Food

A Hint of France

Bravo's Raymond Scarpone on collaboration and inspiration

Posted Monday, September 24, 2012 3:31 pm

Raymond Scarpone is the kitchen manager at Bravo Brasserie

Mike Braca

Stephanie Obodda

Describe Bravo Brasserie.
Bravo is a French-inspired bistro. We don’t have a French menu per se, but that’s the inspiration for the atmosphere and feel. Our menu is very diverse and has something for everyone, basically everything you can imagine: burgers, sandwiches, seafood, steak, duck, lamb, veal.

What are some popular dishes?
Our Pan Seared Sea Scallops are seared topped with a shallot tarragon cream sauce and served over mashed potatoes and spinach. The Roast Duck a l’Orange is also a good seller and my personal favorite dish on the menu. It’s half a roasted duck served with orange marmalade and a Grand Marnier reduction, along with roasted potatoes and green beans.

What are you looking forward to in the fall?

I’m looking forward to the changing of the vegetables and all the great seasonal stuff. I think my favorite fall vegetable is pumpkin. I especially like pumpkin ravioli and pumpkin pie.

How long have you been at Bravo?
I’ve been here a little over four years. I’m the kitchen manager. Before, that, I was at Barnsider's with the same owner, Fred Goodwin. Fred bought Bravo after Barnsider's closed and I came over here with him. This place was already named Bravo. We kept the same concept and put our own touches on it: we just reworked the menu a bit, changed some staff, and made the business work more effectively.

Do you have any advice for aspiring chefs?
It’s not easy... but if you stick with it, you’ll have a lot of fun and meet a lot of cool people.

What’s the atmosphere like in the Bravo kitchen?
On a busy night there are between four and six cooks. We have two kitchens, one upstairs in the banquet room and one downstairs for the dining room. It gets really busy on a Saturday night when we have a full dining room and a 100-person party upstairs. I bounce back and forth between the kitchens when they’re both in use.

What do you like about downtown Providence?
I like the people, the atmosphere, the bars and the food. Everyone is friendly. It’s changed a lot since I first came here 10 years ago; now it seems like a totally different place. It’s cleaner, more friendly and the landscape is always changing with new buildings.