This past July, a courageous effort has left Wendy Rodger, of North Kingstown, unable to walk. In a perilous accident, she sacrificed her own well being for her 4 year-old son Evan, and sustained a broken pelvis as she lay trapped under the car that had been barreling towards him. Wendy was able to push her son to safety in the thick of the action and was airlifted to Boston's Tufts Medical Center to be treated for critical injuries. Wendy has also been a devout participant of the Pell Bridge Run which she and her friend Jessica Wood, of Wildwood Catering, have always ran together.
This year, however, Jessica will be pushing Wendy to the finish line in the four mile race over Newport Bridge. In addition to helping her friend finish the race, Jessica will also be helping Wendy finish her recovery. With medical bills exceeding one million dollars, Wildwood Catering will be hosting a pop-up restaurant to help this heroic mother and friend.
The pop-up will be at Wildwood's UMelt location in Providence and will be held this Friday, November 8th. A minimum donation of $50 will be asked of guests who will be served a four-course meal to benefit Wendy and her family.
Please help Wendy in her recovery this weekend and join her on Sunday, November 10th for her comeback this year at the Pell Bridge Race. Tickets are available online. More
The SeaMist Medspa is hosting a Fall Spectacular Event benefiting The Unquiet Professional Foundation. The Foundation supports the military community and the family of Sergeant Michael H. Simpson who was killed this in May while deployed in Afghanistan. He was a Green Beret working with C Company 4th Battalion 1st Special Forces Group in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan. Attendees will enjoy hors d’ouevres, cocktails, prizes, live music, silent auction and raffle. Tickets are $25. Nov. 6 from 5:30pm-7:30pm at Spain Restaurant, Narragansett. More
As parents, we all search for that perfect manual. The book that will not only help us become better parents but help our kids lead a happier life. When North Kingstown resident Carolyn Dalgliesh’s son was just two-years-old, she started searching for that perfect manual to help her.
Her son began showing signs of sensory challenges – diffculties in the way he processed information from his senses. Seemingly easy tasks such as getting ready to leave the house, sitting to have dinner or attending a play date became diffcult. An otherwise high functioning child and not eligible for many services, Carolyn soon realized that it would be her responsibility to make their daily home life work. “I was stuck in a place between how I had always thought parenting would be and what it really was for me and my child,” she says.
After years of developing strategies to organize her own home, Carolyn began Systems for Sensory Kids, LLC, a leading-edge organizing model for parents of sensory children. She started her in-home organizing business helping other families with rigid, anxious and distracted kids use structure and organizing tools to make their daily life less challenging.
From these in-home experiences, Carolyn created a road-map, a necessary manual, for parents to use on their own. The goal of her book, The Sensory Child Gets Organized, is to fill that void for many parents with sensory kids. “I was inspired out of my own experience with my sensory child. I wanted to help others by bridging the gap between essential clinical support and practical in-home solutions.”
The outline of her book came from a formalized plan she used in her own home; tools and tips that she had implemented for her son and saw great results. “Once I understood the core tools for sensory organization, I could apply them everywhere. The book shares these tools with other parents who can then implement them in their own home.”
Providing that support and clear road-map … More
The annual Citizen’s Bank Pell Bridge Run invites runners and walkers to cross the bridge to raise money for local non-profit organizations and also to promote a lifestyle. $55-$60. November 10. 6:30am. America’s Cup Avenue, Newport. 318-2991.
Got a family member or friend that you just never know what to get them for the holidays? What better way to get some early holiday shopping done and support the art scene than by attending the South County Artists’ Associations 43rd Holiday Sale. There will be assorted bowls, plates, sculpture and ornaments in clay, small paintings, drawings and photography, all done by SCAA members. Free. November 23-30. Gallery Hours Wednesday-Sunday 10am-6pm. Helme House, 2587 Kingstown Road, Kingston. 783-2195.
You have many chances to catch the URI Men’s Basketball team play at home this month. They play Southern Connecticut on November 1 at 7pm; Maine on November 8 at 7:30pm; North Carolina A&T on November 15 at 7pm; and UMass Lowell on November 23, time TBD. Ryan Center, 1 Lincoln Almond Plaza, South Kingstown. 874-7276.
