Two Lights Plural

Hugo’s alum and Old Orchard Beach native son Chase Lovecky will be launching a new restaurant in London called Two Lights (instagram). In addition to Hugo’s Lovecky has worked at Jean George and for David Chang before moving to England and becoming part of the team, and eventually leading the kitchen, at The Clover Club.

Coincidentally, another former member of the Portland restaurant community, Chris Gatchell, moved to Chicago late last year where he helped open a restaurant also called Two Lights (instagram) earlier this summer.

Stadler Aquaponics Greenhouse

Today’s Press Herald includes a very interesting article about chef Cara Stadler’s project to build an aquaponics greenhouse in Brunswick that will supply vegetables and rainbow trout to her three restaurants.

Now, drivers passing by Tao Yuan in Brunswick are watching the busy chef’s next project come to life before their eyes. Five years in the making, it’s an aquaponic greenhouse in a 55-by-60-foot, two-story building that will also house a new café and a commercial kitchen to supply Stadler’s restaurants. Both Stadler and Kate Holcomb, the 31-year-old project director, say they hope the facility will open this fall.

Under Construction: Empyreal Beverages

Longtime Boda staff member Jeremy Sossei along with Boda co-owners Danai ‘Dan’ Sripasert  and Nattasak ‘Bob’ Wongsaichua are  launching a new company called Empyreal Beverages. Empyreal will initially produce and sell canned nitro cold brew coffee with plans to  branch out into a line of flavored cold brew coffees, cold brew seltzers and nitro Thai ice tea as well.

Empyreal has leased space at 1067 Riverside Street and hopes to launch later this year.

The word empyreal means “belonging to or deriving from heaven”, it can also mean “pertaining to the highest heaven or the empyrean; celestial; sublime; exalted”.

3 More Vendors At the Public Market House

Three new vendors are moving into the Public Market House:

  • Mr. Tuna is moving into a space on the first floor. Owner Jordan Rubin will be operating this space in addition two his two existing food carts.
  • Sichuan Kitchen is opening a 2nd location on the second floor of the Public Market House. They’ll be serving an abbreviated version of the menu from their restaurant in Congress Square.
  • A new business is called Totally Tubers is moving into a space on the second floor. The self-described potato bar will be serving “loaded potatoes and yams”. It’s being launched by the owners of Daily Greens and scheduled to open in mid-September with their grandd opening scheduled for September 17th.

Under Construction: Simply Vegan by Silly’s

Silly’s owner Colleen Kelley has a new cafe and market under development called Simply Vegan by Silly’s which will serve and sell for takeout Silly’s vegan foods, sauces, meals and baked goods.
The 9-seat counter service establishment will be located at 68 Washington Ave in the space formerly occupied by Centro Latino. Kelley hopes to open in July.
Silly’s itself is coming up on it’s 30th anniversary this July 15th, and during the Summer has deck, patio and now a beer garden out behind the restaurant at 40 Washington Ave.

Lifting the Curse

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram takes a look at a few challenging restaurant spaces and the factors that have contributed to their high turnover over the years.

A closer examination of what’s happened in some of the high-turnover restaurant spaces in the Old Port – the heart of Portland’s huge restaurant scene – show that, although each space and each occupant has its own story, challenges like size, location and rising rents played into the succession of relatively short stays. For those that have broken the pattern, it’s taken a special ingredient.