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The East Side of Providence’s Most Respected Landlord GET ON OUR WAIT LIST! 144 Waterman Street, Suite 6, Providence Office: 401-421-0021 | Cell: 401-447-6362 KennethDulgarian@DulgarianProperties.com
WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING "I cannot adequately express the quality and care that goes along with living in Ken Dulgarian's apartments. The building is always immaculate inside and out and if something needs attention, it is fixed immediately, not tomorrow. I always feel safely 'at home' and so happy here and Ken is always available. If you have the choice, my advice would be 'grab it'! You will love living in these beautiful apartments. You can only use superlatives to describe the pleasures of being Ken's tenant." - Evelyn Saltzman
WAYLAND COURT
Fresh flowers in our lobby. Fitness facilities available 24/7 for tenants. All hardwood flooring throughout. Security cameras throughout exterior.
Photography by: LukeyPhotography
KENNETH R DULGARIAN
"Our family had the pleasure of being tenants of Kenneth Dulgarian properties over several years during our extended stay in Providence. His Wayland Court apartments were luxurious and comfortable and felt like a real home from the moment we moved in. At every level of management, the experience was superlative - personal attention, kindness and warmth of service. What we most treasure is the quality of friendship we established and have maintained from our neighbors. We cannot express enough of our gratitude and appreciation for Kenny and what he creates in his properties." - Annabeth Gish & Wade Allen & Co.
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All exterior buildings lit up from sunset to sunrise ensuring the safety of our tenants, at all times. Fresh flowers in our lobby. Library. Security cameras throughout the building’s common hallways and all around the exteriors. Fitness facilities available 24/7 for tenants. Hardwood flooring throughout.
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Artwork and sculptures from all over the world. Unmatched beauty and elegance with exquisite details all around exterior building over 100 years old. High ceilings, lots of storage and beautiful woodwork throughout. Security Cameras throughout Exterior. In its truest form, service comes from the heart. It is a team of service professionals inspired to be naturally helpful, empowered to graciously anticipate. Gestures of service you deserve to experience, unobtrusively and with a warm and caring manner. -Kenneth R Dulgarian, Servicing the East Side for over 40 years
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
CONTENTS East Side Monthly • January 2020
Inside artist Monica Lee’s painting studio (pg 51)
This Month 31 SPECIAL FINANCE SECTION
14 Self-proclaimed Doctor Broad tells her story in new tell-all
Tips and resources for making the most of what you make in 2020
16 Longstanding investment club preps
Calendar 57 The Must List and other happenings around the state
for thousandth meeting
45 BREAKING NEWS How the Boston Globe is affecting local media
18 Inside the East Side
introduces a winter sangria
23 Rhody Gem: It’s game on
Every Month 8 Editorial and Letters
at this clever new cafe
25 Neighborhood News
A reader sounds off about The Messiah
News & Culture 11 Typewriters get mobile with this
Life & Style 51 Home: Inside the studio of painter Monica Lee
workshop series
12 Interactive maps uncover OldPVD
On the Cover:
Food & Drink 63 Flavor of the Month: Tortilla Flats
54 Education: How Brown is empowering next-generation entrepreneurs
64 Food News: Caspian replaces Café Zog, Tiny Bar’s big debut, new pop-up restaurants 66 Dining Guide East Sider 74 The strength behind CORE Fitness owner Denise Chakoian
For a small city, PVD has many outlets telling its stories.
East Side Monthly • January 2020 7
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
papers still in continuous operation, The Providence Journal has earned its long and distinguished history. But the last decade or so have not been kind to the Journal as well as too many of the other well-respected dailies still in operation. Trying to costcut its way to profitability, out-of-town publishers have come into local markets and reduced staffs to skeletal levels. And ominously, news that GateHouse Publishing, the current owner of the paper, has just merged with the equally large Gannett newspaper chain portends of even more trimming and layoffs. To make matters even worse, The Boston Globe recently scooped up two of the Journal’s best-known writers, Amanda Milkovits and Ed Fitzpatrick, and teamed them with Dan McGowan from Channel 12, perhaps the state’s best-known news blogger. The result is the increasingly popular new product called Rhode Map, which arrives via email each morning around 7:30am, packed with witty observations, often breakthrough tips on important local issues, and chatty suggestions on how we might want to spend our day. Our cover story this month details how The Globe put together its own “Three Amigos” and what they hope to achieve. When interviewed, their editors were unanimous in asserting that The Globe’s mission is not to replace the news
narrative in Rhode Island. Their hope is to improve the overall news product in the state, since all of us who believe in fair and honest journalism are under attack nowadays. What they stress instead is the need for collaboration among all media to ensure even-handed local news content that is respected by the communities they serve. For his part, McGowan often adds links to other interesting stories he has found from competing local news options. So, what exactly is The Globe’s objective? Personally, we have our own thoughts, admittedly speculative, on where The Globe might be headed. By using just three reporters to provide incredibly insightful, informational, and charmingly ingestible nuggets to its blog readers on a daily basis. The Globe is clearly onto something. Our guess it that if they can do it in Providence, they might be able to do it in Worcester, Manchester, Portland. Suddenly for a modest investment, the Boston-based paper is positioned to evolve into a true New England-wide enterprise. When asked specifically, The Globe editors we spoke to argued that no firm policies are even remotely in place. Then illustrating that not only is the paper astute at gathering news, they’re also wellschooled at responding to it. With a wink and a smile, they ended with a firm but polite “No Comment.” Stay tuned on this one.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR I enjoyed the latest issue of East Side Monthly but have one comment. The article on Messiah suggests that the Hallelujah chorus is the final movement. Actually, there are 52 sections in the Messiah and Hallelujah is number 42. It is the last section in Part 2, but there is also a Part 3. Some performances may omit a few sections here and there for the sake of brevity but not the entire Part 3. Rarely, a Messiah performance will be specifically labeled as only the Christmas
portion. The Civic Chorale performance is advertised as “Handel: Messiah.” The final two choruses, “Worthy is the Lamb” and “Amen,” are truly magnificent and awe-inspiring, even to an old atheist like me. To a “non-Messiah person” attending a complete performance however the “Amen” may have a different meaning: “Thank God it’s over.” Regards, Herb Rakatansky
East Side Monthly Publishers Barry Fain Richard Fleischer John Howell
Media Director Jeanette St. Pierre
Executive Editor Barry Fain
City Editor Steve Triedman
Editor in Chief Elyse Major
Assistant Editor Abbie Lahmers
Managing Editor Megan Schmit
Staff Writer Robert Isenberg
Art Director Nick DelGiudice
Graphic Designer Taylor Gilbert
Advertising Design Director Layheang Meas Staff Photographer Savannah Barkley Account Managers Louann DiMuccio-Darwich Ann Gallagher
Spitz Weiss Realtors Wishes All Of Our Clients
HAPPY HOLIDAYS Who We Represented Either Buying Or Selling Homes With Us In 2019!
EAST SIDE / PROVIDENCE 22 Astral 22 Balton 62 Camp Unit 2 62 Camp Unit 3 186 Camp 244 Camp Unit 1 116 Chestnut Unit K 170 Doyle 235 Doyle Unit 3 100 Exchange Unit 605 32 Gentian 9 Grove 117-119 Grove 54 Halsey
2 Harkness 74 Harrison Unit 74 175 Highland 180 Highland 18 Imperial Unit 4A 71 Lauriston 102 Lloyd 43-45 Pinehurst 38 Sixth 43 Thayer 1 Wayland Unit 104N 1 Wayland Unit 114N 11 Woodbury
Kristine Mangan Olf Elizabeth Riel
ALL OVER RHODE ISLAND
Dan Schwartz Stephanie Oster Wilmarth For advertising information email: Marketing@ProvidenceOnline.com Contributing Photographers Mike Braca Grace Lentini Contributing Writers Jenny Currier
Ed McCarthy
Chuck Staton Classified Advertising Sue Howarth Looking for an internship? Email Elyse@ProvidenceOnline.com Calendar announcements and news releases should be submitted by the 1st of the preceding month. We reserve the right to omit and edit items. Letters to the editor are welcome. We will not print unsigned letters without exceptional circumstances. East Side Monthly is not responsible for typographical errors. Corrections will be run at discretion of editor.
Presented by Providence Media, publishers of The Bay, East Side Monthly, Providence Monthly, and So Rhode Island 1070 Main Street, Suite 302, Pawtucket RI 02860 401-305-3391 • Mail@ProvidenceOnline.com HeyRhody.com Copyright ©2020 by Providence Media. All rights reserved.
3 Glenfield, Barrington 381 Nayatt, Barrington 57 Cheswick, Cranston 53 Goff, East Providence 15 Maplewood, East Providence 15 Woodward, East Providence 150 George Allen, Glocester 204 Main, Hopkington 38 King, Johnston 7 Lowell, Johnston 77 Garfield Unit 1, Newport 5 Cynthia, North Providence 32 Aquarius, Warwick 386 Parkside, Warwick 13 Job, West Kingston
SHOULDN’T YOURS BE LISTED HERE TOO?
Congratulations ALEEN WEISS
Platinum award Circle of Sales Excellence for the second year in a row Rhode Island Monthly Professional Excellence Real Estate Award Winner
NICOLE CHURCH
Silver Circle of Sales Excellence
Aleen Weiss★ | Jon Weiss★✦ | Howard Weiss | Karen Miller | Gail Jenard★ | Nicole Sheusi-Church ★Also licensed in MA
✦Licensed RI Environmental Lead Inspector 0065
785 HOPE STREET PROVIDENCE • 401-272-6161 • SPITZWEISS.COM East Side Monthly • January 2020 9
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
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NEWS & CULTURE East Side Stories | Inside the East Side | Rhody Gem | Neighborhood News
East Side News
Moveable Type
Alayne White uses a collection of typewriters to encourage others to slow down and share their stories By Megan Schmit
Alayne White’s collection of
vintage typewriters looks like it simultaneously belongs in a museum and an art gallery: The colors are vibrant and varied, from baby blue to retro red. Some are portable, others are standard 35-pounders. And though some keys may be worn almost blank, they all work. It all started when Alayne spotted a dark black Royal in a Bristol consignment shop; she pressed a key, heard the familiar ding! and immediately thought of her grandmother. “It was a moment,” she recalls. She purchased the machine, took it home, and practiced writing letters to the typewriter – addressed “Dear Old Gal” – in what would become a daily ritual. A year-and-a-half and nearly 40 typewriters later, Alayne is determined to honor the history of the
forgotten tool, and bring them back to life for 21st-century users. Last September, Alayne started attending street fairs and other events with rescued typewriters in tow. She would host workshops for kids and passersby. “I want people to slow down and tell a story to the typewriter,” Alayne explains. “Words matter, take a pause, see where it takes you.” The result was even greater than she imagined. Kids exclaimed, “I wish we had these instead of computers!” Grandparents sat beside grandkids and gave typing lessons. People began to bring their old, dusty typewriters dug out from attics and basements to donate. However, it was the stories brought with them that inspired Alayne. There was an older
gentleman who claimed a typewriter “saved his life” when it meant he was recruited for office work instead of the Vietnam frontlines. A woman in her 80s stuck a letter inside the case of one Alayne had just purchased, detailing memories of her war hero great uncle and offering to buy it back. “Each typewriter has a story,” Alayne insists. And it’s these stories that she’s determined to share, alongside the preserved machines. Alayne has begun to catalog the typewriters she’s collected; she plans on photographing each and transcribing the story that belongs to it, which she will then post on her blog for all to see and share. Visit TimeToLookUp.com to see where Alayne’s writing workshop will pop up next!
Photo by Alayne White East Side Monthly • January 2020 11
News & Culture East Side News
Monumental Achievement
OldPVD.com uses interactive maps to explore the history of Providence By Robert Isenberg
School was once a handsome, three-story building, with tall windows and tower-esque French roofs. The school opened in 1874, and generations of children passed through its classrooms. The institution survived a devastating fire in 1940, and more than 500 students were safely evacuated. Still, a decade later, the walls were torn down, literally paving the way for a new highway. Bombing down I-95, you would never guess that you’re driving over the resting place of Point Street. How do we know this? Because of OldPVD, an interactive website that maps the historic landmarks of our capital. Created by local author Maureen Taylor, OldPVD pinpoints (mostly) bygone architecture through the ages, dating all the way back to the city’s founding in 1636.