Summer may have ended months ago, but savvy adults can still attend camp at the Ocean House in Westerly from November 1-3. The weekend includes a wine and cheese welcoming reception, two nights stay in the luxurious Ocean House accommodations, breakfast on Saturday and brunch on Sunday. The pièce de résistance of the weekend is an excursion to the Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington, CT. The excursion includes a tour of the winery, a picnic lunch, a seminar in custom wine blending and the opportunity to blend and label a case of your own wine. After all of the fun at the winery, campers will be treated to a four-course wine dinner in the Seasons Dining Room with Jonathan Edwards himself.
On November 6, George’s of Galilee is hosting a wine dinner. The four-course dinner costs $45 a person plus tax and tip. The menu includes seafood ceviche with smoky zucchini chips, seared sea scallops over coconut risotto, coffee rubbed pork tenderloin and honey-baked nectarines with mascarpone pudding. The wines featured are Love Block Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Steele Chardonnay “Calistoga Cuvee” from California, Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from California and Lunetta Prosecco from Italy. Reservations can be made by calling 783-2306. 250 Sand Hill Cove, Narragansett.
Oceanside at the Pier in Narragansett is now holding monthly wine dinners. The five-course dinners cost $50 per person, including both tax and gratuity. 1 Beach Street, Narragansett. 792-3999; be sure to check their Facebook page for the November menu.
There is a new place to stop for a quick bite to eat. If you’re looking for something to take back to the office, Designor Dogs and Chix food cart is the place. The food cart offers classic Saugys, gluten-free dogs and grilled chicken. Designor Dogs is located next to Consignors and is open from 11am-3pm.
Diners looking for Indian food in southern Rhode Island have a new place to check out. Sanjiv Dhar, owner of Providence’s Kabob and Curry and Pawtucket’s Rasoi, has opened a new restaurant, Rasa. The restaurant features many dishes made famous in Dhar’s other restaurants including my favorite, sweet and spicy fried cauliflower.
A pair of local treasure hunters is on the trail of American legends in the new Travel Channel show DigFellas, which premiered this fall.
Bill Ladd, of Warwick, and Howard Hewitt, of East Providence, spend each half hour episode searching for artifacts at sites linked to figures and stories from the annals of American history. In the first episodes, they’ve tracked Blackbeard and Zorro and unearthed an old, rusted pistol on a battlefield of Billy the Kid.
Ladd and Hewitt, who both got hooked on treasure as kids, have been hunting together for about a decade since meeting in a metal detecting club in Taunton. The pair first got noticed for their colorful videos on YouTube, where they whoop and cheer over their best finds around New England.
The antics continue on their reality show, complete with color commentary, their collectors’ motto of “passion over profit” and Ladd’s signature “Yeeeeah!” Amid the excitement of the hunt – and finds – Ladd and Hewitt offer capsule history lessons on the characters they’re chasing and speculate on just how Billy the Kid might have dropped a revolver in the heat of battle. DigFellas airs Wednesday nights at 8pm on the Travel Channel.
If you are itching to uncover pieces of Rhode Island’s architectural history, you don’t have to cross the Newport Bridge to do so. In fact, the Narragansett Historical Society is hosting its Inside the Garden Gates House Tour showcasing eight private homes, plus two historic churches within the Pier area, on October 13.
From noon to 4pm, tour guides will show the beautiful homes, including two that were designed by American architectural firm McKim, Mead and White who were prominent during the turn of the 20th century. Previous owners of the properties include the Bouvier family (you can see where young Jacqueline Kennedy lived), Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth (the brother of infamous John Wilkes Booth) and former RI Governor Joseph Garrahy.
This event is a fundraiser for the Narragansett Historical Society and all proceeds will help further the preservation and education of Narragansett’s widespread history. A great alternative to discovering Rhode Island’s history doesn’t always require the bridge tolls expense.
