“The Rhode Island cupcake community is competitive and very vocal. Everyone has a favorite and no one is afraid to talk about it. Loudly.” Jim Nellis does not mince words. Well, he didn’t in that sentence. He does occasionally mince words. Okay, he often minces words. After food-fighting, Nellis’ number one talent may actually be […]
In Laos, when someone wants to emphasize what they’re saying, they repeat the word twice. That’s how Vilada Khammahavong (known to everyone as “Vi”) came up with the name KowKow for her food truck — khao, pronounced “kow,” meaning either rice or food in her parents’ native tongue. And from my experience at KowKow, I […]
Saturday around 3:45 pm something happened in Kennedy Plaza that will go down in history. Well, if you count the Guinness Book of World Records as history. At an eating event sponsored by The Malted Barley, which provided the pretzels as well, the world record for speed pretzel eating was set. Geoffrey Esper downed 26 pretzels […]
In addition to writing about culinary adventures in Motif, I lead guided food tours every weekend with RI Red Food Tours. We traverse the streets of downtown PVD, eating small bites from seven different restaurants, and one of our stops is Knead Doughnuts. At least once every tour, I hear the comment, “Wow! I’m not […]
The first time I tried Vic’s craft ice cream, formerly known as Fountain and Co., was through the Stock Culinary Goods’ window on Hope Street. I didn’t realize that Victoria Young, the woman who founded Fountain and Co., and now the new owner of Vic’s Hand-Crafted Ice Cream in Barrington, was one of the […]
Evelyn’s Drive-In is the real deal. There are a lot of excellent places to get New England seafood around Rhode Island. Restaurants serving clam cakes, clam chowder, lobster rolls and fish n’ chips are in solid supply in the Ocean State. But how many of those restaurants include these directions on their website? “Motor slowly […]
The Broth Bros are lighting up Instagram feeds around New England with scintillating pictures of noodles, chowder, ramen and all things soup! I caught up with Stephanie Martineau, the creator and social media manager of the Broth Bros. She was on holiday in Thailand, but luckily for me she hit a solid wifi zone and […]
Starting a business can be a lengthy process. For Urban Greens Co-Op, the wait has been worth it. It was founded in 1999 as a buying club for a small group of people with a mission to supplement the lack of grocery store options in Providence’s West End. Since then, it has grown into a […]
Increasingly, consumers are making an effort to shop — and eat — more sustainably, with an effort to prioritize eating local foods that reduce one’s carbon footprint. Traditional Styrofoam packaging, plastic cutlery and take-out bags can wreak havoc on the environment, and several RI eateries have taken note. So Motif has come up with a list […]
I have Celiac disease, but thanks to this banana muffin recipe from my Aunt Lynda, I never have to toss overripe bananas in the trash. She developed this recipe as part of a healthy detox plan. Not only are these muffins gluten-free, the oat bran in them helps lower cholesterol and the almond flour is a […]