Sip and savor the month of June with fun food events across RI

Show Caption

• Several upcoming fundraisers include Taste of the Bay on June 12, a Polish dinner at Holy Cross Church on June 14, and a Tuscan dinner at The Lobster Pot on June 16.
• Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana celebrates its 100th anniversary with a discounted cheese pizza offer and a sweepstakes for a trip to Italy.
• Red Stripe and Mill’s Tavern offer Father’s Day specials, while Eating with the Ecosystem hosts a seafood dinner at Weekapaug Inn on June 29.

Though 2020 seems so long ago in many ways, the effects from the pandemic are still being felt. Those include how fundraisers are done.

Even some of the favorite church festivals, where the church ladies and men cook up a ton for a day of eating, are gone. One at a local Polish church has pivoted to a traditional dinner. It’s coming up.

But other events, big fundraisers with lots of local vendors providing samples of their food and drink, are still happening. Check out some that are coming up soon.

They happily include the USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience, which returns to Providence this Sept. 27 at 195 District Park to spotlight the best in local food and drink. Save the date to sip premier wine, beer and spirits from the best regional and national brands. Savor the experience with music, mixology and more for an afternoon with friends for a single admission price.

To celebrate this year’s tour, save $5 on already discounted early-bird prices with promo code WFETOUR at checkout. Offer expires June 30. Visit wineandfood.usatoday.com.

Sip, savor and support Save The Bay

Taste of the Bay is Thursday, June 12, at The Bay Center, 100 Save The Bay Drive in Providence, and there are still tickets available for $60. Taste of the Bay is held in conjunction with the organization’s annual meeting at 5:30 p.m. It is a celebration of the flavors, sights and sounds of Narragansett Bay, with 40 vendors serving food and drink from local restaurants, shellfishermen, bakeries, breweries and wineries. It runs from 7 to 9 p.m. All proceeds benefit Save The Bay’s advocacy, restoration and education efforts. You can learn more and get tickets at tinyurl.com/4uy973cr.

Polish church fundraiser

The Church of the Holy Cross, 320 High St., at the corner of High Street in Central Falls, will host a Traditional Polish Dinner on Saturday, June 14, at 5:30 p.m.  An authentic homemade combo plate will be served, featuring cabbage and cheese pierogi, stuffed cabbage, cabbage soup and kielbasa. The cost is $17. Please make reservations at [email protected].  No walk-ins are allowed. Learn more on their Facebook page.

Bradley Hospital benefit

There will be a Tuscan food and wine dinner at The Lobster Pot, 119 Hope St. in Bristol, on Monday, June 16, beginning at 5:30 pm. Daniela and Paulo Fagotti, owners Casa Ceccatelli, a food products, butchery and vineyard business in Tuscany, are traveling to Rhode Island to support Bradley Hospital for this fundraiser. They are hosting a four-course dinner to showcase their food and wines. Tickets cost $165 a person. Reserve with Jeff at the Lobster Pot at (401) 253-9100.

Pizzeria turns 100

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, the New Haven-based restaurant known for its coal-fired pies, is celebrating its 100th year in business with a promotion offered at all locations, including 21 Universal Blvd. in Warwick.

For the month of June, guests who dine in at Pepe’s from Monday through Friday only can get a deal on a large, 18-inch cheese pizza for $19.25. The amount matches the year of the founding in 1925. The offer is limited to one redemption per table and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount.

The large tomato/cheese pie is regularly $25.25.

The company has also launched a national sweepstakes with the Tauck travel company to commemorate the 100 years. Share your email with both companies for the chance to win an all-inclusive, eight-day trip for two to Italy on Tauck’s Tuscany, Cinque Terre & the Portofino Coast trip. The grand prize winner will also get 100 free Pepe’s pizzas. The trip is valued at $16,000 and the 100 pizzas at $3,600. Enter online at PepesTauck100.com.

Something special for Father’s Day

Red Stripe, 465 Angell St., Providence, will celebrate Father’s Day with half-price entrées for dad with the purchase of an entrée of the same or lesser value, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 15. Learn more at redstriperestaurants.com.

On the menu for Father’s Day at Mill’s Tavern, 101 North Main St., Providence, is The Pitmaster. It’s a wood-fired grilled-meat board featuring an array of pork, beef and lamb. The $120 dish features a 6-ounce Filet Mignon, 5-ounce Wagyu Strip, a rack of lamb and pork tenderloin, plus a choice of a salad and a side dish. It’s available 4 to 8 p.m. and serves two. Learn more or reserve at millstavernrestaurant.com.

Eating with the Ecosystem

An evening of local seafood, culinary creativity and coastal connection, Eating with the Ecosystem at Weekapaug Inn, is set for Sunday, June 29, from 5 to 8 p.m. Set along the shores of Quonochontaug Pond, this one-night-only dining experience will feature a four-course meal inspired by the salt pond and the ecosystems that sustain it. It will be prepared by Gerardo Viejo, executive chef at the Weekapaug Inn; Terence Feury, executive chef of Ocean House: and Stacy Deetz, owner and chef of the Hangry Kitchen in Pawtucket. The evening begins with a cocktail hour on the lawn at the Weekapaug Inn, 29 Spray Rock Road in Westerly. A seated dinner follows with stories of local seafood, harvested and sourced through regional fishermen and seafood businesses. Tickets are available online and range in price from $194.25 to $262.50. Visit eatingwiththeecosystem.org and click on calendar to learn more or get tickets.