‘To be a powerhouse city, we need to show off our talent': New wine, culinary festivals coming to Providence

Some of the events will be free or low-cost and open to the public, where you can sip and eat creative bites from local food trucks. Others will 'roll out the red carpet, with caviar and champagne,' said Ortiz. That range, they said, is the point.
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Rosanna Ortiz, left, and Kristen Adamo, right, at a vineyard in Napa Valley, California.
Kristen Adamo
The long-time friends are influential women in their own right, particularly when it comes to showcasing the city's core features. Adamo is the president and CEO of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, where she has the ear of politicians and is responsible for bringing millions of dollars in meetings, conventions, and
Adamo has been dreaming up a culinary festival in Providence for nearly two decades, while Ortiz said she has been nurturing the idea of hosting a wine festival for years. But this year's won't be a one-off.
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'This is our incubator,' Adamo promises, hoping this will become an annual tradition that will grow over time.
This year's festivals are the first-of-their-kind in Providence, but some elements will be reflective of other festivals around the country. They spoke to the organizers of Charleston Wine & Food festival, which is a major bash, during their planning, for example.
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Unlike many wine festivals around the region, Ortiz said she has prioritized paying her sommeliers. As organizers, she and Adamo really aren't paying themselves, but some proceeds will go to Feed the Children, an anti-hunger nonprofit that delivers food and other essentials to children and families.
On March 27, they'll kick off the festival in the morning by reopening the
The lamb shank at Cafe Nuovo is slow-braised for six hours with roasted orzo and tomato braising sauce.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
'We're going to focus on domestic, because no one does. Everyone reaches for Italian and International, when we have plenty of really great wines right in California,' said Ortiz.
On March 28, guests will be able to meet
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On March 29, several food trucks will line up outside Veterans Memorial Auditorium for bites, while local beer and wine will be served from Good Vibes Beverages. Wine X will host a tasting event (
They'll host a 'Vintners Dinner' by chef
Inside the former Dorrance restaurant space at 60 Dorrance St., in Providence, R.I.
Go Providence
Each day, they'll also host a 'Trash Talk & Tipsy' pairing series, which will explore the perhaps underrated satisfactions of
They'll close out the festivals on March 30 with a drag brunch outside The Dark Lady and The Alley Cat,
'March in Providence is going to be a lot,' said Adamo, who rattled off several major events that will take place prior to the festivals: St. Patrick's Day, national wrestling matches,
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Motioning over a three-page schedule of events for the culinary and wine festivals, Adamo and Ortiz said the schedule is still in flux, and they may be adding more tasting events and ticketed dinners. One of them, which is still being planned, could be right at Res American Bistro.
'This is ambitious,' said Adamo of the food and wine festivals, while holding out her stemmed wine glass for another pour. 'But it's the right time for Providence. And this city deserves a showcase.'
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at

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