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

• A new cafe called Nomad (instagram) has launched at the Knox County Airport in the space formerly occupied by The Apron. It’s run by artist and chef Evan Stevens and is open Saturday 9 am – 1 pm and on Sunday 8 am – 2 pm. Stevens shared on instagram, “We’ve opened for the year with weekend hours to serve our brunch, breakfast/lunch, and bakery menus and we’ve had such a great response! From handmade blueberry maple sausage to latke hash browns, Caesar schnitzel chicken, and a hoard of delicious baked goods (brown butter maple cinnamon rolls, dark chocolate torte, lemon cake, chocolate orange cookies, etc) we’ve served hundreds now and I’m so excited! I’ve been making as much from scratch as possible including hand pies and sourdough focaccia and we’ve really enjoyed meeting returning and new customers!”
• The new owners of Treats are launching a ~40-seat wine bar this spring. They hope to open the bar in early May. It will be situated in the side room (above) of the Wiscasset bakery and shop. Joseph Swifka and Emily Hughes bought the popular Midcoast business earlier this year. They are planning a 10-seat bar along the northside wall and a mix of table and other seating options in the front window and elsewhere in the room. Hughes and Swifka plan to serve a rotating menu of low intervention wines. They’ll initially launch with light bar snacks but plan to expand the food options over time with a focus on Old World Italian cooking methods making use of locally sourced seasonal ingredients. The cafe itself has some new window counter seating with a selection of salads and sandwiches, baked goods and coffee.
• Fifth Pillar Teahouse (instagram) is under development in downtown Lewiston. Owner Meg Giossi is in the final stages of renovating a 2,000 sq ft space at 191 Lisbon Street and hopes to open the 49-seat teahouse by the end of April. The Fifth Pillar menu will have an extensive menu of herbal and traditional teas as well as a selection of light snacks. Giossi’s goal is to create a place for people who want to get into tea that “feels accessible and natural”.  She also sees a community service mission for her business and plans to offer “Communi-tea” blends that raise money for local organizations. Giossi was first introduced to the world of tea when she worked at Dobra Tea back in 2014/15. She’s had a long interest in tea and herbal medicine and has taken classes at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine and Herbal Academy. She has two decades of restaurant industry experience and most recently was the general manager at Kon Asian Bistro.
• Lenny’s at Hawkes Plaza in Westbrook has reopened under new ownership. They held a soft opening last Sunday and their first full day back in business was this past Wednesday.
• The Lincoln County News has published an article about Brill’s Bakery (instagram), which is under development at 27 Summer Street in Wiscasset.
• WMTW reports that the Way Way Store in Saco is closing after nearly a century of being in business. For additional reporting on the closure see this article from the Saco Bay News.
• The Midcoast Villager reports that sisters Elizabeth and Emilia Parker have taken over ownership of the Bayside Store in Northport. “…Emilia comes with experience, having worked at the store for over three years. They plan to continue with many of the same items and offerings with a number of delicious new additions. Already, word on the street is their cinnamon rolls and sourdough bread are to die for. We encourage the community to stop in and help these young entrepreneurs get off to a great start.”
• The Morning Sentinel reports that the owner of the The Cork & Cow in Belgrade is expanding to open a wine bar on the second floor of her building at 47 Main Street.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that a new brewery called North Star Brewing (website, facebook) i under development in Madawaska. It will be located in the former border crossing station at 63 Bridge Street. The business is being launched by Eli Cayer and Jason Dionne. They hope to launch North Star by sometime in August. “All the beer will be made on site, and Cayer plans to expand into spirits, wine, cider and non-alcoholic drinks. They also plan to build a kitchen and offer good quality pub food.”

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of 100+ coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.