Portland Coffee Professionals Qualify for Nationals

Staff from Bard Coffee and Speckled Ax participated in the US Coffee Championships qualifying event that took place over this past weekend in Nashville.

Congratulations to all three that have placed high enough to participate in the national championships taking place later this year:

  • Julien Langevin from Bard placed 11th in the Cup Tasters competition
  • Daniel Whitmore from Speckled Ax placed 11th in the Coffee Roasters competition
  • Kyle Knight from Speckled Ax placed 14th in the Brewers Cup competition

This Week’s Events: Good Food Awards, Prohibition Speakeasy

Friday – the Good Food Awards Gala is taking place; 12 Maine food producers are finalists and potential award winners in 2020. Madame Genever’s and Sur Lie are teaming up on a speakeasy to mark the 100 year anniversary of Prohibition.

Saturday – the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

207 Bar & Restaurant Opens Today

207 Bar & Restaurant (facebook, instagram) is scheduled to open today at 4 pm. It is located at 337 Cumberland Ave in the building formerly occupied by Maria’s.

207 is being launched by Antoine Bikamba along with business partners Damas Rugaba, Aime Nijimbere, and Aline Bucyana.  It will serve world cuisine with influences from Africa and the Caribbean. For an idea of what that will include you can take a look at the draft menu that was supplied with their liquor license application back in November.

Wine and Food Tariffs

The Press Herald has published an article on the tariffs on wine and specialty food being considered that would have a major impact on restaurants, specialty food shops and the wine industry in Maine.

“Literally, our wine shop would cease to exist if this happens, within a matter of months. Our restaurant would not be the restaurant we want it to be – its heart would be ripped out,” Peter Hale [co-owner of Drifters Wife and Maine & Loire] said in an interview. “That goes for a number of our peers in the community.”

Individual can voice their opposition to the tariffs by posting comments on regulations.gov.

Additional reporting can be found on the Bangor Daily NewsFood & Wine and Wine Spectator websites.