Magazine
R HODE ISLAN D
FEBRUARY 2015
vol. 3 issue 5
Inspirational Speaker Series Rhode Island Creative Magazine Brings You a Series that Leaves You Inspired! Rhode Island Creative Magazine is proud to present a series of events designed to inspire, motivate and educate you. Events are held throughout the state at various business locations we feature in our magazine. Our honored speakers, many of whom are the owners, motivate attendees with inspiring stories, conduct site tours and showcase their work.
Join us for an evening to learn more about our amazing community in a creative light.
Wednesday, February 18th 6PM - 8PM 691 Main Street Warren, RI makefoodyourbusiness.org
Speaker: Lisa J. Raiola, MPH Take a tour of the first culinary business incubator housed in a newly renovated 100-year-old schoolhouse on the historic Main Street in Warren. View a demonstration and sample our local makers food creations!
Admission: $10/person To RSVP or for more info. please contact RICM at 401.440.3911 or kim@ksdesignsri.com #ISS2015 @ricreativemag www.ricreativemag.com
from the founder As we start the New Year, I want to make sure you get the most from this magazine in 2015. So what’s coming? A whole lot more and it is all very exciting!
“What began as my passion to share the unique attributes of our state’s creative arts industry, has turned into a thriving business and movement. Our multiple digital platforms now include business leaders seeking to expand their advertising dollar and opportunities, and have connected freelancers with their next job, while promoting educational events for industry veterans and students. We have reinvented and advanced the knowledge and influence of the creative arts in our community and everyday lives using a combination of digital and traditional media. In turn, our success has resulted in deepening our market reach and strengthening the appreciation and enjoyment the public receives through the creative arts.”
My goal has always been to increase the number of networking events that shed a broader light on the importance of the “maker” industry. So this month, I have finally launched the bimonthly “Inspirational Speaker Series!” These events are held throughout the state at various business locations I feature in the magazine. The honored speakers, many of whom are the owners, will motivate attendees with inspiring stories, conduct site tours and showcase their work. The first event launches this month on February 18th. Details are on the left facing page. Another goal of mine was to offer a hands-on ‘Real World’ experience-publishing workshop in the local community for students and adults. Thanks to the collaboration with the Artists’ Exchange, an atmosphere in which creativity, learning and discovery happens, I am happy to announce that I will be offering an 8-week “Introduction to Publishing Workshop” in March 2015! Please see page 4 for details. There are a few more goals of mine that will take place over the next few months. You will enjoy and benefit from these new additions to the publication. I am very excited for what else is to come and to share the news with you as they happen. As for the February Issue, it was inspired by the amazing culinary industry that we have here in RI. Behind each door of a restaurant, you will find beautiful atmospheres, unique menus, creative dishes and passionate chefs. With each business, there is a goal to reach and in this industry, it is to serve the community with a product they will love and enjoy. In this issue, we take you on a journey through a variety of local businesses that will educate you on just how much creativity, knowledge and passion it takes to be successful in this industry. Along with our featured businesses, we have provided great tips on how to increase your sales, finding the ideal internship and how to get organized. I hope you enjoy the fifth issue of Volume 3 and to see you at the Inspirational Speaker Series this month! I will continue to do my best to help promote and emphasize all the positive creative talent, movements and information here in Rhode Island to pass onto you. Stay connected on all our social networks to know what is going on creatively. Sincerely,
Kimberly Sherman Leon KS Designs President & CEO Founder & President, Rhode Island Creative Magazine
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The official publication of KS Designs
February 2015 vol.3 issue 5 Founder and President Kimberly Sherman Leon Assistant to the President Pnina Pressburger Assistant Editor/Writer Rob Mariani Assistant Secretary Regina Hogan Design Manager Lisa Malm Designers Lillian Ferranti Kate Hanley Matthew Pacific Panhia Lee Michael Ricci Contributing Writers John Prothero Josephine Eke Janine Calise Chris Sheehy Lauren Silveira Jairo Gomez Richard Austin Joseph Shansky Chef Ricardo Costa Jason Robert LeClair Ronald G. Shapiro Ph. D.
table of contents From the Founder Contributors Freelancers Creative Calender
articles A Unique New Restaurant Concept Gives Creative Chefs a Chance to Stretch their Culinary Wings Creating a “Feast for the Eyes” Alcohol Artisans It’s the Most Romantic Day of the Year! Make it Personal, Not Expensive. Warren is Cookin’! How to Creatively Set Your Plate What’s On Your Print Menu? Top 10 Restaurant SEO Tips #blizzardof2015 Wintery Center Spread Here’s an Ocean State Company That’s Really Making a Splash! The Ideal Internship - Part 1 A Flavorful Journey 4 Tips to Boost Your Sales by 125% Getting Your Kitchen in Check Keep Calm and Eat Chocolate
Rhode Island Creative Magazine Cranston, Rhode Island T: 401.440.3911 E: kim@ksdesignsri.com www.ricreativemag.com Follow @ricreativemag Facebook.com/ricreativemag All contents COPYRIGHT 2015 KS Desgins and Rhode Island Creative Magazine. All rights reserved.
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Cover photo is by Don Gregory, a Fine Art and Food Photographer. You can read his article in this issue called “Creating A Feast for the Eyes” which speaks about food photography. You can visit Don’s work at www.DonGregoryFoodPhotography.com
contributors
Josephine Eke
Chris Sheehy
Lauren Silveira
Joseph Shansky
Ronald G. Shapiro Ph. D.
Vice President, Design Intelligence, Sterling Brands is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and has an MBA from Northeastern University. She has 20 years experience combining brand strategy, design and innovation with success in building multimillion dollar brands for companies like Estée Lauder, Mattel and Hasbro. Josephine also teaches in the Masters of Branding program at SVA and RISD/CE.
Founder of the awardwinning Rhode Island search engine optimization/marketing & local internet marketing firm; Sidewalk Branding Company. Named a “Top Startup Business in New England” by Mass High Tech, internationally published, and a resource partner to Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop news. Chris gets businesses DISCOVERED! Southeastern New England (AMASNE).
Organized for Life A lifelong RI resident I studied fashion merchandising and business management at Johnson and Wales University. After working many years in the consumer goods industry in both sales and product development my passion for simplifying spaces and helping others create serenity in their space is how Organized for Life was born. I am a member of the PVD Lady Project and North Central Chamber of Commerce.
Founder and Creative Director of Shansky Works Joe Shansky, an advertising veteran for over 35 years, has produced national and regional award-winning work. Joe is a creative director and all-around problem solver on a wide array of broadcast and print clients. Now as an independent creative director and founder of a network of multidiscipline practitioners, Joe brings his experience to bear for agencies and direct clients with concept development through production.
Independent Consultant and Speaker in Human Factors/Ergonomics (designing products, solutions, and services so that they will be easy for people to use), User Experience, Career Development, Learning, Leadership and Human Resources. Ron has had global or USA responsibility for managing technical learning, technical leadership, employee university education, career coaching, new employee orientation and coordinating human factors/ergonomics for IBM.
Richard Austin
Jason Robert LeClair
Jairo Gomez
John Prothero
Chef Ricardo Costa
Speaker of Success After a career as a corporate trainer and educator, and a lifetime of studying the “art of communication”, Richard founded his company “Speaking of Success”. He now provides individual coaching, workshops, and classes in public speaking, presentation skills, and other communication techniques.
