Eat Drink RI Festival Returns

Eat Drink RI – David Dadekian’s passion project and information hub for RI food – has been charging forward over the last few years, bringing awareness of RI’s vibrant food scene right along with it. With last year’s $300,000 innovation grant award, he was able to forge ahead with plans on the Eat Drink RI Central Market, a much-needed culinary hub in Providence proper. Commensurate with their increasing ambitions, they recently hired on Katie Kleyla full time, as Director of Development For the last four years though, Eat Drink RI has hung their hat on throwing the definitive celebration of RI food with their Eat Drink RI Festival. Luckily for us, from April 30 to May 3, it’s that time again.

Eat Drink RI has a full schedule of events over the course of four days, each one mixing together Rhode Island’s great food, great chefs and great causes. We begin on Thursday with Dinner by Dames. Dinner by Dames is an ongoing series of collaborative chef-driven feasts, showcasing the considerable talents of some of Rhode Island’s best female chefs. When organizing the kickoff meal, Eat Drink RI found by happy accident that it fell on the annual nationwide fundraiser Dining Out For Life, and got on board, with dinner proceeds benefitting AIDS Project RI.

Friday evening brings us the truck stop. No, this isn’t a down and dirty themed pop-up swinger party, but I like where your head’s at. Instead, it’s a bunch of food trucks rolling onto the Alex and Ani City Center in Kennedy Plaza. Last year the Festival’s Truck stop raised over $106,000 for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, and they are hoping to build on that success this year. Katie Kleyla said that trucks end up serving up 500-600 portions each, on largely volunteered time, with Eat Drink RI reimbursing their costs and giving a minimal stipend. The generous folks circling the wagons this year on the rink include Tallulah’s Taqueria, Like No Udder, Mijos Tacos, Rocket Fine Street Food and others.

Have you never said the words “that’s a little much?” Perhaps Saturday is more your style. It’s twice the grandeur, with a Grand Ballroom at the Biltmore for a Grand Tasting. The list of participants reads like a who’s who of Rhode Island food, and will include stand after stand of food businesses both little and large showing off. In addition, there are cooking demonstrations of the not so secret formula to culinary excellence: top local chefs paired with top local farms. Eat Drink RI isn’t neglecting your perishing thirst either, bringing in samplings of locally produced beer, wine and spirits, from Bully Boy Distillers.

On Sunday, things are wrapped up with a Grand Brunch to benefit The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra Music School; Katie indicated that this is a personal cause for Eat Drink RI president David Dadekian, who along with his kids is frequently at the Vets, as well as rehearsals. The Grand Brunch means some pastry chefs get in on the action a little more, as well as a cocktail bar by Little Bitte Artisanal Cocktails and a coffee bar by New Harvest Coffee Roasters. If you’ve made it through the whole long weekend, you’re going to need one or both.