The National Restaurant Association recently surveyed its members about their participation in community activities. Responding restaurateurs were mostly owners of single, mid-priced restaurants – the type that makes up the majority of Rhode Island eateries.
Each restaurateur reported receiving an average of 75 requests each year from community groups and, in turn, donated time or money to about 35 projects annually.
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For perspective, there are nearly 4,000 restaurants in Rhode Island. Eighty percent of restaurateurs reported donating food. Half reported volunteering their time, and roughly the same number raised money. Approximately two out of five restaurateurs were very likely to donate in-kind services to a charity at any given time or to participate in a fundraiser or benefit dinner.
One of the more successful programs demonstrating restaurateurs’ good works in our area is “Days of Taste,” the American Institute of Wine and Food’s signature education program. Days of Taste brings chefs and farmers into fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms to teach students about the importance of fresh food and how ingredients come from farm to table. Dozens of local chefs donate their time, while an “Iron Chef” style event in Newport called Chef Smackdown has raised money for Days of Taste for the past two years.
However, the Rhode Island food benefit scene is going through a period of change.
During most of the 1990s, the “Taste of the Nation” cocktail party and tasting event was the signature event of its kind in Providence, designed to raise funds and awareness of hunger for Share Our Strength, a national advocacy organization. The Providence event grew to be quite large – too large – with more than 100 restaurants participating at its peak. Since the need goes on, new events have been created to continue the hunger-fighting mission.
“Great Chefs, Wines and Beers of the Ocean State” will be held Sunday, June 24 at Sakonnet Vineyards. More than 30 chefs, along with breweries and other wineries, will sample food and drink to raise funds for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.
Share Our Strength now has begun a new national program called “Tasteful Pursuit,” bringing nationally known chefs and personalities from the world of food to appear at exclusive dinner parties in 12 cities.
Providence’s is tonight – Monday, June 11 – at Gracie’s, and features chefs from New York and Arizona teamed up with local chefs Joseph Hafner of Gracie’s, Matthew Gennuso of Chez Pascal and Andrew Shotts of Garrison Confections.
The fact that Rhode Island can successfully introduce top-quality events such as these, which more than take the place of the older ones, says a lot about the state’s status as a dining mecca.
Some may ask if there is a business purpose to all this goodwill. Do these events drive customers to the door? The answer is, for the most part, no. Chefs and restaurateurs participate because they have a strong, seemingly innate sense of community. Any of them would tell you, “This is just what we do.”
The National Restaurant Association honors restaurateurs that have gone above and beyond in giving back to their communities with its annual Restaurant Neighbor Awards. Each year, $20,000 is awarded to restaurants to support their favorite charity or project. There are finalists from each state. In Rhode Island, last year’s finalists were Stephen Marra of the Pinelli-Marra Restaurant Group, Steven Lombardi of Lombardi’s 1025 Club and Steven Davenport of Parkside Rotisserie.
Nominees for the 2007 Restaurant Neighbor Awards are being accepted by the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Association (for more information or to make a nomination, contact RIHTA at hsingleton@rihospitality.org or 223-1120). The deadline for entries is June 15.
Dining Out with Bruce Newbury can be heard on Talk Radio 920 WHJJ-AM Fridays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at noon.
