Folklore Provisions: A culinary love story in R.I.
Q: What prompted your return to the industry?
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Dunn:
I sold Eli's Kitchen in December 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. I loved doing the private chef thing; it helped me reconnect with my love of cooking. While being an entrepreneur and restaurant owner, I was doing everything but cooking. I had lost touch with it. As a private chef and a micro caterer, I started to kind of fall in love with food again, and then I met my wife, Rachel, in the fall of 2021. And so we started talking about it, and Folklore was born. The restaurant represents us falling in love and our blending cultures.
A sandwich using Portuguese bolo from Folklore Provisions in Bristol, Rhode Island.
Grace Kimmel
You started at The Beehive Cafe in 2008 and then went on to open Eli's Kitchen in 2014. How did your experiences influence your decision to open Folklore?
It would have been easy for me to just do a second rendition of Eli's Kitchen. Folklore was a bit of a risk and a departure from what I've historically done. But I think my experience at The Beehive and Three Rivers in Warren before that, and then at Eli's, gave me the confidence that my reputation in the area would carry us out of the gate. And so far, that's been the case.
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What are your plans for this cafe?
We were really inspired as a
sort of husband-and-wife duo who kind of start from scratch and create this empire, right? This location fit the Provisions model more than it did the full-service restaurant model. So, big picture, what we really see ourselves doing is having a family of Folklore businesses. We see ourselves curating experiences, whether it's here, whether it's a restaurant, whether it's a home-and-design boutique or whether it's just like a small wedding where, as a husband-and-wife team, we're going in and we're making the whole thing happen.
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Tell me more about adding Portuguese flavors to the menu.
I wanted to create something unique by adding a personal twist to traditional Portuguese dishes, such as chouriço and Azorean
What's the most-ordered dish right now?
Our chouriço and chips egg sandwich. It is a locally made chouriço patty from
Chowder from Folklore Provisions in Bristol, Rhode Island.
Grace Kimmel
Where are you sourcing your ingredients?
The Portuguese products are locally sourced. We also buy wholesale from
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What was your reasoning behind launching a Supper Club, which is operating like a pop-up restaurant within your existing business?
It was born of this desire of wanting to utilize the space at night. We really love the idea of a supper club. There's just one seating at 5 p.m. Everybody who attends the Supper Club arrives as strangers, other than the people that they showed up with, and they're all forced into sitting communally together. I don't want it to feel like it's just a dinner pop-up. I want it to feel like an experience.
What's it like to work alongside your wife as a business partner?
Rachel and I work really, really well together. She's created this environment and ambiance, and then I'm just the guy in the back making the food. We're not trying to do the same thing. There's a lot of mutual respect and admiration. As a team, we excel in things that the other person doesn't. And so together, there's a real synergy there.
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Does that synergy extend to the evolving menu?
I would love to bring in guest chefs and different things, but each Supper Club is going to be its own. They'll all be roughly around the same price, and it'll be probably five courses, more or less, but it'll be one seating, and the concept and the vibe will be the same, but the menu, the theme, are going to change.
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A toast from Folklore Provisions, a new café in Bristol, Rhode Island by chef Eli Dunn.
Grace Kimmel
What challenges are you facing that are unique to Folklore?
One challenge many businesses face in this area is the stark contrast between weekdays and weekends. While weekends are bustling, weekdays — especially during the day — see very little foot traffic, even in the summer. Balancing this rhythm can be tough, as we shift from being a small, quiet café during the week to a lively, bustling restaurant on the weekend.
What are your goals for the next year?
Right now I'm focused on growing my business and finding creative ways to increase revenue. We plan on expanding our retail and will continue to sell dressings, hot sauce, pickles and jams.
, 301 Hope St, Bristol, R.I., 401-638-0111.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Claire Erlandson is a student at Johnson & Wales University in Providence.
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