12
East Side Monthly • January 2020
Images captured from OldPVD.com
The Point Street Grammar
Gifts Outside the Box DATE : Since 1919
TO :
F RO M:
“Photo genealogy is my life’s work, and it has led me to develop this new website,” says Maureen. “It’s a vast collection that now can be brought to life and accessed for free by schools, historians, researchers, and anyone with an interest in seeing where something used to be or still is.” Maureen is more than a dabbler in family trees: She has published several books, including The Last Muster: Faces of the American Revolution and its two sequels. A self-styled “photo detective,” Maureen has been featured in an astonishing range of national media, from the New York Times to CNN’s The View. Locally, OldPVD partnered with Year of the City, a region-wide celebration of Providence’s heritage and culture. But OldPVD is more than just a slideshow of landmarks past; the website uses a crowdsourcing model to enrich its images and descriptions. Like users of Waze and Wikipedia, pretty much anyone can add notes and commentary to the OldPVD interface. By adding dates, anecdotes, and archival photos, everyday people can build out the cartographic storytelling. The best part: It’s free. The developer is Mike Bronner, managing partner of California-based GeneaLabs. Mike had a similar interest in hyper-local history, and he created a platform called ChronoCharts, which makes the interactive maps possible. “For many years I have had plans to develop a time-based historical mapping application that allows you to explore your family tree over time with contextual historical maps,” says Mike. “I had not yet developed the software due to time and financial constraints. When Maureen brought up the idea to publish historical information about Providence, the historical maps aspect was a perfect fit.” Brace yourselves, history buffs. You’re about to enter quite the rabbit hole. OldPVD.com
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For more than two centuries, Moses Brown has fostered personal excellence and integrity in students who aim to make a positive difference in the world. See what all the excitement is about and how Quaker education makes a difference.
Winter Open House Learn from Head of School Matt Glendinning and school leaders about Moses Brown’s 236-year history and our bold plans for the future. Meet teachers from all grade levels and tour our historic campus, robotics lab, and state-of-the-art Woodman Family Community and Performing Arts Center.
January 11, 1:30 p.m.- 4 p.m. rsvp today:
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Nursery-Grade 12, Co-Ed Mosesbrown.org East Side Monthly • January 2020 13
News & Culture East Side News
The Mafia Years
Dr. Barbara Roberts, aka The Doctor Broad, tells her story
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
A few years ago, the popular podcast Crimetown painted an unflattering but unfortunately mostly accurate picture of our beloved Providence as a center for organized crime. But what provided the “secret sauce” for its success were their interviews with some of the local miscreants, now out after serving their jail time. Their stories were fascinating and involved everything from getting away with murder (literally) to raising wolves as a hobby. Many sported equally fascinating nicknames: The Ghost, Baby Shacks, Buckles, and, one of our favorites, the Doctor Broad. Barbara Roberts was the physician in question and has recently written a tell-all autobiography appropriately entitled The Doctor Broad: A Mafia Love Story. Arriving in Rhode Island in the ‘70s, Barbara suddenly found herself taking care of the infamous Raymond L. S. Patriarca, the head of the New England Mafia. Soon, a tense showdown ensued between the feds hell-bent on putting the crime boss away for the rest of his life and the feisty 36-year-old physician dedicated to keeping him alive. The battle raged publicly for months, often ending up above the fold on page one of the Journal. But as dramatic and detailed as this battle was, it is almost secondary to the narrative of the circuitous journey it took to get her there. Raised as a “nice Catholic girl,” Barbara went to New York for college, passed the required science courses, and met a fellow pre-med student who was also the school’s star quarterback,
married, and started a family, all in the next few years. But, as she writes in her book, “a tough proto-feminist was germinating inside the still-dutiful wife and soon-to-be mother.” Pressures grew. Her husband Archie was determined to both play pro football and continue his medical training. The nice Catholic girl was becoming an atheistic activist traveling across the country advocating for abortion and feminist rights. The marriage fell apart, custody battles ensued, romantic misadventures continued. Upon entering RI as only its second female cardiologist, she began what can best be
Images courtesy of Barbara Roberts
By Barry Fain
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labeled as the “Mafia Years,” both as the doctor of one Mafioso and the mistress of another. In short, living a life with more twists and turns than a Scorsese movie. Barbara spares nothing in terms of details or imagination in this very personal tell-all (sometimes perhaps too much so). Well-written, the book is replete with
cinematic possibilities and comes packed with a full array of black and whites. I’m happy to report things ultimately end well. Dr. Roberts now lives in Jamestown, still loves sailing, and has been happily married to her artist husband for the past 20 years. But there’s a warning too: Don’t ever mess with Doctor Broad.
the Wolf School
K-8 Special Education School | thewolfschool.org Winter Open House - February 13th at 8 a.m. East Side Monthly • January 2020 15
News & Culture East Side News
Money Talks
The members of IGWE Trust have socialized and traded investment advice since the Roaring Twenties – and they’re about to hold their thousandth meeting By Robert Isenberg
calls the 998th meeting to order, he bangs a famous gavel. Not famous to you or me, but to the members of IGWE Trust, LLC. Engraved on a brass plate are the names of every IGWE president since the club was founded in 1927. On this sunny morning, they gather around a banquet table at the Providence Art Club, eat well-plated lunches, and resume their 92-year-old conversation: What sort of stocks should they invest their money in? “The whole point was to do something with your portfolio that you wouldn’t do on your own,” says Ed Nickerson, who joined IGWE in 1978. “It’s been profitable in a lot of ways.” Despite the suits and ties, the paper handouts and fidgety smartphones, IGWE is largely a social club, likely the oldest of its kind in the United States. “We always laugh
Bob Faulkner presents a stock position to his fellow IGWE members
a lot,” says Rosenbach, a restaurateur based in Cape Cod, who has served as president for the past three years. “And we’ve had some really smart people over the years.” IGWE members are mostly older, and many have retired, but a handful are comparatively young. The club meets the first Friday of every month, giving its diverse members a chance to convene, converse, and tinker with their spare capital. Most members have a homework assignment – to investigate a particular company or sector – and report on their findings. The lunch has the atmosphere of a symposium, with the bonus of potential profits. Over the course of their November meeting, members discussed the future of the restaurant industry, traded notes on Snapchat, and predicted various types of “market
Former president John Trevor leads the discussion
correction.” Each personality is dynamic; there’s Kay Chapin, the club’s first female member and daughter-in-law of IGWE founder Robert C. Chapin. There’s Dr. Jack Hayes, a former orthopedic surgeon. There’s Tony Carcieri, an emotive REITs expert, whom everyone describes as “the life of the party.” Like the market itself, IGWE has seen ups and downs; it was, after all, founded only a couple of years before the Great Depression. But the atmosphere was optimistic in November: The club’s total stock was valued at $2.23 million and is up 26 percent for the year, slightly ahead of the S&P. The money rides the tides; to cash out, members must resign from the club or die. As IGWE approaches its thousandth meeting, the club has become reflective. They hope to attract younger members,
16
East Side Monthly • January 2020
Photo by John Howell
When Daniel J. Rosenbach
rolled by hand.
Because there are no shortcuts to greatness.
COLDWELL BANKER who can enhance their collective knowledge. On a more sentimental note, they have petitioned the New York Stock Exchange to let an IGWE member ring the opening bell – a tradition that honors standouts in the business world. Rosenbach has spent some time poring over IGWE’s archive of minutes. Meetings are a little longer now, but the spirit of the club has remained intact, drawing generations of curious confrères. “Procedurally, I haven’t noticed any change,” says Rosenbach. “It’s generally stayed the same.” While 1927 was an unlikely time to start an investment club, the name “IGWE” is a providential acronym for investors: “In God We Trust.” To learn more about IGWE, contact Daniel Rosenbach at djrosenbach@gmail.com
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The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor agents and are not employees of the Company. ©2018 Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker 231653NE_12/17 Real Estate LLC.
East Side Monthly • January 2020 17
News & Culture Inside the East Side By Barry Fain
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Representatives from the Coats For Coffee partners (Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence, Providence Monthly, Courtesy Cleaners and Seven Stars Bakery)
Ending the Old Year on the Right Note As we prepare to end a particularly turbulent year and queue up to face a potentially even more tumultuous one given the elections scheduled later in 2020, we thought we should at least close with some great community news. We have just completed our 12th annual Coats For Coffee Drive and officially passed the total of 5,000 gently used coats collected over this period. Initially the brainchild of Dan Schwartz from our magazine, we were able to join with three great community partners to make it happen. Providence Monthly organized the project and ran the ads. Courtesy Cleaner took in the coats and cleaned them. Seven Stars rewarded the donors with a free cup of coffee. And finally, the Ives Street location of the Boys and Girls Club of Providence made sure the clean coats were distributed to all their citywide clubhouse branches. So thanks to all of you who have contributed to fill this important need. It’s what makes our wonderful community so special.
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PROVIDENCE ART GLASS & LIGHTING Custom Quality Lighting / Made in Rhode Island
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
Two Years Away, One Ring, and a Lot of Hats Recently, Dan McGowan on his Rhode Map blog reported he’d put his ear to the
ground to detect any rumblings of possible mayoral candidates, though any real campaign is months in the future. Since politics is the true blood sport in these parts, it wasn’t surprising that he came up with 15 names and probably could have come up with more if he hadn’t been on deadline. For you political junkies out there, here they are (and in alphabetical order so we can’t be accused of favoritism): Lorne Adrain, Helen Anthony, Gonzalo Cuervo, Kobi Dennis, Grace Diaz, Nicolas Hemond, Ray Hull, John Igliozzi, Nirva LaFortune, John Lombardi, Sabina Matos, Aaron Regunberg, David Salvatore, Brett Smiley, and Michael Solomon. My guess is there are others mulling the decision, so please email us so we can add you to the list.
No Rooms at the Inn In a close 4-3 vote, the City Plan Commission voted to not approve a proposal by the Ohio-based Smart Hotel chain to build a new six-story, 130-room hotel on the corner of Angell and Brook Streets. The plan would have necessitated the demolition of three large but reasonably well-maintained buildings on Angell and
Open Your 2020 Mornings with Bottomless Mimosas or Bloody Marys hence drew the ire of the Providence Preservation Society and the College Hill Neighborhood Association, both of which opposed the project. Their objections were over the need for demolition as well as the massing and the design of the hotel. Other objectors spoke out against the proposal based on the already constrained traffic flow on this important east-west passageway through the area and the proximity of a liquor-serving establishment to Wheeler School across the street. Supporters of the project cited the practical appeal of a hotel on the Brown campus and the financial benefits of its paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in new taxes to the city. It is expected the project will likely make a return but with a reduced size and design.
The Times… Are They Really A-Changing? The recent public disruption of the famed Harvard-Yale football game on national television by climate change activists suggests that, as Bob Dylan sang in protest to an emerging baby boomer base in the ‘60s, maybe “The Times They Are A-Changin.’” Perhaps a new generation really is charging up to take on a fight with the establishment! Proof of this was on display here in Providence during a panel discussion sponsored by the Boston Globe at the new CIC building downtown on “The Future of Rhode Island.” Before the panelists, which included Governor Raimondo and the Presidents of Brown, RIC, and Lifespan, could get up to speed, the proceedings were stopped by a well-orchestrated but generally civil group of millennials who quietly left after making their points. So it is not without irony that the entertainer performing at PPAC just two evenings later before a sold-out, multigenerational crowd, was none other than the legendary Bob Dylan himself. Let it be noted, as we boomers begin to age out, the straw that helped stir the drink as they say, was one of ours, too.
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East Side Monthly • January 2020 19
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To schedule a personal tour, call 401-273-9550 or visit Laurelmead.com. Residents enjoy the winter season on Laurelmead’s expansive grounds
Have you heard the news?! Providence Picture Frame is moving!
Our resort-style swimming pool is available year-round
Well, after 150 years I guess it was time for them to buy their own building.
Vintage Providence Picture Frame ad, circa 1900
27 Dryden Lane, Providence, RI 02904 M-Sat. 8:30–6:30 401.421.6196 www.ProvidencePictureFrame.com 22
East Side Monthly • January 2020
News & Culture Rhody Gem
Good Game Grill We’re on the hunt for Rhody Gems! Every neighborhood has that secret, hidden, cool and unusual, or hole-in-the-wall spot that locals love. Email or tag us on social media using #RhodyGem to suggest yours, and we might just feature it! What it is: Good Game Grill is the perfect marriage of snacks and gameplay. They offer diner-inspired food and drinks, as well as a curated collection of over 200 board games for visitors to play, organized by interest, skill, and number of players. Several games are also available for sale, so customers can take home a game they fall in love with.
What makes it a Rhody Gem? Good Game Grill was opened in September 2019 by Courtney and Sadie Price, a married couple that met while working at a board game cafe in Brooklyn. Their goal is to provide a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for friends, family, and fellow hobbyists to connect over tabletop games. Order a burger (either beef or Beyond!) and some avocado fries at the counter before delving into all the gaming possibilities. The menu offers a wide selection of options for vegetarians and vegans, including Beyond Meats and vegan ice cream from local favorite Like No Udder, not to mention a vast selection of sauces to spice things up. New England beer, cider, and hard seltzer are also on hand.
