Mainsail Restaurant At The Newport Marriott Hotel And Spa In Newport, Rhode Island: Meet The Chef
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5 Reasons to Visit® sat down with Executive Chef Noah Cain of MainSail at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island. Take in a captivating view of Newport Harbor from this casually, elegant waterfront restaurant in Newport.
MainSail at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island
Enjoy fresh, sustainable seafood with a focus on sourcing the freshest local ingredients and sustainable seafood. Validated parking up to 3 hours is offered for guests dining at MainSail.
Where did you grow up, and where have you traveled to that has helped inspire and shape your cooking philosophy?
I lived in Paris for a few months when I got engaged. I would walk around the neighborhoods constantly and there was a produce market, butcher, fishmonger, etc. It wasn’t stuffy or pretentious, it’s how you live—you went out every day and bought food for that day. The fish shops blew me away, whole skates, tanks of eels, piles of shells, all those glassy eyeballs staring up from the ice. About five years later we moved to Germany, and again, everything was driven by the markets—in every neighborhood, several times a week. Everyone who worked the stalls and shops knew everything about their products, there’s a warmth to it all, and you always end up eating half of what you buy on the walk home. That still teaches me the best food is the food that is growing right now, it doesn’t need much adornment, because it is complete. You are just arranging textures and flavors, but those fruits, vegetables or seafoods are already perfect.
MainSail at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island
Tell our readers an interesting fact or two about yourself that reflects your cooking style?
Several of the kitchens I worked in while living in New York City and overseas had chefs and staff that brought produce in from the market every day. That meant learning to cook something in a very present way. It helps tremendously to get the most out of a product. It helps a lot with repurposing leftovers at home too.
Tell us about your absolute favorite food and why readers should try it if they haven’t already.
Has anyone ever tried pizza? I think they’re onto something there. I’d eat pizza every single day, and sometimes I do.
MainSail at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island
What are three ingredients that you simply couldn’t live without?
Sriracha: I don’t use it in the restaurant, but it goes on everything, especially cold pizza. Yogurt: takes the salad dressing game to whole new places. Bay leaves: they wind up in everything, and in our family if you find the bay leaf in your plate, it’s your turn to do the dishes. If they made a shirt out of bay leaves, I’d buy it.
We love the art behind plating. What do you love about designing the perfect dish?
I don’t know that I side with the perfect dish idea. It’s always a work in progress. It takes a few nights or a few goes with a dish and you’re always looking at the plate thinking what could change next time it goes out. I think you just have to trust yourself. I take a lot of cues from nature: the way objects fall on the ground, leaves, grasses etc. The way waves wash over rock or sand, those kind of motions can be applied to plating.
MainSail at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island
Tell us about one of the most creative dishes you’ve cooked up?
I love a good boiled egg, enough to put them on any menu. I think the egg is such a simple, flavorful vehicle for a lot of creativity. Right now, I love boiled eggs with lots of ground sesame and bonito flake—really rich and salty. Other weeks it means adding salmon roe to eggs or bottarga. I feel that having a stable ingredient can help you build off of it with whatever other ingredient is really peak season.
What is one of your greatest accomplishments or awards you've earned?
I became a father.
MainSail at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island
What are some of the latest trends you’re seeing in top restaurants across the globe?
Sustainably sourcing ingredients. We’re in a very special location where the ocean and land work in a very delicate way, and incorporating that and highlighting that in any menu is great.
What’s your favorite cocktail or beverage of choice?
At home we love making margaritas. Occasionally, a late afternoon cold Lambrusco, always served with potato chips. Always potato chips.
MainSail at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island
What do you love about being the Executive Chef of MainSail at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island?
It's a diverse kitchen and the team works hard.
MainSail at the Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island
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