O: How do you manage to maintain that tradition aspect of the food, while staying up to date with the trends of today?

Eric: I think not losing sight of some traditions is critical. We always talk about the future and the snaps and the Instagram’s etc., but there’s also something really strong to be said about tradition. Food is a tradition. The way that we sit around a table is something that humans have done for thousands of years. It brings people together. So, not losing sight of that is imperative. We want to be looking forward and see what is going on with the trends, while still looking forward.

Jody: Well at the end of the day, as I always say, “it’s just dinner,” and it’s one of the few things that you have to experience sitting down. The power of sitting at a table and sharing a meal is much bigger than what you put in your mouth. It is about connections, and what I have learned and where we get inspiration from is definitely from travel. Traveling to different countries and different kitchens, and being in kitchens with people who don’t speak the same language, and yet, we don’t need a verbal language. There is an appreciation and excitement among people who are cooking very simply, you know they’re not on Instagram, they’re not getting James Beard awards or anything like that. They’re cooking in a hospital in Haiti, or in a safari camp in Tanzania, and they are as passionate about that. To me, that is elevating and also so grounding at the same time. So, to Eric’s point, at the end of the day, this is about tradition. This is why I think we work well together because there is that appreciation for culture. Even though Eric’s lifestyle is his lifestyle, Sean’s lifestyle is his lifestyle, and the things that we do when we’re not working is all very different, but when we come together, there’s a common ground.

O: Are there any questions that have been answered from your travels? What are some things that you learned and have brought back with you?

Sean: From our recent trip, something that actually struck me, is something that they refer to as the ecosystem, which is not necessarily what’s happening out there with tree’s, etc. It's what is going on in here and how each one of us has an impact on each other as co-workers, staff members, and so on. So how the staff has an impact on guests, and our guests go out in the world, and they have an impact on their friends. It’s all a simple goal, and it’s all related. You know, we have to be more mindful of all of our actions, and because those actions have repercussions, whether they’re right or bad.

Jody: One of the challenges that Eric mentioned is technology. An ecosystem and the relationship, the repercussions. The online review process for me is an enigma. The Yelp phenomenon is baffling to me, because there is no power for that person to post something negative, or even positive. Of course we love the positive, but the negative really concerns us, because if somebody does not have a good experience and goes outside and posts it, they’re not actually able to do much with that information. If we fell short and it’s not the experience that what we promised to you, We want you to come back and we will show you a very different kind of experience. And then they come back and they have another experience and they’re like, oh, okay. Having a bad experience, is not unique to restaurants. You can have a bad experience at Star Market, at your dentist, dry cleaner, but people don’t take that on as such a personal attack you know. It’s just sort of a way of life. They won’t Yelp as they do for restaurants. There is something about it, and I think it’s going back to sharing around a table, breaking bread, it’s a very personal thing. It’s a very human thing, that doesn’t happen in any other way, so paying attention to that is extremely important, and trying to understand this relationship path through technology is a challenge.

Nostalgia in Providence

Interview with chef / owner Douglass Williams

The Table at Season to Taste