Every year just about this time, I have the pleasant task of letting you know about new and relaunched restaurants around the state. Just in time for the high season, chef-owners and restaurateurs roll the dice and open their doors. In reviewing the columns I have written on this topic over the past five years, I uncovered an interesting trend. The number of restaurants opening their doors each year since the recession began is something of an economic indicator. more

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island’s Hope Commons dining facility has been recognized for excellence by the National Association of College & University Food Services, for its efforts in environmental conservation. more

Restaurateurs and chefs are fond of saying that this time of year is “quiet” in the food business. If that ever was the case, it certainly is not this year. No sooner had we hung up our new calendars (or waited that nanosecond for our electronic devices to update their calendar settings) than we are already off and running with a full slate of food festivals and wine-tasting events that should make the winter fly by. more

A bit of patience on our parts will be well worthwhile as some of our favorite local restaurants take a break this winter to freshen up and put on a new look. more

The number of restaurants on Providence’s Federal Hill has not changed very much in the last decade or two. But there is a resurgence on the Hill’s Restaurant Row these days that is noticeable. New places have started up, in spaces where restaurants had been and in a few spots where they had not. more

In southern New England, most of the seafood you see and eat comes from halfway around the world. Unless you pay close attention to where your fish is coming from, it is likely that it is from China or Canada, and the same can be said throughout the country. more

The description reads like a reality TV show. Teams of culinary students compete to open, manage and cook in their own restaurant. They will be judged by restaurant owners, chefs and culinary professionals. The winner receives cash and the chance to go on to a national competition to win more cash. more

Chef Joseph Leonardi, executive chef at the Somerset Club in Boston, conducts a two-hour demonstration to Johnson & Wales University culinary students on Jan. 16. Leonardi returned to his alma mater for the event as the 168th distinguished visiting chef and was honored at a luncheon. Joining him during the demo was Celia Cordeira, rear, a junior in the culinary-arts program, who received a $2,000 scholarship in his name. more

Just a year ago, Stephanie Hebert was a long-term unemployed woman in her mid-20s without a college education or high school diploma – exactly the population at risk for chronic joblessness and public-assistance dependence. more

In a world of tweets, posts and texts, the face-to-face lunch meeting is still a staple of how business gets done in Rhode Island, according to Dale Venturini, president of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association. more