Maine Food & Dining News: Wiscasset, Coopers Mills, Rockland, Yarmouth, Castine, Stonington, Biddeford, Freeport, Lewiston, Boothbay, Bristol

| Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

  • Brill’s Bakery (instagram) in Wiscasset is set to open on Saturday. It is located at 27 Summer Street. On opening day the father and daughter team of Emily Clark and Steve Brill  plan to sell sourdough breads (Khorasan, molasses oat porridge, ancient grains, and rye/wheat), Japanese milk bread, whoopie pies, sticky buns, cinnamon buns, checkerboard shortbread, chocolate chip cookies, coffee cake, and cream-filled chocolate cupcakes. They’ll be open 8 am – 2 pm on opening day, and moving forward will be open Friday through Sunday 8 am – 2 pm.
  • Sean Patrick Harrington, the owner of Swallowtail Farm & Creamery, is launching a coffee shop called Snug (instagram) in the village of Coopers Mills. Their opening day will be September 13th. Snug is serving espresso-based drinks and percolated coffee using house-roasted beans as well as tea from Tern, baked goods from Solo Pane, a Maine eggs and potatoes breakfast and other options made with house made Swallowtail yogurt. The space will also include a market selling Swalltail products, pantry provisions like fermented vegetables and tinned fish, packaged beverages Maine-made housewares, Icelandic wool blankets and sheepskins, and household goods from Sweden and France. It’s located at 98 Main Street in Whitefield and will be open daily 6:30 am – 1 pm.
  • Primo and Your Maine Concierge are collaborating on MeatBrawl. The competition will bring together chefs from 14 restaurants and food trucks to decide who has the best meat balls in Maine. Taking part are Salvatore’s, Crooked Spoon, Porcelli’s, Biergarten/Maine Grains, David’s, Ada’s, Beef Haus 207, Provender, Fusillo, The Laughing Loon, Cushnoc Cantina, Maillard Kitchen, Chaval and Young Nonna. The event will take place October 3rd at Primo in Rockland.
  • Magno Terra Cafe is pausing operations indefinitely while they search for a new location. WMTW reported “The cafe’s last day in the Yarmouth location was July 17, and owner Toni Magno-Fish had plans to relocate the business to Portland…But on Wednesday, Magno-Fish revealed that she did not end up getting the new space in Portland and that the cafe would be indefinitely pausing operations until she figures out what comes next.”
  • Mainebiz shared news of Plant Shoppe, a new wine bar and cafe opened by the owners of the Auxford Market (instagram) in Castine. “The Plant Shoppe, a collaboration between Charlotte Legg and Ashleigh McKenzie, combines a wine bar and cafe with a plant nursery, artisan gift shop and antiques. The venue opened in July at the corner of Sea Street and Main Street, in a space next to Auxford Market.Legg told Mainebiz that the idea was sparked by a concern about the dwindling number of places in Castine where people can gather over food and drinks.”
  • The Bangor Daily News has published an article about the School Street Market (facebook, instagram) in Stonington. “An established Stonington baker has opened a new cafe-market with her adult children, bringing Eastern European and Middle Eastern flavors and a new gathering place to the island town.”
  • September is the start of apple and cider season. See our Maine Apple & Cider Guide to find great orchards and heirloom apple varieties, Maine’s cider tasting rooms, apple events, and other pomological resources to help you plan a fall road-trip and enjoy all that the season has to offer.
  • The BiddoFoodies have published a field report from Edelweiss Pastry Shop (website, facebook, instagram) and from a dinner by chef Jose Garces at his Biddeford media kitchen and event space Shokutsu North (website).
  • In collaboration with Presente Maine, Goodfire Brewing in Freeport will be serving a Peruvian menu prepared by guest chef Maria Sanchez and Goodfire chef Ben Christie on September 18th and 19th.
  • The Holy Trinity Church in Lewiston is holding their Greek Festival on September 29th.
  • Four more entries have been added to the Maine Food Map: Color Field Coffee in East Boothbay (above left), Fish & Whistle in Biddeford, Bet’s Fish Fry in Boothbay (above right), The Rooting Pig in Bristol. The statewide dining guide now includes 124 restaurants, bars, bakeries, cafes and and other food and dining establishments from across all of Maine’s 16 counties.

Food Editor Peggy Grodinsky Retiring

| Posted in People

The Press Herald food editor, Peggy Grodinsky has announced her retirement.

It has been a privilege to edit, and work with, my talented colleagues. I also feel lucky to have come to know some of Maine’s cooks, chefs, bakers, restaurateurs, producers, farmers, cookbook writers and eaters, and I am deeply grateful for their willingness to share their time, experience, stories and “dilishes” food. Even now, I pinch myself sometimes, amazed I am paid to write about food.

Grodinsky started working for the newspaper in 2014.

2026 Maine Apple and Cider Season

| Posted in Farming

Today is the first day of September and the unofficial start of the apple season. Fall is the perfect time to plan a Maine road-trip. See the guides below to find great orchards and heirloom apple varieties, Maine’s cider tasting rooms, apple events, and other pomological resources to help you enjoy all that the season has to offer. While you’re on the road you can also visit some of the great restaurants located all across the state.

The Maine Heirloom Apple Guide  is a co-production with the intrepid apple expert Sean Turley at The Righteous Russet (instagram). It provides all the information you need for a self-directed exploration of Maine orchards and the many heirloom apples they offer. Use it throughout the fall to go exploring so you can take advantage of the entire season.

The Guide to Maine Cider is a directory to 25 Maine cider producers. They’re located all over the state from Kingfield to Cornish and Portland to Hancock. Stop by cidery tasting rooms like Absolem in Winthrop, Bon Vent in Hancock, or at one of the retail shops highlighted in the guide to experience the taste of autumn in a glass.

