The September issue of “Rhode Island Monthly” is out, with stories spanning food, culture and a deeply personal piece of Rhode Island history.
Editor Jamie Coelho joins afternoon host Mareva Lindo to talk about what’s inside, from the latest developments on Rhode Island’s dining scene to a bittersweet cover story decades in the making.
Interview Highlights:
Changes at Beech in Jamestown:
Jamie Coelho: Conanicut Restaurant Group has teamed up with celebrity chef Michael Schlow from Boston. Schlow is known for his Alta Strada restaurant at Foxwoods and his Schlow burger. Beech focuses on mainstream fare like seafood and pasta.
A reality star in Rhode Island who isn’t one of the “housewives”:
Coelho: Her name is Alexia DiGiglio Mancini, and a lot of people know her from Instagram and Facebook for her “You had me at kitchen” series where she cooks these amazing Italian family-style recipes. She really got noticed by the Food Network by her social media accounts, and they started this show called 100 Cooks, where they chose 100 home cooks from all over the nation to compete in this reality series. So it was kind of like “Deal or No Deal,” but with a food spin where they had all of the home cooks together, all 100 lined up and they would roll challenges. So, depending on what number the cook was, they'd be called to the stage to complete a food cooking challenge. So she made it all the way to the top 10, which is really cool out of 100.
A very small new bar in the Jewelry District:
Coelho: Bevi Bar started out as a mobile beverage vendor, and they still run it out of a vintage Italian three-wheeled truck, and they would go around to events and weddings to host parties and pour champagne and all kinds of cocktails. The brother and sister duo decided to open up their own bar in the former tiny bar space and it has kind of like an Italian courtyard feel where you can go have Aperol Spritz or Hugo Spritz. They serve beautiful snacks imported from Italy, and they even have a Tuscan-inspired wine window where you knock on the window and they hand you your beverage through the window, which is really cute.
This month’s cover story about a Big River holdout:
Coelho: Big River Management Area is an area that was taken over by the state, and there were homes that were all in this area, but they were basically taken over by the state, and the plans were to put in a dam, but that project never happened. And this family held out, and they continued to stay there over 60 years, but finally, they're leaving their family home and their land.
This story is by Tom Mooney, who is a retired Providence Journal reporter who spent the last year getting to know this family and telling their heartbreak of losing their family home.
