What We're Savoring in the Streets This Summer 2018
Dune Brothers: Traceable Local Seafood
Culinary school roommates Jason Hegedus and Nicholas “Nick” Gillespie are chefs and owners of the newly opened Dune Brothers Seafood in Providence. Natives of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, respectively, Jason and Nick hatched the idea for their business over a couple of fried smelts and beers while living in Portland, Oregon. The pair was nostalgic for the seafood shacks of their childhoods and began testing recipes through a series of pop-up dinners. After winning a bid to open in Providence’s Innovation District (think I-195 land), they headed back to the East Coast and turned to tricking out their seafood shack on wheels.
Dune Brothers Seafood is all about “traceable local seafood” that keeps New England seafood in New England. Jason and Nick both worked at farm-to-table restaurants in their early careers and thought that seafood ought to be treated in a similar “chef-driven,” “dock-to-dish” way. Dune Brothers’ menu is modeled after traditional U.K. fish and chipperies, featuring three main dishes prepared with a rotating array of fresh, locally landed fish plus chowder, clam cakes (‘cause it’s Rhode Island, after all) and oysters. Jason and Nick say customers often order based on the stories the chefs tell about the day’s unique offerings. Not only does this model help support local fishers but also hopefully prompts customers to think (and talk) about what’s local and sustainable the next time they visit the fishmonger.
DATA POINTS:
Chef/owners: Jason Hegedus and Nicholas Gillespie
Semi-permanent hangout: 239 Dyer St., Providence
Follow on: @dunebrothersseafood on Facebook and Instagram
Rain or shine: Yep. 11 am–8 pm, Tuesday through Saturday; beer and wine after 3 pm
Most popular dish: Cape Shark (“dogfish”) fish & chips is always on the menu
Favorite way to do fish & chips: The chefs recommend The Bait Box—brimming with chips (OK, fries) and whatever whitefish is fresh that day (smelt, herring, butterfish …)
Secret ingredient: Fish is fried in 100% beef fat
Favorite way to eat a quahog: Stuffies
Chowder: New England (“white chowder”), made with fresh clam juice, surf clams chopped right on the boat, in-house salted pork, potatoes, fresh herbs and two fresh littleneck clams
Local purveyors: Red’s Best, Fishmonger José Morales, Wards Berry Farm, Little City Growers
