Spreading peace a newspaper at a time

Good day dear readers, I am Gail Ciampa, Journal food and dining editor. Welcome to this forum where I share some fun news, take you behind the scenes and sum up my work for the week.

In last week's newsletter, I suggested you look ahead for some big news and I think many of you saw it.

Pastiche, Providence's iconic dessert shop with the elegant fruit tarts and tall banana cream pies, was sold. For a moment, it was hard to imagine anyone but Brandt Heckert, who founded the shop with his wife nearly 40 years ago, at the helm.

When I first heard the news, I wasn't sure it was true. But Brandt confirmed it immediately in an email.

I shouldn't have been surprised because 40 years is a long time to run a business. Why wouldn't he be ready for retirement? It all made perfect sense when he told me the new owner was Pastiche's long time general manager. Amy Foster had worked at Pastiche for 30 years and was gm for 18 of them. What a perfect passing of the torch.

But Foster knew that customers would worry about such a change. She kept the news under wraps until I called her. She wasn't hiding it but she wasn't advertising it either.

After you read my story, I think you will agree the legacy of this unique shop is in good hands.

More: What can you expect from Pastiche now that the beloved Providence bakery has been sold?

I was so thrilled to write about Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies last week after a friend brought me a container full of them. I loved her story about them bringing peace and shared not just her sentiments, but the history of the cookie.

I had two lovely surprises as a result of publication of that story.

Dorie Greenspan, one of my baking heroes and favorite cookbook authors, sent me a lovely note thanking me for writing about them.

"Peace is a lot to ask of a cookie, but maybe if we all bake and think about peace …" she wrote.

I found out also that many more people would read about the cookies. That's because my colleagues at Gannett, which owns The Journal and hundreds of other newspapers, shared my story and the recipe as part of the week's food coverage.

Within a few days, I learned that a host of other Gannett-owned papers, featured my story with a spiffy design that included a peace sign and Dorie's cookie.

Cookies for Peace appeared in the Indianapolis Star; Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch; Desert Sun in Palm Springs, California; Tallahasse Democrat and the Naples Daily News, both in Florida; plus the Asheville, N.C. Citizen Times; Wilmington (Delaware) News Journal; and the Tuscaloosa Times in Alabama.

With the state of turmoil across the globe, let's hope for the best from a little cookie from across the U.S.

More: Starting with a crumb of kindness: Journal Food Editor's friend shares World Peace Cookies

I got a hankering for a Bento Box and that turned into a story this week.

I really like everything about this concept and I shared what I learned and what I tasted for this story.

It's also fun that Bentos are big for lunch and who doesn't like going out for lunch when they can?

I don't know how but I had never been to Den Den Cafe Asiana on Benefit Street. I have been several times to Den Den Chicken but this place was also charming, but in a different way.

How lucky we are to live in a place that Japanese or Korean restaurateurs share treasures like the Bento with us?

More: Need a great lunch restaurant in RI? Try one of these Bento box spots.

I am still playing catch up, getting to restaurants that opened in 2020 when I did very little dining out due to the pandemic.

Last week I enjoyed dinner at Avenue N in Providence. This neighborhood is such a treasure with so many great restaurants close by. Avenue N is worthy addition.

Nick and Tracy Rabar have not just established wonderful cuisine, but also a lovely environment.

The restaurant was full on the night of my visit and had two servers for tables both inside and out. A host and a bartender pitched in with delivering food and clearing tables. If they felt over-worked, they showed no sign of it. Each one was more pleasant than the next.

The food was stellar of course. I couldn't get over how delicious the Crispy Cauliflower was. What a great way to start a meal with a little heat, a lightly fried vegetable and wonderful dipping sauce.

It was the first time I had a pizza at a Rabar restaurant and it was just terrific with a thin crust, and great proportion of cheese and sauce.

The entrees couldn't have been better from the Scallops with Risotto to the delightful Hamburger with applewood bacon.

The cocktails were so yummy. I'll take the Rumford's Beekeeper any night. It has Bulleit Bourbon and Cointreau mixed with local honey, clementine and lemon in a glass with a sugar and zest rim.

Nick Rabar said construction is taking more time than expected on the couple's third restaurant. He hopes to open Honeybird this summer. But the Avenue Ns will certainly hold us till then.

More: New East Providence restaurant coming from owners of Avenue N

Did you see the story about Tropicana, the orange juice company, marketing a new breakfast cereal that goes with juice rather than milk?

I'm not gonna lie, I like the idea.

I will also confess I am a dry cereal person. The only cereal I ever added milk to was Rice Krispies. I eat Cheerios dry, like a giant crazed baby. Sometimes, I crave a Coco Puff or Shredded Wheat. And yes, always eaten dry.

I do have a problem digesting milk so I guess that's why.

I looked up where to buy it and found out the limited run is over. I'm guessing most boxes went to Florida's grocery stories.

It's in the hand of those who scored a box whether it appears in a grocery store near you. In the meantime, I'll just grab another handful of Cheerios.

My Journal colleague Amy Russo tells us that Al Fresco on the Hill is back on Atwells Avenue each weekend with 30 restaurants opening for outdoor dining. She has all the details on what's new this season.

More: Al fresco dining is back on Federal Hill. Here's what's new this year

That's it for now, dear readers. See you next week as we really head into summer. Yay!

If you enjoy our time here together, please tell a friend to sign up here to receive my weekly newsletter, Gail's Food Feed.

And if you aren't a digital subscriber, which I find hard to believe, there's a Memorial Day sale going on for six months access for $1.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: What will happen at Providence Pastiche and with Peace cookies