$1.00 NEWPORT N MIDDLETOWN N PORTSMOUTH N JAMESTOWN N TIVERTON Friday NewportDailyNews.com March 11, 2016 FOOD FIGHT Wein A team of students from the Newport Area Career passes & Technical Center finishes second in a statewide culinary competition held Thursday in Newport. By Sean Flynn Staff writer torch NEWPORT he Colonial Islanders, a culi- Bassist Christian McBride nary team from the Newport T Area Career & Technical Cen- will succeed George Wein as ter, took second place at a state- artistic director of the Newport wide cook-off held Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Newport on Goat Island. Festivals Foundation. The Davies Career & Technical High School in Lincoln took first place in By Michelle R. Smith the competition. Newport’s team was Associated Press young, with two freshmen, a sophomore and one senior. The fifth team member, Jazz impresario George Wein took an alternate who helped oversee the another step to secure the future of his preparation of the meal and the process, 62-year-old Newport Jazz Festival on also is a senior. Thursday, as the nonprofit foundation “I’m expecting some great things that runs it named Grammy-winning from them next year,” said Heather Sin- bassist Christian McBride as artistic gleton, chief operating officer of Rhode director. Island Hospitality, which co-sponsors Wein, who is 90, said he plans to the competition with Rhode Island donate the bulk of his ProStart, part of the National Restau- estate, around $10 mil- rant Association Educational Founda- lion, to the foundation tion. Competitors in the event qualify Dave Hansen | Staff photos upon his death so that for thousands of dollars in college schol- Colonial Islanders team member Alexis Bettencourt, 16, left, of Middletown prepares a the jazz festival and its arships every year. coconut macadamia panna cotta dessert as Christina Kennedy, 17, of North Kingstown sister Newport Folk Chariho Area Career & Technical Festival can continue Center in Wood River Junction, a vil- mashes edamame for the tuna tartare during a statewide cook-off held Thursday at the for years to come. Wein lage in Richmond, entered two culinary Hyatt Regency Newport. At top left, Bettencourt prepares coconut macadamia panna cotta produced this year’s Wein teams, which finished third and fifth. with mango gelee, white chocolate, raspberry puree and tropical fruit. At top right is the tuna festival completely, but Exeter Job Corps Academy finished tartare with daikon radish and a cucumber-seaweed-layered salad prepared by Kennedy. recognizes he’s old and fourth. his hearing and health The Newport team finished a close have started to dimin- second last year as well. Only the first ish even as he remains place team goes on to the national com- mentally sharp. petition that will take place in Dallas “Not many people from April 29 to May 1. can engineer their own In spite of their youth, the Newport demise,” Wein said. McBride team’s members accomplished a lot “I’ve been working with a complicated menu, and said they on this a few months with Christian. are determined to win the event soon. Nobody knew about it. I wanted to make Alexis Bettencourt of Middletown, sure Christian was the right person.” a sophomore, was the team member McBride will work side-by-side with who had to make the dessert — a coco- Wein for this year’s festival and take the nut macadamia nut panna cotta with a reins for the 2017 festival. From then on, mango gelee top. White chocolate, rasp- McBride will choose who plays at the fes- berry puree and passion fruit all were Above left, Colonial Islanders team members Nhyazia-Renee Ortiz, 15, left, of Newport and tival and have final say on festival pro- included in the presentation. Within a Alexander Dizon, 14, of Newport have a laugh as they prepare the butter poached lobster gramming, Wein said. tight time limit, she had to prepare the entree with lobster and shrimp shumai, truffle lobster cream, spring vegetables and Korean “He will be as creative as he chooses panna cotta, gelee and puree all from radish sauce. Above right, Christina Kennedy carries the finished product to the judges. to be. It’s an opportunity for him to make scratch, including cutting and prepar- his mark that will last forever,” Wein ing all the fresh fruits. said, adding that he may “stick my nose “There are so many elements needed in” from time to time. to complete the dish, so I had to stay McBride is a bassist, composer and focused,” she said after the competition. educator. The Philadelphia native “I’m really, really looking forward to attended Juilliard and has performed on this next year.” recordings with musicians including Pat Watching her were her parents, Tony Metheny, Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, and