Chef Interview

Breakfast of Champions

For the chef at T's Restaurat, food is about family

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Anthony Tomaselli's parents founded T’s Restaurant the year before he was born, in 1982. There’s even a picture in the restaurant of his mom (Tina) holding him while taking care of customers when he was a baby. When he was six, his parents would pick him up from school and return to the restaurant. He would grab a snack and head to the counter to do homework. By the age of 14, he was bussing tables and washing dishes. By 16, he was serving guests and cooking in the kitchen. His first food mentor, aside from his parents, was a 19-year-old named Marco that cooked for T’s. Marco loved food and taught Anthony to respect food. He made him see food in a special way.

Tell me more about your journey to becoming the executive chef at T’s Restaurant.
When I was attending Providence Country Day (PCD) for high school, I involved myself in an internship program my senior year. I was able to do my internship at Napa Valley Grille in Providence. The chef there was great, very encouraging and inspiring. He shared the creative possibility of food.
After PCD, I headed to Johnson & Wales where I stayed for a short time. I was restless and felt the desire to get in and do the job, so I left and was hired by the Papa Razzi Group in Cranston. The chef there was a nice guy who had a natural gift for teaching.


I find that restaurants are filled with great people who love to connect, and if you listen, are very willing to share their experiences with you.

You must have a passion for breakfast, brunch and lunch.
I love breakfast, brunch and lunch and I love T’s. I love the team camaraderie of the kitchens, I love the speed of the day, the traditional and trendy menu development and the goal to always be our best. That challenges me to want to do better and to learn more.
T's is about team. We all do this together. No one person is greater than the team.

What specials do you look forward to each season?
In the spring we like to focus on the goodness of the egg. This year springtime brought the Taste of Verona Eggs Benedict. It has freshly baked focaccia topped with whipped cream cheese, sliced Roma tomatoes, prosciutto, two poached eggs, Hollandaise and freshly chopped scallions.

Summer in New England must include lobster, and T's Bacon Lobster Tomato Panini is a must have. It has smoked bacon, freshly sliced tomato and sautéed lobster sandwiched between two pieces of Texas-style bread, grilled panini-style, and finished with an herbed aioli. And of course, chowder. We have white and corn.

Autumn at T's wouldn't be autumn without Pumpkin Pancakes: Three pumpkin pancakes finished with pumpkin butter and a dollop of whipped cream.

For winter a must-try is the Fireside Omelet. It’s a jumbo omelet stuffed with roasted red pepper, ricotta cheese, juicy Italian sausage, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms and melted American cheese.

I understand you’ve been able to incorporate a lot of gluten-free options into your menu.
Gluten-free options for breakfast include all omelets, eggs Benedicts (on Udi's bread), from-scratch oatmeal, and yogurt and fruit parfait. Pretty much any egg dish can be done with Udi's toast with sides of fresh fruit or baked cinnamon apples instead of home fries. For lunch, salads are abundant and Udi’s bread can be used on any sandwich.

Have you ever had a specialty item make it onto the year-round menu?
The Rose Window Waffle is a T’s favorite that started on a special menu. Years back, we were running what we called a Sweet Berry Waffle as a special. Local artist Maxwell Mays ordered it and exclaimed “A Rose Window.” Hence, the Rose Window Waffle. That was 2005 and today, that waffle is still a T’s favorite.

Do you have any special dishes lined up for Mother’s Day?
Moms love mimosas and waffles. Mother’s Day will feature the Berry-Berry Sweet Cream Ricotta Waffle. It’s a blueberry Belgian waffle topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries, glazed walnuts, sweet berry ricotta and a drizzle of sweet raspberry sauce. Wash it all down with our featured blueberry mimosa.

What is the quintessential meal at T’s from beginning to end?
Our best breakfast would be the Bacon Lovers Eggs Benedict: Three types of bacon, served on three English muffins, topped with three poached eggs and smothered in Hollandaise sauce. Follow this up with T’s Ooey Gooey French Toast. It is glazed cinnamon roll French toast, served with hickory bacon and maple syrup. Of course all this yumminess can be complemented with a mimosa and organic coffee.

On the lunch side, what's better than a simmering cup of creamy tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich? T’s over the top grilled cheese combines Swiss with brie cheese, diced Gala apples, melt-in-your-mouth sautéed onions and a touch of fig on Texas-style bread grilled golden.

T’s Restaurant
1059 Park Avenue
Cranston
946-5900

5600 Post Road
East Greenwich
398-7877

91 Point Judith Road
Narragansett
284-3981 

T's, restaurant, breakfast, chef, interview, lunch, comfort food

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