RI Chefs Showcase Local Cuisine in NYC

RI Chefs Showcase Local Cuisine in NYC

Rhode Island chefs took center stage at the prestigious James Beard House in New York, in a show of not only what's grown in RI, but how we make it into cuisine.

Local Talent

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 nationally known culinary center. 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.

Local Fare

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

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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.

Local Takeaway

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.

For more photographs and descriptions of the RI Farm, Vine and Sea to Table luncheon, check out Dadekian's food blog here.

Photos David Dadekian