Good Game Grill 53 Weybosset Street GoodGameGrill.com
Photography by Savannah Barkley for East Side Monthly
Where to find it: Located in Downtown Providence. Stroll through The Arcade and find it just around the corner from the stairs, on Weybosset Street.
To submit your Rhody Gem, please email Abbie@ProvidenceOnline.com
Professional PAWTUCKET / EAST SIDE: An Extraordinary office building. Building to Rt 95 and just 10 Furnished & Convenient minutes to Downtown Providence. Unfurnished Plenty of free gated parking. This sunny suite features 2 offices and 4 Offices
work stations. It has big windows & exposed brick. The workstations are large, multi level, lighted, & are wire ready. The building has a great chef’s cafe with eating area and beautiful outdoor courtyard. Other single offices also available.
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SamsonRealty.com/1070 24
East Side Monthly • January 2020
News & Culture Neighborhood News
Neighborhood News is a space that East Side Monthly makes available to community organizations free of charge. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the editors of this publication.
Photo by Christopher Lowe
College Hill Neighborhood Association At November’s meeting, the Board continued its discussion of the proposed Angell Street hotel. Everyone who attended the meeting was given an opportunity to share her or his thoughts about the project, including why it should or should not be supported. Some members of the Board endorsed the proposal, noting that the hotel would generate more revenue for the City than either of the houses currently on the site, or any structure Brown University might build, were it to purchase the land. Others stood against the project, arguing that the design of the hotel and the demolition of houses in order to allow its construction would take away from the character of the neighborhood. Many in the gallery agreed, saying that the proposed design for the hotel makes it incompatible with the current streetscape, while others voiced concerns about traffic and parking. Some in the gallery stood in favor, however, saying that cities must evolve, and that there is a need for a hotel like the one being proposed. After the meeting, the Board voted to oppose the project. The Board then drafted a letter to the City Plan Commission, citing building design, inconsistency with the City’s zoning ordinance, the destruction of existing buildings, and traffic and parking issues as reasons not to move forward. Finally, the Board welcomed its newest member, Nina Markov. Nina has resided in the College Hill Neighborhood since 2016. Following the meeting, the Board accepted the resignation of Josh Eisen, who had been a Board member for six years, and had most recently acted as President. Current Vice President Heidi Heifetz will serve as President while the board develops a transition plan. CHNA welcomes all residents of College Hill to join our efforts to protect the neighborhood.
Construction of Summit Neighborhood Associations’s Lippitt Park drinking water fountain project begins.
For more information about joining and supporting CHNA and meeting your neighbors, contact: CHNA, PO Box 2442, Providence, RI 02906; visit CHNAProvidence.org; or email CHNA@chnaprovidence.org. -Jared Sugerman
Blackstone Parks Conservancy Greeting 2020 in the Blackstone Parks By Jane Peterson Settling into the deepest part of winter silence, volunteers at the Blackstone Parks Conservancy (BPC) reflect and recharge. The calmer pulse of this season is ideal for planning for the hectic months ahead. BPC donors see that the parks need considerable care to withstand the ravages of rapidly changing weather, and many write not only checks, but also notes thanking the volunteers. One woman described walking along the Seekonk River while watching three hawks flying high above: “Having open
space in the city soothes my soul during these tumultuous times.” Volunteering in the parks is also soul soothing. And deeply satisfying. Whether discussing next steps or writing grant applications to fund capital improvements, or spreading chips on worn trails to stem erosion, or pulling up invasive vines so native plants can flourish, volunteers ensure safe places for people to enjoy nature. January, the month of looking back and forward. Every year brings both cause for celebration of improvements in the two Blackstone parks and the desire to do more. Can we uproot more Japanese knotweed in the ravine, for example? Can we protect some trails in the south section where we’ve not yet begun to work? And what about more events? Some, like an extra Boulevard concert require raising more money. Others, like adding more educational events, mean finding a few more volunteers.
East Side Monthly • January 2020 25
Evensong Service
News & Culture Neighborhood News
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Teamwork The year just past was one in which teamwork between the BPC and the Parks Department leapt ahead thanks to innovations in organizing work crews dedicated to specific parks, which has enabled even more effective collaboration. Parks has taken on certain tasks that free up the BPC to emphasize the things it does best, like spotting needs and coordinating with the community to figure out how best to provide care. Volunteer Volunteering gives you a direct stake in the parks. The BPC is looking for a few people interested in taking on a little responsibility. Let us know if you would like to be more involved by committing to a small amount of time in which you would be responsible for an activity that interests you. Help plan events or manage a group of adult or youth volunteers, for instance. There are other possibilities as well. Contact us and we’ll work together to find a task and a schedule that suits you. Blackstone Parks Conservancy Phone Number: 401-270-3014 Website: BlackstoneParksConservancy.org Email Address: BlackstoneParks@gmail.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 603141, Providence, RI 02906
Fox Point Neighborhood Association
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
Neighbors Ask: What is Going On On Gano? Several Fox Point residents have approached FPNA with questions about construction and development activities on Gano Street. They’ve asked us to describe what is underway in the area, to explain future projects currently being debated, and to clarify how various initiatives relate to one another. These inquiries are entirely reasonable; the situation can be confusing. There are three projects (or proposed projects) currently occurring on Gano Street, two involving the RI Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and one involving a private developer:
1. The construction work currently underway on lower Gano Street has involved reshaping the road under the Washington Bridge, relocating the bike path to the far archway under the bridge, improving the sidewalks, and resurfacing the sandy areas under the bridge. This project represents the culmination of years of advocacy by FPNA and other stakeholders, not only to solve problems with safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, but to preserve and highlight our natural surroundings near this major gateway to the East Side. This project is being performed by RIDOT and is nearing completion. 2. The upcoming Washington Bridge Project, also a project of RIDOT, was recently awarded a $25 million federal grant. This project will involve rehabilitating the ailing bridge and rearranging several roadways in Providence and East Providence in order to alleviate significant rush-hour traffic problems on Rte 195. The much-publicized questions of whether or not to permanently close the 195 off-ramp – and how to redesign the Henderson Bridge and environs – relate to this project. While the off-ramp
Photo by Amy Mendillo
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FPNA President Nick Cicchitelli speaks at the November CPC hearing regarding development on Gano Street.
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was closed temporarily this past fall as a precursor to this project in order to solve some of the traffic problems on 195 westbound, the Bridge project is still in the planning stages. FPNA has joined a coalition of East Side residents, business owners, and neighborhood groups to oppose the permanent closure of the off-ramp. RIDOT has announced plans to hold neighborhood meetings in early 2020 to share the outcomes of current traffic studies, describe proposed plans for these roadways (including the off-ramp), and hear stakeholder feedback. 3. Last, a local developer, Patrick Collins of H.V. Collins Company, has proposed a six-story, 83-unit apartment building for private property on 99 Gano Street, located near the end of the 195 off-ramp, just north of the entrance to the bike path. In November, Collins went before the City Plan Commission to seek two zoning variances: one that would allow him to build two extra levels beyond the four currently permitted in our Zoning Ordinance (for a total of six) and another to provide 17
East Side Monthly • January 2020 27
News & Culture Neighborhood News
fewer parking spaces than the Ordinance dictates. While FPNA opposed these height and parking exceptions at the November hearing, we are pleased to now have the chance to work with the developer during the winter months to come to a workable solution. This proposal is unrelated to the two RIDOT projects. Thank you, neighbors, for your ongoing interest in this important gateway to our neighborhood and to the East Side. We value your opinions on these issues and encourage you to attend our monthly meetings. FPNA January Meeting Please join us on Monday, January 13 at 7pm at the Community Room-Library at Vartan Gregorian Elementary. See our website, FPNA.net, for agenda and directions. All are welcome. About FPNA The Fox Point Neighborhood Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Fox Point and protecting its historic integrity and resources. FPNA speaks out on neighborhood issues and builds community through local events. Please sign up for our mailing list and join us at a monthly meeting! -Amy Mendillo
Summit Neighborhood Association News After more than two years’ work to plan and raise funds, the installation of a bubbler in Lippitt Park is finally underway! The park and adjacent Blackstone Boulevard path are among the most enjoyable and frequently used green spaces in the city, but there has never been a safe drinking water source available. This project will make our park a healthier and more attractive amenity for all – walkers, joggers, cyclists, playground users, farmers market attendees, and everyone else who visits the park. The bubbler was made possible by donations from Summit Neighborhood Association members and neighbors, as well as substantial support from Miriam Hospital/Lifespan and the City of Providence. Since the construction is
28
East Side Monthly • January 2020
anticipated to be completed in the cold weather, we’re looking forward to a sunny spring 2020 grand opening. Stay tuned, and thanks to everyone who’s pitched in to help this little project become a reality. Snow Brigade SNA is once again organizing a neighborhood Snow Shoveling Brigade to help out our neighbors in need during the coming winter. We are looking for both shovelers and shovelees. Please let us know if you (or a neighbor you know) are physically unable to remove your snow, don’t have friends or family nearby to help, and have difficulty affording paying someone to remove your snow. Send an email to SNASnow@gmail.com and we will add you to the list. We also need volunteers to shovel. If there’s an able-bodied person in your household who would like to get some exercise and the warm feeling you get from helping a neighbor, please let us know by sending an email to SNASnow@gmail.com. Shovelers work in teams, trading off two-week shifts so that nobody has to commit for the entire winter. Connect with Us Got a neighborhood issue, problem, or great idea you’d like some help with? That’s why we’re here! We meet at 7pm on the third Monday of every month in the dining room at Summit Commons, 99 Hillside Avenue. The sessions are open and neighborhood residents are encouraged to attend! You can also stay in touch with us on Facebook via the “Summit Neighborhood Association” page, our website at SummitNeighbors.org, on Instagram and Twitter @ SNAProv, via our newly launched e-newsletter or listservs at SummitNeighbors.org/ get-involved/join-the-email-list, or by phone at 401-400-0986. Memberships As always, we welcome new members who are interested in supporting our neighborhood events, community projects, candidate forums, and advocacy. Memberships are affordable – starting at just $15 per year – and easier than ever to sign up for digitally or by mail.
Summit Neighborhood Association, PO Box 41092, Providence, RI 02940, 401-400-0986 SummitNeighbors.org, SNAProv@gmail.com
Wayland Square Neighborhood Association Residents who live in the neighborhood streets surrounding Wayland Square are welcome to all meetings and events! And from city sources, about 3,000 residents constitute WSNA! In 2019, WSNA formed its first Board of Directors, set objectives, set up committees, and created an annual calendar of events. Thanks to several prior years of casual meetings and great interest! Benefits of WSNA: • Connect with others in the community to get to know your neighbors. • Support neighborhood growth and success for economic sustainability. • Positively impact the community environment through planting trees, community clean-up, merchant relations, and social events. • Address common priorities as a community. • Be a voice to elected officials to support or voice concerns. We did all of these things in 2019! • Advocated for opening Gano Street Off Ramp and Henderson Bridge Redesign • Neighborhood Clean-Up Day • Wine Tasting Event • Meet Your Elected Officials Night • Holiday “Adopt A Family” Gift Giving Project • Held Monthly Meetings inviting guest speakers • Established regular representation from the Mayor’s office • Held our first Board of Directors Planning Retreat • Joined the City Wide Neighborhood Association • Attended key city planning, zoning, educational, and environmental meetings to represent the residents of WSNA
Where do you fit in? If you live in the Wayland Square Neighborhood (that means the streets surrounding the square all the way to the river, up to Irving, Arlington, Taber, Angell Street up to Governor, up and down Wayland Avenue and Elmgrove including over to Eastside Marketplace and Waterman Grill), you can participate. That’s a great neighborhood! What can you do? Be on a committee (government affairs, social, environmental, communications, membership), serve on the Board, or come to our monthly meetings. If you are a resident in the Wayland Square Neighborhood, we look forward to seeing you soon! We meet on the second Wednesday of the month, except for January 15, 2020! Details on where/what can be found on our Facebook page, Wayland Square Neighborhood Association. Be in touch! WaylandSquareNeighbors@gmail.com
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Mount Hope Neighborhood Association Happy New Year! MHNA will be starting its job readiness classes this month. For more information, check out our Facebook page. Though we are fully in winter, we remember all the wonderful activities, encounters, and connections made in the Sharin Garden last year. One of the resident gardeners stated, “I loved the times when kids came to the garden in droves – wanting to water, learn about each and every plant, asking what compost was, sampling all the veggies – their enthusiasm left an adorable imprint in my mind.” While the garden is closed, we are open for composting. Bring yours by to drop off outside the gate in the blue container. And we will be revving up for next season soon and forums next month. Check out the garden’s Facebook page at Plan4Health Mt Hope. If you have any questions about our projects and/or participating in any of our meetings, the general board, MHDA, housing coalition, food security meetings, and/or questions about our WIC program, please contact us at 401-521-8830.
