Food & Drink

Now Harvesting

Sustainable and nutritious mushrooms from a Coventry farm elevate any meal

You may already know that spring is asparagus season and July is when most berries are prime for picking – but in the lesser-known mushroom world, winter means Lion’s Mane, Black and Blue Oysters, Gold Enoki, King Trumpet, and other fungal wonders. Inside the fruiting rooms of Coventry-based High Tide Mushroom Farm, these cool weather-loving varieties and more are being harvested by owner Sam Morgan.

“We are the only mushroom facility in Rhode Island that does every step of the mycological process in house,” Morgan explains, meaning all offerings are fresh and affordable. “With inflation continuing to soar, ‘gourmet’ doesn’t have to mean expensive, and everyone should have access to a nutrient-dense food source.”

To the uninitiated, the white-flecked golden Chestnut mushrooms or the almost furry appearance of Lion’s Mane may seem intimidating to incorporate into your home cooking. Morgan shares that they’re all easy to prepare and bring unique flavor profiles, from umami-leaning Oyster mushrooms to earthy and nutty Chestnuts and Pioppinos. To lend sweet and peppery notes, Golden Enokis are a great choice.

Along with being delicious sauteed in butter and added to pizza or pasta, mushrooms play a huge part in creating a sustainable food network. “They’re incredibly versatile organisms that have the ability to absorb and break down a wide range of toxins, including petroleum products, heavy metals, plastics, and pesticides,” says Morgan of the superfood. “The solution to a lot of our ecological issues has been hiding right under our feet the entire time!” Find them at Belmont Market in Wakefield, incorporated in dishes at New Wave, also in Wakefield, and other markets across the state. HighTideMushroomFarm.com |

By Abbie Lahmers

Guilt-Free Pleasures

Ten eateries serving up light yet delicious bites and brews

Whether you’re keeping a New Year’s resolution going strong or simply seeking lighter fare to sustain yourself during the winter months, there’s no need to skimp on taste and feeling satisfied. Here’s some best bets for statewide eateries with lean but luscious eats on the menu.

ALAINA’S

Guac N Roll

Doubling as a coffee and breakfast sandwich cafe and taco spot, Alaina’s has a delicious selection of light bites. Their build-yourown Guac and Toast is a must try, along with anything with cauliflower rice (my personal favorite)! Watch for acai bowls in fruity flavors, too. Richmond, GuacNRollRI.com

APOTHICA

Cafe

Formerly Blackstone Coffee Bar, this apothecary-inspired plant-based cafe serves up Super Boost Lattes (like the Morning Ritual with ashwagandha, an herb promoting stress relief) for that little extra pep in your step. How about a Garden Delight Sandwich with herb spread? Cumberland, ApothicaHerbs.com

AUNTIE’S

Kitchen

This cozy organic restaurant is an ideal destination for their bowl selection alone (including breakfast varieties, hot and cold bowls, and salads), and their house-made soups are not to be missed. Get creative with build-your-own sandwiches, which include both vegan and meat-lover ingredients. Wakefield, AuntiesKitchenRI.com

Blue Kangaroo Cafe

Ask anyone in the East Bay for their local faves and I’m sure Blue Kangaroo is on their list. This cheery deli earns high marks for their veggie wraps, soups, and salads. Wash it down with a cuppa Nitro Brew iced coffee or a nutritious Peachy Lean fruit smoothie. Barrington, BlueKangarooRI.com

Caf Bar

Nestled next to Rarities Books & Bindery on Main Street, this sweet little full-service coffee bar also prepares crunchy salads, delectable avocado toast, and substantial smoothies. From atmosphere to tasty bites, there’s so many reasons to add them to your January rotation. Wakefield, CafBarRI.com

L’ARTISAN CAFE & BAKERY

This Euro-inspired offers all kinds of prepared foods, including wraps (tuna and chicken for starters) and refreshing salads. Add a cup of their soup of the day (is there anything better on a freezing cold day?) and you have a midday feast that won’t derail your New Year’s resolutions. Providence, LArtisan-Cafe.com

NANA’S

This bakery and cafe opened in spring of 2022 and quickly became one of my obsessions. Their egg sandwiches are dynamite and available with a side of greens. Sourdough crust pizza topped with salad is truly a mouth-watering spin on “health food” if you ask me. Westerly, NanasRI.com

Plant City X

A spinoff of Providence’s Plant City vegan food hall, these scaled-down versions with drive-up ordering and pick-up windows have incredible salads, smoothies (I’m partial to the green Tropical one), and meatless burgers. I’ve motored over countless times for a satisfying nibble. Warwick & Middletown, PlantCityX.com

RACHEL’S

Cafe

This wife and husband-owned restaurant has a multitude of dishes (acai bowls, egg white omelets, and avocado toast) for the health conscious. If you’re hungry for a salad, they have five amazing ones, including their signature one, a mix of romaine, fruit, and goat cheese. South Kingstown, RachelsCafeRI.com

