“ I have a husband who is a survivor of esophageal cancer ,” she says , explaining her cautiousness in addition to being vaccinated .
Venturini exercised the same caution on behalf of both restaurant and hotel guests and hospitality employees when COVID-19 first hit the area . She and her team worked with the former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and current Governor Dan McKee , the Rhode Island Department of Health and Rhode Island Commerce to come up with adaptable ways to keep people safe while trying to preserve the economy .
This is the most difficult time in the history of hospitality , says Sarah Bratko , RIHA ’ s senior vice president of advocacy and general counsel , who has worked with Venturini for seven years on the legislative front .
“ I don ’ t know anything that even comes close to comparing it ,” Bratko says . The day after restaurants were shut down in March 2020 , the RIHA staff went to work from home and had a staff call the next morning . “ Our phones were ringing . Our emails were bombarded . Our entire plan just got thrown out the window and we had to remake the plan . The thing Dale says is ‘ Build the plane while you are flying it ,’ ” says Bratko . “ No one knew what to do , but we had a really strong team and we had someone who was leading the charge who had as much experience as anyone could have of figuring out how to get us through it .”
Not everyone agreed with the precautions that were enforced by the state during the pandemic , from mask-wearing to capacity limitations , Venturini says . Oftentimes , she was the one fielding feedback and complaints — some might say the proverbial “ punching bag ” for the industry . Venturini gets up from her desk and takes a blue dry erase marker . “ People think in a triangle ,” she says , drawing a triangle on her whiteboard next to her desk . Then she traces a circle around it . “ People are taking sides and I need to round out the triangle .”
Rhode Island Speaker of the House Joseph Shekarchi works with Venturini , the governor ’ s office and the general assembly , where Venturini continues to advocate for relief for the industry . “ She ’ s making sure that they are adequately funded and advocating to pass temporary laws to allow waivers for zoning , so they can continue to have outdoor dining and alcohol to-go ,” Shekarchi says . “ Those were all Dale Venturini initiatives that she convinced the governor to do by executive order , or the general assembly to do by legislation .” Shekarchi says . Venturini was able to get bills passed because she has been a constant presence at the state house and she made local business owners ’ issues relatable . “ She was able to show the effects that COVID has had on small businesses and ask for reasonable , temporary accommodations to help keep them in business ,” he says .
Adds Senate President Dominick Ruggerio , who has worked with Venturini for more than twenty-five years , “ She not only wanted the customers to be safe but those people in the service industry to be safe , too . I know it ’ s been really difficult on a lot of these restaurants , but if she didn ’ t do what she did , a lot more of them would have folded .”
FIGHTING FOR RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS IS nothing new to her . Venturini has advocated for the success and survival of Rhode Island ’ s hospitality industry for more than three decades . Previously , she ’ s worked on the effects of labor issues on the hospitality industry and their employees , modernizing Rhode Island ’ s liquor laws and preventing third-party delivery services from exploiting restaurants without their consent . She is well known locally and in Washington , D . C ., where she travels to represent Rhode Island hospitality and lobby to resolve various issues .
Venturini ’ s husband , Anthony DeFusco , says anytime they go out to dinner , and especially at the Capital Grille , she hops from the bar to table to table , saying hello to fellow diners , management , bartenders and staff .
“ Some young chef will walk up and say , ‘ Do you remember me , you helped me through this ….’ It ’ s nice . That happened quite a few times ,” he says . “ It ’ s a half-hour before she ’ s even sitting at the table . We go out with this other couple , and they have an over-under bet going on how many people are going to come up and say hi to Dale .”
DeFusco and Venturini have been married for eighteen years . They met through mutual friends at Triggs Golf Course in Providence , but didn ’ t start dating until years later after battling a different type of bug . The Rhode Island Hospitality Association encountered a computer virus at the office , and as the chief information officer for the National Guard at the time , DeFusco , who is now retired , was one of the guys who got their computers back up and running .
He says he was impressed by Dale ’ s involvement in so many organizations , from fostering education and raising money for scholarships for culinary students to leading various women ’ s networking organizations all while running
42 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l DECEMBER 2021