When Gov. Donald L. Carcieri and state Tourism Director Mark Brodeur accepted the International Star Diamond Award presented by The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) on Jan. 15 it was, well, an Academy Award moment. In looking into how the award was won and how Rhode Island was chosen, it is an economic success story about the restaurant community in the state. As someone who is a voice of optimism for the restaurant and hospitality industry in the state, I am delighted to tell it.
“One of the main criteria of the award is service,” said academy spokeswoman Karen Dixon. “We focus on service, unlike other types of star or diamond awards which critique types of kitchens or status of restaurants.”
The vaunted Michelin Guide, for example only considers kitchens and chefs who specialize in classic cuisine. Dixon says by evaluating each establishment on the basis of service, a more complete experience can be reported at the restaurant’s own level, from fine dining to clam shacks.
As she puts it, “A beachfront restaurant does not need to have a chandelier to be five-star.”
The academy places the restaurants, as it does hotels, in a context of culture. So a facility in Rhode Island is judged as best in its category whether it is fine dining or a casual bistro. While specific restaurants evaluated were not named, Dixon stated that the award clearly states “best in its category.” Restaurants are judged on décor and appearance as well as cuisine, taking reservations in a timely manner, quality and variety of wine lists, how patrons were greeted and accommodated if wait times for reservations ran long.
Other qualities considered included clean restroom facilities and whether checks were furnished on time. Dixon acknowledged that positive dining experiences were facilitated by the large number of owner-operated restaurants in the state, and comparatively few chain restaurants.
According to the National Restaurant Association, Rhode Island and New England still have the fewest chain restaurants in the country.
Walter Potenza, chef and proprietor of Walter’s Ristorante on Providence’s Federal Hill, has been involved with the academy since 1997.
Potenza was tidying up the patio of his then-Walter’s La Locanda restaurant on DePasquale Plaza after the lunch rush. A couple walking on the plaza came over to him and asked if the restaurant was still serving lunch. At that moment, the kitchen was changing over for dinner service and the midday specials had given way to preparation of the evening’s offerings.
There was, however, some fettuccine Bolognese simmering on the stove which Potenza, his wife and the kitchen crew would have for their own late lunch. What happened next was pure hospitality.
The chef put down his broom and seated the couple at his own lunch table. Over their pasta, the couple introduced themselves. They were Joseph Cinque, president of the academy, and an assistant. They were on a fact-finding tour of the city.
Cinque was charmed with the food, the surroundings and most of all the graciousness of his host. In fact, he was so taken with his experience that he walked to his car, brought back an award plaque from the academy and presented it to Potenza.
As the chef recalls with a laugh, “[Cinque] put the plaque on the wall outside next to our front door.”
A lasting friendship developed from that meeting and within the year, Potenza was on the board of the academy. As he traveled to exotic destinations such as the island of St. Lucia to present leaders with their own award, the chef never missed an opportunity to put in a plug for the restaurants and the total tourism experience of Rhode Island.
“I figured I had one opportunity to list the positives about our state and its great restaurants,” he says. And it paid off. •
Bruce Newbury’s “Dining Out” radio show can be heard Fridays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at noon on 920 WHJJ-AM. His e-mail address is bruce@brucenewbury.com
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