Paul Skoczylas grew up around kielbasa. By age 8, he was lending a hand at Central Falls Provision, his family’s Polish sausage shop, and through high school and college he was working there full time during the summers. Photos from the period show him in front of the oven, holding a rack of sausages, wearing a T-shirt with “kielbasa kid” stenciled across the chest. more

Foolproof Brewing Co., New England’s latest addition to the craft brewing scene, has launched its hand-crafted beers in bars across Rhode Island. more

Rhode Island is expected to increase the number of restaurant jobs this summer by 15.6 percent, the fourth-highest projected rate of increase in the United States, according to National Restaurant Association projections. more

Three Rhode Island restaurants – Basil’s Restaurant, Bouchard Restaurant and Inn, and The Spiced Pear – made OpenTable’s list of the Top 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in the United States for 2013. more

While the number of Rhode Islanders who visited Twin River declined 9.1 percent from 2010 to 2012 to 161,726, those who came from Massachusetts increased 8.8 percent to 385,348, helping the Lincoln gaming facility gain less than one-half percent in visitors to 582,662 in the time period. more

A local restaurant and two out-of-state contenders took home top prizes Saturday at the 32nd annual Polar Seltzer Great Chowder Cook-Off at the Newport Yachting Center. more

To work here, you have to love to ride. That means riding on a motorcycle for employees at Twisted Throttle in Exeter, who are required to have a motorcycle license in order to work in any department of the motorcycle apparel-and-accessories company. more

I was invited to Stowe, Vermont to broadcast from the Stowe Wine and Food Classic, a festival of wine and foods to be paired by chefs, winemakers and purveyors from throughout the culinary world. The headliners were nationally known winemakers and chefs who joined their colleagues based in the Green Mountain State to dazzle the crowd with their creations. The pairings were expert, even artistic. What I found most impressive was that two of the primary artists were from Rhode Island. One is a leading Providence restaurateur, the other an up-and-coming chef who helped launch two restaurants in the Ocean State between stints up north in ski country. more

Jack and Maureen Leyden, who’ve operated Big John’s Christmas Tree Farm in West Greenwich since 1970, last year incorporated wine production into their business. more

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island’s Hope Commons dining facility has been recognized for excellence by the National Association of College & University Food Services, for its efforts in environmental conservation. more