Danger Construction Area No Trespassing
East Side Monthly • January 2020 29
Auto Condominiums Home Business Fleet Vehicles For all of your Insurance needs contact: Dave Pilon Insurance Advisor 401-326-6000, x111 dpilon@binsurance.com
2020 VISION Financial Foresight for the Year Ahead With a flip of the calendar, it’s January, that marker of the New Year and fresh starts. For many of us it’s also a time to return to our pre-holiday eating (put the cookies down!) and spending, and of course tax season begins to loom. We’ve assembled tips and useful information from various sources to help you set your sights on a bright 2020. In our guide, you’ll find tips on how to save money, make money, and even get money in the Ocean State.
Elyse Major & Megan Schmit
WHAT ARE YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS?
We Can Help You Reach Them
PERSONAL & BUSINESS ACCOUNTING SUPPORT TAX PREPARATION & PLANNING ERICA HOPE GUATIERI, CPA, MST 67 Cedar Street Suite 106, Providence 536-4879 • ehgcpa.com erica@ehgcpa.com
32
East Side Monthly • January 2020
2020 Vision Taxes
But First, Withholding
Quick Tax Tips:
January is the perfect time to review the withholding on your paycheck. Withholding is the amount withheld by an employer that goes directly to the government as a partial payment of income tax. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), most employees are over-withheld on their taxes, meaning that more taxes than they owe are withheld from their paychecks and that’s how you get a refund. Taxpayers who have children under age 17 may see their refunds increase as a result of the new tax law. On their website, IRS.gov, find a Tax Withholding Estimator tool that can provide the info you need to make any adjustments. From there, consult with your employer on next steps if changes are needed.
• Get your refund fast by combining direct deposit with electronic filing to get your money without worrying about it getting lost, stolen, or unable to be delivered. • If you use an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) to file, make sure it hasn’t expired. • Keep all of your financial paperwork in one place so at tax prep time, you know where it is. Doesn’t have to be a file cabinet – could be a folder, shoe box, or empty drawer. Having all the necessary documents beforehand helps you file a complete and accurate return.
Ned Handy Chairman & CEO
Get Help If you’re someone with a side hustle or two, the idea of doing your taxes can be daunting. Fortunately, there’s help. Low- and modest-income Rhode Islanders may qualify for free help filing their taxes and applying for tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit from VITA, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. There are multiple sites in Providence County; just visit EconomicProgressRI.org for locations. Appointments are highly recommended and be sure to bring picture IDs for both the applicant and spouse, and social security cards for everyone listed on the return.
Sometimes the most important connection is a human one. When you have money matters on your mind, talk with someone who understands. For more than two centuries, our people have served as trusted advisors to Rhode Islanders. In today’s technology-driven world, we believe human interaction and expert guidance are more important than ever. Got a financial question? Ask WashTrust.
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East Side Monthly • January 2020 33
2020 Vision Investing
Investing is most often thought of as synonymous with the stock market, where you can buy, sell, and trade stocks (you’re probably envisioning the bustling beehive that is the New York Stock Exchange). Stocks and bonds are both certificates used to raise money for starting or expanding a business, and often bonds are used for municipal purposes and can be tax exempt, and you don’t need to be in NYC to give it a go. Thinking of rolling up your sleeves? Here’s some information to spark ideas along with unique ways to invest.
Outside the Box
Here are alternative places to invest your money and diversify your portfolio (though, experts say, these should not comprise more than 15 percent overall).
Precious Metals: When the dollar is weak, the coin reigns supreme. At least, the gold and silver kind. While this investment is not the most reliable, as is the rise and fall of the dollar, it’s worthwhile to have precious metal coins on hand in case of an economic or financial collapse, during which they can be used as barter.
Real Estate: There’s a reason flipping houses is a popular pastime beyond HGTV. Investing in a piece of property is smart for many reasons, the first being that it’s a “real asset,” a physical commodity with value. You can rehabilitate and sell for a quick profit, or rent out for monthly income. When the market is low, you can find bargains, and when it booms, you can earn a fortune.
Collectibles: Fine art and antiques are examples of unconventional investments that pay off – if you know your stuff. Ideally, you buy a collectible for less than its worth and sell it for more, which requires knowledge of the item and its resale value. Our state is filled with estate shops, antique stores, etc.
Wine:
Stockpiling fine wines? That might sound appealing enough on its own, but you can make a pretty penny off of buying sought-after vintages and selling to wine connoisseurs. Find the right wines, keep track of when and where you purchased it, store in a temperature-controlled room, and reap the benefits of an investment that literally gets better with age.
Top Rhode Island Stocks
Wishing You a Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
Shopping local doesn’t always mean shopping small – especially when it comes to stocks. Check out the by-numbers breakdown of the Ocean State’s top stocks (and consider investing). *Prices and data are as of November 21, 2019
Citizens Financial Group (CFG) Headquarters: Providence Employees: ~18,100 Share Price: $37.80 Market Value: $16.43B Price-earnings Ratio: 9.97
Anthony Landi, Deborah Shuster, Kelly Almonte and Jeffrey Boudjouk (Left to Right)
Our Simple but Powerful Pledge to You
CVS Health Corp. (CVS)
In today’s fast paced, rapidly changing world, it’s important to select
Headquarters: Woonsocket Employees: ~295,000 Share Price: $74.66 Market Value: $97.15B Price-earnings Ratio: 22.13
That’s why we’re totally committed to insure you get the professional information and guidance you need to make the important decisions
Hasbro, Inc. (HAS) Headquarters: Pawtucket Employees: ~6,000 Share Price: $95.97 Market Value: $13.23B Price-earnings Ratio: 46.59
Textron Inc. (TXT) Headquarters: Providence Employees: ~35,000 Share Price: $46.09 Market Value: $10.52B Price-earnings Ratio: 12.62
United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) Headquarters: Providence Employees: ~19,000 Share Price: $7.95 Market Value: $423.89M Price-earnings Ratio: N/A
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East Side Monthly • January 2020 35
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
2020 Vision Investing
Rhode Island Bonds Hearing a lot about our “crumbling infrastructure”? Treasurer Seth Magaziner recently rolled out a campaign for Rhode Islanders to invest in school construction and environmental projects by buying bonds. If the idea of buying bonds sounds a bit fancy and something for the “top one-percent,” it doesn’t have to. Buying a bond is like lending money with the agreement to be repaid with interest at a later time, and anyone can do it. A website has been launched with FAQs, steps, and resources. Learn more at RhodeIslandBonds.com
2020 Vision Getting Money
Claim What’s Yours
College Planning
You might not think you have any missing money, but according to the Treasurer’s office, more than 300,000 Rhode Islanders have unclaimed cash and assets waiting to be returned. Maybe it’s an old bank account (Christmas Clubs, anyone?), unused balance on a gift card, even a safe deposit box. Treasurer Seth Magaziner developed YOUR MONEY, a program that automatically reunites Rhode Islanders with missing funds. Little Rhody is only the second state to adopt this type of system; property is kept safe until it can be returned to its rightful owner. Visit FindRIMoney.com to search the database. You could be in for a nice surprise.
It’s never too early to start planning for college, right? Every child born to or adopted by Rhode Island families is eligible for a $100 CollegeBoundbaby Grant to be used for higher education. Parents apply for the grant right at the hospital (yup, that early) by checking the box on the Birth Worksheet. Parents may also complete and submit the enrollment form before their child’s first birthday or within one year of the child’s adoption date. Learn more at CollegeBoundBaby.com
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Sylvester Associates 206 Waterman Street, Providence 453-4660 • SylvesterInc.com East Side Monthly • January 2020 39
2020 Vision Saving Money
5 Easy Ways to Save $5K We’re all looking to save money – but how? Take these small, easy steps to start saving dollars that will quickly add up by the next new year.
Members Only: Cancel any unused or unnecessary services and subscriptions. Do you shell out monthly payments for a gym membership or music streaming service you hardly use? Do you still pay for a landline when all you really need is a cell phone? Or maybe you’re still responsible for subscriptions you didn’t even remember you had. Double check to make sure you’re not paying for anything you don’t actually use!
Track Habits: While not anyone’s idea of a good time, gather your bills and statements and see how you’re spending your money. Are there things you can do to save? This is where creating a budget comes in. Aim for the 50/30/20 rule: 50 percent of your budget should be spent on “needs” (i.e. groceries, utilities, housing, health insurance, or transportation); 30 percent should be spent on “wants” (i.e. shopping, dining out, or hobbies); and 20 percent should be saved. Knowing what’s coming in and going out is a great place to begin.
Shop Smarter:
You can spend a lot per week on groceries, especially if you’re trying to feed a family. Tips for making that supermarket trip kinder on your wallet? Opt for buying any in-season products from farmers markets, buy in bulk, clip coupons, and pre-plan your meals (so you’re not buying anything you won’t actually eat that week!).
Turn Down for What: While your best bet is to
Get an Energy Assessment:
invest in energy-efficient appliances and smart technologies, you can do little things to save money on your electric bill. The US Department of Energy (Energy.gov) suggests lowering the temperature to 68 degrees when you’re out of the house or while sleeping. Also, unplug any electronics when not in use.
National Grid offers no-cost home assessments to provide you with a plan to save on energy costs while improving energy use. This entails a visit to your home by a specialist who will conduct an attic-to-basement evaluation. You’ll receive a custom home energy report outlin-
Free Fun: In Rhode Island, especially Providence, we’re lucky to have access to great local entertainment options that are free and open to the public! RISD Museum offers free admission on Sundays, Roger Williams Park Zoo lets PVD residents meander for free the first Saturday of the month, and there are plenty of concerts, festivals, and markets to enjoy throughout the year! It’s a great way to get out and about with the community – without breaking the bank.
ing recommended energy efficiency improvements. You can also receive advanced power strips, LED bulbs, rebates, and more. For more info call 1-888-633-7947.
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First Vice President, Financial Advisor, Family Wealth Advisor and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®, Morgan Stanley attorney and CPA to help ensure her sister could continue to live the lifestyle she envisioned. She realized then that many women needed help with managing the divorce process and taking back control of their financial future. As a result of Joanne’s personal experiences, she has truly made it her mission to help her clients become financially informed and engaged in their finances, to help ensure they make smart decisions about their money. “I am their wealth coach, helping them navigate through their financial journey,” Joanne says. “I essentially act as their personal CFO, helping them in many financial aspects of their life and working in collaboration with their attorneys, mediators and CPAs to create a holistic wealth plan that incorporates their personal values and goals. I provide customized strategies to help them enhance, preserve and protect their wealth so they can achieve what’s most important to them.” Through ongoing financial education, coaching and planning, her clients feel confident in making informed financial decisions. Joanne enjoys educating others through financial presentations to civic organizations and companies. She is a frequent guest speaker on various topics, including financial empowerment, divorce and wealth planning and has presented at Bryant Univer-
Foundation and The Rhode Island Society of CPAs, to name a few. Though Joanne’s office is in Providence, she often meets with clients in their home, office or the firm’s Newport office. Joanne has more than 25 years of financial services experience, was a former CPA Tax Manager for Ernst and Young and earned an M. S. in taxation from Bryant University. Joanne has attained Morgan Stanley’s Family Wealth Advisor (FWA) designation which is granted to those financial advisors who have successfully completed an extensive ac-
divorce after over 20 years of marriage, collaborating with the
sity’s Women Summit, South County Hospital, URI Alumni
creditation program focused on the skills needed to help families
Photography by Savannah Barkley for Providence Monthly
When talking with Joanne Daly it is easy to see how much she cares about her clients and how dedicated she is to helping them take control of their financial future. “I am passionate about helping others become financially empowered and make smart well-informed decisions about their money, especially women,” she says. Joanne’s clientele include individuals, couples, professors, doctors and small business owners, but many of her clients are women who have become responsible for their financial future after experiencing divorce, death of a loved one or inheritance of significant wealth. Joanne knows personally how important it is to be involved in your finances, since Joanne’s mother became a widow at 45. Joanne saw firsthand the emotional and financial challenges her mother faced, which is why she requires that both spouses participate in their meetings. Joanne strives to ensure that if something happens to one of them, the other will be better prepared to handle their financial affairs on their own. “Of course I will be there for them, to guide them and advocate for them,” she says, “helping them navigate through the overwhelming paperwork and helping them preserve their wealth so that they can live a comfortable lifestyle.” Years ago, she helped her sister as she was going through a
communicate about money and values, share their goals and grow and protect wealth across generations. She is also a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. Outside of work, Joanne is an active volunteer, including being a member of the: Women’s Fund of RI board, RI Partnership in Philanthropic Planning board, South County Hospital Development Committee (past Investment committee), GFWC Women’s Club of South County, United Way’s Alex de Tocqueville Committee, RI Society of CPAs and the Estate Planning Council of RI. Joanne lives in Narragansett with her husband and two daughters.