Illustration & Theatrical Design An honors graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, MA. His BFA in Media and Performing arts has not deterred his original love for the visual arts. Mr. LeClair lives life as an illustrator, author, set designer, theatrical director and painter. His love of art, theatre, and education have led to him writing commentary and editorial work on these topics.
Xzito Partner/Account & Creative Director From print ads to logo design to complex package design, Jairo draws from his varied range of experience. As Creative Director, he understands both print and web design, and the printing process. He’s currently working on ways to implement new technology like Augmented Reality into clients’ communications strategies.
Business Growth Strategist for Precision Services Group Over 30 years experience in the print industry which started with delivering jobs, bindery, traditional prepress, to account management and digital job production. His skills also run in the area of blog authorship, social media management, and lead generation and qualification of prospective clients.
Personal Chef/ Cooking Show Host Professional Profile Culinary, nutrition working with families towards a healthier lifestyle.
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How would you like to learn how to incorporate your hobbies or interests into a hands-on ‘Real World’ career experience?
Introduction to publishing — workshop Do you love to...
write or interview artists?
take amazing photos or create illustrations to share your vision?
learn how to turn your passions into your career. Kim Sherman-Leon, the editor and founder of Rhode Island Creative Magazine (RICM) is proud to offer you an 8-week course to begin this transformation. During the course Kim will show you the real day-to-day process and aspects of working in printing, graphic design, web design, photography, journalism, social marketing, advertising, and communication as an individual and as a team member. The course will be held at the Artists’ Exchange, 50 Rolfe Square, Cranston, on Wednesdays from 3:00pm –4:30pm, beginning on March 18th and ending on May 16th (with no class on April 15th). Enrollment is limited to 20 high school and/or college students and adults. Registration is only $60. Contact Kim at 401-440-3911 or kim@ksdesignsri.com to register or for more information. Act now, as enrollment is very limited to allow for a favorable student/instructor ratio.
Design for print or web?
sell, market or advertise?
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Rhode Island Creative Magazine (RICM), a digital and print publication that strictly focuses on the arts and gathers the community to educate, collaborate and cross-pollinate all passions and expertise within the creative industry. To learn more about RICM please visit www.ricreativemag.com. Layout Design by Lisa Malm
A Unique New Restaurant Concept Gives Creative Chefs a Chance to Stretch their Culinary Wings
by Rob Mariani Assistant Editor & Writer
One of the things many of today’s creative chefs seem to wish for is a kitchen space where they can experiment and imagine freely. A place where they don’t have to think about such mundane things as licensing, insurance, staffing, and the “bottom line.” Restaurateurs Albert and Sarah Bouchard saw this need for “creative space” as an opportunity. Together they decided to open a restaurant in Newport with what they termed a “revolving door kitchen.” A kitchen where guest chefs of many different kinds could spend as much as a month or as little as two weeks developing and exploring new culinary possibilities. As part of a working restaurant, aptly named “The Revolving Door,” the kitchen would be a place to test new recipes and techniques and even give aspiring new chefs a place to be “discovered” by restaurateurs, while experiencing “real life” in a working kitchen. What’s more, this unique concept is an opportunity for curious “foodies” to try an ongoing list of new chefs with original new concepts without even having to leave town. Albert and Sarah Bouchard met while Albert was working in a New York restaurant after returning from France. They married within six months, have three grown children and will celebrate 31 years of marriage in March. Sarah has an art and graphic design background and studied at FIT (Fashion Institute of technology) in New York City. Albert has a degree in hotel restaurant management from Paul Smith’s College, and a degree from the culinary Institute of America. They opened Restaurant Bouchard in 1995, added three Inns, and by the end of 2013 had also created the “Revolving Door.” Albert and Sarah are also responsible for the spectacular design of the restaurant’s kitchen and dining areas. The design is warm and inviting with a modern charm. The open space creates a nice flow and allows the customers to see the chef create his dishes. For patrons less interested in “the unexpected,” house chef Josh Berman, who just finished working at the famous Del Posto restaurant with Mario Batali, does a simple but satisfying fixed price menu at $24. In addition to the Revolving Door’s ever-changing list of guest chefs, the Bouchards’ plans also include having guest bartenders, and offering cooking and mixology classes. The Bouchard’s Revolving Door restaurant also hosts a fun evening on Tuesday nights called “battle chef” in which two chefs compete using a “mystery ingredient” to create a finished dish in 45 minutes. The contest winner is declared by house and celebrity judges. To learn more about this unique and creative restaurant, go to www.revolvingdoorri.com. Layout Design by Kimberly Sherman Leon Photography supplied by Albert Bouchard
Vol. Vol.3 3Issue Issue5 5| |21 5
CREATING A “ Feast for the Eyes.” by Don Gregory Food & Fine Art Photographer
The ultimate goal of any good food photograph is to get you to smell the bread, taste the cream filling in the cannoli, hear the sizzle of the steak, see the crisp freshness of the salad greens. In other words, to conjure up the same sensory reactions that you would have if the food were set down in front of you, namely to make you want to actually taste it. Ah, but getting there is no easy task. Just because something is tasty or delicious, doesn’t mean that you can just take a snapshot of it and expect that mouth-watering kind of result. In fact, I have eaten in good restaurants with excellent food and then seen what images they use on their web sites or in their magazine advertising and wonder, in the words of Dr. Phil, “What in the hell were they thinking?” Please don’t take pictures of your beautiful creations on your cell phone or with your point-and-shoot! If you are going to use food photographs to help sell your food or your cookbook or whatever, use good quality images or don’t do it at all.
So, what goes into a good quality food photograph? Initially, there should be a certain amount of planning. Which dish or dishes are the most visually appealing? Who will prepare them for the shoot, and where will the shoot take place? I have found that most clients are either chefs or restaurant owners and they prefer to shoot on their own premises using their own kitchens to prepare the food. Of course, one key part of the preliminary planning involves the budget for the shoot and, whether or not there is room in the budget for a food stylist and/or a prop stylist. Although most food photographers are familiar with the principles of food styling and prop styling, the final result is greatly enhanced by using professionals with experience shooting food photos. What stylists do is not always all that obvious, but the subliminal nature of a reflective highlight or a well-placed piece of garnish can make the difference between an OK shot and a real winner. So, with the preliminaries done, what about the shot itself? In the “olden days” back in the 20th century, people tended to want to get as much
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into the shot as possible. Most shots were taken from directly overhead because it was thought that this was the way that people saw their food when they sat down to eat. And they also wanted the entire image to be sharp and in focus. Nowadays? Not so much. The trend today is for lower camera angles, simple compositions, and close-ups of interesting detail. Food photographers today tend to use what might be termed “selective focus” where the important part of the photo image is in focus, while the background and foreground are deliberately out of focus. Color is important, as well. This is where the prop stylist becomes extremely valuable. He or she is an artist in their own right and getting just the right color for a plate or a napkin or a tablecloth, even if it’s only in the background, can make or break a photograph. And let’s not forget lighting. How the final image will be used can greatly influence how a shot is lit. For example, for a menu board shot of a steak and cheese grinder with juices dripping down the side of a freshly baked roll and melted cheese oozing out in all directions would be lit differently than a simpler crème broule ‘with a cup of espresso to be used in a magazine along with an article on French desserts. The grinder would most probably be lit with bright light with strong highlights on the dripping juices, whereas the crème broule’ would require softer, indirect lighting with perhaps some strong shadows to suggest the quiet satisfaction of the end of a late night meal. So, if you’re considering using food photography, don’t underestimate the impact of that all-important image that an experienced professional team can deliver.