Tickets are $30 for society members and advance reservations and $40 day-of. Registration, tour booklets and ID bracelets will be handled at 11:30am at St. Thomas More Church, 53 Rockland Street, Narragansett. 783-8907
Warm your pre-winter bones by the liquid fire at The Cocktail Challenge, on October 19, at Westerly’s Windjammer Surf Bar. Local Westerly restaurants submitted over 40 cocktail recipes to the event’s panel of judges, who narrowed the selection down to the eight most creative and innovative of cocktails. Guests have the privilege of sampling each selected cocktail and then voting for their favorite, in addition to noshing on local food and listening to live music. Plus, while the cocktails ward away the autumn chill, the event’s good cause will warm your heart and soul. Hosted by the Westerly-Pawcatuck Young Professionals Network, The Cocktail Challenge benefits Opening Doors for Westerly’s Children, an initiative of United Way of Rhode Island. All proceeds go to an education fund that provides school supplies and scholarships to help low-income Westerly students at the Tower Street School. And what better reason for a toast than helping Rhode Island’s children achieve a worthwhile education? $40. 7-10pm. 321 Atlantic Ave, Westerly. Tickets can be purchased online.
The Chophouse Grille just opened with much fanfare on Route 1 in Wakefield. Taking over the space of the recently closed Casey’s Grill & Bar, the Chophouse Grille is a welcome addition to the southern Rhode Island dining scene. The Chophouse Grille promises to provide ingredients sourced from local farmers and fishermen: “the best Rhode Island has to offer.” Some menu highlights include Pt. Judith Calamari with roasted garlic butter, fried capers and pepperoncini; Lobster Panini with tarragon crème fraîche, swiss cheese, brie and vineripened tomato served with Old Bay fries; Grilled Yellowfin Tuna served with bok choy, coconut curry broth, toasted shitake mushrooms and rice noodles. All that, and I didn’t even mention the steaks yet! The aged steaks come in a variety of cuts from bone-in Delmonico to filet mingon to porterhouse and more. 191 Old Tower Hill Road, Wakefield. 284-0797.
Amy Weng, owner of the China Inn in Warwick, recently opened the Asian Café at 65 High Street in Westerly. The restaurant is offering a variety of Chinese, Japanese and Thai Dishes. Weng’s house specialties include Tung Ting Shrimp, Happy Family and the Asian Café Special which is fresh scallops, shrimp, chicken, broccoli and Chinese vegetables in a garlic sauce. 65 High Street, Westerly. 348-8886.
Send all food, beverage, restaurant, and chef news to Stacey Place by email. Follow Stacey on Twitter or visit her website.
Back again for its annual bout of food-loving extravagance, the Westerly Fall Restaurant Week continues until October 6. With more than 20 restaurants throughout Westerly participating, such as The Brazen Hen, 84 Tavern On Canal and The Twisted Vine, it’s a fabulous culinary cornucopia offering affordable three-course prix-fixe meals ($15 for lunch and $25 for dinner). For a full list of participating restaurants, visit their website.
The push toward localized and sustainable food continues as the Chefs Collaborative presents its 4th Annual Rhode Island BBQ on October 6. Hosted at the picturesque Schartner Farms, the event draws chefs from all across the state together for a family-oriented, barbecue-themed dinner showcasing the “farm-to-fork” movement. Proceeds benefit the Chefs Collaborative’s mission to make sustainability second nature in the professional kitchen. $65/ adults, $25/children ages 8-18, children under eight are free. 4-7pm. One Arnold Place, Exeter.
I set up a meeting at Farmaesthetics’ Newport flagship storefront with the intention of going all-natural for 30 days. As I enter their whitewashed boutique, it’s immediately clear that it’s more old-world apothecary than Bellevue Avenue chichi. Clear bottles with simple handwritten labels are neatly displayed on an oversized mantle (salvaged from a Newport mansion, no less). A clean, crisp herbal aroma fills the room. Kenzie Gallagher, the brand’s executive coordinator, is there to walk me through my month-long cleanse.
While each bottle offers healing properties, Kenzie points out that they don’t have one-size-fits-all directions. “We don’t tell people to use this every day or to apply that once a week,” she says when I ask about how often I should use an exfoliator. “It’s really just playing with the products and figuring out what’s best for you. You know what your body is telling you.”
