucked” Holiday Package

From Island Creek Oysters:

Island Creek Oysters has grown into one of the largest and most reputable aquaculture businesses in the US, selling nearly five million oysters a year around the world. Intense care is given to every step of the farming process, from hatchery to harvesting. Because of Island Creek’s commitment to excellence, the National Shellfish Association named Island Creek Oysters the best oyster in America. Today, diners can find Island Creek Oysters on the menu at restaurants across the country including Per Se, The French Laundry, Le Bernardin and even The White House.

Offering all the accouterments for bivalve novices or long-time fans, the “Ditch the Fruitcake and Get Shucked” Holiday Package package is almost too good to give away. For $100 it includes:

  • Erin Byers Murray’s memoir Shucked
  • Three dozen Island Creek Oysters
  • Shucking knife
  • Island Creek Oysters short sleeve t-shirt

Shucked chronicles Erin’s experience when in March of 2009 she decided to ditch her pampered city girl lifestyle and convince the rowdy and mostly male crew at Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury, Massachusetts, to let her learn the business of oysters for a year. Shucked is a lively narrative of oyster farming from a true farm-to-table perspective. Her book is part love letter, part memoir and part documentary about the world’s most beloved bivalves.

Again, another gift item that seems like a complete steal at that price and another brilliant gift for a holiday gathering because how do you not have a party when a group of people are shucking and slurping oysters?

December 11, 2012 0 comment
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chefs & restaurantsnews

Jonathan Edwards Winery 2012 Culinary Showdown

by David Dadekian June 5, 2012
written by David Dadekian
Jonathan Edwards 2012 Culinary Showdown, photo courtesy of Josh Behan www.behanimage.com

Jonathan Edwards 2012 Culinary Showdown, photo courtesy of Josh Behan www.behanimage.com

On May 20, Jonathan Edwards Winery held their second annual Culinary Showdown between five restaurants from Rhode Island and five from Connecticut. Each of the ten dishes, as well as each state, was voted on by the over 300 people in attendance. Chef Mike McHugh of Julian’s in Providence, Rhode Island won favorite overall dish. The Connecticut team took the grand prize which was $1,500 for their charity, Connecticut Farmland Trust. The Rhode Island team’s charity, Chefs Collaborative, was given $1,000.

The participating restaurants, each paired with a local farm, and their dishes were:

From Rhode Island:

  • The Dorrance, Chef Benjamin Sukle & Bomster Family Scallops and Aquidneck Farms – Bomster Family Scallop and Aquidneck Beef tartar, with Pickled Crudites, Sorrel and Togarashi
  • Eat Drink RI at Blackbird Farm, Chef David Dadekian & Blackbird Farm – BBQ Blackbird Farm Brisket and Kimchi Slaw Taco
  • Julian’s, Chef Mike McHugh & Schartner Farms and Blackbird Farm – Maple Cured Blackbird Farm Pork Loin, Schartner Farms Rye Biscuit, Chili Creme Fraiche Ice Cream with chocolate balsamic reduction
  • Local 121, Chef David Johnson & Narragansett Creamery – Narragansett Creamery Panna Cotta with Strawberries, toasted almonds and micro basil
  • Ocean House, Chef John Kolesar & Narragansett Creamery – Ocean House cured pastrami, pickled ramp relish, spicy mustard, Narragansett Creamery Atwells Gold cheese and caraway brioche bun

From Connecticut:

  • CW’s Chops ‘N’ Catch, Chef Cory Wry & Bomster Family Scallops and Beltane Farm – Bomster Family Scallop, Bacon and Beltane Farm Goat Cheese / Sweet Potato Croquettes
  • Daniel Packer Inne, Chef Chaz Paul & Curtain Farms and Lighthouse Bakery – Curtain Farms Beef Tenderloin with creamy gorgonzola and walnut demi glace served on a Lighthouse Bakery crouton, accompanied by red bliss potato croquette and black truffle butter English peas
  • Kensington’s, Chef Dennis Anderson & Wildowsky Dairy – Honey hoisin glazed Wildowsky Dairy pork confit on a blue corn tostada with micro herb salad and blood orange vinaigrette
  • Morton’s Steak House, Chef Kris Lincoln & Stonington Lobster, Frim Fram Farm and Farm to Hearth – Stonington Lobster, black truffle aioli, Frim Fram Farm microgreen salad, chive and lobster roe oil, served on toasted Farm to Hearth polenta bread
  • Octagon, Chef Paul Krawic & Bomster Family Scallops, Cato Corner Farm and Maple Lane Farms – Pan seared Bomster Family Scallop Sliders with Cato Corner Farm Womanchego Fondue and Maple Lane Farms Bibb Lettuce

Jonathan Edwards Winery was pouring five of their wines to accompany the dishes: 2010 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 Russian River Pinot Gris, 2010 Estate Connecticut Chardonnay, Stone Table Red, 2009 Napa Valley Petite Sirah.

Congratulations to Chef McHugh, Julian’s and all the Connecticut chefs.

Chef Mike McHugh of Julian's plating his Maple Cured Blackbird Farm Pork Loin, Schartner Farms Rye Biscuit, Chili Creme Fraiche Ice Cream with chocolate balsamic reduction, photo courtesy of Josh Behan www.behanimage.com

Chef Mike McHugh of Julian’s plating his Maple Cured Blackbird Farm Pork Loin, Schartner Farms Rye Biscuit, Chili Creme Fraiche Ice Cream with chocolate balsamic reduction, photo courtesy of Josh Behan www.behanimage.com

The tent at Jonathan Edwards Winery, photo courtesy of Josh Behan www.behanimage.com

The tent at Jonathan Edwards Winery, photo courtesy of Josh Behan www.behanimage.com

Chef Mike McHugh of Julian's accepting the Best Restaurant prize. To his left is Julian's Catering Manager Reddick Vaughan and to the right is Jonathan Edwards, photo courtesy of Josh Behan www.behanimage.com

Chef Mike McHugh of Julian’s accepting the Best Restaurant prize. To his left is Julian’s Catering Manager Reddick Vaughan and to the right is Jonathan Edwards, photo courtesy of Josh Behan www.behanimage.com

Jonathan Edwards 2012 Culinary Showdown, photo courtesy of Josh Behan www.behanimage.com

Jonathan Edwards 2012 Culinary Showdown, photo courtesy of Josh Behan www.behanimage.com

June 5, 2012 0 comment
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