A Honey of an Idea

Let’s start with the name: Oatmiel Cafe. No, it’s not misspelled; it is owner Courtney Dietz’s nod to the Spanish, French and Italian word for honey, also an ingredient in one of her sweet oat bowls. The five sweet and five savory oat bowls each has a name that begins with Bee, such as Bee Fruitful or Bee Zestful (lemon zest) or Bee Butter. Savory examples include Bee Wild (with mushrooms and cheddar) and Bee Diligent (bacon, fried egg and cheddar). Customers often choose the latter “when they see the word bacon,” Dietz uses only gluten-free oats and offers any of the bowls as vegan, vegetarian or “make-your-own.” Dietz and her sister began to dream about this grainy enterprise on a 2011 cross-country bike ride, because oatmeal was easy to tote and to cook. Dietz single-handedly converted a 1978 horse trailer into Rhode Island’s first oatmeal food truck, and in October 2019, she began showing up at farmers markets in Providence, Scituate and her hometown of Burrillville. She made it through the Covid lockdown and Oatmiel is currently open two days a week.

For more information, go to OatmielCafe.com or follow the truck @oatmiel_cafe.