She loads me up with a dozen products and enough confidence to experiment with them. When I get home, I organize them in my medicine cabinet by type: moisturizers, masks and cleansers. I’m so used to heavy, over-processed cosmetics that at first I’m taken by how light these feel. The Fine Herbal Cleanser (the company’s best selling product) is water thin as it lands in your palms. Delicate, aromatic foam is made by a slight rub of the hands. It’s so gentle that I can’t imagine it actually washing my face, but I apply it and a minute later I feel positively refreshed.
Day after day, I wash and moisturize. But each day is a different routine. In fact, the only true routine is that I’m making decisions based on my skin that day. When I’m feeling oily, I mix the Sweet Milk & Chamomile Exfoliate with the Fine Herbal Cleanser to create a rough scrub, and then moisturize with the light Nourishing Lavender Milk. When I’m feeling dehydrated, I layer the Midnight Honey Oil and the Nourishing Herbal Cream. It’s almost like cooking without a … More
The Bridge, Westerly
Live music with dinner Wednesday-Saturday.
Club Roxx at Kingstown Bowl, North Kingstown
Live bands and DJs in a surprisingly polished club inside a bowling alley.
Dan’s Place, West Greenwich
This big roadhouse restaurant presents live rock on Friday and Saturday nights.
Greenwich Hotel, East Greenwich
The old-school bar on the ground floor of this downtown hotel has live music on Thursday and Friday nights, including a songwriter’s series and open mic.
Malted Barley, Westerly
Reggae on Tuesday nights, live blues, rootsy jam bands, accordion rock and beyond on weekends.
Oak Hill Tavern, North Kingstown
Acoustic and electric rock, blues and country soloists and duos Friday-Sunday.
Perks and Corks, Westerly
Lively coffeehouse and bar offers live music nightly including singer/songwriters, jazz combos, alt-country, rockabilly and more.
Perry’s Good Times Cafe, Narragansett
Rock and blues on Friday and Saturday nights.
Tara’s Tipperary Tavern, Matunuck
Irish tunes and folk music on weekends and some week-nights; open mic on Thursdays.
Twisted Vine, Westerly
Restaurant presents singer/songwriters, bluegrass, funky jazz on weekend nights.
Wood River Inn, Wyoming
Live acoustic, blues, bluegrass and more on weekends.
Politics is Rhode Island’s favorite sport. Even though it’s still more than a year away, people are already gearing up for the 2014 election. The governor’s race looks like it’s shaping up to be a particularly bruising one. However, Mayors Angel Taveras and Allan Fung, two presumptive candidates for governor, have boldly chosen civility over callousness – at least for one night. The two competitors and friends have decided to face politics in a new way: together. The Mayors of Cranston and Providence invite all who can attend to An Evening with the Mayors: Civility in Politics, on Tuesday, October 22 at the Quonset O Club. The event features a buffet dinner. It’s sponsored by Rhode Island Commandery, Military Order of Foreign Wars, marking this night of innovative debate and consensus as an homage to reason and unity in Little Rhody's history.
Tickets are $40 per person in advance and available by calling 401-738-3844 or mailing check to RIMOFW at 26 Mohawk St, Coventry, 02816. See www.rimofw.org for further information. More
Rhode Island’s pre-winter chill and changing leaves act as harbingers for something tastier on the horizon: October’s seasonal beers. Breweries all across the state are overflowing with the stuff, each beer a combination of the respective brewery’s ideals and hands-on techniques. So of course, we had to have a taste.
With creamy chocolate tones and an unapologetic assertiveness, Revival Brewing’s Octoberfest Lager features an initial sweet kiss hello followed by a deliciously bitter goodbye.
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Clear hints of autumn dance through Narragansett Beer’s Fest, a traditional German Oktoberfest-style beer that balances seasonal flavor with refreshing drinkability.
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A little sweet, a little bitter, Grey Sail’s Autumn Wind offers a toasty, smooth flavor that sends a surprising chill across the tongue, as if the beer were actually infused with an autumn wind.
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When it comes to beers appropriate for accompanying autumnal pumpkin desserts, Newport Storm’s Oktoberfest takes the cake - or pie - with its intoxicating smell and light caramel taste.
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Smoother than the typical IPA, Foolproof’s Imperial IPA combines a strong bitter kick with floral hints, creating what one taster described as an “Olde English” drinking experience.