One Financial Plaza, 19th Floor, Providence • 863-8467, 800-488-1241 • MorganStanleyFA.com/Joanne.Daly *Morgan Stanley and its Financial Advisors do not provide tax advice. Individuals should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. The use of the CDFA® designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its financial advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney.© 2019 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. NMLS ID:1510426 CRC2397714 02/19
2020 Vision Financial Advisor & Debt Management
H ow to Choose a Financial Advisor Working with a financial advisor means putting your investments and finances in someone else’s hands. That takes a trusting relationship. To find an advisor who is right for you, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) recommends: Talk to family members about what you want to accomplish by working with a financial advisor. Are you seeking general investment advice? Paying for college or a house? Retirement? Ask for recommendations from friends, family, and colleagues so you have a list of advisor candidates to choose from. Research potential advisors’ websites and individual biographies. Meet face-to-face with each candidate before you sign up. Use NAPFA’s Financial Advisor Diagnostic tool at NAPFA.org to evaluate each advisor’s answers to your questions. These should include: How are you compensated? If you accept commissions, will you itemize the amount of compensation you earn from products that you recommend to me?
Have you ever been disciplined by the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority? Do you provide comprehensive financial planning or just investment management?
Do you accept referral fees?
How will you help me reach my financial goals?
Are you held to a fiduciary standard at all times?
What happens to my relationship with the firm if something happens to you?
Would you sign a fiduciary oath committing to putting my financial interests first? Do you have many clients like me?
Finally, once you choose your advisor, be sure to evaluate their performance on an ongoing basis.
Creative financial plans designed with, and around, you. Ed Pontarelli CRPC®, APMA® Financial Advisor & Managing Director
• Stop creating more debt. It’s easier said than done. Make sure you can’t rack up more debt by cutting up credit cards or freezing your credit. • Increase your monthly payment. Paying just the minimum each month will mean freedom from debt is a long way ahead (and, chances are, cost way more than you even charged!). • Build an emergency fund. It might sound counterintuitive to set aside money rather than putting it toward payments, but creating a safety net ensures you can tackle an emergency without using your credit card. • Tackle one at a time. Pick one debt and focus your efforts on getting it paid off, sticking with minimum payments on the others. • Consider consolidation or seek credit counseling. Both options – combining all debts into one payment or trying out a debt management plan – help lower the interest rate and make monthly payments more affordable.
Carrie A. McPherson CRPS®,CDFA® Registered Practice Associate, and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® BeaconPoint Wealth Advisors A financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. 401.824.2532 1 Citizens Plaza, Ste 610 Providence, RI 02903 ed.pontarelli@ampf.com ameripriseadvisors.com/team/ beacon-point-wealth-advisors
Investment advisory services and products are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment adviser. Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2019 Ameriprise Financial, Inc., All rights reserved.
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East Side Monthly • January 2020 43
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HOW THE BOSTON GLOBE IS AFFECTING LOCAL MEDIA By Robert Isenberg • Photography by Mike Braca “Meet the Brown professor who made a fascinating discovery about Jackson Pollock…”
“We asked, the stakeholders answered: How to address climate change in Rhode Island…”
ll these headlines recently graced the pages of the Boston Globe. Not the Providence Journal. Not the Newport Daily News. Not, well, East Side Monthly. To write them, the Globe didn’t send intrepid reporters across state lines to interview locals and spend the night in a Warwick motel. They didn’t even have to call long-distance. These stories were written about Rhode Island, by Rhode Island reporters, for Rhode Island readers. They were typed out on a computer in the Jewelry District. These headlines exist because of a startling new branch of the Globe’s media empire: a dedicated Providence bureau. At first glance, this “bureau” is a modest affair. There are three reporters: Dan McGowan, Amanda Milkovits, and Ed Fitzpatrick. They occupy a single office in a busy Dyer Street low-rise, the Cambridge Innovation Center. The CIC building is brand new, and it smells that way. The bureau’s corner office is surrounded by consultants, marketers, wealth advisors, and software developers – a hodgepodge of unrelated businesses that share the same kitchen. There are no supervisors on the premises; two Globe editors read their drafts about 70 miles away, in a psychologically different universe. The whole operation looks like a brave little startup. Size is deceptive, though. The Providence bureau signals a paradigm shift in local media – partly because Massachusetts has noticed us more and more, and they see a market for Rhode Island readers. But it’s more than that. The Globe is finding ways to report on a local level. As the newspaper industry continues to swoon, Boston Globe Media has seized a valuable opportunity. A powerful new voice has started to tell our story, not for semi-interested readers in another city, but for Rhode Islanders themselves. And like it or not, they’re telling that story well.
“For decades, Buddy Cianci’s ex-wife stayed silent about their marriage. Now she’s speaking out…”
Among journalists, the Boston Globe is a very big deal. J-school students dream of publishing a 1A story in the Globe. Even in these turbulent times, this is a newspaper that’s thriving. To start, the Globe has won 26 Pulitzer Prizes since it was founded in 1872. The Globe’s journalistic reputation easily rivals the Times, Post, or Wall Street Journal. The Globe’s Spotlight team – which often spends months on investigative features – was already world-famous before the eponymous movie came out. Even its online videos have won two regional Emmy Awards. For the past three years, the Globe has been headquartered in Exchange Place, a glassy skyscraper in Boston’s financial district. Its daily circulation is about half a million, and Sunday readership is 769,000. More than 100,000 people pay for web access alone. So, when the Globe calls and asks you to start a new bureau from scratch, you say yes. That’s the call Dan McGowan received 13 months ago from Brian McGrory, editor-in-chief of the Globe. In theory, this was still a tough decision. McGowan has been a local journalist for about 10 years, and he already had full-time work, mostly as a reporter for TV network WPRI. “I had nothing to lose,” he recalls. “I had a good job at Channel 12. I was super happy.” But the Globe was more than a strong brand; McGowan would have the chance to start a whole new office. Around the world, newspapers have cut back on satellite desks, relying on wire services to report beyond their own city limits. Few newspapers like the Globe are even retaining such bureaus, much less opening new ones. “Very quickly, it was apparent that they were super serious about this,” McGowan recalls. “It wasn’t just ‘What do you think?’ My guess is that it was more than a cold call. I’m sure [McGrory] did a little bit of due diligence. But I probably was lucky that I was one of the first people to get a call.” The Globe also approached Amanda Milkovits and Ed Fitzpatrick, two long-
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
time Rhode Island reporters; they both started at the Providence Journal on the same day, 19 years ago, and depending on your interest in local affairs, they are household names. Milkovits specialized in crime and criminal justice, and she remained at the Journal until the Globe made their offer. Fitzpatrick spent 15 years at the Journal, serving as a political columnist and court reporter; he has also taught journalism at Roger Williams University, among other pursuits. “I was really happy,” says Milkovits. She knows many former ProJo reporters who now work for the Globe, but she never considered applying herself. “I loved what I did. I knew everybody. I really like Rhode Island, and I didn’t want to commute to Boston.” Yet, Milkovits caught the Globe’s attention with a single story – her report about a Boston police officer, Emanuel Brandao, who partied with exotic dancers in Pawtucket and had his sidearm stolen. She shared her copy of the police report with Globe staff, triggering a larger conversation about a job there. “Boston people, they can’t handle Providence,” says Milkovits with a knowing laugh. “We’re much wilder.” “Rhode Island is nothing if not parochial,” says Fitzpatrick, who grew up in Greenville. “If you sent a bunch of people down from Boston, saying, ‘I went to HAH-VAHD, show me to your mayor,’ it just wouldn’t work. The strength of this team is that we’ve all been covering different aspects of the news for years and years, and we know what the issues are.” Once they solidified the concept, things moved quickly. McGowan was offered the job in February, and operations began in late spring. Out of nowhere, readers could subscribe to Rhode Map, an email newsletter about local developments. A new Facebook page, “Dan McGowan’s Scoop on Providence Politics,” has attracted more than 7,000 members. And the Globe’s website now offers a separate page for Ocean State news. “We’re expanding our R.I. coverage,” a headline proclaimed. “Tell us what you want to see.”
Dan McGowan, Ed Fitzpatrick, and Amanda Milkovits talking news in their Providence offices
But let’s play devil’s advocate: Is the Globe’s new bureau a healthy addition? Like most newspapers, the Providence Journal has struggled with layoffs, income woes, and diminishing subscriptions. The Journal is owned by GateHouse Media, which is owned by New Media Investment Group, and it’s rare that such top-heavy ownership bodes well for beloved local papers. So you’d be forgiven for thinking of the Globe as an intruder, a well-moneyed corporation muscling in on the Journal’s territory and preying on its readership. In an era of deep suspicion – about media, about who controls the headlines – an aggressive leviathan from another state might not seem like a welcome visitor, whether they’ve hired local reporters or not. McGowan has heard such grumbling, and he understands the argument, but he also disagrees. “There is no evidence that that’s the case,” he rebuts. “If anything, we want to be a collaborator here. It’s really easy to say, ‘The Journal’s going through its stuff, so the Globe came in.’ But we’re doing something that’s completely different. We’re not the newspaper of record, and we’re not trying to be. And who in the world gets their news from one single source anymore?” “Our mantra is to go in a different direction,” adds Milkovits, “and to find stuff that nobody else is covering. To run away from the mob – which is harder than it looks.” “There are definitely fewer reporters covering the state of Rhode Island than there were a decade ago,” says Cynthia Needham, deputy editor at the Globe, who also spent seven years writing about politics for the Journal. “We wanted to help fill that gap and bring the substantial resources of the Boston
Globe to help tell the stories that aren’t being told down there. Rhode Island is very unique, with a very rich sense of place, and I don’t think anybody in Rhode Island needed or wanted someone coming in from anywhere else, telling them what they should be reading or what matters. We aren’t looking to step on anyone’s toes, but we really see competition as a good thing. More attention on the issues out there is important.” Many of those competitors would agree with Needham’s sentiment. Just ask Alan Rosenberg, executive editor of the Providence Journal. “I recall being surprised that the Globe was launching a new effort in Rhode Island, because they’ve tried unsuccessfully in our territory in the past,” recalls Rosenberg. “Their efforts have encouraged us to focus on the depth of our Rhode Island report, which brings so many more talented reporters into play than the Globe has here. We have two reporters at the State House full-time – nobody else has even one – and full-time reporters on Rhode Island education, health, and the environment here, all of them excellent. We have a great food editor – again, the only one in Rhode Island – and we’re the only statewide source for news about high school sports. All of which, along with our other terrific writers, gives us a big advantage.” “Maybe the added competition to the state may have irked some of the established media presence in Rhode Island,” adds James Bessette, president of the Rhode Island Press Association. “But I feel that competition is a good thing. In an era in which media is under attack, more news, in my opinion, is good news.”
East Side Monthly • January 2020 47
McGowan is now 33 years old, and over the past decade, he has found himself involved in several ambitious media experiments. He studied journalism at Boston University in the hopes of becoming a sports writer. He had little interest in politics until Providence’s contentious mayoral race in 2010, when he started a blog about the many campaigns. “Twenty-ten was a very prime blogging time. Everybody had a blog.” But McGowan showed up for all of the debates, and candidates started to appreciate his dedication and pluck. “I would listen to what was
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
happening, and I would write about it with a little bit of edge. I’d make fun of it a little bit. And then I became obsessed with it.” Later, McGowan would write for the web-based media company GoLocal, where he was encouraged to write strong and fast. After that, he spent six years at WPRI, helping to win a New England Emmy Award. His reportage has appeared widely, including in the pages of this magazine on a regular basis. The Globe’s latest venture may have taken away the stability of television news, but the new bureau is rich with possibility. And in McGowan’s
eyes, it’s just one of many intelligent voices in a state that needs them. “We have a very robust media in Rhode Island,” says McGowan. “If you look at this market, you’ve got three television stations here. Go to Worcester, [which is] larger than Providence, and they don’t have three television stations. You’ve got a public radio station that’s really competitive. You’ve got AM radio that’s a dominant figure here. When you’re competing with everybody, it’s hard. But I’m energized every day – by that challenge of trying to be different.”