The trend today IS
for lower camera angles, simple compositions, and close-ups of interesting detail.
You can view Don’s work at DonGregoryFoodPhotography.com
Layout Design by Lisa Malm
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Alcohol Artisans by Richard Austin Speaking of Success
Can the creative or artistic process be applied to beer? In some instances, creativity, or artistry if you prefer, can be immediately recognizable, or visible to all. In others, it can be subtler, discernible only to the knowledgeable. Does this make one more creative than the other? One of the questions that this magazine has frequently asked, (and answered) is “can creativity be applied to anything?” The Rhode Island School of Design has been answering this question since its’ inception. So let’s ask one more, rather peculiar question. Can the creative or artistic process be applied to beer? After exhaustive research, I say, emphatically, yes! Evidence of beer production dates back 5000 years to the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia. In fact, the Sumerians even had a goddess of beer, with the revered beverage being brewed by female priestesses. “Modern” beer, brewed and seasoned with hops,barley and malts dates back to the Middle Ages. Rhode Island history may not date back thousands of years, but in its short life, the state has a record of creativity (think the industrial revolution), second to none. As Rhode Island re-invents itself once again, it is looking to tourism and hospitality – and what could be more hospitable than offering a visitor a unique, craft beer?
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At my count, we have at least ten breweries in the state, each with their own brew-masters, taste experts, quality specialists, graphic designers and packaging experts. The creativity of these artisans is amazing. In true Rhode Island fashion, the beers are designed with an eye (and a nose) towards pushing the boundaries of (literally) taste, smell and something referred to as “drinkability.” In fact, one brewery describes a particular beer as “approachable.” Labeling and packaging is, of course, of paramount importance in what is now a fiercely competitive market. Just take a look at the labels, logos and marketing campaigns of our local brewers to truly understand the imaginative minds that are part of the craft beer revolution. Let’s not forget the resourceful marketing professionals and their inspired writers. Beer terminology has become as complex (and in some cases similar to) what until now has been reserved for the world of wine. Words like heavy, creamy, complex, toasty, nutty, light, peppery, hoppy and rich are all used to stir the imagination and stimulate the taste buds. So, the next time you drop by your favorite tavern, be sure to support our local alcohol artisans with a pint of local liquid creativity. To quote Spenser from Robert Parker’s novel Mortal Stakes, “The worst beer I ever had was wonderful.” Layout Design by Lillian Ferranti
It’s the Most Romantic Day of The Year! Make it Personal, Not Expensive. by Chef Ricardo Costa Personal Chef
V
alentine’s Day, the day when everything from chocolates and flowers to jewelry and lingerie are exchanged between lovers of all types and ages. Traditionally, it’s the time for candle-lit dinners, and expensive wines at pricey restaurants. But too often it seems, in a world of busy schedules and crowded appointment books, celebrating Valentine’s Day has to be “squeezed in.” So here’s a thought: create your own special romantic moment at an unexpected time of day, something simpler and more “do-able,” like a mid-day meal or a brunch at one of your favorite neighborhood eateries or right in your own home! Take this time to do something more personal, creative and less from your pocket! Of course, in the end, what you’ll always remember is the food and the setting. Brunch is usually a combo of breakfast-and-lunch items like eggs, salads and cold cuts. Try to make your own homemade brunch or use the recipes I have created for you as a guide. Then be creative with the décor. Set the table with a nice plate setting, a bouquet of roses or if you really want to get creative, make a bouquet of chocolate covered strawberries among other fruits to treat on as a dessert! If that is too difficult, you can always place them in a shallow glass bowl. There are great visual examples online that can help you if you get stuck. Lastly, place lighted candles and play soft music to set the mood! You can’t go wrong there. Gifts on Valentine’s Day don’t have to be expensive if the romantic thought behind them is special. You can read a favorite poem to your loved one. Or even dare to write your own love poem. Just make sure it tugs at the heartstrings. Expressing your true love doesn’t need to have a price tag. As long as you’re creative and sincere, your true loved one will appreciate the thought and the effort as much as if you’d spent a lot of money on an extravagant gift.
Mimosas Cocktails 1/3 cup (79 ml) chilled orange juice (freshly squeezed is best) 1 tbls. (15 ml) Grand Marnier or triple sec (optional) Fill the champagne flute 1/2 full with chilled sparkling wine. Top with orange juice. If you are using, top mimosa with Grand Marnier or triple sec.
Bagels with Lox 1 tsp. cream cheese or desired amount 1/2 tsp. finely chopped scallion 1 large bagel or 5 bagel chips 1 tsp. of capers (optional) Sliced pieces of smoked salmon (one package) Pinch micro greens or herbs 1 tomato sliced (optional) 1 lemon wedge Mix together the cream cheese and scallions. Schmear on the bagel or chips. Top with the smoked salmon, micro greens, capers, tomato and a squeeze of lemon.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries 1 lb. (about 20) strawberries with stems, washed and dried very well 6 oz. semisweet chocolate or white chocolate chopped Rinse the strawberries. Drain and pat completely dry. Put the semisweet chocolate into heat proof medium bowls. Fill medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. *Cook’s Note: Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a glass dish in the microwave on high power for 60 seconds. Remove, stir and microwave for 10 seconds more until the chocolate has melted. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly to thicken Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the bottom half of each strawberry in the melted chocolate. Twist the strawberry so that the chocolate forms a “tail” at the end. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining strawberries.
Layout Design by Kimberly Sherman Leon
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Photography by Seymour Glantz by Joseph Shansky Shansky Works
An interview with Lisa Raiola Warren’s new hot spot is at Hope & Main. It’s not an intersection of two streets, but Rhode Island’s first culinary business incubator. “We help local entrepreneurs jump-start early-stage food companies and food related businesses by providing low cost, low risk access to shared-use commercial kitchens and other industry-specific technical resources,” says Lisa Raiola, founder. “Hope & Main’s nonprofit incubator program gives food startups the chance to grow in their first two to three years without the cost of equipping their own commercial facilities.”
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From kitchen to market, Fox Point Pickling Co., utilizes the facility’s services in preparation of spicy dills and other pickled products. The kitchen (above) is one of three licensed kitchens available for food startup companies to build their brands without the investment of a commercial kitchen.
Designed to facilitate community involvement in the local food economy, the facility features a demonstration kitchen, co-working and meeting spaces, and a 2,000 square foot community event space. Here, Bella Piccolina’s Daniela gives lessons in preparing fresh pasta to a packed classroom during Hope & Main’s “Meet Your Maker” fair on Nov. 23rd.
“Members benefit from extensive mentoring, access to fully-equipped and affordable workspace, and immersion in an entrepreneurial environment where they can collaborate with industry experts and peers. Hope & Main’s aim is to create a community of support for food entrepreneurs and to serve as a springboard for the launch and growth of new culinary enterprises.”
