March also marked the launch of SAVEUR’s Spring/Summer issue, in which another former Providence resident, editorial assistant Ryan McCarthy, paid homage to an underhyped local treasure: the saucy, gloriously room-temp pizza strip. As the festival’s official media partner, SAVEUR helped close out the weekend in the most Rhode Island way possible—by hosting an industry afterparty at Fox Point’s iconic Narragansett Brewery with pizza for days and buckets of ice-cold beer. In addition to an impressive range of brews—from coffee milk stout to hazy IPA to Czech-style pilsner—there were pillowy pretzel bites to snack on with a choice of ’Gansett beer cheese or agave mustard. 

Jan Dane of Stock Culinary Goods set up shop near the nibbles with stacks of issues 204 and 203 and Burlap & Barrel x SAVEUR spice blends. As she slid magazines into custom SAVEUR totes, she remarked that the “energy in the space was electric,” buzzing with enthusiastic chefs, restaurateurs, wine experts, journalists, and other industry pros all under one roof. 

A few yards away, Providence culinary legend and longtime SAVEUR contributor Joan Nathan signed copies of her latest cookbook, My Life in Recipes, while simultaneously schmoozing with partygoers. 

Out on the patio, local pizzaioli slung pie after pie from a fleet of Ooni pizza ovens. Pizza Marvin co-owner and James Beard Award semi-finalist Robert Andreozzi served special pizzas for the occasion: the first, an ode to pizza strips with crushed tomatoes, garlic oil, oregano, and pecorino; the second, a white carbonara pie topped with shaved asparagus, pancetta, and egg yolk. Alongside Andreozzi, Kevin O’Donnell (chef and owner of Newport’s Giusto and Mother Pizzeria) was putting his own spin on classic Rhode Island “party pie” with estratto di pomodoro, bianco di napoli tomatoes, and chile flakes. O’Donnell—who just opened a second Mother location at Track 15, Providence’s first-ever food hall—also caused a stir with a Hawaiian-ish pie featuring pineapple slivers, ’nduja, roasted peppers, caciocavallo, and hot honey.

Andreozzi grew up in Providence and appreciates the culinary camaraderie. “All the chefs here are very close, and we look to folks like Ben [Sulke] for a lot of support,” he says. “When I have pizza questions, I call Kevin. There is a really amazing support network here and I’m really honored to be a small part of that.”

Back inside the brewery, platters were piled high with even more local pizza—classic red strips from LaSalle Bakery. When it came time for dessert, the 93-year-old institution paraded out trays of iconic Italian American sweets, including their signature zeppole and cannoli.

The SAVEUR team mingled with many familiar faces from the local bar and restaurant community, including sommelier and partner at Oberlin and Gift Horse Bethany Caliaro; Angelo’s Restaurant president Jaimie Antignano; knifemaker and fisherwoman Joyce Kutty; Dune Brothers fishmonger Luke Mersfelder; There, There chef Brandon Teachout; Osman Cortave, co-owner of Federal Hill’s newly opened Latin-inspired bar, Loma; and Frank & Laurie’s co-owners Eric Brown and Sarah Watts. And where there’s pizza, there is likely to be Pizza Wine founder Liz McDonnell (who also happens to be Andreozzi’s partner). Other guests included Rollie Wesen, the JWU professor and executive director of the Jacques Pépin Foundation; Downeast Dayboat owner and scallop expert Togue Brawn; photographer Christine Chitnis; America’s Test Kitchen food stylist and senior editor Ashley Moore; Hey Rhody Media Co.’s editor-in-chief Elyse Major; Brooklyn musician Brian Dunne; viral “map man” Andrew Middleton; and our friends from Rhode Island’s own Meridian Printing, who painstakingly produce each and every hard copy of SAVEUR.

“We all love SAVEUR, and it’s been amazing to see Rhode Island represented in its pages,” says Caliaro, who participated in one of the weekend’s panels. “I’m really excited about the first festival that Providence Culinary Collective put on—and what it means for the future of food in our city.”