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LIFE & STYLE Home | Education
Home
Open Studio
Inside the Pawtucket workspace of painter Monica Lee By Elyse Major Inspiration abounds throughout the sunny studio
When you step inside
the sun-filled studio of painter Monica Lee, at first you don’t realize the scale of her work because the space is so large. Like most mill buildings enjoying a second chance as mixed-use properties, there’s an ample footprint, with high ceilings, brick walls, enormous multi-paned windows, and hardwood floors. While rooms of this size could seem cold and cavernous, Monica’s studio is warm and inspiring; 40x40 canvases with subjects like abstract florals and female figures in sultry pigments line white walls. “I love the overall square footage,” says Monica. “I like to have soft cozy surroundings. The more pillows, textiles, blankets, rugs around, the better, but I also love a good disco ball
Photography by Grace Lentini
and vintage gold cocktail cart. Shiny things make me happy.” Monica has coined the phrase “Leftover Bohemian Glamour” to describe her style, explaining, “‘Leftovers’ as in from my house, as I use moving something to the studio as my excuse to replace something in my home!” There is also a mood board, filled with clippings, stacks of art books, and bouquets of stained brushes in glass and tin vessels. Monica was introduced to 545 Mills a couple years ago when she borrowed studio space from a friend in preparation to bring large paintings to Shanghai Fashion Week. It was the first time she had painted away from her own home. “The mental shift I made on the drive to the studio was really good for my painting,” she recalls.
Want your home featured in East Side Monthly? Email Elyse@ProvidenceOnline.com to learn more
Photography by Grace Lentini
Life & Style Home
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
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www.BABSetc.com “Basically, in a short ride to the studio, I was able to occupy the space that shifted me into my art practice. Plus, there’s no dishwasher to unload!” Today she shares the studio with photographer Pam Bhatia. “It is so great to be able to have these old mill buildings to set yourself up in. It has encouraged me to scale-up my work.” Currently, Monica paints with acrylics and oils on wood and canvas, and uses terms such as “sensual” and “abundant” when discussing her work. “Whether it shows up in the female figure or lush tropical botanicals – I can’t seem to tear myself away from a deeply feminine story. I believe young and older women alike hold a sense of mystery inside themselves, they are really quite beautiful.”
Editor’s Note: Learn more about Monica’s art at MonicaLeeHenell.com; Instagram: @monicaleehenell
GET RHODY STYLE Dig the cozy vibe of Monica Lee’s studio? It all starts with surrounding yourself with the things that make you happy and inspired.
BUT FIRST, COFFEE “A Cafe Caliente and cowboy cookie from Wildflour are my go-to treats,” says Monica, who also lists Red Stripe, Providence Wine Bar, and Hometown Poké as nearby favorites. “I love that my studio is right on the edge of the East Side.”
Everyday Items That Make An Impact Over And Over Again
RI INSPO “I think New England informs my work. We tuck in and hibernate all winter when it’s dark and certainly that palette works its way into my painting and then we become quite liberated in the summer and it feels so fresh, innocent, and alive.” SHOP LOCAL For supplies, Monica says, “Jerry’s Artarama is the best, and the manager Patrick is just delightful!”
804 Hope Street, Providence kreatelier.com East Side Monthly • January 2020 53
Life & Style Education
Intellectual Capital
Brown empowers a new generation of entrepreneurs By Ed McCarthy
TAYLOR & ASSOCIATES
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
You might not think of Brown University as a hot destination for prospective student-entrepreneurs, but the school’s new Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship (the “Center”) at the corner of Euclid and Thayer is clear evidence of a thriving entrepreneurial spirit on campus. “We don’t have a business school and as a result, we have much more freedom to define entrepreneurship expansively,” says Danny Warshay, the Center’s executive director. “The way I’ve always defined entrepreneurship for the 14 years I’ve been teaching it here is from the perspective of liberal arts as a structured process for problem-solving and solving problems of all kinds.” Approaching entrepreneurship this way versus a narrower business or engineering school focus allows students from “every
discipline, every department, every concentration” to consider entrepreneurship as a method for solving those problems, he adds. The student finalists for the school’s 2019 Venture Prize competition demonstrated this expansive approach. One entrant was developing a mesh to remove debris from blood, which reduces stroke risk. Another was creating an on-demand mobile charging service for electric vehicles, while a third was sourcing and selling nutritious cereal products made from teff grain with a goal of partially reinvesting profits with the Ethiopian farmers growing the grain. The Center’s interior space is flexible. Walls can be moved to reconfigure the layout and provide privacy or encourage interaction. Lecture halls and conference rooms
Photo courtesy of The Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship
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Got one of these? Need one of these? are available for meetings, and the building’s third floor is a dedicated space for student teams seeking a fixed workspace for a semester. The Center is much more than a WeWork floor plan, however. Danny uses the term “scaffolding” to describe the educational and experiential programs that support Brown’s efforts. “The scaffolding around our teaching, what we call solutions with impact, encompasses three different areas,” he explains. “One is curricular, the second is co-curricular, and the third is venture support.” Curricular support comes from academic research that underpins the Center’s entrepreneurship training. Students earn credit for these classroom courses and the school is hiring more faculty for its entrepreneurship program, Danny points out. Co-curricular learning opportunities take place outside the classroom and can include internships with overseas venture startups. The center also hosts events, speakers, and workshops. These sessions are open to the general public and are often livestreamed; Danny reports that many attendees have no formal affiliation with Brown. Venture support includes funding. “We’re not only motivating students to learn about entrepreneurship, we’re empowering them to do it,” he explains. “There’s a whole range of resources that are open primarily to students to enable them not only to learn this process but to implement it in a way that will empower them to solve the kinds of problems they’ve found and validated.” Danny anticipates Brown will launch a certificate in entrepreneurship this spring. Students who complete the required five courses will receive an additional credential beyond their degree concentration. “It’s the first time that Brown has authorized the award of a credential beyond a concentration,” he says. “And we’re really excited about that.”
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From the East Side to the West Side, College Hill to Fruit Hill, the Jewelry District to the Armory District, the city of Pawtucket to the village of Pawtuxet and from Historic Elmwood to Edgewood, Taylor & Associates has walked a lot of floors. To all of our sellers, buyers and to the community of agents we work with in the marketplace, thank you for allowing us to do what we love to do.
Our Story is Your Story. We look forward to telling it in 2020. Happy Holidays! TAYLOR & ASSOCIATES PVDHomes.com | 401.214.1524 Waterplace, 100 Exchange Street Providence, RI 02903
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
CALENDAR
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THE MUST LIST AND OTHER HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA
“joyful learning”
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401-456-8127
ide statew For a f events o listing online! s visit u m ody.co h HeyR
January 25: From lagers to hop-forward IPAs, there’s something for everyone at the Rhode Island Brew Fest. Sample from over 50 breweries, plus enjoy live music and food. Providence, ArtsCenter.WaterFire.org
JAN
JAN
It may be too cold to get out on the water, but the RI Boat Show will display all types of watercraft for experienced and first-time boaters. Providence, RIBoatShow.com
Tune into Wakefield Idol, a karaoke-style competition featuring 64 local singers performing at the Contemporary Theater Company every Thursday. Wakefield, ContemporaryTheaterCompany.com
JAN
JAN
03-05
Providence Winter Restaurant Week invites you on a culinary adventure featuring nearly 100 restaurants offering three-course lunch and dinner menus for special prices. Providence, GoProvidence.com.
12-25
09
Celebrate the mind, body, and spirit during Newport Wellness Week, offering seven days of fitness, spa treatments, and workshops dedicated to helping you live your best life. Newport, DiscoverNewport.org
18-25
East Side Monthly • January 2020 57
Calendar
Experience. Integrity. Results.
CALL Gerri Schiffman (401) 474-3733
A Trusted Advocate for Buyers & Sellers for 26 Years
gerrischiffman.com
residentialproperties.com gerri@residentialproperties.com 58
East Side Monthly • January 2020
Providence Performing Arts Center
MUSIC
THEATER
COLUMBUS THEATRE January 21: Nick Thune and Damien Jurado - Sad Music, Sad Comedy. 270 Broadway, Providence. ColumbusTheatre.com
PPAC January 18-19: Shen Yun. January 25: Chris Tucker. 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. PPACRI.org
FETE MUSIC HALL January 3: Tribute Night. January 17: Andrew Rivers. January 25: Freak Fest 11 (Circus Du Freaks). 103 Dike Street, Providence. FeteMusic.com
TRINITY REPERTORY Through January 5: Fade. January 30-March 1: August Wilson’s Radio Golf. 201 Washington Street, Providence. TrinityRep.com
THE MET January 10: The Dave Matthews Band Project. 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. TheMetRI.com
THE VETS January 18: Paula Poundstone. January 19: The Simon & Garfunkel Story. January 25: RI Philharmonic Orchestra Presents All Mozart. 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence. TheVetsRI.com
THE STRAND January 4: Monty Are I. January 17: The Devil Makes Three Winter Tour. 79 Washington Street, Providence. TheStrandRI.com
Core exercise while sitting comfortably
Lever rocking chair Made in Rhode Island
www.tiltactive.com 401-281-9138
TM
CO-ED EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM • ALL GIRLS K–GRADE 12
COMEDY COMEDY CONNECTION January 3-4: Derek Gaines. January 9-11: Robert Kelly. January 16-18: Jackie Fabulous. January 23-25: Ali Siddiq - The Funny Thing About Life Tour. 39 Warren Avenue, East Providence. RIComedyConnection.com
ART RISD MUSEUM January 16: Think and Drink - Spider Silk. 20 North Main Street, Providence. RISDMuseum.org
Photo courtesy of the Providence Warwick CVB
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE • LIFELONG SUCCESS • THE ALL-GIRLS ADVANTAGE
Open House
Saturday, January 11, 2020 • 10 a.m. Learn more at www.lincolnschool.org. East Side Monthly • January 2020 59
Calendar
Providence Bruins
RI REG. #3984 MA HIC REG. #164199 CT REG. #HIC.0673137
A New Year’s Resolution You’ll Love The kitchen is the epicenter of your home. Isn't it time to transform it into the space you really want. Schedule a showroom consultation or visit RIKB.com to register for an upcoming workshop. Essential Remodeling "Need-to-Knows" from the Remodeling Pros! Saturday, January 11th | 9:30-11:00 am
Top Trends for 2020: Insight from The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show Saturday, February 8th | 9:30-11:00 am
Pre-register at RIKB.com/events 401-463-1550 • 139 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02888
think outside
Take a fresh look at education by joining us for an Admissions event: OPEN CAMPUS DAYS January 16 & 17, 9-11 a.m. LOWER SCHOOL LEARN, MAKE, PLAY January 25 , 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Register at rockyhill.org Preschool to Grade 12 | East Greenwich
60
East Side Monthly • January 2020
PROVIDENCE BRUINS January 3: vs. Hartford. January 4 and 5: vs. Charlotte. January 12: vs. Springfield. January 17: vs. Bridgeport. January 19: vs. Springfield. January 22 and 24: vs. LeHigh Valley. January 25: vs. Hershey. 1 La Salle Square, Providence. ProvidenceBruins.com PROVIDENCE COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL January 10: vs. Butler. January 15: vs. St. John’s. January 25: vs. Villanova. 1 La Salle Square, Providence, Friars.com
MORE January 1-31: Skating and Ice Bumper Cars. TheProvidenceRink.com. January
Photo courtesy of the Providence Warwick CVB
SPORTS
LEARN TO SWIM AT THE JCC!
Personal Training | Heated Indoor Pool Basketball Gymnasium | Pickle Ball Free-Weights | Machines | Group Ex Community Events and so much more!
ALL ARE WELCOME! Dwares Rhode Island
401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 | 401.421.4111 | jewishallianceri.org
2020 Annual Sale 4-25: Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers Market on Saturdays. Facebook: Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers Market. January 3: Everett Presents Open Stage. Providence, EverettRI.org. January 3-5: RI Boat Show. Providence, RIBoatShow.com. January 4: Guided Walk on Neutaconkanut Hill. Providence, NHill.org. January 5: Drag Brunch. Providence, MassimoRI.com. January 9: Blythe Doll Panel. Assembly Theatre, ThisIsBlythe.com. January 9-12: How Many Bushels Am I Worth? Providence, AS220. org. January 12-25: Providence Winter Restaurant Week. GoProvidence.com. January 16: RIIFF Encore Series. AcousticJava.com. January 25: Rhode Island Brew Fest. ArtsCenter.WaterFire.org. January 31-February 2: Monster Jam® Triple Threat Series. DunkinDonutsCenter.com
January & February
•
SINCE 1948
•
Fine Custom Upholstery & Slip Covers Custom Window Treatments Headboards • Bedspreads & Shams Upholstered Antique Restoration Blinds & Shades • Area Rugs & Wall To Wall
2179 Mineral Spring Avenue, North Providence • 401-231-1660 • BobFrances.com East Side Monthly • January 2020 61
Coming in From The Cold!
