I was invited to Stowe, Vermont to broadcast from the Stowe Wine and Food Classic, a festival of wine and foods to be paired by chefs, winemakers and purveyors from throughout the culinary world. The headliners were nationally known winemakers and chefs who joined their colleagues based in the Green Mountain State to dazzle the crowd with their creations. The pairings were expert, even artistic. What I found most impressive was that two of the primary artists were from Rhode Island. One is a leading Providence restaurateur, the other an up-and-coming chef who helped launch two restaurants in the Ocean State between stints up north in ski country. more

Jack and Maureen Leyden, who’ve operated Big John’s Christmas Tree Farm in West Greenwich since 1970, last year incorporated wine production into their business. more

When restaurateur and Rhode Island-raised Glenn Beattie returns to the state next year, he will be bringing the Corner Bakery Cafe with him. more

“I have to say, it is a phenomenal year here!” says chef Brian Kingsford. He was waxing enthusiastic about a place where he spends almost as much time as he does in his well-regarded Providence restaurant, Bacaro. The chef starts most days out at Confreda Farm in western Cranston. He picks by hand basil and heirloom tomatoes and works closely with farmer Vin Confreda to select corn, peppers and other fresh vegetables. The close relationship Kingsford has with Confreda is readily apparent when the chef says he wants to have an in-depth conversation “with my farmer” about the bounty of this season’s produce and its exceptional quality. more

He might not be a native Rhode Islander, but Rick Simone is quite the Ocean State loyalist. more

Brickley’s Ice Cream owner Steve Groffi has had, for the last seven years, a front-row seat to a town’s cultural revitalization from his shop’s front door on Wakefield’s Main Street, in South Kingstown. more

Rhode Island remains second in the New England region for hotel occupancy rates and has seen a 6 percent revenue per room growth for 2012 so far, according to numbers from Smith Travel Research presented at Wednesday’s hospitality industry outlook summit. more

One year after sounding alarms that it was teetering on the brink of insolvency, WaterFire Providence reports that it has surmounted past issues and is looking to resurrect plans to consolidate operations in a single location. more

Rachael Wright had culinary training, a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and a dream of putting her education to work. After a couple of years waiting tables and trying to launch her career, Wright finally went where the jobs are: quick-service food. more

When HP Hood, the dairy company based in Lynnfield, Mass., started looking to relocate its annual amateur cooking competition from Portland, Maine, after three years there, there were lots of reasons to consider Providence. more