Category: Maine

Chef Suzanne Vizethann (website, instagram) has purchased the Marriner’s Restaurant in Camden where she plans to open a new restaurant that blends elements of Marriner’s and her Atlanta restaurant Buttermilk Kitchen.

Marriner’s has been in business for 82 years and its been owned and operated since 1982 by Dan and Becki Gabriele. Vizethann will temporarily close Marriner’s in January for renovation with plans to re-open it as Buttermilk Kitchen at Marriner’s (instagram) by the end of April.

Some of the Atlanta Buttermilk Kitchen staff will be visiting Maine in the spring to help with the launch. Brandon Muggy will be moving permanently from Atlanta to Maine to be the general manager.

Vizethann is the author of Welcome to Buttermilk Kitchen and founded Buttermilk Kitchen (instagram) in 2012. She was a James Beard Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Fellow in 2022. She has appeared on Food Network shows Beat Bobby Flay, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. She’s also a Chopped champion. Her food has been described as having a “whimsical and modernistic approach to the typical American breakfast”.

Photo Credit: Suzanne Vizethann

A new restaurant called Linden + Front (instagram) is under construction in Bath in the former Relish/Salt Pine Social building at 244 Front Street. Owners Zac and Khristine Leeman are renovating the 3,535 sq ft building and hope to launch the 85-seat restaurant in February.

The Linden + Front menu is still under development but the overall plan is to serve modern takes on classic comfort food with a wide selection of small plates and entrees including woodfire dishes, steak and chop, and dishes for vegetarian and vegan diners. The bar program will offer local draft beers, wine and L+F takes on classic cocktails. Linden + Front will initially be open for dinner but they do hope to eventually add brunch/lunch service too. They’ll have a 20-seat patio open seasonally.

Zac Leeman grew up on nearby Orrs Island and is a graduate of Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island. The Leemans met in Minnesota where they were both worked in the restaurant industry.

They opened their first Maine restaurant, Sundrenched, on Bailey Island in 2022. Sundrenched will reopen for the season in May.

Sur Lie owner Krista Cole and business partner Tyler VanScoy have leased the space being vacated by Part & Parcel in Biddeford where they plan to open the Catface Cafe (website, instagram).

Catface will be serving breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. Chef Mimi Weissenborn is planning a seasonal Maine-inspired menu with “elevated modern flare.” The cafe will have a specialty coffee program, beer, wine and “fun boozy cocktails” to go with the food. Weissenborn is the executive chef of Sur Lie and Gather.

Cole and VanScoy want Catface to be a community gathering place. The location includes a back patio which can host warm weather events or be a spot to hang out solo or with friends. They plan to hosts monthly special events at Catface for the people of Biddeford to gather and socialize.

Cole is a co-founder of Sur Lie which opened for business in 2014. In 2023 she was a James Beard Awards semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurateur category and Sur Lie was a semifinalist in the Outstanding Hospitality category. In 2022 Cole took over ownership of Gather in Yarmouth from the restaurant’s founder, Matt Chappell. VanScoy has worked in the hospitality industry in a variety of front and back of house roles for over 10 years.

Part & Parcel owners Danielle O’Neill and Ali Preble announced on November 25th that they plan to close their market/cafe. Their last day in business is December 23rd.

A new fine dining restaurant called The Chametz (website, facebook, instagram) is under development west of Skowhegan in the town of New Vineyard, Maine. The restaurant promises to bring “Michelin-level dining experiences” to Franklin County.

Founders Lina Mamut and chef Jared Rudnick plan to source all their ingredients from within a 100-mile distance from their restaurant and in 2023 planted a biodynamic garden to augment the produce they’ll have available from Maine farms and from foraging in the local area.

When it launches the 20-seat restaurant will offer a 10-course tasting menu served at a communal table (see architect’s rendering above). The Chametz will have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings to go with the meal and with a full liquor license will also have a cocktail program. The menu is expected to showcase seasonal ingredients and Rudnick’s skills in whole animal butchering and fermentation/preservation techniques.

The couple met while working at Journeyman in Somerville, Massachusetts. They have extensive front of house and back of house experience at a variety of restaurants in the Boston area. Rudnick’s resume includes Craigie on Main and No. 9 Park as well as being the chef de cuisine at Journeyman. In addition to their hospitality experience, Mamut also has MS in Data Science, and has worked in the food tech startup world.

For Mamut and Rudnick how they operate their business is perhaps as important as the food and dining experience they and their team will create.  The Chametz will be run as a collective that gives all the team members a voice in decision making and an approach to compensating staff that reflects that shared responsibility.

The build out of a commercial kitchen for The Chametz is underway with the hope the restaurant can launch in early June. To support the launch of The Chametz, Rudnick and Mamut have set-up a $150k Kickstarter campaign. The campaign has already raised $25k towards its goal.

If you are in the Sugarloaf area on this Saturday December 16th you may want to stop by at Cork & Rind for an event featuring tastes of Rudnick’s cooking.

Credit: Image courtesy of The Chametz.

A new wine bar and wine shop called Pulling Corks (instagram) is under construction in Belfast. It’s being launched by David Speer and Kristin Amundson-Speer. Their vision is a place where customers can “casually drop in and have a glass and a snack, or come and celebrate a really special occasion with an amazing bottle.”

They’ve purchased the 150 year old building that was the former of Bellabooks and are in the process renovating the first floor to be the home of Pulling Corks. The building is at 31 Pendleton Street located just a block away from the center of town. The bar will seat 24-30 people with outdoor seating in an adjacent garden during warmer months.

David Speer has been in the wine industry for over two decades. In 2013, he was named by Food & Wine to their list of the Best Sommeliers of the Year. Prior to moving to Maine, he was the founder and owner of a 20-seat champagne bar called Ambonnay in Portland, Oregon. Speer also operates the Red Slate Wine Company which offers private sommelier service specializing in wines from Champagne and Burgundy.

The couple hope to have Pulling Corks open in time for the start of the summer season.