SHAYNA’S PLACE

This darling cafe in the heart of historic Wickford Village gets high marks for their made-to-order juices and smoothies and their vegetarian Peace Train Sandwich (with sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and sriracha mayo on multigrain bread). You’ll wonder how you lived without them. Wickford, ShaynasPlaceRI.com

Courthouse Center For The Arts

SATURDAY 3/4 | 7:30PM-9:30PM

CROSBY STILLS NASH & YOUNG EXPERIENCE - TRINITY

FRIDAY 3/10 | 8PM-10:30PM

DEEP PURPLE - STORMBRINGER

SATURDAY 3/11 | 8PM

ERIC CLAPTON EXPERIENCE

THE BELL BOTTOM BLUES

SATURDAY 3/18 | 7:30PM

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER

REVIVAL - SWEET HITCH HIKER

THURSDAY 3/23 | 2PM-4PM

ELVIS - ROBERT BLACK SHOW

SATURDAY 3/25 | 7:30PM

KOMEDY WITH KIM ARUNDEL AND HOST ANNIE POWELL

HEADLINER MARTY CAPRONI

SATURDAY 4/1 | 7:30PM

BILLY JOEL AND ELTON JOHN BILLY AND THE JETS

SAT 4/8 | 8PM

THE DOORS & JANICE JOPLIN THROUGH THE DOORS

3481 Kingstown Road, West Kingston 401-782-1018 • CourthouseArts.org

501C3 NON PROFIT PROVIDING FREE CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS IN MUSIC & ARTS

Loaves of Love

An Exeter home baker’s mission to give back through sourdough

The secret to perfect sourdough is patience, quality ingredients, and if you’re Ann Schroeder, a charitable purpose. The Exeter resident, like many others cooped up inside for most of 2020, started baking and experimenting with sourdough during the pandemic. When people started asking to purchase her loaves, she realized she could start a business and also raise funds for a cause that’s dear to her.

Micro-bakery Hadley’s Harvest was inspired by Schroeder’s granddaughter, Hadley, who was born with genitopatellar syndrome. The rare genetic condition occurring in the KAT6B gene makes up under 100 cases globally. In addition to naming the company after Hadley, a portion of each sale goes to the KAT6 Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports individuals and their families living with genitopatellar syndrome and related disorders. Donations support vital research that improves the quality of life of those affected.

A one-woman operation, Hadley’s Harvest has Schroeder baking 25 to 50 loaves of bread a week, depending on the season. She describes her baking process, taking place within her licensed home kitchen in Exeter, as a week-long delicate balancing act. “There’s a lot of science to it,” she explains. “Everything is weighed, rather than using measurement cups. Temperature and humidity can also have a big impact on the final product.”

Her week begins on Monday, feeding the sourdough starter that originates from

2020 – the bubbly mixture of fermented flour and water is the main component of the process. Schroeder prides herself on using quality ingredients that align with her service-minded passion. For instance, all loaves are made with Janie’s Mill whole grain flour, a stone-milled flour from Illinois that preserves nutritious value, with a background that moved Schroeder. “Their company was inspired by their daughter who passed away unexpectedly,” she says. “Their story really spoke to me.”

After patiently feeding the sourdough starter over a few days, Schroeder begins stretching and folding the dough. Each loaf is left to rise overnight. By the end of the week, everything is ready to bake in preparation for weekend sales.

Find homemade loaves by Hadley’s Harvest sold at Pat’s Pasture in East Greenwich, The Hen House in Chepachet, and Emma Acres in Exeter. During the summer, she also brings the harvest to farmers markets across the state.

As a lifelong cook with a culinary background, Schroeder is overjoyed that she has found a way to continue her passions while uplifting a meaningful cause. “I love doing what I do. It just happened that it evolved into a business that we could give a charitable aspect to,” she says. “That’s what means the most to me, that we give back to Exeter and my granddaughter. Everything else is just icing on the cake.” HadleysHarvest.com

Delicious Journey

When I told a friend I was having breakfast in a gondola, she immediately responded with, “the forecast looks good; the waters should be calm.” She mistook my reservation for the Venetian variety of a narrow boat rowed along a river by a gondolier in a straw hat and stripes. My vessel would be stationary, Veuve Clicquot-yellow, and part of a cluster of retired ski lift cabins refurbished into private outdoor dining spaces for parties up to four. The location: the North Lawn of the Ocean House, the radiant resort overlooking the Atlantic in Watch Hill at their seasonal installation dubbed Gondola Village.

Fun fact: my husband and I were the very first patrons of the season, and being long-enamored and curious about what dining inside the gondola would be like, I was excited. I’d first learned of this unique set-up when it launched in 2017 as Fondue Village; today the menu is sans communal pot, instead with three courses kicked off via a cup of velvety Valrhona hot cocoa topped with whipped cream and chocolate jimmies. Snug inside the gondola, with pillows and a heated blanket, sipping my drink was the perfect time to take in the surroundings, seemingly styled with the care of a film set designer.

