Inaugural Restore the Shore Restaurant Industry Coastal Awareness Week
By Courtney Nicolson, communications specialist
The Rhode Island restaurant industry came together in a show of support for the inaugural Restore the Shore Restaurant Industry Coastal Awareness Week hosted by Pizza Marvin October 23-29.
The idea came from Bristol native, Robert Andreozzi, co-founder of Pizza Marvin in the Fox Point neighborhood in Providence. “Save The Bay has always existed in my life in one way or another. I grew up in Bristol doing cleanups with schools and friends. At Pizza Marvin, from the beginning, we’ve always tried to collaborate with people in the community, both in other restaurants and charities.”
Restaurants from across the state signed up to participate, choosing one dish or cocktail to donate a portion of their proceeds from during the week. The list ranged from Providence boutique restaurants to Newport fine dining spots: Chomp Kitchen + Drinks, Dune Brothers, New Rivers, Mission, Bywater, Durk’s BBQ, The Eddy, Courtland Club, There, There., Dolores, Nimki, Pickerel, Tallulah’s Taqueria, Bayberry Garden, Oberlin, Gift Horse, Giusto Newport. “It was a mix of grassroots recruiting and just kind of throwing it out into the universe and seeing who would join us on this adventure” says Andreozzi who reached out personally to industry friends and also put the word out on his website and social media.
Warren restaurant Bywater, which prides itself on showcasing local Rhode Island seafood, took part in the event. “We’re so delighted to support this initiative that raises awareness (and dollars) in support of the shore. Our menu would be a sad state of affairs without the bounty that our local waters—and those who make their living on them”, they posted on social media.
Beau Vestal, owner of Providence eatery, New Rivers donated 50% of all oyster sales for the week as a show of support saying that “living a stone’s throw from Narragansett Bay, this one is extra special to me and my family.”
Some of the restaurants donated proceeds from an existing dish, while some created something uniquely special for the event. Providence boutique cocktail bar Courtland Club crafted a custom blue cocktail called the “Save The Bae”. In full coastal spirit they created special house made infusions with wild beach pea-infused vodka and beach rose-infused gin with produce foraged in the summer in Little Compton, RI.
The second component of the Restore the Shore Restaurant Industry Coastal Awareness Week was an industry only coastal cleanup on Tuesday, October 24th at India Point Park in Providence, RI. Save The Bay is the Rhode Island coordinator for the International Coastal Cleanup, a global movement which tracks litter pollution. After the event, participants were invited back to Pizza Marvin for food, drinks, and celebration. “We want to participate and be a great community member and do that in a way that honors what we think is exciting and fits with our culture. A bay cleanup and hosting people back at Pizza Marvin fit naturally with that. I was very surprised and touched by the number of restaurants that participated in this event.” says Andreozzi. The group collected over 255 lbs of trash in about an hour and a half of cleaning.
Both the fundraiser and the cleanup were a huge success, and Save The Bay would like to thank Robert Andreozzi, Pizza Marvin, and all of the volunteers who made it possible. Andreozzi says he looks forward to expanding the event next year with more restaurants. “The most important thing is that we’re bringing awareness to Narragansett Bay.”
