R.I. a farm-to-table leader

FRESH PRODUCE: Four Town Farm's Lois D'Ambra shows off freshly picked strawberries. The farm's strawberry season usually begins the first of June and runs through August. / COURTESY FOUR TOWN FARM
FRESH PRODUCE: Four Town Farm's Lois D'Ambra shows off freshly picked strawberries. The farm's strawberry season usually begins the first of June and runs through August. / COURTESY FOUR TOWN FARM

“Farm to table” is such a familiar term these days it may be about to lose its meaning. Here in Rhode Island, some restaurants have been practicing the method long before it became fashionable.

Lou Perella, chef-owner of Perella’s Ristorante in Warren, has been visiting nearby Nunes Farm each morning when the sun comes up not only to visit with farmer Steve Nunes, but to go into the field and hand pick zucchini flowers.

He then brings them back to his restaurant kitchen, stuffs them with a creamy blend of ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, batters them in a light tempura-style batter, then flash-fries them and serves them with a side of marinara, two flowers to a serving. They have about another month or so to be enjoyed as an appetizer or a side dish. But that doesn’t mean the season is over. Once the zucchini goes away, other squash flowers will be available. When stuffed, the cheese blends well with the mild, delicate flavor of the flower, which has a hint of the taste of the zucchini or other squash.

Perella said, “I have been fortunate to have been here for 20 years.” When he first opened, he was buying produce from Tourtellot and Co., longtime Providence fruit and vegetable wholesale dealer then located in the Promenade section near what is now Providence Place mall and now in Warwick and Providence.

- Advertisement -

One of his early regular customers was a supervisor at the wholesaler who introduced Perella to the local farmers who brought produce to the market. The chef soon got to know who grew what. He recalled, “D’Allesandro Farm [in Warren] grew tomatoes, peppers and zucchini. Nunes grew hot peppers and eggplant, [farmer] Tommy Clegg at Four Town Farm [in Seekonk] had radishes and cucumbers. Chase Farms [in Portsmouth] grew cabbage. I got to know them early on and even worked out some interesting business arrangements.” The farmers welcomed the chef to walk their fields and hand pick his produce. Then, Perella had a table waiting for the farmers. They had a standing Thursday night reservation for steamed clams. “For someone starting out, it was great.”

At Aunt Carrie’s in Point Judith, farm to table has been the house rule since 1920. Of course the practice has gone hand in hand with “boat to table,” with the nearby Galilee fishing fleet being the source for the iconic restaurant’s seafood specialties. All the classics, from fried clams to lobsters to flounder for the fish and chips and seafood platters, are “off the boat” at the famed fishing port.

But the farm is very important to another equally iconic section of the menu. Aunt Carrie’s prides itself on its baked goods, especially pies. The bakers arrive early each morning. The fresh fruit that is literally hand-peeled by the bakers every morning comes from nearby Carpenter’s Farm, along with cucumbers, tomatoes and onions, cabbage for the slaw and of course potatoes for the chowder.

A related artisan story concerns the famous clam cakes. Back in 1920, Carrie and Ulysses Cooper were vacationers from Connecticut. Ulysses lamented the fact that there was no place around Point Judith that sold cold drinks. Opportunity met necessity and Ulysses was soon in the lemonade business. Children of other vacationing families would bring clams to Carrie and she would make chowder. Her original corn fritter recipe soon became her clamcake recipe, complementing the chowder. The more people who tasted, the more she would have to make.

Ulysses and Carrie – who became so familiar to the seaside conclave that everyone started calling her “Aunt” Carrie – thought perhaps they should try selling the clamcakes and chowder, along with their ice-cold lemonade.

The rest is history. And the recipe for the clamcake batter is still a secret. But the corn meal that is the foundation for them is now ground and milled by another iconic Rhode Island company, Kenyon’s Grist Mill in nearby Usquepaugh. •

Bruce Newbury’s “Dining Out” talk radio show can be heard on 920 WHJJ-AM, 1540 WADK-AM and on mobile applications. He can be reached by email at bruce@brucenewbury.com.

No posts to display