355 Hope StreeT Providence • 401.751.6777 tortillaflatsri.com
FOOD & DRINK Restaurant and Food | Restaurant Guide | Calendar of Events
Flavor of the Month
Cheers to a New Year
Tortilla Flats introduces specialty Pomegranate Prosecco Sangria for winter By Jenny Currier
Photography by Jenny Currier
Edging toward its 50th year in Providence, Tortilla Flats is an East Side staple for all things Mexican. But bar manager and cocktail creator, Jessie Donnelly, is known for more than just her margaritas (although she is nicknamed The Margarita Queen). Throughout the year she designs her drink menu with fresh-forthe-season ingredients, and this winter she is rolling out the Pomegranate Prosecco Sangria. “It’s made with PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur, Prosecco, and a basic white sangria mix – I want it to be accessible so people can create it on their own,” Jessie says. Although she describes herself as a renegade bartender, she
was culinarily trained at Johnson & Wales. “I still make my own purees, infuse my own drinks – I bring my education into the flavors I create,” she says. And for the last decade at Tortilla Flats, Jessie has been creating three weekly drink specials: At least one margarita and one mason jar special. “I think of the mason jar as a ‘porch sipper,’ where I venture out of the Mexican box. Maybe a cranberry applejack cider, or something with whiskey.” These are in addition to her seasonal specials. For inspiration, she uses ingredients from her own homestead farm or sees what others are doing. “We serve all of
our drinks in pint-sized glasses, so when I find something I like, I think, ‘How can I create this concentration of flavors on a larger scale?’” The winter sangria is crisp and sweet, garnished with pomegranate seeds that are bright, colorful, and delicious. “They’re so sweet this time of year,” Jessie confirms, and sprinkles on a few extra. If you’re interested in what’s coming next, Jessie invites guests to visit her on a Thursday afternoon as she “plays around.” Weekly specials run from Friday to Sunday night, but the winter sangria will be around all season. 355 Hope Street, TortillaFlatsRI.com East Side Monthly • January 2020 63
Food & Drink Food News
102 Waterman Street, Providence, RI 02906
401.421.5160
www.AllegraProvidence.com print@allegraprovidence.com
Looking to get cozy with some adult beverages? Say hello to Tiny Bar, the intimate, upscale jewel-box bar that opened late November, smack-dab in the middle of the Jewelry District next to Olga’s Cup & Saucer. “The little building had been used for storage…once it was empty, we decided to open a bar!” explains owner Joanne Chang. “It’s a completely separate business from Olga’s, a completely different look, feel, and vibe.” The interior is airy and feminine, with large painted florals as an “homage to the beautiful patio we share with Olga’s” says Joanna. “We’re very grateful to have this urban oasis and wanted to hew closely to the nature we were gifted with.” They also partner with The Avenue Concept for a rotating mural on the south exterior, and feature the handiwork of Providence Painted Signs. Tiny Bar serves classics with a twist, like an Autumn Mule, Double Oaked Sour, Black Cherry Hatten, and French Negroni. @tinybarpvd -Chuck Staton
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
Caspian replaces Café Zog in Foxpoint “Come visit the ‘Omelet House of Wickenden!’” Turan Abgarmi, owner of Caspian, says with enthusiasm and a touch of pride. “Our eggs have the best flavor.” Turan and his wife, Feredh, took ownership of Café Zog in the summer of 2018, but after six months of sticking with the same name, they decided to begin with a clean slate. They renamed their restaurant after the Caspian Sea, where they both grew up, and transformed the space from a café to a real restaurant. Turan bought new equipment for the kitchen – including a grill – and now they serve breakfast and lunch all day. Craving a gyro or falafel wrap? These are authentic. French toast and a smoothie? Caspian has that, too. But Turan is most proud of his omelets, which are made with local eggs and fresh vegetables – the Greek and the Corned Beef Hash omelets are two of the best sellers. “Slowly, families are starting to come,” Turan says. “They say, ‘The food is really delicious, I’ll be back!’” CaspianRI.com -Jenny Currier
Photos courtesy of Tiny Bar
Tiny Bar’s big debut
OPEN TIL 1AM THURS - SATURDAY WITH DJ OR LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
50 Exchange Terrace, Downtown Providence • 401-270-1888 • KotoProvidence.com
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Break out pop-ups at Vinya Test Kitchen Vinya Test Kitchen is an incubator kitchen for up-and-coming chefs in Providence and specializes in small, private dinners for unique culinary concepts. Chef Massimiliano Mariotta, culinary mastermind behind Vinya, tells us about two pop-ups that debuted in the latter half of 2019. The first is Twelve Plants, conceptualized by Chef Peter Carvelli. Mariotta tells us that Carvelli had the idea for the entirely plantbased tasting menu, “so we took it on and gave him space.” Dishes include a chickpea panisse, a honeynut squash, sage, cranberry, and pecan tortelloni, and a barbecue maple-roasted carrot with carrot crumble, puree, and pesto. The second pop-up is Lagotto, an “immersive truffle experience,” serving an eight-course dinner focused around black and white truffles. “Lagotto is the name of a dog breed used to find truffles,” Marriotta explains. Their dinner includes a scallop crudo with truffle celery sauces, a sous-vide cod with celery, tapioca, and truffle, and even the Italian dessert Zabaione with truffle honey-gelato. Vinya-RI.com -Chuck Staton
The best part of going to School One?
Being yourself. SCHOOL ONE is a small, progressive high school on the East Side of Providence. Our hallmarks: a robust arts program; a creative curriculum; an inclusive and vibrant community; and a great track record with college and art school admissions. Open Campus: 220 University Ave., Providence, RI 02906 (401) 331-2497 | school-one.org
CREATIVE EDUCATION East Side Monthly • January 2020 65
Chez Pascal & The Wurst Kitchen
RESTAURANT GUIDE Key: B breakfast Br brunch L lunch D dinner $ under 10 $$ 10–20 $$$ 20+
ONCE A YEAR
BRUNCH Call to Reserve
Sunday January 5th 10am-2pm
10 Prime Steak & Sushi 960 HOPE STREET, PROVIDENCE 421-4422 • CHEZ-PASCAL.COM
55 Pine St., Providence
PROVIDENCE AREA 10 Prime Steak & Sushi Fashionable prime steakhouse with award-winning sushi. 55 Pine St, Providence, 453-2333. LD $$$ Caserta Pizzeria Casual kid-friendly pizza spot offering traditional Italian crispcut pizza and calzones. 121 Spruce St, Providence, 621-3818. LD $-$$ CAV Eclectic cuisine and art in a historic setting. 14 Imperial Place, Providence, 7519164. BrLD $$-$$$
66
East Side Monthly • January 2020
level French bistro fare at Chez Pascal. 960 Hope St, Providence, 421-4422. LD $-$$$ Don Jose Tequilas Restaurant Homestyle Mexican fare plus beer, wine, and cocktails in a colorful setting. 351 Atwells Ave, Providence, 454-8951. LD $-$$ Harry’s Bar & Burger Called the “Best Burger in America” by CNN. Over 50 craft beers. 121 North Main St, Providence, 228-7437; 301 Atwells Ave, 228-3336. LD $-$$
Chapel Grille Gourmet food overlooking the Providence skyline. 3000 Chapel View Blvd, Cranston, 944-4900. BrLD $$$
Haruki Japanese cuisine and a la carte selections with casual ambience. Locations in Cranston and Providence, HarukiSushi.com. LD $-$$
Character’s Cafe & Theatre Hybrid art space with all-day breakfast, coffee, and theaterinspired entrees. 82 Rolfe Sq, Cranston, 490-9475. BL $
Joe Marzelli’s Old Canteen Italian Restaurant High-end Italian restaurant serving up specialty dishes and drinks. 120 Atwells Ave, Providence. 751-5544. LD $$$
Chez Pascal & The Wurst Kitchen Housemade hotdogs and sausages can be devoured at the Wurst Kitchen, and next-
Julian’s A must-taste Providence staple celebrating more than 20 years. 318 Broadway, Providence, 861-1770. BBrLD $$
PROVIDENCE CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL KG Kitchen City neighborhood bistro turning up New American favorite. 771 Hope St, Providence, 331-4100. LD $$-$$$ Lotus Garden Noodle & Sushi House Authentic Cambodian cuisine in the heart of the Hill. 223 Atwells Ave, Providence, 383-4774. LD $-$$$
February 14–23, 2020
WORKSHOPS, FILM MAKER TALKS, FESTIVAL EVENT PARTIES + MORE
Give the gift of a family experience this holiday!
Luxe Burger Bar Build Your Own Burger: You dream it, we build it! 5 Memorial Blvd, Providence, 621-5893. LD $ Parkside Rotisserie & Bar American bistro specializing in rotisserie meats. 76 South Main St, Providence, 331-0003. LD $-$$ Pizza J Fun, upbeat atmosphere with thin-crust pizza, pub fare, and gluten-free options. 967 Westminster St, Providence, 632-0555. LD $-$$ Rebelle Artisan Bagels Artisan bagels that are uniquely hand-rolled, boiled, and baked. 10 Doyle Ave, Providence, 349-1263. BrL $
Film Fanatic & All Access Passes make great gifts! PRESENTING SPONSOR
providencechildrensfilmfestival.org
Red Stripe Casual French-American bistro. 465 Angell St, Providence, 437-6950; 455 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-2900. BrLD $$
Siena Impeccable Italian cuisine. Locations in Providence, East Greenwich, and Smithfield, 521-3311. D $$-$$$ The Salted Slate An agri-driven American restaurant with global influences. 186 Wayland Ave, Providence, 270-3737. BrLD $$-$$$ Trinity Brewhouse Providence restaurant and brewery reinventing classic American pub fare. 186 Fountain St, Providence, 4532337. LD $$ T’s Restaurant RI favorite with all-day breakfast-brunch. Cranston, East Greenwich, Narragansett; TsRestaurantRI.com. BrLD $$
The struggle between history and progress
August Wilson’s
Radio Golf Tickets start at $27 (401) 351-4242 TrinityRep.com 201 Washington St., Prov. SEASON SPONSORS
JAN. 30– MARCH 1
PICTURED: JOE WILSON, JR.
The River Social Mediterannean small plates overlooking Waterplace Park for a uniquely social experience. 200 Exchange St, Providence, 256-5686. D $-$$
East Side Monthly • January 2020 67
One Membership - Six Great Facilities!
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MEMBERSHIPS FOR INDIVIDUALS CHILDREN AND FAMILIES No Registration Fees • No Cancellation Fees • No Contracts 95 Group Fitness Classes • Personal Training
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STOP INTO THE NELSON FITNESS CENTER TODAY OR VISIT BROWNREC.COM 225 HOPE STREET, PROVIDENCE • 863-5100 • RECREATION_MEMBERSHIP@BROWN.EDU • BROWNREC.COM
RESTAURANT GUIDE
Twin Oaks Family restaurant serving a great selection of Italian and American staples. 100 Sabra St, Cranston, 781-9693. LD $-$$$
SOUTH COUNTY
and baked goods made fresh daily. 91 Point Judith Rd, Narragansett, 783-8086. BrLD $ The Cove Traditional bar and grill serving burgers, sandwiches, and classic New England seafood favorites. 3963 Old Post Rd, Charlestown, 364-9222. LD $$
Celestial Cafe Locally sourced and globally inspired cuisine with a curated craft beer list. 567 South County Trail, Exeter, 2955559. BrLD $$-$$$
Eleven Forty Nine City sophistication in the suburbs. 1149 Division St, Warwick, 884-1149. LD $$$
Chair 5 Hotel haunt with a beach-inspired menu and a dreamy rooftop lounge. 1208 Ocean Rd, Narragansett, 363-9820. LD $$-$$$
Fuel Coffee Bar Breakfast and lunch, including vegan and gluten-free options. 904 Boston Neck Rd., Narragansett, 7923835. BrL $-$$
Coast Guard House A new American menu with a seafood emphasis and extensive wine list, open seven days a week. 40 Ocean Rd, Narragansett, 789-0700. BrLD $$$
George’s of Galilee Fresh-caught seafood in an upscale pub atmosphere. 250 Sand Hill Cove Rd, Narragansett, 783-2306. LD $-$$
Colvitto’s Pizza & Bakery Pizza Calzones
Mariner Grille Seafood, steaks, and pasta
68
East Side Monthly • January 2020
in a fun setting, with live entertainment. 40 Point Judith Rd, Narragansett, 284-3282. LD $$ Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana Authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizza with ingredients imported from Naples. 60 S County Commons Way, South Kingstown, 783-2900. LD $-$$ Red Stripe Casual French-American bistro. 465 Angell St, Providence, 437-6950; 455 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-2900. BrLD $$ The Revival Craft Kitchen & Bar Focusing on American fare and craft beer. 219 Main St, East Greenwich (second location in Warren), 336-3747. D $$-$$$ Siena Impeccable Italian cuisine. Locations in Providence, East Greenwich, and Smithfield, 521-3311. D $$-$$$
HUGE CARD
www.PilotRI.us
SELECTION
The Camera Werks 766 Hope Street, Providence • thecamerawerks.com 401.273.5367 • Tues-Sat 10-5:30, Closed Sun-Mon
every day!
