From Farm to Table: A Dinner Party that's All Local,All Rhode Island

I was super excited when I was chosen by Food Buzz to participate in their 24X24. What is 24X24 you ask? It is 24 people that get chosen to throw a themed party all on the same night around the globe.  I hosted a Farm to Table, all local Rhode Island dinner. Where is Rhode Island? Is it a state? You mean Long Island? No, I do not live in New York. Rhode Island is in fact a state. It is a very teeny tiny state on the east coast of the U.S bordering Massachusetts and Connecticut. You know Boston? Yeah, right near there.

Toby & his RI T-Shirt!

 Having an all local dinner was a great way to see what Rhode Island can really offer. Since we are on the ocean we have an abundance of seafood available to us year round.  After reaching out to one of my foodie favorites (Thanks Andrea!) I found out there was so much more that I was missing!  Local beef, cheese, eggs, produce & wine.  It was all right at my front door.  And trust me, if the smallest state in the U.S has all of these amazing products locally, I'm sure you all do too (well, maybe not the seafood unless you live near the ocean).  By buying all of your products locally you support your local economies, reduce shipping and carbon emissions and enjoy really fresh food!  I will be posting the below recipes all week so check back and see how they were prepared!


For our all Local Menu we enjoyed:

• Honeycomb and Cheese Crostini
• Just Caught Fish & Chips 
• Locally Caught Steamers
• Local Beef Shortribs
• "Coffee Milk" Creme Brulee
• Olive Oil Ice Cream

I started my journey with Jeff, "The Bee Guy" from Aquidneck Honey. Jeff supplies local restaurants with his top quality honey and honeycombs. Might I add, he does not use any pesticides or chemicals so you are getting 100% pure, amazing honey. With his amazing honey comb I made the crostini with honey comb and Atwells Gold Cheese. This was a hit! I used local bread from Olgas and Narragansett Creamery's cheese.

Next I went to Newport Vineyards to pick up some libations for the party and let me tell you - this vineyard is huge (and beautiful)!  You can go and take a tour, sample some wine and have a great day!  Big thanks to Mary Ellen from the Vineyard. She helped us pair wine for this meal.  Might I add, the wine was amazing. We also drank local beer and a new RI-produced whiskey called Uprising (it was delicious!)

I then picked up some local steamers and cod that had just been caught that morning at Captain's Catch in Warwick, RI.  All you have to do is ask them what they have that was just caught or local and you will be amazed as to how much they have!  If you have questions visit them at their new location - 1 Centerville Road in Warwick, RI 02886. (401) 738-6762.

Where's the Beef?  Who knew getting local beef was could be so easy?  Blackbird Farm is practically in my back yard. Ann Marie, the owner, let me know their cows are top quality and hormone free. Score! Their beef is used in many top quality restaurants in RI. After my purchase Ann Marie let me know the money I had just spent would provide her enough money to feed all of her cows for one day.  Gosh, owning a farm is expensive! 

Next was produce. I went to my first farmer's market ever yesterday.  How have I never done this before? There were so many vendors and they had everything you would need. Eggs, milk, beef, seafood, bread, jams. I was in sensory overload! I called my husband after I left and told him we are going there every weekend. What a great experience!  I picked up some awesome brussels sprouts, potatoes and bread on my epic foodie journey.  Not to mention there are food trucks outside and I had an awesome breakfast taco from Mijos Tacos.

Now we have everything we need to get a party started!  A big shout out to my husband, Toby and my friend Katie who were my sous chefs for this local extravaganza.  Without them I would not have been able to do this. Also big thanks to my resident photographer Brittany.  Here are some shots from the night and I will be posting all of the recipes from the dinner this week, so check back! I don't mean to brag, but everything was amazing!!

My Amazing Guests!!

We decided to serve the food family style so everyone could take what they wanted for the local feast. It is a nice time saver because you do not need to transfer the food and people can take exactly what they want.After dinner we decided to give everyone time to digest before having them sample these amazing desserts. Coffee Milk( cousin to chocolate milk) is a big drink in Rhode Island. I drank it growing up. The creme brulee was a play on that. The olive oil ice cream, well that has nothing to do with Rhode Island. It sounded awesome. It is awesome. So different and intriguing. I did however use local eggs and cream. 

 

The best part of the night was laughing all night and sharing my love for food ( and Rhode Island) with my friends. I don't remember a night where I had more fun. I love these people. Thank you Food Buzz for letting me host one of the best parties ever! At least you all know where Rhode Island is now. I hope I inspired you to go and check out what is local in your neighborhood today!