Put yourself in a chef’s shoes – these days most likely orange clogs. If you could cook your dream meal, what would it be?
Chefs tend not to wander quite so far afield, staying in the arena of unique ingredients they could then turn into exciting presentations.
So it was with chef Bradley McCoil, executive chef of OceanCliff resort in Newport. The mansion-style resort and banquet facility on Ocean Drive had been chosen to host a fundraiser for Newport County Community Mental Health Center. The center was looking to go to another level for its effort. The organizers had set some lofty goals, such as the purchase of three automatic defibrillator devices for the center’s facilities, as well as other dedicated funds to support various needs of the center’s clients. This night needed an attraction.
The event went with the name, “Rock the Mansion.” The setting would be the historical OceanCliff resort. The menu was well into the planning stages with chef McCoil’s gourmet touches, including several of OceanCliff’s signature food stations, a mashed potato bar and pasta bar. There the magic happened.
Two Newport restaurateurs, Geremie Callaghan of Fluke Wine Bar and Joann Carlson of Jo’s American Bistro, both well-known personalities on the restaurant scene in the City by the Sea, came forward and offered chef McCoil access to their premier suppliers. Seafood would come from Foley Fish of New Bedford. Cheeses and pâtés would be provided by Newport Specialty Foods.
These and other niche wholesalers ordinarily would not be tapped to supply large-scale events, as they source small, boutique harvesters, foragers and merchants. But working together, the smaller providers could specialize in each course. So the ceviche bar turned into a multinational selection of ceviche – seafood that starts out raw but through bright fruit and vegetable based marinades is “cooked” in an alchemy of acids. There was Ecuadoran ceviche – shrimp and langostinos in lime, onion, cilantro, bean and tomato. Mexican ceviche featured seafood in citrus with onion, cucumber, tomato, jalapeno, serrano, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper, alongside Polynesian ceviche in which coconut milk is added to the marinade.
Chef McCoil’s dream menu truly did “rock the mansion.” By all accounts, the evening was a smashing success. And it was due in no small part to the coming together of members of the local restaurant community.
The expression “it takes a village” is getting a bit overused but a variation could apply in this case. It can be said that the success of the night was because sometimes it takes a restaurant row. •
Bruce Newbury’s Dining Out radio show is heard on 1540 WADK-AM, wadk.com and the TuneIn mobile application. He can be reached by email bruce@brucenewbury.com.
