Our state is reemerging as a leading light in food.
Recently, celebrity food personality Alton Brown called Providence a “badass food town” during a publicity tour before his appearance on stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center. He took in some of the best of what we are known for around here: coffee syrup and calamari.
Brown was seen outside one of the city’s well-established coffee artisans – Dave’s Coffee on South Main Street – and following his show at PPAC originated a live video onboard his tour bus as he left the city to do a taste test on calamari.
Perhaps next time have a local explain what goes into Rhode Island-style calamari. It is difficult to imagine any Federal Hill restaurant using “chili peppers.”
Consider what Rhode Island “exports” foodwise. The port of Point Judith is known as one of, if not, the largest in the world in landing, processing and sending out calamari and other forms of squid. Menus around the world point with pride to “Point Judith calamari” and to a much lesser degree, swordfish.
And coffee syrup, that uniquely Rhode Island concoction, needs no explanation to the millions of fans who order it to be shipped worldwide to make the state’s official drink, coffee milk.
[R.I.] distills some very good vodka, and our wineries are award-winning.
To use a metaphor befitting the Ocean State, we run up against the rocks beyond these two unique creations. There is produced within the state borders milk, beef, pork, poultry, even lamb and goat. Of these, the only commodity of any quantity that is processed here in Rhode Island is milk and cream. There are two dairy processing facilities in the state: A.B. Munroe Dairy Inc. in East Providence and Wright’s Dairy Farm Inc. in North Smithfield.
The “farm-raised, grass-fed, pastured” sources of protein exist here, but it becomes difficult to get over that last mile. It is required that for public consumption, such commodities must be processed at a U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified facility. There is only one very small such operation in the state, located in Johnston.
A spokesperson at Blackbird Farm in Foster says the product offered for sale at the farm has to be transported to Connecticut and then back to Rhode Island, creating delays and increased cost. There were plans to put a USDA plant of some size in Portsmouth, but it did not come to fruition due to a “not in my backyard” mentality among residents.
We are fine with poultry and certainly seafood is no issue to bring adequate supply to market. Nikki Ayres of Farm Fresh Rhode Island in a broadcast interview said unequivocally that the local supply chain is not broken. In fact, it is quite strong.
Ayres used no less an example than the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The traditional menu could be quite readily purchased using all state-grown and -produced items from the turkey, potatoes, vegetables, right through to beverages – both soft drinks and “adult” – and certainly desserts. The issue of price may not be as much of a deal-breaker this year if media reports are to be believed.
Farm Fresh is offering a complete package of enough produce and pie to feed a gathering of six to eight people. It contains two kinds of potatoes, butternut and delicata squash, yellow onions, Brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, parsnips, leeks, shallots, herbs, mushrooms, cranberry sauce and an 8-inch pumpkin pie. The turkey is not included. It is a free agent in this transaction. But that does not mean one has to settle for a frozen bird. There are two turkey farms in the state and two more within minutes of the border.
By the way, a note to Mr. Brown – who chose Massimo’s calamari as more sophisticated, Camille’s as more “craveable” – Rhode Island distills some very good vodka, and our wineries are award-winning, so please include them in your next visit and video.
Bruce Newbury’s radio show and podcast, “Dining Out with Bruce Newbury,” is broadcast on WADK 1540 AM and several radio stations throughout New England. Email him at Bruce@BruceNewbury.com.