The cabin itself is like a study on small space decorating. Inside, wood-paneled walls and shelves display petite objets d’art. Our table was set with linens and boasts serveware handmade in France by Le Creuset in Marseille blue. Overhead was a rustic chandelier, and the tall window opposite the gondola entrance had its curtain panels opened wide, keeping the colorful property, outdoor firepits, skis, and tall signpost in view. Adding to the tagline’s promise of evoking the French Alps, traditional bal-musette accordion music was piped in, and strands of bistro lights suspended from poles outline the area.

Next a pot of hot coffee (from Rhode Island-brand Dave’s) arrived, followed by appealing parfaits of yogurt and granola, and fresh fruit salad with tarragon syrup for each of us – all housed in large goblets. Our welcoming host Eduardo and server were both at the ready for any request, encouraging us to take photos between bites, and having us pose for a souvenir Polaroid picture.

CUISINE: Sweet and savory crepes and beignets

PRICES: $300 for up to four people

ATMOSPHERE: Rustic-chic, French Alps-inspired indulgence

Must-Try Items

Salade de Fruit:

Goblets of sliced melon, pineapple, and berries, with a tarragon syrup

Valrhona Hot Chocolate:

A hot drink made with world-renowned chocolate

Warm Beignets:

Sugared fritters served with three dipping sauces: caramel pecan, coffee mocha, and strawberry basil

For the plat principal , the choice was ours from a menu of six crepes. I couldn’t resist the Warm Berry Compote, served with whipped cream and fresh berries; when it arrived on the deep blue stoneware plate covered in a flurry of powdered sugar, I was enchanted by the entirety of the curated moment. My husband ordered the crepe with ham, gruyère, dijon mustard cream, and sunny egg. Both of us, already full from the first course, still managed to enjoy most every scrumptious and delectable bite.

The final troisième plat of warm beignets was my favorite course of all. Swaddled in a tea towel, the sugary fritters arrived on a platter with a trio of dipping sauces; purist that I am, I skipped them, but my husband enjoyed sampling each one multiple times. In hindsight, I should have selected a savory main course as a palate pause from all the sweetness (I’m looking at you smoked salmon crepe with scrambled egg, crème fraîce, and red onion).

Frankly, a visit to Gondola Village costs more than a few francs, but it’s a wonderful splurge, no passport required.

Gondola Village - Ocean House

1 Bluff Avenue, Watch Hill

OceanHouseRI.com/GondolaVillage

The folks at Allumé Chocolate create some of the prettiest candy you’ll ever see. “We’ve been making chocolates as gifts for friends and family for years and this past summer we decided it was the right time to turn that passion into a business,” says Marissa Kervin, owner of Allumé. “It has been a great way to showcase our love for creative food and bold, interesting flavors.” The new business on Main Street in Wakefield specializes in handcrafted chocolate bonbons that feature layered pâte de fruit and chocolate ganache fillings. “We plan to expand into other confections over the next year,” explains Kervin.

The confectionery uses fresh local products along with “the finest ethically sourced ingredients from around the world to create unforgettable experiences of taste and texture.” The store specializes in small batches, intended to be devoured quickly. Look for tasty treats from the upcoming spring collection and holiday favorites throughout the year. Kervin is also working on a collection of dairy-free vegan chocolates that should be available soon.

Wakefield, AllumeChocolate.com

Popular distillery Rhode Island Spirits is gearing up to open in a new space later this month in Pawtucket, alongside some friends. “We had the chance to join The Guild at their campus, the Isle Brewers Guild,” says Cathy Plourde, co-founder and co-owner of the distillery. “The location brings us more visibility, and it’s slightly larger, with much better freight access in a neighborhood that has complementary businesses and a new train station. It was kind of a no-brainer.”

The move meant closing their old Pawtucket location while transferring equipment, with production resuming in February. The distillery will be located at 40 Bailey Street, about a block from the new Pawtucket/Central Falls train station. “The tasting room should be ready by the end of March,” says Plourde. RI Spirits is women-owned and New England’s only LGBTQIA+ spirits brand. The owners are committed to using products that are “fresh, farmed, or foraged. We’re sourcing a lot of our ingredients locally, from farms, as well as vendors; we like to keep our money local as much as possible,” explains Plourde. Pawtucket, RhodeIslandSpirits.com

Champa is the latest addition to the burgeoning Hope Street dining scene on the East Side of Providence. The restaurant specializes in authentic Lao and Thai cuisine, prepared by chefs and co-owners Peter and Sing Viphakone, who has been cooking her whole life. In 2016, the team opened their first restaurant, Nam Khong in Westerly. “After many successful years serving many loyal customers, we decided to move closer to home, opening Champa in Providence, but still keeping Nam Khong in the family, under new management,” says Peter.

Menu favorites include flavorful coconut rice, spicy soups and salads, stir-fry combinations, and a variety of noodle dishes, including Peter’s favorite Khao Soi noodles. The pair are excited to create new connections with the local community, introducing their culture through culinary experiences. Their goal in Providence is to build strong relationships. “We are both very hopeful to continue improving and serving both new and loyal customers.” Providence, RIChampa.com