In the Kitchen: Josh Finger and Maggie McConnell of Claudine

Those who are passionate about making food often convey the sentiment that cooking or baking is an act of love. For Providence’s newest fine dining restaurant, Claudine’s love story is as rich as their Basque Cheesecake, combining romance, family, and the dedication of epicures.

Claudine is the brainchild of Josh Finger and Maggie McConnell, co-owners and husband-and-wife team. Finger, the executive chef, and McConnell, pastry chef, were both deeply influenced by food and hospitality their entire lives. For McConnell, making food has been a lifelong drive: “I have loved cooking for as long as I can remember. My mom even has a book she kept from my childhood that quotes my four-year-old self saying I wanted to be a baker!”

Where McConnell always knew that she wanted to be cubing butter, sifting flour, and kneading dough, Finger’s passion for the restaurant industry grew from gentle admiration into an obsession. He shares that his mother worked in restaurants throughout his life, which sparked an admiration for hospitality. “I had an older friend who had already been cooking for a few years,” Finger recalls of his teenage years. “One day, he showed me The French Laundry Cookbook [by Thomas Keller, Susie Heller, and part-time Providence resident Michael Ruhlman], and at that moment, everything changed. Flipping through the pages, I became obsessed with the craft, the stories of discipline, and the raw energy of that kitchen. He later gifted me Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential; the unfiltered stories made it feel even more electric.”

McConnell’s culinary journey took her to Washington D.C. for college; Austin, Texas for the start of her career; and then to New York City “to really learn fine dining at the highest level and hone my pastry skills,” she says. She landed a job at chef Thomas Keller’s renowned Per Se as pastry chef de partie. Finger moved to New York City when he was 18, working in different kitchens for six years until he landed a job at Per Se, where he serendipitously met McConnell.

During the pandemic, when Per Se was forced to close, Finger stayed on with a team to help guide its reopening, reestablishing the culture and philosophy of the restaurant and contributing to the Manhattan eatery maintaining its three-Michelin star status. McConnell left for a year-long stint at Keller’s The French Laundry during that time, but returned to Per Se – and to Finger – as pastry sous chef when the restaurant eventually reopened.

Maggie McConnell and Finger were both high achievers at Per Se, with their careers – and romance – taking off. “We found ourselves spending all of our weekends in Maggie’s hometown of Providence,” Finger recalls. “I quickly fell for Rhode Island and Maggie’s extended family, too, so together we made plans to settle in Providence and start a new chapter.”

Thus, the concept of Claudine was set in motion. “I always knew one day I would move back here to open something of my own,” McConnell asserts. “While most of my life I thought it would be a bakery, I really fell in love with dinner service during my time in NYC and decided that was what I wanted to create for my future.” They named their venture after Finger’s mother, and spent three years meticulously planning out the guest experience, from the menu concept to design, and completely renovated the former location of Ellie’s Bakery to make Claudine’s atmosphere fit their vision.

“We like to think of Claudine as our take on contemporary fine dining,” McConnell explains. “It’s about combining our passions for refined, intentional cooking and service with a warm, inviting atmosphere where guests feel both excited by what’s on the plate in front of them and connected to the experience.”

With only 26 seats and an open kitchen, guests will be surrounded by haute cuisine. “Our approach to cooking is deeply rooted in French technique,” Finger says. “We believe a tasting menu is the most immersive way to experience a meal.” Rotating eight-course experiences will make the most of seasonal New England ingredients, though flavors will be dictated by a variety of places and influences, while staying firmly rooted in the French style.

A unique practice Finger is bringing to the restaurant is storing and aging fish in-house, a process that takes anywhere from three to 30 days. “We also strive for whole-animal utilization,” he says, to encourage sustainability and to push culinary creativity by “transforming every part of the animal into thoughtfully crafted dishes.” One course may be pork and Point Judith squid raviolo with Parmigiano Reggiano; another might be sashimi of dry-aged bluefin tuna with a honeynut squash emulsion.

As a pastry chef, McConnell explains she wants to “find the balance of French classics with fun childhood favorites.” This means a traditionally sweet crepe cake may turn into a savory wonder, like the roasted Celeriac Cream Crepe Cake with burgundy wine, date puree, and Ossetra caviar. “Classics are classic for a reason,” she says, “but dessert by nature is pretty fun, so why not also lean into that sometimes?”

Claudine

225 Weybosset Street

ClaudinePVD.com