NEW: RI Food Business Incubator Seeks Applicants For First Session
GoLocalProv Business Team
NEW: RI Food Business Incubator Seeks Applicants For First Session
Food entrepreneurs who get their applications in early will be guaranteed a spot in the incubator’s Pre-Incubation Workshops, a food startup coaching series to begin this January. The workshops will take place over the course of several months and provide guidance and training on topics including business plan development, food safety certification, financing, marketing and distribution, legal basics and more.
As the state’s first food business incubator, the Hope & Main incubator program aims to give food entrepreneurs and early-stage culinary businesses the chance to grow their first two to three years without the cost of equipping their own commercial facilities. To help make that happen, food businesses accepted into the program will receive mentoring, access to fully-equipped and affordable work space, and immersion in an entrepreneurial culture where they can collaborate with industry experts and peers.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHope & Main can accept up to 40 food-related businesses. Applicants who do not meet the early-decision deadline will be admitted on a rolling basis as vacancies become available.
In the summer of 2014, Hope & Main will open a 17,500-square-foot space located in Warren. Now under construction, the group broke ground in July 2013 on plans to transform a 100-year-old schoolhouse into a state-of-the art workspace for food-related entrepreneurs and businesses. The renovation will feature three shared-use commercial kitchens, including a gluten-free kitchen, over 6,000-square-feet of production space, cold and dry storage, a demonstration kitchen and 2,000-square-foot community room, a year-round farmer’s market and more.
Additional information, including applications and instructions for applying to the incubator program, can be found online.
RI's 5 Best Desserts
Fresh Lime Mousse Tart, Pastiche, Providence
One of the long standing traditions in Providence is dinner in one place and dessert at Pastiche. We have top-notch pastry chefs producing tasty treats all over Providence but Pastiche is where we always end up. It is the perfect "end of date" setting for a finely made cappuccino and a slice of their lime mousse tart. This tart is the perfect aperitif. It's light and refreshing and paired with the java, it might just wake you up enough for a little dancing!
92 Spruce St.
401-861-5190
Sweet Potato Tartlet, The Ocean House, Watch Hill
This seasonal sweet was one of the highlights of our fall dining experiences. Everything at the Ocean House is done right, from the moment you arrive. The fine dining restaurant, Seasons, serves some of the best food in Rhode Island and they wowed us with this dessert. Pastry Chef Adam Young has balanced the delicate flavors of sweet potatoes with cinnamon and honey perfectly. We can still taste the deliciousness.
1 Bluff Ave.
401-315-0579
Tiramisu, d.carlo Trattoria, Smithfield
The western side of the state is covered by d.carlo Trattoria. They have been churning out authentic Italian cuisine since the day they opened. Today, under Chef Aaron Thorpe, they have raised the bar again. The pasta dishes are very good and we almost got too full for dessert. Luckily for us, we persevered and discovered the tiramisu. This was a delicious rendition of the classic and it had us licking the plate. The flavor of the coffee and the lightness of the filling were the highlights for us. It left us feeling sated and happy.
970 Douglas Pike
401-349-4979
http://www.dcarlotrattoria.net/
Nutella Pizza with Sliced Strawberries, Basta, Cranston
Sometimes, when you take your nephews to dinner, you end up with pizza for dessert. And, sometimes, it's really, really, good. We were there for the pizza anyway, so this was a natural. And anytime you can get the kids to eat fruit, it's good. The pizzas at Basta are some of the best around and with warm Nutella and fresh strawberries on top it was a really good way to wrap up a very good meal. Plus, we like the coziness of this restaurant, and surrounding Pawtuxet Village, especially at this time of year.
2195 Broad St.
401-461-2300
Crème Brulee, Pot au Feu, Providence
Where else in Providence would you go for classic French? The Pot has been "the" place for the classics since the 1970's. Owner/impresario Bob Burke likes to say that they're not really interested in recipe until it's at least 150 years old. The crème brulee is among the best we've ever had...in the world. It comes in a soup bowl--not that tiny portion we've grown to accept--and the brulee'd sugar layer is like that thin ice that's forming on ponds and puddles across Rhode Island currently. It's pretty perfect.
44 Custom House St.
401-273-8953
www.potaufeu.businesscatalyst.com
