This March, I attended the second annual Providence Culinary Collective. Founded by the Providence Warwick CVB in partnership with the Rhode Island Wine Experience (Wine X), the four-day citywide food and wine festival, already expanded from last year, encompassed 30-plus events.
Standout experiences included a Portuguese wine dinner at Track 15 featuring dishes from the event-capable food hall’s award-winning restaurateurs.
Founded in Providence in 1914, prestigious culinary school Johnson & Wales University (JWU) offers 50-plus event spaces around the city, plus catering services. JWU’s satellite Harborside Campus includes the artifact-rich, event-capable Culinary Arts Museum, where JWU catered our lunch in a historic diner exhibit.
Pairing JWU student chefs with top Providence chefs, the “Seven Nations, One Table” dinner at The Reserve on Dorrance event venue featured dishes from seven 2026 FIFA World Cup participants including Scotland, Ghana and France. The evening benefited the Rhode Island Hospitality Association scholarship fund established in memory of David DePetrillo, the beloved longtime director of Visit Rhode Island who passed away last year.
The seven nations are among those playing at Gillette Stadium, about 30 minutes from Providence, which is anticipating a major soccer-fan influx this summer.
The historic venue also hosted the exclusive Vinter’s Dinner, pairing French wines with dishes from JWU graduate and 2026 James Beard Best Chef: Northeast finalist Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway.
The festival ran concurrently with the second four-day Lil Rhody Laugh Riot comedy festival. Stars including John Mulaney and Chelsea Handler performed in historic group-capable venues such as the Providence Performing Arts Center and Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
Thousands of builders, contractors and other attendees were also in town for the 31st edition of Informa’s two-day JLC LIVE residential construction show.
Held in Providence virtually every year since inception, JLC LIVE’s takeover of the newly renovated Rhode Island Convention Center included the expanded fifth-floor junior ballroom and scenic new third-floor Exchange bar.
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Culinary events are a Providence cornerstone, built on foundations set more than 20 years ago by Providence Warwick CVB President and CEO Kristen Adamo. Joining the bureau as director of communications in 2005, Adamo commenced a continuing strategy to raise the city’s national culinary profile, which she shares in this recent Q&A.
Jeff Heilman: Congratulations on 21 years with the bureau! Take us back to the roots of Providence’s elevation as a culinary destination.
Kristen Adamo: I was among several relatively new marketing hires tasked with taking a hard look at what set Providence apart from its competitive set. The depth of our food culture topped that list. Fresh seafood from Narragansett Bay, waves of immigrant culinary traditions and Johnson & Wales, combined with a creative community and our inherent “let’s figure it out” attitude, are key ingredients that make Providence truly special.
Our opening shot across the bow was creating one of the region’s first Restaurant Weeks in 2006, followed by working with leading publications to showcase our culinary talent. The resulting accolades from publications including Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine and Saveur got people talking and national attention. Our ensuing comprehensive marketing campaign stays fresh to this day with new chefs, mixologists and food makers continually joining our dynamic culinary scene.
How has the strategy changed visitors’ perception of Providence?
Providence was once overshadowed by more buzzed-about New England destinations. Defining our culinary identity changed all that. Food is visual. Helped by social media, our sophisticated and eclectic culinary scene allows visitors to try dishes they may have only seen online. Restaurants are a big part of selling our meetings package. The Rhode Island Convention Center is a short walk from great restaurants, which give busy delegates ready access to true tastes of place.
What sparked the Providence Culinary Collective?
I was vacationing with friends, including Wine X founder Rosanna Ortiz. She always wanted to do a wine event, I had always wanted to do a culinary festival, and so we decided to work together, bringing in community partners like RI Food Trucks, food incubator Hope & Main, Feed the Children and local restaurants.
What does the festival say about your event-hosting prowess?
Being in a tight-knit community eases the planning and organizing process. The City’s Department of Art, Culture and Tourism’s incredible streamlining of city services facilitates large-scale event hosting like our Pride Festival, which has the only illuminated night parade in New England, and WaterFire, our signature carnival-style event each May through November. PVDFest in September is a giant downtown block party featuring local and global performers. Our residents’ pride in their roots produces fun and flavorful cultural celebrations, from Day of Portugal to the Bolivian Festival.
Providence knows how to throw a party, and we have incredible momentum right now. On the culinary front, I believe we can be one of the biggest food cities in the United States. We can and will do it, if I have anything to say about it.
[Related: Rhode Island Makes Big Statements and Leaves Lasting Impressions on Meeting Groups]
Newport Meetings Produce Meaningful Connections and Lasting Memories
Founded in 1639, three years after Providence, Newport has numerous claims to fame, including America’s oldest operating restaurant, the White Horse Tavern (1673), and hosting world-class events.
America’s “First Resort” and its surrounding coastal townships are synonymous with iconic gatherings including the Newport Folk Festival (1959) and the America’s Cup sailing race, the oldest competition of any international sport.
The yearly event calendar includes this month’s annual Oyster & Chowder Festival, followed in June by the 30th anniversary Flower Show.
“Newport has been bringing people together for centuries—it’s woven into who we are,” said Victoria Cimino, president and CEO, Discover Newport. “From Gilded Age gatherings at venues like The Elms to milestones like the first U.S. Open Championship, the first international polo match in America and generations of the America’s Cup, this is a destination built on meaningful connection.”
[Related: Newport, Rhode Island Is for Classic Coastal Connections]
That legacy continues today through everything from iconic music performances to culinary, cultural and sporting experiences that give planners real flexibility.
“You are not just hosting a meeting—your attendees are stepping into a living, evolving story,” Cimino said.
“There’s an added dimension when a destination already carries cultural weight that naturally elevates the experience and creates a stronger sense of purpose around why people are gathering in the first place.”
Cimino emphasized how “especially powerful” it is to convene in a place where history is still being made.
“Whether it’s the stage of the Newport Folk Festival or the grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame,” she said, “that context brings an authenticity that’s difficult to replicate and gives meetings a sense of relevance beyond the agenda.”
That built-in sense of “meaningful connection” makes Newport particularly effective for meetings.
“Even for first-time visitors, people often have an immediate familiarity with or tie to Newport,” Cimino said.
“Whether through a wedding, a summer tradition or a milestone moment, those emotional connections translate into stronger engagement and more memorable experiences for attendees.”
For planners, Newport delivers programs that seamlessly blend rich history and authentic local experiences.
“Paired with a highly walkable destination, ease of movement between hotels, venues and activities, and a genuine sense of hospitality shaped over centuries, Newport is a place that consistently delivers meetings people remember long after they leave,” Cimino said.
