PROVIDENCE — For years, Providence’s restaurant scene has punched above its weight, known by outsiders for its Italian food, for institutions like Al Forno bringing grilled pizza to the US, excellent access to local fish, and for its affordable prices compared to nearby Northeast cities like Boston and New York.
But in recent years, the industry here has been drawing tons of national attention, including two James Beard Awards in three years, more spending than ever by tourists on food and beverages, and major investments that continue to roll in.
Opportunities for operators and chefs to be creative have never seemed more apparent than in the past year, even as the economics have grown increasingly onerous. Food and labor costs have increased, behemoth hospitality groups are starting to form, and commercial rents are rising.
Clearly there’s a lot going on. This is why I hosted my very first Food Club Live, bringing together some of the biggest names in Providence in front of a live audience at Track 15, earlier this month for a series of one-on-one “fun and honest” conversations. And a couple hundred restaurateurs, chefs, and patrons came out to listen to the industry leaders creating the concepts people can’t stop talking about.
LOMA co-owner Leishla Maldonado discussed what it’s like to bartend and run one of the hottest new cocktail bars in America while sober.Maggie McConnell and Josh Finger, the husband-and-wife duo behind Claudine, a tasting menu restaurant in downtown that opened last year, talked about their push to bring a new generation of fine dining back to the city, and having to rebuild and make a comeback after a pipe burst flooded the restaurant just as it was gaining momentum.Cecilia Lizotte, the owner of West African restaurant Suya Joint, talked about being publicly vulnerable when her brother and manager was detained by ICE, and how the community rallied around her and her two restaurants in Boston and Providence. Chef Robert Andreozzi and beverage leader Jesse Hedberg of Pizza Marvin, Club Frills, and four new concepts at Newport’s Hotel Viking broke news with me, unveiling their early plans for the former Durk’s restaurant space, which they will soon transform into Rollers, a new sports bar downtown.
Didn’t make the event? We recorded it for Globe Rhode Island’s weekly podcast, Rhode Island Report. Listen to the whole episode on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. And don’t forget to “follow” us to get updated on all of our episodes, which are hosted by my colleague, Edward Fitzpatrick.
Claudine co-owners Maggie McConnell (right) and Josh Finger speaking to Globe reporter Alexa Gagosz during Food Club Live on May 6, 2026 at Track 15 in Providence, R.I.Kindell Brown
Background reading:
The Rhode Island Report podcast is produced by The Boston Globe Rhode Island. To get the latest episode each week, follow the Rhode Island Report podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcasting platforms, or listen in the player above.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
Dining and Cooking