While the dishes chefs compose inevitably take center stage, their behind-the-scenes arsenal, from ingredients to equipment, is critical to their success. In essence, it takes a delicious and well-stocked village. In Rhode Island, there’s an enviable network of growers, farmers, artisans, chefs and restaurateurs who collectively subscribe to a “rising tide floats all boats” philosophy, and the suppliers who facilitate securing those needs are undoubtedly part of each chef’s inner circle. For home cooks looking for those hard-to-find ingredients or bulk amounts for large-quantity recipe projects, it’s helpful to know where the chefs shop.
Sid Wainer & Son and Jansal Valley Provisions
Chances are, if you’re dining at a Rhode Island restaurant, something on your plate was sourced from Sid Wainer & Son in New Bedford, Massachusetts. With more than 30,000 customers stretching from Maine to Virginia, ranging from mom-and-pop Main Street eateries to well-known franchise restaurants, universities and schools, airlines and cruise lines, this company’s reach has covetable market share. The Wainer family has served as a gateway to exquisite global foods for more than a century, with four generations acting as the conduit between chefs and everything from sustainable Scottish Atlantic salmon to Italian truffles, Stilton cheese from family-owned British farms and flavors from the Far East. Very much tied to the local agriculture community and committed to preserving sustainable farming, Sid Wainer works with an exclusive network of farms and markets. They also sell products and local produce under their own Jansal Valley label and retail store. The Wainer Family Farm in South Dartmouth experiments with organic growing practices, identifying the best ways to raise covetable crops including nearly 150 fruits, vegetables and herbs across its 50 FarmCoast acres.
M–Sa, 9 am–5 pm
2301 Purchase St., New Bedford, MA
800.249.0447; JansalValley.com
J.A.R. Bakers Supply and The Bakers Niche
A third-generation family business, J.A.R. Bakers Supply was founded in 1947 and continues to serve chefs, pastry chefs and bakers across the region. Behind the doors of its off-the-beaten-path warehouse in Lincoln, you’ll find more than 2,000 items in bulk including 30 types of flour (available in 25- and 50-pound bags), various batters for deep frying (how else would Rhode Island clam cakes reach golden perfection?), pre-beaten eggs and three-pound bags of fresh pre-sliced peeled apples ready for pies and apple crisps (they’re one of J.A.R.’s many specialty items). The Bakers Niche is open to the public with pre-made specialties, including myriad buttercream frostings, thaw-and-serve frozen cakes, plus Guittard baking chocolates (in dark, white and milk varieties) and dairy products including Plugrá butter, which has a higher butterfat content than standard American butter, and heavy cream (plus nondairy cream). Food coloring and sprinkles are available in a rainbow of colors and while the provisions impress, equipment includes everything from decorating stands, spatulas and Styrofoam “dummy” cakes to more than 1,000 pastry tips in every shape imaginable.
M–F, 9 am–3:30 pm
12 Crow Point Rd., Lincoln, RI
401-725-9660 ext. 118; BakersNiche.net
Virginia & Spanish Peanut Co.
Started by an Armenian immigrant Peter S. Kaloostian in 1913, the Virginia & Spanish Peanut Co. (named for the two most popular peanut varieties) was later inherited by his two sons, who expanded its offerings to include seeds and all-natural peanut butter under the familiar Brown Bear label. The next generation added more product layers at the Providence facility during the 1950s and ’60s: trail mixes, snacks including dried fruits and plantain chips, quality chocolate chips and candy ranging from jelly beans to Jordan Almonds. They also added concession supplies. “What really makes us unique is we do all the roasting here on premises … someone grinds the peanut butter by hand right on site for a nice, fresh product,” says Candy Kaloostian, who proudly represents the company’s fourth generation along with sisters Shelley and Ellen (with a fifth-generation family member now on the payroll). Serving all of New England, the company counts Capriccio and Al Forno as just two of the many local restaurants they have been working with for years, says Kaloostian.
Tu–F 8 am–4:30 pm; (and Sa 8 am–noon through Dec 21)
260 Dexter St., Providence
401.421.2543; VSPnut.com
Newport Specialty Foods
Don’t let the name fool you; Newport Specialty Foods is the go-to food supply for chefs far beyond the City by the Sea. For more than 35 years, chefs have turned to the company to locate rare and trending specialty foods. Delivering seven days a week, everything from imported chocolate to 50 flavors of frozen fruit purée used for both cocktails and cooking, not to mention domestic and international cheeses—available in small quantities if needed, are at the chef’s fingertips. “A lot of chefs order daily because they don’t have the storage space, especially restaurants in the old buildings of Newport,” explains President Kathy Ryan, “and we break cases, so we can deliver if a chef needs, say, a sweet chili sauce or sriracha.” With a rising wave of millennial chefs, Ryan says fusion cuisine demands the company offer a variety of hard-to-find ingredients. Important to note: Be sure to consult the extensive choices online first—there is no retail store in which to shop, but you can enter the warehouse door and request specific items for purchase.
M–F 9am–5 pm; Sa 9 am–noon
1079 Aquidneck Ave., Middletown
401.849.1544; NewportSpecialtyFoods.net
