Former Little Bigs co-owner, Pamela Fitzpatrick Plunkett, will be joining the Monte’s Fine Foods to manage their bakery operations.
Pamela’s love of bread and the art of baking began in 1988 at Nancy Silverton’s famed La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles. In 2000 she was a founder of Fox & Obel in Chicago and served as its Executive Baker thru 2011. In 2013, Pamela and her husband James moved to Maine and operated the very popular Little BIGS in South Portland until early this year.
Freeport Maine resident, Scott Tyree, passed his final exam on Tuesday to become Maine’s first Master Sommelier, and only the 257th Master Sommelier worldwide.
It’s truly an amazing accomplishment. Only a small fraction of the people who progress through the lower certification levels to take the test complete all three sections successfully. The Master Sommelier exams are administered by the Court of Master Sommeliers. They are a rigorous and demanding challenge that requires expert knowledge of wine making practices and standards worldwide, a service exam and a blind tasting test.
Tyree is a 25-year veteran of the wine industry, and began his career in Chicago at Shaw’s Crab House. He was the Wine Director at Tru working alongside James Beard Award winning chefs Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand. In 2009, as the Wine Director of Michelin-starred Sepia Restaurant in Chicago, Tyree was once again chosen as Best Sommelier by the Jean Banchet Awards for an unprecedented third time. He has received numerous awards including a Wine Spectator’s Grand Award in 2004, he was a James Beard Semi-Finalist for Outstanding Wine Service in 2004, and a Food & Wine Best New Wine List honoree in 2001.
Photo Credit: Court of Master Sommeliers
Blue Spoon Cafe & Catering (instagram) is scheduled to open Thursday morning at 7 am. The new cafe is located at 64 Pine Street in the former location of Aurora Provisions.
Liz Koenigsberg and her husband chef Will Lavey, the couple who bought Blue Spoon last year, have leased the space from Tom Landry who purchased the building at auction earlier this year.
Blue Spoon Cafe & Catering will be a casual breakfast and lunch cafe with coffee service (Speckled Ax) and foods to go. It will also be a home base to expand Blue Spoon’s catering service.
The Boston Globe has published an article about this year’s upcoming Portland Wine Week (June 17 – 23).
Restaurants, bars, and shops all over town will present a multitude of offerings, from the budget-friendly to the splurge-worthy. Sip a gently priced glass of bubbly alongside freshly shucked oysters at a shellfish market, or learn to craft your own spritzer at a stylish cocktail lounge. In the evening, drop by a restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, and get acquainted with a winemaker over a prix fixe repast. The next morning, hop aboard a sailboat and enjoy a scenic brunch on Casco Bay. Tickets to events are sold a la carte, so it’s a snap to customize your own adventure.