The Recipe for Success! “Housed in the historic Main Street School building, located at 691 Main Street in Warren, the renovation project transformed the 100-year-old structure into a state-of-the-art workspace for the region’s food entrepreneurs. Among the building’s highlights include three code-compliant, shared-use commercial kitchens, including a gluten-free kitchen and artisanal bakery, over 6,000-square-feet of production space, cold and dry storage, and a range of commercial equipment to support small-scale operations for baking, food processing and catering. A weekly market will be located on the grounds to give Hope & Main member companies and other local producers direct access to local consumers.”
Hope & Main cuts the ribbon on $3.2 million renovation. (L-R) U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, as well as other honored guests including USDA Director of Community Programs Daniel R. Beaudette, Warren Town Council President Christopher W. Stanley, and Founder and President of Hope & Main, Lisa J. Raiola, MPH.
“I applaud Hope & Main’s staff on their renovation, as well as their efforts to assist local food startups,” said Senator Whitehouse. “Incubators like this can allow entrepreneurs to experiment with new products and strategies that will create jobs and enrich our communities. I look forward to seeing what Hope & Main’s inaugural class of businesses brings to our state’s thriving food culture.”
USDA Approved! “The Hope & Main project is funded in large part by a $2.9 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Community Facilities Loan. Hope & Main purchased the building from the Town of Warren in June 2013 after a nearly three-year effort to secure funding for the incubator project and an investment of $250,000 in private funds. Hope & Main recently introduced its inaugural group of members, a cohort of more than 30 culinary entrepreneurs who will be growing early-stage food startups and other food-related businesses from the organization’s headquarters.” says Lisa Raiola. “Five years ago we had an idea for a building, but we could only imagine who would utilize it.” says Lisa Raiola. “In that time, Hope & Main has evolved into a center of gravity for Rhode Island’s food economy. We have not only created access to business opportunities for food entrepreneurs, we have built an integrated space dedicated to the food value-chain– from growing, to production, to sales. We aim to change the community’s relationship to local food.” To find out more about Hope & Main, visit their website/blog at http://makefoodyourbusiness.org/
“This is a great example of what’s possible when federal, state, and local officials collaborate with the private sector to support innovation.” says Senator Jack Reed. “Hope & Main is a key ingredient in the recipe for continued growth of Rhode Island’s food economy.” Layout Design by Joseph Shansky
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How to
Creatively
Set Your Plate
by Albert Bouchard Chef
There are four major components to plate presentation; Color, Texture, Height and Plating. Let’s start with color. Nothing brings a plate to life quite so dramatically as vibrant vegetable colors such as greens, reds, yellows, gold, and oranges like you find in kale, carrots, peppers and squashes. And lets not forget the purples such as fingerling potatoes or Brussels sprouts to name just a few. Textures aren’t just about feeling. Textures can excite our vision too, as well as our taste buds. For example, Romanesco, is a member of the Cauliflower family and has beautiful little spirals that look like mini Christmas trees. It promises and delivers a beautiful and tasty crunch in the mouth.
Also, the way you cut vegetables into different angles and shapes can increase their appeal to our visual sense. And then there’s height. Food appeals to us more when it looks fresh. Salads, if they are “fluffed up” and vegetables that are standing up crisply, invite us to chew them, as opposed to veggies that are just lying limp or flat. Alfred Portal from the Gotham Bar and Grill in New York City was one of the first chefs to do “vertical plating,” ie. placing all the ingredients in the center of the plate rather than off to the side. Typically, he’d start with the purée or starch on the bottom and stack vegetables and the protein on top, adding just a small garnish of Microgreens as a finishing touch that creates an “artistic” look that’s become very popular today. Last but not least, plating. Be aware of what plates you present the food on. Different sizes, colors and shapes can add to the final presentation. Often I use oversized plates to put more focus on the food. But be careful not to use a plate that has too much going on. A complicated plate design can take away from the food presentation. Just remember, your food is the portrait, the plate is its frame. Layout Design by Kimberly Sherman Leon Photography by KS Designs
Your food is the portrait, the plate is its frame.
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What’s on Your Print
by John Prothero Prothero Press
Typically when we walk into a chain restaurant, we often have preconceived ideas of what their menu is like. We know that a Denny’s menu will have that sealed-edge lamination to help it last longer. But if we walk into a 4-star restaurant, a laminated menu is the last thing we’d expect to see. We’d want something that is simple, elegant, and maybe even enclosed in a turned edge cover. Menu design is a science that uses images, copy and psychology to entice the patron into purchasing specific appetizers, entrees, or even beverages. And menu design, married to creative print techniques, can have a major impact on the patron’s perception of quality, as well as the value for the dollar they are about to spend. Let’s face it, if you see a menu that is laminated and you can get a New York steak dinner for $14.95, you may not order it. Seeing it on a heavy, uncoated cover stock, with a cursive font, and simply saying “21”, may entice you to spend that amount on what could virtually have been the same meal.
Menu Printing techniques Menu printing has
evolved with the introduction of digital print. Ironically, it is the high end restaurants that usually print shells with their logo, or generic information, and then the daily menu is printed in the restaurant, reflecting the specials of the day, or the fresh catch of the day. This allows for daily price changes, which are affected by the markets. These then are often inserted into a nice, clear plastic sleeve, or even slipped into turned edge bound cover, which only enhances the patron’s perception that they are in a high-end restaurant. You will find that many of the mid-level casual establishments, like Yard House or BJ’s Restaurants & Brewery, use menu inserts that are printed, and then distributed to the restaurants based on the demographics of the area. Frequently, these chains use an e-commerce solution, where they can select menu items and price them, order a few inserts, and then have them printed and shipped to the restaurant directly. These are then inserted into sleeves that are either wire-O or spiral bound, which allows for quick change out. Of course, we still have established chains that will print menus that are laminated, since they can be subjected to liquid spills, or food spills.
What Can I Do To Make My Menu Look Different? But let’s look at you, the proprietor of that
specialty restaurant on Main Street, the one that has Belgian cuisine and Belgian beers on tap. You want something obviously unique to you, to your patrons, to your cuisine, and to your specialty brews. Here are some print techniques that you can get done digitally: T able tents – I would suggest making these a monthly item, highlighting specific appetizers, entrees or brews. Many of the paper manufacturers provide flat sheets that already have the scores for the tents applied, and even the little slits. Your print services provider simply prints on the sheet, and then trims the tents out, without having to do the diescoring or die-cutting. M enus – again, think monthly, or quarterly, or perhaps seasonally, and adjust your menu accordingly. You may find that since you’re printing a couple of hundred (figuring that some will need to be replaced as the time period goes on), you can keep your per-unit cost down. But that could allow you to try some other things. For example, you may want to do a spot clear toner to mimic the condensation on a pint of fine Belgian pale ale. Or perhaps including a QR code that can be used for coupons.
Go Beyond The Menu It used to be that when you went to a restaurant you’d order your food, eat, pay the bill, and leave. If it was a good experience, you told your friends or family. Now, social media is a major player in the overall restaurant experience, and you should be part of it. Set up a Twitter and a Facebook account at least, and post images, specials, and events, so that the patrons can find and follow you. This is a very savvy way to keep your restaurant in front of your patrons, because it can engage them and encourage others to follow you, and become new patrons. Of course, with social media you must stay on top of it, and respond to it frequently. For restaurants, that means thanking patrons for positive comments or images shared, or handling patron complaints as quickly and as publicly as possible.
