Peter and Jeanine Caswell own
Rhode Island Shellfish Company.
FUN FACT
Making
STUFFIES
PETER AND JEANINE CASWELL TOOK A FAMILY RECIPE FOR STUFFIES
AND MADE IT A BUSINESS.
Peter and Jeanine Caswell knew Peter’s family stuffie recipe, handed down for four
generations, had potential for something big. “Anytime we made it or my mom made
it, I was always like, ‘We need to market this,’ ” says Peter Caswell, co-owner of Rhode
Island Shellfish Company with Jeanine. In 2016, they decided to take the plunge and sign
up for Hope and Main’s incubator program to take them through the steps for starting a
food business. Then they began making their product and marketing it at farmers
markets. Now they have their own USDA-certified commercial kitchen in West Warwick
where they sell the stuffies as well as housemade prepared foods like lobster mac and
cheese, New England and Rhode Island-style chowder and more. The stuffies and other
prepared foods are also available on the WhatsGood app for home delivery. “It started
from grassroots,” Peter Cawell says. “I am blown away by the success of the stuffies and
the reaction we’ve had.” 1670 Main St., West Warwick, 744-0311, rishellfish.com —J.C.
RI Shellfish Co. Stuffies
Makes 21–24 large stuffies
3 Tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic (finely chopped)
½ cup onion (finely chopped)
1 cup celery (finely chopped)
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb ground pork/chorizo
1 quart ground quahogs
¼ cup clam broth
4 cups bread crumble
¼ cup parsley chopped
Melt butter, add garlic and
brown. Add onion, celery, black
pepper and red pepper flakes.
Simmer down till translucent.
Add ground pork/chorizo and
cook down for five minutes. Add
chopped quahogs and clam
juice and cook for five minutes.
Add bread. Remove from heat.
Add parsley. Spoon into shells
and warm until brown on top.
FUN FACT
Most hard clams are
harvested when they
are one to two inches
thick, or two to three
years old, though
they can live beyond
thirty years.
PHOTOGRAPH: ANGEL TUCKER.
“FAMILY GUY” DVDS DISTRIBUTED BY WALT DISNEY TELEVISION.
Rhode Island harvests
a quarter of the
United States quahog
supply. In 2018 alone,
more than 22 million
quahogs were
harvested from
Narragansett Bay and
coastal waters for a
value of $4.7 million.
QUAHOG,
Rhode Island
Quahog is the fictional city in
Newport County where the animated
television comedy “Family
Guy” is set. “Family Guy” creator
Seth MacFarlane is a graduate of
the Rhode Island School of Design,
and he often includes Ocean State
references and landmarks throughout
some episodes of the show.
Some say the name of the town
comes from Quonochontaug, a
village in Charlestown. Some of the
features of fictional Quahog exist
in Quonochontaug, such as the
coast. People who live in Quonochontaug
also refer to their home
as Quahog or Quonnie. The clam
jokes just don’t quit. The Drunken
Clam is also the bar where Peter
and his friends are regulars. —J.C.
Source: familyguy.fandom.com/wiki/
Quahog,_Rhode_Island
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l AUGUST 2020 49