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Champe Speidel began cooking professionally in 2002 after completing a four-year program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. Although he earned a B.A. in political science in 1997, working as a butcher while he was a student piqued his interest in food preparation, parlaying him into a career in the culinary arts.
While in school, Speidel traveled to St. Thomas to train at the Ritz-Carlton’s Four Diamond Fine Dining Room, serving indigenous ingredients guided by strict classical French principles. Upon returning to Rhode Island, he honed his craft at numerous renowned Providence restaurants including Empire, Neath’s, the Gatehouse and Gracie’s. During his tenure at the latter he was invited to cook at the James Beard House as part of their Discovery Series.
In 2005, Speidel decided to strike out on his own, and in late spring he and his wife, Lisa, opened Persimmon, a modern thirty-eight-seat restaurant in historic Bristol, Rhode Island. At Persimmon Speidel combines his unyielding passion for the craft with a fierce commitment to sourcing the very best ingredients and products from both near and far. The menu changes nightly, and showcases Speidel’s meticulous, ingredient- and technique-driven approach to American cuisine.
Speidel and his inventive dishes have been featured in a vast array of both local and national media including Food & Wine, which hailed Speidel’s Chanterelle and Matsutake Mushroom Soup with Yukon Gold Potato and Black Truffle Agnolotti one of the Ten Best Restaurant Dishes of 2006; in 2008, Food & Wine featured his recipe for Yellow Squash Soup with Scallion Salad in a article on “Local Flavors.” Boston magazine named Persimmon “Best Hidden Gem” in 2007 and a feature in Food Arts highlighted Speidel’s Frozen Meyer Lemon Parfait with Spiced Milk Broth, Almond Praline and Toasted Almond Oil. A review of the restaurant by Rhode Island Monthly garnered one of only two four-star classifications the publication’s food critic has ever given. Most recently, Yankee dubbed Persimmon the best place to celebrate an anniversary, and in August 2009, Persimmon was voted the Best Restaurant in Rhode Island by Rhode Island Monthly’s readers.
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Champe Speidel