Social media has altered the dining experience, and you need to be a part of that. Layout Design by Kimberly Sherman Leon
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TOP 10 RESTAURANT
{SEO { T I P S
by Chris Sheehy Sidewalk Branding
Sure, people will come to your restaurant for the food, ambiance and impeccable service, but they need to find you first. Word-of-mouth, newspaper, and social media marketing tactics all work at increasing brand awareness for your business, but SEO spreads your branding farther and more sustainably than anything else. It’s a marathon approach, however, so it requires a plan and a committed effort to reap any rewards. That said, here’s our Top 10 Restaurant SEO Tips taken directly from our internal cookbook that are as sure to fill your tables faster than a good ol’ blue-plate-special. While this isn’t the Joy of Cooking equivalent to DIY SEO tips, it covers the basics that most restaurants and businesses struggle with.
1. Keyword Research: Think for a minute how you search for things online. You type words into a search bar, hit the enter key, and in half-a-second are presented ten options, maybe a map, and a few paid adverts to pick from. Things work the same for voice-search like on Google Now and Siri. To have any sustainable visibility on search engines – you need to be using the right key-words throughout your website and internet assets (like Facebook, images, articles, press releases, and business listings). Keyword research will discover the right words that will increase the visibility and discoverability of your restaurant. Keywords are the centerpiece for all internet marketing.
2. Website Optimization: Going on the notion you’ve got your keywords cooked up, you now need to get those words into the right spots on your web- site so they can work for you. Here is where you need to put your primary keywords: • Page Title (aka META Title) • Page Description (META Description) • Words on Your Page • Image/Video Filename
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If the administrative part of your website allows for “META Keywords” don’t use it, these aren’t used any longer by any search engine. You’re just going to give your strategy away to SEO pros if you do… Trust me on that. If you blog however, do use Categories and Tags as you would META Keywords.
3. NAP: By our observations, 80 percent of businesses have errors in at least one element of their business name, address, and/or phone number (aka: N A P or citation data). I’ve written about this before, so no need to detail it again – suffice to say that getting this dead-on-accurate is paramount for local search engine visibility. [See link/citation building below] In addition to this NAP, make sure your hours are prominently visible on your website. Adding this stuff in the footer of your website will make sure your complete contact information and hours of business are listed on every page. Search engines feast on those morsels of NAP info and can reward your business with greater visibility for optimizing it.
4. Schema: This bit of code is useful for identifying things like your NAP, opening hours, payments accepted and other information to search engines in their own language (code). Accepted by all search engines, this advanced tidbit is a must have for restaurants reliant on local marketing and/or being discovered in mobile searches. Which is all of them.
5. Map: Make sure you have a Google map on your contact or locations page but not just any Google map – the map connected to your verified Google Plus (G+) profile page. Which, of course, means you need to have a verified and optimized G+ page. So once you’ve got that, look at the bottom of your new map page and click the gear icon in the lower right, then click “Share and embed map” when the menu pops up to get the code and paste it onto your website. Easy.
6. Menu: Have a menu on your website? If not – it’s a must, just make sure the navigation to the page is clear and discernible so people and search engines will easily identify it. Using a simple “menu” as the navigation text is a safe bet here, and use only text or a .pdf file to list your menu. Search engines can only see text, so if you use an image for your menu (common image file extensions .jpg .png .gif and .tif) it will not be picked up by search engines. Consider adding a downloadable .pdf menu on your website so it can be easily shared or tucked inside a kitchen or office cabinet for quick call-in ordering. And don’t forget to build backlinks to your restaurant by posting your menu on menu sites – see below…
9. Social Media: Given all the hype social media gets – I’ve got bad news for you – social media isn’t likely to drive as much traffic to your restaurant as you hope it will. Statistically, social media will deliver a 5% revenue ROI whereas SEO drives 51%. Other marketing mediums like word-or-mouth and print drive the remaining 44%. But what social media has going for it is the ability to convey a story and post an image and have those shared by your raving fans better than any other medium or channel. So make social media work for you by using compelling writing, inspiring images, and be sure to start your post with your primary keyword as close to the opening sentence as possible and have a link back to your website. When linking back to your site, target the most relevant page of your site not just the homepage. And if you use #hashtags, tag your keyword and your city or town. I advise my clients to use the 80-20 rule when using social media (or blogging). 80% of their posts should point to a keyword on their primary keyword list. Just remember this rule – 80% of your non-website internet marketing actions should drive traffic to your website and target a keyword. It’s not rocket science – you can do it.
7. Link/Citation Building: Complete and optimized profiles
10. Reviews: Online reviews not only are great selling points
You’ll now see your business name on the map instead of just your street address, and very little else (like your competition). Google can now draw a strong correlation between your G+ map location, the inform- ation on your G+ profile and your actual business.
on tripadvisor, yelp, and menuism are staples for restaurants. These listings should be as complete as possible, and the narrative spiced up with the key- words vetted from your research. Images used here should also have their filenames optimized with these keywords in addition to your restaurant name. Don’t forget to add your menu to your listings as either a link or .pdf file. Other than website optimization, building profiles on highly authoritative directories (like those mentioned) with accurate NAP/citation data is the second most important element for getting listed on search engines and discovered by people searching for you. Link/Citation building helps people discover your restaurant on their PC as well as on a mobile device (phone/tablet).
8. Content: It’s an overused cliché, but content really is king. Make sure your content is well written, contains the high priority keywords from your keyword research and tells a story to your readers. Websites stopped being online brochures a long time ago – so make sure the tone of your site doesn’t sound like one. And don’t forget to link out from your website pages to the other pages of your website as well as to the other internet assets you use to market your business, like Facebook and Pinterest. Layout Design by Kate Hanley
for your business, but search engines could reward you for being such an awesome business by bumping you up in rankings for your ability to please your customers. So make sure you have a page on your website for “Reviews” and post your best ones there. Word of caution here, Google doesn’t want you to copy and paste their reviewsnon your website or anywhere else on the internet – so the best case for Google reviews would be to share them in a non-text format, like in an image or video. What we have done on our site was to create Pinterest pins of our reviews and add those to our website as a slideshow. It’s a different approach that is sure not to receive any warnings from Google or any other search engine should they establish the same policy.
Bonus! Whereas social media typically stays within its channel (Facebook messages stay on Facebook, Twitter on Twitter) blogging spreads throughout the internet. We strongly recommend our clients blog first – then share these posts on their social media channels. This strategy gives them the exposure on search engines and within social media for the same amount of effort. Also consider using a syndication platform for managing this like Sendible (that’s who we use – look them up), this will make short work of managing it all whether you blog alone or as a team. And there you have it – we’ve dished out a ten-course spread of our top ways to drive traffic to your restaurant. So turn up the heat on the notion of getting your restaurant discovered online! Vol. 3 Issue 5 |
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Photo taken on January 28, 2015 during Juno, The Blizzard of 2015 on Newton Ave in Narragansett, RI.