401.944.4900 CHAPELGRILLERI.COM
Sales | Leasing | Management
A Community-Owned Grocery Store Welcoming All Shoppers
design • site plans • consulting installation • planting • hand pruning
93 Cranston Street Providence UrbanGreens.com Open Daily 8am-8pm
401-742-1895 • robertalanmatthews.com
RESTAURANT GUIDE
Sonoma Bistro and Wine Bar New American cuisine in a friendly atmosphere. 7366 Post Rd, North Kingstown, 295-0800. LD $$-$$$
views in a family-friendly atmosphere. 865 Boston Neck Rd, Narragansett, 789-8153. LD $-$$
Sophie’s Brewhouse Espresso drinks and sandwiches with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients. 699 S County Trail, Exeter, 295-4273. BL $$
EAST BAY + NEWPORT
T’s Restaurant RI favorite with all-day breakfast-brunch. Cranston, East Greenwich, Narragansett; TsRestaurantRI.com. BrLD$$ Tavern by the Sea Waterfront European/ American bistro. 16 West Main St, Wickford, 294-5771. LD $$ Thirsty Gull New England sourced gastropub. 9 East Ave, Westerly, 596-1936. D $$ Twin Willows Fresh seafood and water
Blount Market & Kitchen Traditional New England seafood summer favorites offered year-round for dine-in and takeout. 406 Water St, Warren, 245-1800. LD $$ Bluewater Bar and Grill Casual restaurant with modern seafood dishes and live music. 32 Barton Ave, Barrington, 247-0017. LD $$-$$$ Cafe Water Street Dockside cafe with gourmet crepes and coffee. 279 Water St, Warren, 245-7071. BLD $-$$ Crossroads Pub Restaurant Family-friendly restaurant serving American and Italian
classics. 33 Market St, Warren, 245-9305. LD $$ East Bay Oyster Bar Local seafood meets innovative preparation in a rustic setting. 308 County Rd, Barrington, 247-0303. LD $$ Pannoni’s BYOB with a fun and patriotic theme. 553 Hope St, Bristol, 396-5168. LD $$ The Revival Craft Kitchen & Bar Focusing on American fare and craft beer. 50 Miller St, Warren (second location in East Greenwich), 245-4500. D $$-$$$ Tav Vino Waterfront dining with an Italian and seafood focus. 267 Water St, Warren, 245-0231. D $$ The Wharf Remodeled and reimagined, this dockside restaurant offers seafood, pasta, and coastal charm for days. 215 Water St, Warren, 289-2524. LD $$-$$$$
East Side Monthly • January 2020 69
Business Spotlight
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
The Dwares JCC is
YOUR Community Center. Membership is open to EVERYone regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexuality, ethnic background or family constellation. Fitness Center, Indoor Pool, Gymnasium, Early Childhood Center, After School Program, Family Programming, Cultural Arts and more!
Stop in or call to learn more!
In the heart of Providence’s East Side...
Dwares
T.F. Morra Tree Care, Inc. Ornamental and Shade Tree Specialists • fine hand pruning • tree preservation • hazard tree removal • tree evaluation & diagnosis • tree planting consultation
Rhode Island
401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 401.421.4111 | jewishallianceri.org
331-8527 • tfmorra.com
NEW MERCHANDISE ARRIVING WEEKLY
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STAINLESS REFRIGERATORS RANGES • HOODS WASHERS & DRYERS BUILT-IN REFRIGERATION COOKTOPS WALL OVENS DISHWASHERS
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881 Westminster Street, Providence • 401-861-6872 ReliableJewelryAndLoan.com • rjlgallery@gmail.com
299 Walcott Street, Pawtucket 723.0500 • www.KitchenGuys.com
IASIMONE PLUMBING HEATING & DRAIN CLEANING, INC.
INSTALLATIONS REPAIRS • REPLACEMENTS We are always providing a Free Estimate
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27 Allen Avenue, North Providence (401) 300-9761 • iasimonephdc.com 70
TigerSharks Swim Academy for All
East Side Monthly • January 2020
MARCALLENINC.COM
B
eing proficient in any sport requires dedicated practice and learning, but you also need top coaching. The Jewish Alliance’s Dwares JCC is blessed to have legacy swim instructors Doug Immel, Aquatics Director (pictured above), and Ian Muir, Master Coach, spearheading the TigerSharks Swim Academy. They both received world-class instruction and together have a combined 100 years of swim coaching experience (including future Olympic athletes) to offer to people right here on the East Side! This unique program teaches kids and adults of all ages the fundamentals of swimming in a tiered level, and when you graduate, you are completely confident, proficient, and safe in the water. It’s a yearround program with multiple classes available six days a week. Doug explains, “There’s 22 hours a week dedicated to TigerSharks Swim Academy, so there’s a time slot for everybody.” Instruction can start as early as 3 months, and then children ages 5-18 who graduate to the top level are eligible to continue on to the TigerSharks Swim Team, which competes all over the state and beyond. The entire instruction system is based on working with people at their level, from beginner to expert. Doug, Ian, and their entire swim instructing crew are ready to help you or your child reach that next level of swimming ability. Contact the JCC today for more information. You don’t need to be Jewish or a JCC member to enroll.
The Dwares JCC 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence 421-4111 • JewishAllianceRI.org
Business Spotlight
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Fantastic Pho Noodle Soup
VIETNAMESE ENTRÉES & PHO FAVORITES!
Mon-Tue 11-10 | Fri-Sat 11-11 | Sun 11-9 50 Ann Mary Street, Pawtucket • 365-6278 • PhoHorns.com On Providence/Pawtucket line behind LA Fitness
T
ucked away in the Job Lot plaza off North Main (behind LA Fitness) is one of Rhode Island’s culinary crown jewels: Pho Horn’s. The chefs at this authentic Vietnamese restaurant ladle up steaming bowls of savory pho noodle soup, offering the best antidote to winter’s bite. There are plenty of beef, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian varieties of pho, and for beginners who like beef, menu item 21 with sliced steak and flank is a great introduction to this country’s signature soup. Each aromatic bowl arrives with a side plate of fresh basil, sliced limes, jalapeño peppers, and crisp bean sprouts to augment and temper the broth. Of course, the entire menu is worth exploring, as every meal should begin with their famous fresh summer rolls with peanut sauce and steamed dumplings. In the area of entrees, their sweet grilled pork chops are also a must-try, as is their beef Mi Ca Tang (Cambodian Style flat rice noodle). Most Rhode Islanders are coffee lovers, so you will be right at home with their potent Vietnamese Style Coffee (iced or hot) or a freshly squeezed limeade. During prime lunch and dinner hours the place is buzzing with attentive waitstaff, lively conversation, and the overall energy of a beloved restaurant. Visit Pho Horn’s and take a foodie trip that will make your taste buds sing!
Pho Horn’s 50 Ann Mary Street, Pawtucket 365-6278 • PhoHorns.com
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49 Old Pocasset Road | BriarcliffeGardens.com
CityEstateGardener.com • 401.935.2312 East Side Monthly • January 2020 71
SERVICE
CHRIS’ LAMP REPAIR
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Deadline for February East Side Monthly: January 2nd
Email Sue at SueH@RhodyBeat.com or call 401-732-3100 72
East Side Monthly • January 2020
$45!
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Deadline for February East Side Monthly: January 2nd
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469 Angell Street • Suite 2 • Providence • 02906 120 Lavan St. • Warwick • 02888 • 401-751-2990 cell 401-837-4475 • fax 401-633-6658 • www.brier-brier.com
HANDYMAN Specializing in exceptional results for repairs & small jobs. On time, professional & extremely clean. Reg. #40738. clearproppvd@gmail.com
HOUSE CLEANING Experienced. Local references. Free estimates. Call Lilly, 401-419-2933. BEYOND THE PALE Quality interior painting, color consulting, lead certified, green products. Lic. #15914. Call Mike 401-573-4498.
HOME & BUSINESS SERVICES
SUPERB HOUSEPAINTING High end workmanship. Small jobs a specialty. Call Ron. 751-3242. Reg. #18128. MALIN PAINTING Most ceiling & wall repairs, wallpaper removal, oil-based & latex finishes, staining, varnishing. Fully insured, Many local references. Safe, secure, fast service. 2268332. Reg. #19226.
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EAST SIDE HANDYMAN Carpentry, painting & repairs. Small jobs welcome. References. Insured. 401-524-6421. Reg. #3052. HOUSE CLEANING Honest, hard worker, years of experience. Excellent references. Free estimates. Call Renata. 573-2236.
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PROPERTY MANAGER Available On call 24/7. Rent collection. Rentals, evictions, maintenance. 421-0092. USED MUSIC WANTED! Round Again Records needs your used CDs and records. Cash paid. 351-6292. I BUY BOOKS Old, used and almost new. Also photography, art, etc. jcminich1@gmail.com 286-9329.
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Donna Karan, head designer Anne Klein and Co., design label Boot Tights, early 1980s Gift of the Estate of Peggy Cone
East Side Monthly • January 2020 73
EAST SIDER By Robert Isenberg
What Strength Looks Like When Denise Chakoian gives you a tour of CORE Fitness Studio in Wayland Square, she’s beaming. She loves to show off the hightech “cycling theater.” She excitedly describes the “megaformers,” futuristic machines for specialized pilates classes. Everything you see in CORE is a dream come true – and there are so many ways it almost didn’t exist. In February of 2018, Denise was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. “It was a bit of a shock,” she recalls. “There was no time to wait. I had to dive right into the treatment. And for the first month, I was doing a lot of thinking.” Denise grew up in a strict Catholic family in North Providence. She danced competitively until she was 19, when she shifted to aerobics and bodybuilding. She worked for a counseling center, a law office, and then for the Boston
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East Side Monthly • January 2020
branch of JP Morgan for 14 years. Through it all, she worked part-time as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer. When she opened CORE, about 13 years ago, Denise had a business partner – who abruptly dropped out. Alone, Denise forged ahead. Her one-room, second-floor studio gradually expanded. She hired staff. After nine years, a new landlord coaxed her out of the building, and Denise opened a new location. The business grew. Earlier this year, just as Denise started chemo, she was simultaneously rebranding the company; she hired a team to renovate her new space on Waterman Street into a polished-looking “boutique” studio. Throughout her treatment, she kept running regularly and teaching classes, all the while overseeing construction. “I started to elevate the way my place felt
and was run,” says Denise. “I thought, I’m either going to step away and leave fitness completely, or I’m going to do exactly what I’ve always wanted to do.” Today, Denise’s cancer is in remission. Her studio has been open since the summer, and the environment is spotless and state-of-the-art. She lives in the East Side, and she enjoys running into clients in local restaurants. She credits her regulars with motivating her through the most painful times, and she loves to help them feel welcome. “We have a very diverse clientele,” she says. “We’re not snobby. We’re normal people. I go out to eat. I will never turn down a pizza, ever. I love chocolate. Life is too short. You can go to the extreme. But we promote being fit, and healthy – and strong.” CoreFitProv.com
Photography by Mike Braca
After taking arms against a sea of troubles, CORE owner Denise Chakoian is having a triumphant year
203 SOUTH MAIN STREET, PROVIDENCE | 401.751.8100 — INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED —
EAST SIDE | LIGHT, BRIGHT, HISTORIC HOME $1,875,000 BOB BERLE 843-637-0291
EAST SIDE | HISTORIC SAMUEL BROWN HOME $1,525,000 BOB BERLE 843-637-0291
CE PRI MENT T JUS AD
LINCOLN | METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED HOME $699,000 ALACYN WOLFE 619-713-3535
CE PRI MENT T S DJU
NORTH SMITHFIELD | PICTURESQUE PRIVATE COLONIAL $435,000 HEATHER FEID 401-787-5979
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IN IST
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CRANSTON | GRAND AUBURN COLONIAL $299,000 JODIE JORDAN 401-286-4466
CRANSTON | BEAUTIFULLY LANDSCAPED RANCH $234,000 JODIE JORDAN 401-286-4466
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YOU’VE THANKED US ALL YEAR. NOW IT’S OUR TURN. To all of our loyal clients, we thank you for making 2019 such a success. May the new year bring you joy, happiness, and prosperity.
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