Melinda Bettencourt, and her sis- Sting, The Roots and Paul McCartney. He ter Briana, a college freshman. Alexis has won five Grammys. He also hosts and was so deep in concentration, the family produces radio shows on SiriusXM and members joked that she seemed to not NPR. He has played regularly at Newport notice they were there. since 1991. “I liked the support of my family McBride, speaking via Skype after a being there,” Alexis said with a smile performance in Oslo, Norway, on Thurs- after the competition. day, said he was humbled to be appointed Briana Bettencourt gave her sister a to lead the “granddaddy of all music fes- jubilant thumbs-up when she completed tivals” and excited to learn at Wein’s the dessert in time. elbow as an understudy. Two freshmen, Alexander Dizon Wein swore him to secrecy when they and Nhyazia-Renee Ortiz, both from began discussions in October and told Newport, had to prepare the lobster him he would never want McBride to and shrimp entree, another very com- stop being a musician to sit behind a desk plex dish that included a truffle lob- Colonial Islanders team members, from left, alternate chef Boris Santamaria, 18, of Newport, to run the festival. He told McBride he ster cream sauce. The plate also called chose him because of his credibility as a Christina Kennedy, Alexander Dizon, Alexis Bettencourt and Nhyazia-Renee Ortiz show their FOOD A7 relief as they finish at the buzzer during Thursday’s competition. WEIN A7 CLOCK MANAGEMENT States explore alternatives to daylight saving time By Matt O’Brien contrary to popular belief, it does Associated Press LOCAL SUPPORT not save electricity. In a recent online poll, The Shifting to Atlantic Time and PROVIDENCE — As most Ameri- Daily News asked readers if never changing back would effec- cans brace themselves for losing an they supported legislation tively make summertime daylight hour of sleep this weekend, some (H7598) that would move saving hours permanent, said corners of the country are consid- Rhode Island to the Atlantic Filippi, who made a public health ering bold alternatives to daylight Time Zone. Among those case for his bill at a Statehouse hear- saving time. responding, 61 percent ing this week. Evening commutes would be California has a bill that would voted ‘yes,’ while 39 percent safer with more sunlight. Winter- ask voters to abolish the practice of said ‘no.’ changing clocks twice a year. Law- time lifestyles and mental health makers in Alaska and nearly a dozen could improve. other states are debating similar will shift one hour eastward, into The biggest downside, Filippi measures. Some lawmakers in New the Atlantic Time Zone. “Pretty said: Rhode Island children going England want to go even further, much everyone I speak to would to school in early January wouldn’t seceding from the populous Eastern rather have it light in the evening see the sun rise until 8:13 a.m. under Time Zone and throwing their lot in than light first thing in the morn- Atlantic Time. But he argues that Associated Press file photo with Nova Scotia and Puerto Rico. ing,” he said. could propel school districts to start Commuters leave a ferry terminal on a frigid Portland, Maine, morning in “Once we spring forward, I don’t Opponents of daylight saving classes later, more in line with the January 2015. As most Americans prepare to begin daylight saving time, want to fall back,” said Rhode Island time argue that traffic accidents, wiring of adolescent brains. state Rep. Blake Filippi, I-Block heart attacks and strokes increase lawmakers in a dozen states, from Alaska to Florida, want to abolish the Island, who hopes the whole region when we change time, and that CLOCK A7 practice of changing clocks twice a year. TAX SCAMMERS try WEATHER Advice B6 to victimize Newport Classifieds B7 Today, cloudy Comics B4 INSIDE woman. A3 58 start, then Local & State A3 >>> SALVE REGINA clearing. High near 58. Lotteries A7 today’s news Obituaries A4 Tonight, mostly MEN’S HOCKEY Opinion A6 Some things you TEAM to make NCAA 35 clear. Low A4 Police & Fire For home delivery, call won’t want to miss tournament debut. B1 around 35. Sports B1 Details, A7 TV/Movies B5-6 849-3300, Ext. 299 The Newport (R.I.) Daily News Friday, March 11, 2016 A7 ELECTION 2016: PRESIDENT WEATHER Candidates COASTAL RHODE ISLAND Today, cloudy with a chance of showers before 7 a.m. Gradual clearing. kinder, gentler High near 58. Tonight, clear. Low around 35. EXTENDED in GOP debate Saturday, sunny, breezy. MIAMI (AP) — Abandon- ‘I can’t believe how High near 50. Saturday ing the nasty insults of past night, mostly clear. Low debates, Donald Trump and civil it’s been up here.’ around 43. his Republican rivals turned Sunday, mostly sunny.