Tag: Michael Covino

Posted on by

Chef Rogers Moves From Niche to Worcester Regional Food Hub

Neil Rogers accepted the position of Kitchen Operations Manager at Worcester Regional Food Hub.

Tuesday, Chef Cornelius Rogers told Mass Foodies that he will be accepting the position of Kitchen Operations Manager at Worcester Regional Food Hub.  

In this day and age, there’s no denying that consumers prefer local produce. And, while the locavore trend appears to be thriving in central Massachusetts, connecting farmers to chefs and food service organizations has proved unpredictably challenging. Gatekeepers to facilitate these relationships are few and far between. This void can often lead to excess crops doomed to become waste, or, conversely, unfulfilled consumer needs. With Chef Rogers on board, Worcester Regional Food Hub aims to change all of that.

Niche Hospitality's Executive Chef de Cuisine, Neil Rogers, preparing food for Worcester Foodies.
Neil Rogers, preparing food for Worcester Foodies during his time at the Test Kitchen.

It seems Chef Rogers is everywhere these days. As the Executive Chef de Cuisine of Niche Hospitality Group, he has forged relationships in countless facets of the community. In addition to his duties as a culinary leader in the city, Rogers is a member of the latest class of Leadership Worcester and he has shown continued support to Worcester’s youth through his work with the Nativity School, Girls Inc. and the Girl Scouts, among others.

In many ways, Rogers’ announcement comes as no surprise. Given his staunch commitment to the city of Worcester, it was only a matter of time before his humanitarian nature led him down the path to public service. In his new role, Rogers will partner with Quinsigamond Community College to further develop a culinary training program operating within the Food Hub.

Tim Murray, President of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, was the first to express his excitement, stating, “The Chamber’s partnership with the Regional Environmental Council to operate the Food Hub promotes entrepreneurship in the food industry, supports our local farmers, and provides healthy choices to all.” Regarding Rogers’ new position, he said, “The Food Hub is making great progress toward these goals and, with his incredible success in the local food scene, Neil is just the right person to take our kitchen to the next level.”

Steve Fischer, executive director of the Regional Environmental Council of Central Mass., added that Neil brings with him tremendous energy, creativity, experience and a passion for both developing the local food economy in Central Massachusetts and for making sure everyone in our community benefits equitably from that development. “We believe Neil is well positioned to help ensure the Worcester Regional Food Hub’s Incubator Kitchen project effectively serves both local farmers and aspiring entrepreneurs from Worcester’s diverse communities to start and grow their small food-based businesses,” Fischer said.

When talking with Niche Hospitality owner, Michael Covino, he explained how Niche first created Rogers’ position to assist Chef Steve Champagne with menu creation on account of his creativity. While Niche doesn’t have immediate plans to fill Rogers’ vacancy, Covino is encouraged by the internal energy that Niche’s Chefs have expressed. “We’re looking forward to continuing the relationship with Chef Rogers at his role with the Food Hub,” added Covino.

Worcester’s foodies are grateful for Rogers’ civic participation and eager to watch the chefs of Niche rise to Covino’s challenge.

Posted on by

A Quick Bite with Cliff Rucker

The name Cliff Rucker has become synonymous with the future of Worcester and why not! Mr. Rucker is committed to bringing professional hockey back to Worcester in 2017 with the Worcester Railers, he is building a 100,000 square-foot skating rink in the heart of the Canal District, as well as numerous other proposed building projects in the City. But for our purposes, we are really interested in his eating habits and his relationship with local restaurant king, Michael Covino of Niche Hospitality. At Mass Foodies, we recently broke the news of Mr. Covino’s new dining concept, Nonna’s Kitchen and Café, to be housed in the aforementioned ice skating rink and featuring a style of pizza not currently found in Worcester. Long Island style pizza isn’t thin like Neapolitan, but not as thick as a Chicago deep dish or a Brooklyn Sicilian. That relationship led us to believe that Mr. Rucker might just be a foodie in business attire.

Cliff Rucker (Photo courtesy of MassLive.com)
Cliff Rucker (Photo courtesy of MassLive.com)

First and foremost, let us be clear. Rucker is a man who simply enjoys a great meal by great people outside of the food chain phenomena. So, don’t expect to walk into your local Applebee’s to witness a feast led by Rucker. Instead, look for him in the crevices of the city and at local mom and pop shops. “We definitely stay away from chains,” says Rucker. “When we travel, sampling local cuisine is at the top of the list.” Luckily for Rucker, Worcester has morphed into a melting pot of food choices. Between the established local restaurants like the One Eleven Chop House or Niche’s The Fix Burger Bar, new up and comers like deadhorse hill and Lock 50, eclectic hole-in-the-wall restaurants like Talyta’s Café or Addie Lee’s Soul Food and the ever popular Hangover Pub, there is no real excuse to eat at a food chain. “With all the information about dining experiences available online, it is easy and fun to investigate a restaurant before you try it. Just remember, you can’t believe everything you read, so draw your own conclusions,” says Rucker.

Rucker is a lover of all things dinner time. “Like most people, I grab a quick breakfast on-the-go, usually a homemade smoothie and a muffin,” he says. “Lunch generally revolves around a business meeting but dinner is my time with my family. I usually try to be home for dinner with the family as often as possible. We have five children, so there is no such thing as a quiet meal at home but eating dinner with them has always been the highlight of my day. Watching my children interact with each other and evolve over the years at dinner has always been the reason behind why I get up and go to work every day.”

Dinner with family is always the right ingredient for a great night but at the Rucker house, and his wife and a few of her special recipes, are the star of the show. With an Italian heritage to back years of culinary skills, the Ruckers are fans of hearty, homemade dishes, but one is a crowd favorite. “My wife makes a fantastic chicken pot pie and I am a big comfort food kind-of-guy and I don’t want to ever live without her chicken pot pie.” If those words don’t melt your foodie heart, then we don’t know what will.

A family man in love with his wife’s chicken pot pie, Rucker also loves being around friends and enjoying dinner the good ol’ Italian way – with a lot of wine. “Hosting a dinner for six friends isn’t at the top of our list of “fun” things, mostly because of all of the prepping before and cleaning after,” he says. “I love going out to an upscale Italian restaurant and ordering a lot of courses: soups, salads, pasta dishes and a main course, just like in Italy. With a lot of wine and being very loud.”

Mr. Rucker is clearly making his mark in Worcester and we think, the community will be better off for it!