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by Joseph Shansky Shansky Works
Nestled between North Providence, Johnston, and Pawtucket is Centerdale; the soda capital of Rhode Island. Home to a truly effervescent company since 1915, the Yacht Club Bottling Works has quietly been building it’s brand and growing the popularity of its unique line of regular and diet sodas for Rhode Island and it’s local environs. Unique in a number of ways Yacht Club uses only glass bottles for carbonated drinks. No plastic, no aluminum cans, only glass because it keeps the contents fresh and pure unlike any other container. Only returnable glass bottles are used, which can be exchanged for a credit. All bottles returned are sterilized then reused. (Reuse is the best form of recycling). Every bottle returned saves enough energy to power a standard light bulb for 100 hours. Last year alone, with the Think Green Save the Bottles Campaign,Yacht Club reused over 5,000 cases (120,000+ bottles) keeping them out of our local landfill. A family owned and operated local manufacturer, Yacht Club opened with the goal of bringing a premium quality beverage to Rhode Island.
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The main ingredient is pure water Our flavorful sodas begin with pure, natural water from an artesian well drilled through the bedrock 180 ft. below the building. The water is natural mineral water and has exceptional characteristics for carbonation. Its natural temperature is 45 degrees, which allows carbonation without the use of cooling towers that can be bad for the environment. Also, the water naturally accepts 5.5 volumes of carbonation without alteration. This means NO SALT ADDED for carbonation. Only natural ingredients are used for our delicious sodas All of our syrups are made on-site with only extra fine granular pure cane sugar mixed with natural artesian water - Never High Fructose Corn Syrup! No fifteen-letter chemicals and preservatives that you can’t pronounce or would care to swallow. Even though pure cane sugar is triple the cost of HFCS, it is well worth it. When our syrup is fully mixed, the finest extracts and flavorings are added to make a truly unique drink.Yacht Club also offers a large selection of sugar free options including diet soda and naturally flavored sparkling water.You will notice when you drink a Yacht Club Soda that it is clean, smooth and genuinely refreshing. Getting thirsty? Where can you find Yacht Club Sodas? Living up to its reputation as the “Official Soda of Rhode Island, “ Yacht Club beverages can be found in fine restaurants, grocery markets and deli’s all over Rhode Island; such as The Boat House in Tiverton, Café La France, Hemenway’s, Rue De l’Espoir and Nick’s on Broadway in Providence, The Garden Grille in Pawtucket, Coffee Depot, Tom’s Market and Eli’s Kitchen in Warren, and Iggy’s in South County. For a more complete list, visit their website at www.yachtclubsoda.com.
Photo of bottles by David Ciolfi
Layout Design by Joseph Shansky
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RI
Freelancers
Looking for a professional for your next project? Rhode Island consists of many types of freelancers in this industry. We want to give them the opportunity to shine and to promote their specific talents on our Rhode Island Freelancer page! If you are interested in being listed, please send a brief biography with a link to your website or portfolio to kim@ksdesignsri.com to be considered for our upcoming issues.
free·lance adjective 1. w orking for different companies at different times rather than being permanently employed by one company. “a freelance journalist” synonyms: self-employed, independent, contract “freelance writers are invited to submit articles”
be creative be determined don’t isolate yourself take breaks
adverb 1. earning one’s living as a freelance. “I work freelance from home”
be confident
noun 1. a freelance worker. 2. historical a medieval mercenary.
Keep your head up high, push aside your fears, be bold, always be professional and confident in everything you do.
verb 1. earn one’s living as a freelance.
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be entrepreneurial
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Part 1
Layout Design by Michael Ricci
• • • •
You are required to do an internship to graduate. Someone told you that doing an internship is a good idea. You found out that you can escape from doing some classes if you do an internship You can earn some money doing an internship.
ideal
So, what would the
internship be like?
• The company, organization or manager hiring would come looking for you rather than your having to find them. • You would be offered opportunities to do exciting work in your chosen area of specialization. • You would learn a great deal. • You would work with great people. • Your input would be requested and included in major decisions your management would be making. • You would be paid a competitive, market based salary based upon your accomplishments to date. • You would receive a great evaluation at the end of your internship accompanied by an offer of employment to do exciting work at a great salary no later than the beginning of your final year of college.
terrible
And, what would a • • • • • •
internship be like?
The company waits until the last minute to offer you the internship. Your job assignment is all make-work or doing work nobody else wants to do. You don’t learn anything. The people you are working with are difficult to get along with. The sponsoring organization has no intention of hiring any of their interns. You do not get paid.
There are many internship opportunities somewhere in between the ideal and the terrible. The terrible internship may even be in violation of labor laws, depending upon where you would be working, but one experience you don’t need is filing a government complaint, so be sure you don’t get into the terrible internship experience. The ideal internship does exist, but not everyone will be fortunate enough to be offered that opportunity. So, what can you do to increase the chances of your being offered the ideal internship? • Build the relationships with people who will help you find a great internship (or offer you one) years before you want the internship. • Assemble a resume which ROARs (is Results Oriented And Relevant) showing all of the work which you have done to prepare you to be one of the best interns ever. • Perform well in your academic classes. • Build an awesome working relationship with your faculty so that they can write you very meaningful letters of recommendation. • Assume a major leadership role in student organizations related to your chosen profession. Go beyond being elected to office in those organizations, and demonstrate that you have really improved the organizations. • Send your questions on internships to DrRonShapiro1981@SigmaXi.Net. We will address them in a future issue of RICM. • Check the next issue of RICM for more thoughts about internships. The next career related posting will be about building effective relationships and networking. Thanks to Andrew Maxwell and Dr. Ron Shapiro for permission to reprint this article from the Plan an Event.Org blog and to Dr. Margarita Posada Cossuto for insightful comments.
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Originally, I was to stay about a year here, but I fell in love with ”The American Dream.” With its lifestyle, not so much. I noticed many ate too much, drank liquor in excess without food, and consumed a lot of sweets at the end of dinners. In Italy eating cake was a celebratory expression of a birthday, confirmation, or graduation, but here I found the consumption of carbohydrates was considered a “final step” to a “healthy” dinner.
A Flavorful Journey by Walter Potenza Culinary Expert
If I were to write a biography it would probably be titled, “Standing on My Feet,” in reference to the years I’ve spent standing in kitchens as a professional chef. Arriving in Rhode Island in the mid seventies constituted a sense of “cultural food shock” for me as a young Italian. In those days, Italian cuisine was at a very basic stage, and I did not even recognize most of the dishes served in restaurants and homes here. Fortunately it took me very little time to understand that there was another style of Italian cooking here, one created by the Italian immigrants, and reshaped with American ingredients adapted to local palates. I noticed immediately that sugar was a predominant ingredient in much of the food preparation here, and the size of the servings was overabundant. Serving large portions had become the immigrant’s response to freedom from the poverty in many areas of the Italian peninsula.
