Category: General News

Ned Swain from Devenish Wines has launched an effort to raise money for restaurant workers impacted by the pandemic. Inspired by the Depression Era WPA project arts initiative, he commissioned four artists to produce designs for t-shirts which are now on sale online.

The four artists are Kimberly Convery, Ryan Adams, Hannah Hirsch and Emma Lucille.

Devenish Wines will be donating profits by this initiative to the Restaurant Worker’s Community Foundation, who are “working to provide resources and advocacy for the hospitality workers we know and love–along with the many who too often go unrecognized and for whom the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a pre-existing quality of life crisis.”

You can see the designs and order a shirt now through July 1st at devenishwine.com/shop

With the changes in state regulation restaurants are evolving the services they offer. With that in mind Portland Food Map now maintains two lists to help you decide where to eat:

• A list of restaurants that are offering indoor and/or outdoor onsite dining.
• The big takeout and delivery list.

Please let me know if you know of any establishments in Portland that may be missing from either list.

The Forecaster has a report on the pandemic’s impact on restaurants in South Portland and more broadly in Maine.

“It’s been devastating.” That’s how Craig Dilger, owner of Foulmouthed Brewing in South Portland, described the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on local restaurants. This week, Gov. Janet Mills issued new orders allowing restaurants in Cumberland, York and Sagadahoc counties to once again offer indoor dine-in seating, but since local restaurants haven’t been allowed to do so since March, the damage may already be done.

Black Dinah Chocolates has announced plans to change the name of the company.

I’ve just plain been thinking a lot, period, these past two and a half weeks. About racism, antiracism, racial justice, and the powerful movement that is in play in our country at this moment. About what it takes for change to happen: murder, outrage, collective grief. And my place in it all. My company’s place in it all. And how it relates to you.

The company was named for Black Dinah Mountain on Isle au Haut where the company got its start before moving to Westbrook.

Several years after we moved our company to the mainland and south to the Greater Portland area, we noticed, to our dismay, that not everyone had the same good associations with our company name. And as our customer base grew, so did our perspective. Last fall, we began, as a team, to make a plan to transition to a new name.

The new name will be announced in July.

For additional information see articles in the Bangor Daily News and MaineBiz.

Two more streets in Portland have been turned into outdoor dining space for local restaurants.

• The stretch of Middle Street from India to Franklin has been turned into a one way street with areas in front of Eventide and The Honey Paw, and in front of East Ender, Duckfat and Ribolita blocked off for tables.
• Boothly Square businesses have gotten the approval to close off and use the streets and green space in the square for outdoor dining.

There’s a growing list of restaurants offering outdoor dining in addition to takeout and delivery.

The Press Herald reports that some businesses are taking the opportunity to change their business license in order to offer outdoor dining.

Novare Res, Sagamore Hill Lounge, Tomaso’s Canteen and Rising Tide Brewing, which were all previously licensed as Class A lounges, have been issued restaurant licenses, allowing them to reopen before other bars and brew pubs. Bars, pubs and tasting rooms will be allowed to open as soon as July 1 unless the reopening plan is changed.

An article in the Press Herald highlights some of the ways local businesses including those in the hospitality business are showing their support for the protests. Included in the article’s coverage are Ada’s, Rising Tide and The Honey Paw.

Sid Rumma, a partner at Ada’s pasta restaurant on Congress Street in Portland, couldn’t participate in the Black Lives Matter protests, but he could offer bowls of spaghetti to those protesting.

“I’m just trying to be helpful,” he said as he prepared free midday meals on Wednesday, the second day he and his team at Ada’s have offered to feed and nourish hungry protesters in advance of the afternoon’s public demonstrations.

I’ve been getting a number of requests the last couple of days for a list of black-owned restaurants and bars. Here are the ones I know of in the Portland area—please let me know if you know of any that are missing and I’ll add them to the list.

• 207 Bar & Restaurant – an African/Caribbean restaurant on Cumberland Ave
• Actual Foods – a food truck
• Asmara – an Eritrean restaurant on Oak Street
• Black Betty Bistro – a catering business
• Burundi Star Coffee – a coffee shop on Saint John Street
• Knitting Nook – a cafe and knitting shop in South Portland
• Little Easy Snoballs – a new food truck serving Louisiana-style shaved ice
• Magnus on Water – a cocktail bar in Biddeford
• Mainely Hot Dogs – a hot dog food truck
• Niyat Catering – a catering business operating out of Fork Food Lab specializing in Ethiopian food
• Red Sea – an East African restaurant on Washington Ave
• Rwanda Bean Coffee – a coffee shop with locations in South Portland and on Stevens Ave
• Soul Food Paradise – a takeout restaurant operating out of Fork Food Lab
• Yardie Ting – a Jamaican restaurant located in the Public Market House

For a list of black-owned businesses in a range of industries across the state of Maine see blackownedmaine.com.