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CURATED BY TOM SCHLESINGER-GUIDELLI
OWNER+WINE DIRECTOR, ALCOVE
Alcove is the next chapter in Tom’s story, but in some ways it’s a return to the beginning of the book. He grew up along the Farm Coast of New England, an area encompassing Southeastern MA through Newport, where fertile artisan farms meet the abundance of the sea.
“We think of New Bedford and Fall River as these abundant fishing ports, and they are—there’s probably no better place in the world for scallops than New Bedford,” Tom said. “But if you go slightly inland, you start to see an amazing agrarian community producing cattle, vegetables, fruit, all within this really beautiful pocket of New England. This is how I grew up. Going out fishing with my uncle and catching striped bass and then hitting up the farm stand with my dad and getting corn and tomatoes and basil. It was fresh and simply prepared, and that was dinner.”
In some ways, the “farm coast” approach is a lot like farm-to-table, but also with boats. It’s a dedication to the simple preparation of foods from coastal-agrarian communities, sourced from producers who strive for the best possible quality. While Southern New England is our prime example, these types of ecosystems exist all over the world. In the restaurant, it’s an opportunity to tell the stories of the small farmers, fishermen and winemakers whose dedication to the land and sea give us a bounty of exceptional coastally-inspired food and an authentic sense of terroir.
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