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Early on I became a line cook in a fast-paced Block Island restaurant, broiling lobsters, frying scallops and fish and chips, and sautéing squid. It was not what I enjoyed, but I continued in the process convinced that at some point I would get out and follow another career. I had attended a technical school back in Italy and cooking was certainly not one of my early interests. I thought a few semesters at a local college might possibly open other opportunities for me, but for strange reasons I could never quite make the transition. I have always been interested in history and geography, but incorporating them in my daily work in kitchens was a struggle, considering that I could never really enjoy the technical aspect of the cooking profession, and the fast paced routine it required. Cooking to me was an expression of cultures, just like art, literature and music. After several jobs as a chef in leading restaurants, I decided to take a chance and opened my first restaurant in the town of East Greenwich. It was 1985 and the level of really fine food then was marginal. Rhode Island had many pockets of immigrants, with many restaurants serving non-authentic dishes to a culture that was cautiously receptive. But I wanted more, I wanted to be the first Italian chef in the state to offer the true cuisine of my homeland while acknowledging the regional preferences of my local patrons here. I remember picking up my own bread, vegetables, meats and traveling three times a week to Narragansett to purchase fresh seafood. I was obsessed with precision and deeply concerned about the message my food delivered. Business was great, and with that came the initial media recognition. But for the local residents of the town, I was seen as somewhat of an outcast, serving elaborate cuisine with unknown terminology and techniques. Terms such
In the past 15 years I’ve directed my energy to the development of a cuisine that is both healthy and “approachable” for everyone, researching foods for diabetes and gluten intolerance. In the process I’ve found that Americans now spend less time at a dinner table and have phased out “mother” as the center of the family-food provider. The result is a society that relies too heavily on packaged and manufactured food with false ingredients and starches. A recent return to wholesome, fresh, and minimally manipulated foods has inspired me to continue helping others to simply eat better. as “demi-glaze, chiffonade, “reductions,” “velvet” and many more, were just weird adjectives listed on a menu. I was determined to win the locals over, eventually betting on the educational aspect of cooking to attract their interest.
Through my career, I have had the pleasure of mentoring many young chefs who shared my philosophy, and in their world continue proposing innovative concepts, while maintaining the roots of “classical gastronomy.”
I remember the first time I offered a béchamel, a milkbased cream sauce thickened with flour and butter, white pepper, nutmeg and cheese blended with a simple egg pasta fettuccine. It was not very well received. (Later I found something similar in a local supermarket, but heavily processed with chemical stabilizers and color dye.)
Rhode Island is a much better food-state today than when I arrived here.
Needless to say, many nights I felt dejected and often thought: “Why bother?” Still, I continued in my mission, and out of frustration began offering cooking classes on specific culinary subjects. Finally I was able to share my passion for history and geography by incorporating them into my recipes. Americans wanted to learn, wanted to know more about the food varieties in other parts of the world, as well as their cultures. Soon I had found my love and passion, and realized that I should expand on the idea.
It has become a showcase for some of the top chefs in the nation. Long gone are the days of fried foods, cheap fats, and pedestrian presentations. Today the “sustainable movement” is mandatory for a chef, as are the utilization of local ingredients and the education of the public in the process. People in the food industry today consider it a moral obligation to share knowledge of the food we consume for the well-being of all. To do this; all of us continue to stand on our feet long hours and add that valuable ingredient to every plate……passion.
I began offering “Jewish -Italian cooking, “in honor of my paternal grandmother. I spent an incredible amount of time researching the cuisine of the Roman Empire, as well as the Middle Ages and the Italian Renaissance. I wanted to offer baked, wholesome country dishes but could not find the necessary rustic cooking pots here, and so I began searching for comparable American clay. But eventually I manufactured my terracotta cooking pots, called appropriately “Terraware”, which many professional chefs continue to use across the land today. Layout Design by Kate Hanley
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By Cristina Zapata Xzito
What if you could increase your sales by 125%? The easiest way to increase sales is by servicing and supporting your existing book of business, the people who know you and trust you. Did you know that the probability of closing new business with selling an existing customer is 60-70% higher than a new customer, which is 5%-20%? Do the math, if you focus on connecting more with your existing customers you will see an increase in your profits! In this article we have put together 4 quick tips to increase customer profitability.
Market Segmentation allows you divide your database into smaller, more manageable groups. As a result, you are able to: • Create more targeted marketing messages • Build and nurture customer relationships • Increase customer retention When segmenting your list, think about common desires, needs, and wants that a particular group of contacts have. For example, some segments include: location, repeat customers, on-time customers, by product, similar interests, and so on.
Targeted messages, after sales services, and constant communication with your current and existing customers are key to customer retention, more sales, and as a result, increase in profits.
Now that you’ve segmented your customer base, you can take it a step further by showing your customers that you understand them. Send out unique content that corresponds directly with what is most likely to motivate each segment. The possibilities are limitless with targeted email marketing. Give each customer what he or she wants, and see how your customers' interaction, engagement, and interest in your brand grow and expand.
The benefits of content marketing are not always obvious, but it’s well worth your while. Generating a solid catalog of shareable content — particularly content that resonates with your market segments — will yield tremendous dividends both in the short term and over the long term. Regularly producing top-notch content will brand your company as an authority in your field. It is also a great way to showcase your industry knowledge to inactive customers.
It’s not enough to simply create accounts on various social media. Maintaining a social media presence is an ongoing process that must be addressed at all times. Regular posts will keep your company’s name at the forefront of your followers’ minds. Exceptional content, such as the content marketing pieces you’ve created, will encourage followers to share your posts with an audience that might not otherwise be aware of your products. See more at: www.xzito.com
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by Lauren Silveira Organized For Life
You’re a foodie always whipping something up in the kitchen, surprising guests with praise-worthy dishes and always scouring the internet for new recipes. But is your kitchen as praise-worthy as the delicious food you’re whipping up? Is it in great shape to entertain? Besides cooking, it also serves as a homework station for the kids, a dump ground for anything collected during the day, and an entertainment space for friends and family. There is certainly nothing worse than a disorganized kitchen not functioning at its peak. Here are a few tips to organize specific areas of your kitchen whether you’re cooking, eating or socializing:
Getting Your Jumbled Junk Drawers in Check Every kitchen has them and they are usually all the same. Drawers filled with random coupons, writing utensils, and invitations to events that have come and gone, and the list, unfortunately, goes on. Be sure to determine what you’re storing in the junk drawer and have it based on your needs, then purge the un-essentials. Here are a few ways to keep some of the necessary items accessible, but out of the way: • Keep an envelope or small folder for coupons • Keep supplies like pens, note pads, scissors and glue handy • Save only the take-out menus you know you love • Keep a flashlight and batteries available in case of power outages • Keep like items tidy by using drawer separators.
* Ikea
Counter Top Clutter Solved Designate space in cabinets and drawers for larger appliances. Take it a step further and incorporate shelving for open concept storage. This will lift items like stemware, glasses and decorative bowls off the counter to eye-level. It also frees up some space inside your cabinets. • Add some fresh fruit and flowers to replace the bulky appliances and lighten up your work space. • Organize mail pile up with magnetic file folders on the side of your fridge
Under the Sink • Always use bins or an under-the-sink kitchen organizer to store items like paper towels, cleaning supplies and sponges. • Add a tension rod under your sink to hang extra dishtowels making it easier to find necessary items fast!
