Stadler Wins America’s Culinary Cup

| Posted in People

Chef Cara Stadler won the America’s Culinary Cup in the final episode that aired last night on CBS. She takes home a $1 million prize. Parade magazine has the details the dish that helped her win,

Certainly what helped set her apart was her final meal, which was something even Lakshmi hasn’t tasted before. “Cara made this beautiful dish of tea with some dumplings in it, which I had never seen before,” she says of the chef’s third and final presentation, which Stadler described on the show as a fusion of English and Asian cultures. 

Stadler was named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine in 2014 and was a Beard Awards nominee for Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2015. She formerly ran a set of restaurants in Portland and Brunswick along with her mother Cecile Stadler.

The Company of Others on India Street

| Posted in Under Construction

Heather Gildea, the owner of Black Elephant Hostel, has been developing an all-day cafe and a listening lounge which together are called The Company of Others. They will be located in the former India Street Coffee by Design building. Renovations are well underway and Gildea hopes to launch the cafe space first early this summer followed by the lounge.

She envisions the establishment as a third place where members of the community can meet and connect.

In a world that moves too fast, we offer something essential: a place to pause, to connect, to feel at home in the company of others. Connection doesn’t happen on a schedule. So, we don’t close until the the night is over. The atmosphere changes as the night deepens – from high-end café to something funkier and looser — a late-night gathering spot for the people who aren’t ready to go home yet. Same room. Same welcome. The company just keeps getting better.

The menu for the cafe will include crepes, tartines, and other light fare. It will offer a full line-up of brewed and espresso-based coffee drinks using beans from a local roaster as well as a rotating selection of internationally-inspired beverages like Moroccan Mint Tea. Gildea expects to evolve the menu offerings as the community engages with the business.

In the evening The Company of Others will serve cocktails, wine by the glass, and craft beer as well as nonalcoholic beverages in Lowell’s Lounge—the listening lounge is named for Gildea’s father who “had a deep appreciation for music and how it should be heard.” A sound engineer has been working to create the optimal environment for a listening lounge. It will feature an experience “centered around high-fidelity audio and curated vinyl programming” that shares a wide range of musical genres, “jazz to soul, classical to electronic, we move across genres with the same spirit of genuine curiosity — following the music wherever it leads. Some nights a DJ takes the room on a journey. Other nights it’s just a needle, a record, and whatever Lowell might have put on next.”

Wednesday’s at The Company of Others will be an alcohol-free day in the cafe and lounge. The listening lounge menu is still under development so stay tuned for additional details.

Fresh Approach to Close

| Posted in Closings

Fresh Approach (website, facebook, instagram) has announced that they’re closing. Owners Peggy and Chet Knight plan to remain open while selling the remainder of the stock at their Brackett Street market.

It is with deep regret and broken hearts [w]e must announce that after 34 years in business on Bracket Street we will be closing Fresh Approach.

As many of you are aware our ability to take food stamps at our store was taken away from us about 1 year ago. Unfortunately an employee sold dish soap and tissues to an undercover USDA agent. Although we know this was wrong and it never should have happened our license was suspended for 6 months and we received a hefty fine. It took us 11 months to get our license back – which was a very big part of our business. We established a good wholesale business to local restaurants and caterers but because of so many restaurants closing our sales have gone down. With the current economy and cost of doing business is more than we can overcome we will be liquidating our inventory effective immediately. We will remain open until everything is sold.

With that being said we want to sincerely thank all of you for supporting us for the last 34 years. We have made so many friends and have watched children grow up to adults. Each and every one of you are special to us and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts

Thank you also to our employees for hanging in there with us – You are the best!

Mobile Food: Mini Bar, Kassa, Saltsmith

| Posted in Under Construction, Openings

Three new mobile food operations have launched or soon will:

  • A new coffee food truck called The Mini Bar (website, instagram) launched last weekend. So far they’ve been located at O’Donal’s Nursery in Gorham and manager Brady Guay is looking forward to operating along Back Cove and at Scarborough Downs this summer. Some recent menu specials have been a matcha latte with strawberry cold foam, and a maple sea salt latte. Mini Bar is making their drinks with beans from Tandem Coffee.
  • A new food truck called Kassa Cafe (instagram) is under development. Owner Iman Enan aims to bring “Middle Eastern inspired flavors and drinks into the menu”. She plans to partner with a Maine roaster to source beans for Kassa. She shared that “I really want the experience to feel warm, unique, and rooted in both quality coffee and cultural connection.” This is a first step for Enan who hopes to eventually open a brick and mortar version of Kassa.
  • A new mobile raw bar catering company called Saltsmith Oyster Company (instagram) will be launching in June. Owners Peter Jacobson and Simon Hulbert plan to provide catering to weddings and other private events in Southern Maine. The business partners hail from Mount Desert Island. Hulbert has worked at Running Tide, a Portland-based ocean carbon removal startup, helping to manage oyster harvesting operations. Jacobson has spent two summers at The Shop where he developed his shucking skill and developed a “love for serving oysters”.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – The First Annual Portland Daq Off (a daiquiri competition among 12 Portland area bartenders) is taking place at Cuties.

Wednesday – Ladyfish is scheduled to open. Reservations are available on Open Table.

Thursday – Friends & Family is holding a tasting with winemakers from Slobodné Vinárstvo from Slovakia.

Saturday – The Luna Rooftop Bar at the Canopy Hotel is launching a new weekend brunch service (menu) which will be open Saturdays and Sundays, 11 – 2. The Maine Wine Wine Fest (tickets) is taking place in Freeport.

Sunday – Cafe Mugen is holding a ramen pop-up at at Izakaya Minato, and Root Wild is holding a Crawfish Boil.

June 15 – The James Beard Foundation will be announcing the 2026 award winners. Thomas Takashi Cooke from Izakaya Minato and Dana Street from Fore Street, Scales, Standard Baking, and Street & Company are this year’s nominees from Maine.

June 27 – Mast Landing is holding the 2026 Wavy Days Beer Fest at Thompson’s Point.

June 28 – The Good Food Foundation will be announcing the winners of their 2026 awards program. 7 Maine food producers are finalists.

July 24-26 – The Kneading Conference is taking place in Skowhegan.

August 22 – The Maine State Cake Decorating Championship is taking place in South Paris.

September 25-27 – The Common Ground Fair 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 Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now for sale in packs of 25 on our online store.

Maine Food & Dining News: Freeport, Limerick, Pownal, Madawaska, South Portland, Wells, Biddeford

| 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:

  • Love Point Oysters is working to launch Love Point Provisions (instagram). The new oyster shop and market will sell tinned fish, wine, beer, and, of course, LP oysters. It will be located at 43 Old South Freeport Road in Freeport and is expected to launch on May 30th.
  • Auxillary Brewing Company in Limerick is holding their grand opening today. This weekend they’ll be open Friday through Sunday, noon – 8 pm, and moving forward they’ll also be open Thursdays, 2 – 8 pm. Both their Klipsch Kolsch and Hefeweizen will be on tap today with additional beers from Abomination, Argenta, Barreled Souls, Belleflower, Mast Landing and Schilling also available. The Beef Haus food cart will be at Auxillary on Saturday and Sunday, and the K-Pop Kimbap food truck will be at Auxillary Brewing for today’s grand opening. For more information see this post from the Brewers Guild.
  • XO Bakery & Mercantile (facebook, instagram) owner Hailey Sylvain has scheduled the grand opening of her Pownal bakery for May 30th when they’ll be open 9 am – 2 pm.
  • The Bangor Daily News reports that Cou-yon’s Cajun Shack has relocated to Madawaska from Grand Isle.
  • The Bollard has published a review of the Q Street Diner in South Portland. “A great diner differs from a café or a swanky bistro not only by its menu, but also its vibe. Case in point: during our meal at Q Street, our friendly server called me “hon” and never let our coffee mugs go empty. I felt like I was 18 again. What more could anyone ask for?”
  • The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of the Sea Salt Fry Company in Wells. “Outstanding dishes include a splendid smash burger, mixed local mushrooms and a twist on the French bistro staple, frisee aux lardons, topped with a panko-coated soft-boiled egg. Look for his Asian-influenced tuna tartare cannoli this summer, when the rice paper shells will be stuffed with Maine bluefin tuna.”
  • Cara Stadler is a finalist in the America’s Culinary Cup cooking competition show on CBS, reports the Press Harald. The next episode will air on Wednesday and if Stadler wins she’ll receive a $1 million grand prize.
  • Mainebiz has published an article about Tootie’s Tempeh in Biddeford.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.