Bigelow Tea President and CEO Cynthia R. Bigelow will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary doctorate in business administration at the Johnson & Wales University Providence campus graduate studies commencement ceremony on May 3 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
Bigelow is widely recognized as a woman of influence in the food industry, having risen through the ranks of the company during her more than quarter-century career. She is also a philanthropist, spearheading her company’s well-known good works.
JWU confers its undergraduate degrees in two ceremonies on May 18, also at the Dunk. At the morning ceremony, an honorary DBA will be awarded to keynote speaker and Dunkin’ Brands Chairman Nigel Travis.
At the afternoon ceremony, two JWU alumni will be recognized. One of Rhode Island’s best-known and multiple award-winning chef-restaurateurs, Derek Wagner, chef-owner of Nicks on Broadway, will receive an honorary doctorate in culinary arts. Wagner is a multiple James Beard Award nominee and is widely recognized as a trendsetter in the kitchen. In addition, Mehmet Gurs, chef-partner of Istanbul Food & Beverage Group and a 1993 JWU graduate, will deliver the keynote address to the Providence campus undergraduate class. Gurs, who will also receive an honorary doctorate in culinary arts, is credited as the creator of the contemporary restaurant scene in Istanbul, where he founded 19 restaurant concepts, plus a TV cooking show network.
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HONORARY DOCTORATE: Derek Wagner, chef-owner of Nicks on Broadway in Providence and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, will receive an honorary doctorate in culinary arts at the school’s Providence campus commencement ceremony on May 18.
/ COURTESY JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY[/caption]
Who might be on stage to receive an honorary degree in the next decade or so? The chances are good it will be someone who got their start here in the Ocean State, whether at JWU or at the trailblazing center for food innovation in Warren known as Hope & Main.
Demand for locally produced food and beverage products continues to accelerate, as consumers become more mindful of their diets and adventurous with ingredients. Hope & Main’s unique approach to assisting emerging food brands continues to rival some of the top-performing incubators across the nation. Now in its fifth year of operation, the organization boasts more than 40 graduated companies and approximately 200 overall participants in its incubator program.
The facility recently hosted its annual trade show featuring 26 of its member companies, 10 of which made their debut. As Hope & Main Executive Director Luca Carnevale explained, “Getting noticed by wholesale purchasers can be a major challenge for new businesses. We offer this event to our members to lower that barrier of entry and assist them in establishing relationships with the buyers and institutions they want to work with.”
One of those may well be Providence-based natural and organics distributor United Natural Foods Inc., which sponsored the event for a second year. UNFI acquired major food-service distributor Supervalu in 2018 to broaden its nationwide footprint and better compete with Amazon’s Whole Foods. The company continued to support this grassroots effort to stay in touch with startup brands that have been the foundation of the natural and organic food-service industry from the time it was a movement.
Bruce Newbury’s Dining Out radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on 1540 AM WADK, through various mobile applications and via smart speaker. Email Bruce at Bruce@brucenewbury.com.