Other Resources and Events:

  • Anoche – A cider bar located at 43 Washington Ave in Portland.
  • Out on a Limb – An heirloom apple CSA for consumers, and a wholesale source of apples for restaurants and bakeries. Contact them at info@outonalimbcsa.com to sign-up or for more information.
  • Maine Apple Sunday is taking place on September 13th all throughout the state. Check the event page for a list of all participating orchards.
  • Absolem Cider in Winthrop is holding the 5th Annual Bembel Fest on September 12th to celebrate “the cider culture and traditions of Frankfurt, Germany”. They’ll be serving several German-style ciders of their own as well as ciders from Germany.
  • The 7th Annual Apple Tasting at McDougal Orchards will be taking place on October 24th in Springvale.
  • Great Maine Apple Day is taking place October 25th, noon – 4 pm, in Unity.
  • Maine Pomological Society – is the professional organization for Maine apple orchards. Their website has a directory of 50 apple orchards in 13 counties.
  • Maine Heritage Orchard is a 10-acre orchard run by MOFGA in Unity that is home to more than “360 varieties of apples and pears traditionally grown in Maine”.
  • For more information on Maine cider and cider makers see these articles in the Maine Sunday Telegram, Down East and Press Herald, from the Maine Farmland Trust.

Culture House in Woodfords Corner

| Posted in Under Construction

A new restaurant called Culture House (instagram) is under construction at 683 Forest Ave in Woodfords Corner.

Martin Beavers and Esperance Yende plans to serve a menu of soul food and Ethiopian cuisine with dishes like catfish, deviled eggs, fried okra, jerk chicken sandwiches, oxtail fries, and brown butter beignets. Yende is Ethiopian and on the weekends Culture House will offer a growing set of Ethiopian options like doro wat chicken with injera and an Ethiopian coffee ceremony service.

Beavers and Yende hopes to launch Culture House on September 4th with an extended two week soft opening period. The ~50 seat restaurant will be open Thursday through Sunday, noon – 9:30 pm. The restaurant has six dedicated parking spaces located behind the building.

Beavers formerly operated Soul Food Paradise which began as a pop-up and then transitioned into a space at the Maine Mall food court.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Saturday – Adega will be holding a pop-up at Lambs in South Portland. The menu will include grilled oysters, piri piri prawns, and fire-roasted cheese and melon salad.

September 10 – Bold Coast Spirits will be the featured guest at the next Crafted Conversations event at the Five of Clubs bar at the Longfellow Hotel. Coffee by Design is holding an Ethiopian New Year celebration which will include a guided tasting of Ethiopian coffees and an Ethiopian dinner prepared by Niyat Catering.

September 12 – Orange Bike Brewing is hosting a Gluten-Free Market & Expo.

September 13 – The Tender Table BIPOC Night Market is taking place in Congress Square Park. The 10th Annual Maine Cheese Festival is taking place in Pittsfield.

September 15 – High Roller is holding a Maker’s Mark bourbon tasting dinner.

September 16 – Chaval is holding a 5-course dinner that will feature wines from Olé & Obrigado with owner Patrick Mata attending the dinner.

September 19 – PoutineFest is taking place. En-Noble and Ugly Duckling are collaborating on a global dinner series celebrating the food of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The focus of the September dinner is the food of Latin America.

September 19-26 – Maine Lobster Week is taking place.

September 23 – The 2nd Annual Lobster Roll Remix is taking place—nine local chefs are will be serving their take on a globally-inspired version of the classic Maine lobster roll.

September 25-27 – The 50th Annual Common Ground Fair is taking place in Unity.

September 26 – The 2nd Annual Portland Hotdog Safari is taking place.

September 29 – Via Vecchia is hold the 3rd Annual Bitter Ball Negroni Contest. Press Herald food section editor Peggy Grodinski will be speaking at an event organized by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USM.

September 30 – Glenn Prickett, the CEO of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, will be the guest speaker at an Open Door event organized by the Maine Trust for Local News.

October 1 – Wayside Food Programs is holding their annual Inside Wayside event with food provided by the Casco Bay Chapter of the American Chefs Federation.

October 3 – Oxbow Brewing’s annual Goods from the Woods event is taking place in Newcastle; tickets are now on sale.

October 5 – Luncheonette is relaunching their Korean Night Dinner series.

October 8 – The Maine Food Producers Showcase & Golden Fork Awards are taking place in Portland.

October 11 – Chef and author Erin French will be speaking at the State Theatre. Tickets include a copy of her book The Lost Kitchen: Seize the Supper.

October 15-17 – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place. Tickets are now on sale for all three events.

October 24 – The 21st Annual Veg Fest is taking place.

October 25 – The Great Maine Apple Day is taking place in Unity.

Planning a wedding, holding a business event, or hosting visitors from away? Our printed guides are a great resource to help your guests explore the Maine restaurant scene.

The 2026 Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now for sale in packs of 25 on our online store.

The Teal Duck Opened Friday

| Posted in Openings

The Teal Duck (facebook, instagram) opened for business on Friday. The cocktail bar is located at 8 Exchange Street in the space formerly occupied by Portland Bar and Bites. The renovated 1,800 sq ft space includes bar, table and booth seating for ~70 people. Classic films are being screened on the back wall of the room—Saturday afternoon was a screening of I’ll Give Million from 1938.

Owner Brandon James Allegue and his team are serving a menu (see below) of house cocktails, draft beer, wine by the glass and bottle, and a selection of meat and cheese board options. Shown above is the Big Sexy World made with rum, fig syrup, lime juice and clarified with rhubarb and strawberry yogurt.

The Teal Duck will be open Monday through Saturday, 5 pm – 1 am.