Pantry Storage for “Pros” • Start with a good purge by removing any expired or questionable items. • Remove contents from original packaging to maximize space by storing in canisters, dispensers and baskets, then label. • Keep items used daily within reach at eye-level, and bulkier heavy items down below. Have a step ladder available. Get the New Year started off with an organized kitchen that will save you time and be a space in your home where you will love to dine and entertain. Layout Design by Panhia Lee
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Like many others, I have a sinfully delicious guilty pleasure; chocolate! I enjoy all
keep Calm and
Eat
Chocolate by Regina T. Hogan Graphics & Interactive Media Instructor Layout Design by Regina T. Hogan
things chocolate. Some of my favorites are chocolate raisins, chocolate pretzels, chocolate covered fruit, fudge, truffles, and sometimes something as simple as a dark chocolate bar, just to name a few. At any given time you may find some stored in my cabinets, fridge, freezer, and sometimes even my car. To those who say I have an addiction, I say Keep Calm and Eat Chocolate. So it should be no surprise to hear that I have racked up quite a few frequent chocolate miles at Chocolate Dreams, a local chocolate store, or as I call it a “choclatique.� When you enter Chocolate Dreams, a quaint chocolate store located off of Tiogue Avenue in Coventry Rhode Island, you are immediately consumed by the sweet smell of chocolate confections. After you pull yourself down from the chocolate cloud, you just glide in and your eyes begin to dance around the display tables that are dripping with candy, chocolate, and sweet treats, oh my! This small Rhode Island business has quite the selection of sweet treats from homemade truffles and fudge to
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candy that brings me back to
Chocolate Dreams also carries an
you still don’t find the one you’re
my ‘80s childhood. Focused on
array of candy- making supplies.
looking for, don’t you fret my
making all your chocolate dreams come true, Chocolate Dreams, specializes in favors, gift baskets, “Kid-In-ACandy-Store Birthday Parties,” truffles, confections, homemade fudge, and their signature “Popcorn Crunch.” And if buying chocolate isn’t enough for you,
WARNING!, Only experienced candy-makers beyond this point. All joking aside, Chocolate Dreams
chocolate friend. They are always willing to order a mold for any occasion.
carries candy-making supplies for
Last month I had the opportunity
all levels of chocolate lovers. They
to sit down with the owner of
are always happy to share tips
Chocolate Dreams,
and tricks of the trade with their
Christine Eccleston.
customers so that you will have as
Here is what I
much fun making candy as you do
found out.
eating it. They carry hundreds of chocolate molds, and if by chance
Q: How long has Chocolate Dreams
Q: What is the most popular
Q: What is the
been in business?
chocolate you sell?
best part of
A: Chocolate Dreams has been in
A: Our most popular chocolate that
business for about 10 years. My
we sell would have to be a toss up
A: I would have to say the best part
sister-in-law owned it before me
between our Oreo Dreams, which
of my job is making new creative
and during that time I helped her
are chocolate covered Oreos, and
confections that my customers are
out during their busy seasons and
our “Popcorn Crunch,” which is
excited to buy and eat! It makes me
had a great time doing it. In the
popcorn drizzled with dark milk and
happy and eager to create many
back of my mind I couldn’t help
white chocolate with a pinch of salt
more new treats for my customers.
but think how much I would love
for that sweet and savory taste that
I love when customers come in
to have my own store, and what
everyone loves.
with questions as to whether we
a change it would be to work for myself. The opportunity came up and I was ready for the change in
Q: What is your favorite chocolate to make and eat?
careers and haven’t looked back
A: Right now I would have to say
since. It’s been a fun and exciting
my favorite chocolate to make and
new adventure so far.
eat would be between “Popcorn Crunch” and our “Dark Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt Fudge.”
your job?
can create something that I haven’t made before. I am always intrigued and excited to see if I can do it. I love the challenge. Chocolate
Dream s
www.chocolatedreamscandy.com Christine Eccleston has a real passion for creating delicious confections. 577 Tiogue Avenue Coventry, RI
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What's happening in Rhode Island creatively? 2/3/15 AS220 Industries Open House Media Arts Expansion 6-8PM 131 Washington St., Providence, RI Entrance on Lucie Way 2/3/15 - 2/28/15 In The Neighborhood Cranston Public Library Blue Door Studio’s “In The Neighborhood” will be on display in the Central Library Meeting Room. Reception 2/14/15; 2-4PM 140 Sockanosset Cross Roads Cranston, RI
2/6/14 - 2/14/15 Up Close On Hope: Program 2 Festival Ballet Providence’s Black Box Theatre, $50 825 Hope St., Providence, RI 2/7/15 Accomplished Classical Guitarist Diego Campagna: Live at the Redwood Carnegie Hall, 3PM Redwood Library & Athenaeum Newport, RI Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Please call 847-0292, ext. 112 for reservations. 2/7/15 Schola Cantorum of Boston: The Genius of Monteverdi St. Joseph’s Church 86 Hope Street, Providence, RI $25 General | $20 Sr. | $7 Students
2/4/15 Pour Painter’s Art Party Salvation Cafe 140 Broadway, Newport, RI Wednesdays, February 4, March 4, April 1, May 6 Call or Text 401.862.0082 PourPainters@gmail.com 2/5/15 Andean Culture; Concert by New Inca Son Leviton Dual Language Elementary 65 Greenwich Avenue, Providence, RI Arrive at 1:00pm Concert begins at 1:15pm; FREE Phone: (401) 486-9095 2/5/15 - 3/29/15 Art League of RI Gallery at The Vets “The VETS Gallery: Explored and Envisioned” Thursdays and Fridays, 12–3 p.m., and by appointment One Avenue of the Arts, Providence, RI Reception: Thursday, February 5, 5:30–8PM “Dance of the Fireflies” will be performed by the Providence Ballet 401-861-0500; office@artleagueri.org
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2/11/15 AMP RI featuring Lauren Bettencourt, Brand Communications Manager for the Charity by Design division of Alex And Ani Twin Oaks 100 Sabra Street, Cranston, RI Free Valet Parking 5:30-7:00 PM, Pizza & Cash Bar $5 members, $10 non-members RSVP at ampri.info@gmail.com or call 401.861.7200 Bring a friend and your business cards!
2/13/15 Juanito Pascual - New Flamenco Trio Governor Henry Lippitt House 199 Hope Street, Providence, RI 7pm; $20 at the door, $18 in advance 2/13/15 – 2/15/15 Open for Business: the entrepreneurship play Media and Arts Center at Met Public 325 Public Street, Providence, RI Individual Times Phone: (401) 331-7007
2/13/15 - 2/22/15 Newport Winter Festival Downtown Newport 10 Days of Non Stop Music, Food and Fun! at the Newport Winter Festival www.newportwinterfestival.com/ 2/14/15 Valentine’s Dance The Towers 35 Ocean Rd. Narragansett, RI 7 – 9pm; Admission $12 Phone: (401) 782-2597 2/17/15 Newport FILM Presents: Annie - It’s The Hard-Knock Life, From Script To Screen Jane Pickens Theater and Event Center 49 Touro Street, Newport, RI 10am A kids open mic kareokee to Annie songs | 11am Film Begins $5 | $1 Off With Winter Fest Button (door ticket purchases only) 2/18/15 Rhode Island Creative Magazine’s Inspirational Speaker Series Speaker: Lisa J. Raiola, MPH Hope & Main 691 Main Street, Warren, RI 6-8PM; $10 Admission 2/25/15 FirstWorks presents An Evening of Chamber Music Featuring Philip Glass and Tim Fain The Vets One Avenue of the Arts, Providence, RI 7:30PM; Tickets www.first-works.org 2/26/15 Artists Loop Creative Music Practice; Learn to Play Blues Guitar with Chris Monti Bring your acoustic guitar! No previous experience is necessary. FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Sponsored by: Friends of Rochambeau Library Rochambeau Library 708 Hope Street, Providence RI
Check out the full calendar online! Just click here!
Lilla Photography Photo taken during Juno, The Blizzard of 2015 on January 30, 2015 in Foster, RI.
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