The headline read, “Industry veteran takes the helm at iconic Providence restaurant Mill’s Tavern,” but what it doesn’t say is how chef Cara Marie Mourning made a side trip on the way. She calls it “a summer in hell,” which refers to the reality TV show “Hell’s Kitchen,” hosted by bombastic chef personality Gordon Ramsay, on which she was a competitor during the current season of the series titled “Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the States.”
“The entire part of me being on ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ is because I’m actually a vegan chef,” Mourning said. “It was sort of like the stigma of, ‘Oh, well, she’s a vegan, so she’s just gonna cook kale and tofu’ and all of that.”
Surprisingly, her very first cooking job was grilling steaks when she was 14.
“Grilling steaks and cooking on a grill is what made me fall in love with cooking,” she said. “I can love and appreciate when people love a great steak.”
While Mourning acknowledged some concern expressed by customers and observers that Mill’s Tavern would become a vegan restaurant with her “taking over” as executive chef, that is not the case. She describes coming into her new role as broadening the scope and allowing more diners of a different demographic to have a fine dining experience at the acclaimed eatery on North Main Street.
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SIDE QUEST: Cara Marie Mourning competed on “Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the States,” representing Rhode Island, before becoming the new executive chef at Mill’s Tavern in Providence.
COURTESY MILL’S TAVERN[/caption]
“We’re known for the great steaks, and I want that to continue,” Mourning said, “but I also want [Mill’s] to be known as the place that you want to go when you have something to celebrate or your favorite night out during the week. I want to be able to feed everybody.”
Lesley Hall, the tavern’s general manager, said of Mourning, “Her bold style coupled with our shared commitment to excellence promises a unique and exquisite experience for every guest.”
Mourning said it was “a huge honor” to be selected to represent Rhode Island on “Hell’s Kitchen.”
One doesn’t spend weeks with Gordon Ramsay without being influenced by his bigger-than-life style.
“I mean, obviously, besides the fact that I feel like I swear more now, I think that his perception of being a chef and the way that he views food is, he’s very much a classic old-school mentality where everything on the plate is there for a purpose and everything is simple and clean, but it’s completely elevated,” she said. “I absolutely was influenced by chef [Ramsay], taking his advice and making things a little simpler so that they’re more astounding and more flavorful with less ingredients.”
Although Mourning was not the series winner, Ramsay told her she is “a fantastic cook.”
“Hell’s Kitchen” was not Mourning’s first reality TV competition. She has appeared on Food Network’s “Chopped,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and “Beachside Brawl.” The chef was also a three-time Rhode Island Vegan Awareness champion of the organization’s Diced competition.
Before moving to Mill’s Tavern, Mourning was the executive chef at Blu Violet at the Aloft Hotel in Providence. Her plans for Mill’s are to introduce a new menu for winter, with timing tentatively scheduled to follow Providence Restaurant Weeks, which wraps up on Feb. 8, with its own special introductory prix fixe menu going into its second week.
While guests can expect the signature elevated steak and seafood dishes that have made Mill’s a dining destination, Mourning’s passion and commitment, along with the prospect of a diverse menu of vegan and vegetarian options, will create a unique experience for diners.
“I am honored to join the incredible team at Mill’s and look forward to contributing to its reputation of culinary excellence,” Mourning said. “I am excited to lend a clear, creative vision to our work while developing the next generation of culinary talent.”
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury,” syndicated weekly on radio, is heard in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
