Category: People

Claire Z. Cramer passed away unexpectedly earlier this month.

Claire was well known in the restaurant industry for the years she served (2001 – 2004) as the restaurant critic for the Maine Sunday Telegram, and, more recently, for her work over the last several years while she’s been an editor at Portland Magazine writing numerous articles about the Portland food scene.

Her loss will be deeply heartfelt by her many friends.

Congratulations to chef Matt Ginn from Evo on becoming a Food Network Chopped Champion in the episode that aired last night.

Sunday’s Boston Globe Travel section included an article on the developments taking place along Forest Ave and in Woodfords Corner and the impact Woodford F&B had on accelerating the process.

“Having a spot this great for residents to spend time together changed everything,” says Andrew Zarro, who moved to the neighborhood three years ago from Boston. “It was a huge leap for Fayth and Birch, but what they did with that place was a tipping point.” In fact, seeing their success convinced Zarro to open Little Woodfords, the postage stamp-sized coffee shop, with his partner, T.J. Zarro. There, on the same block as the old clock tower, they dole out espressos and breakfast all day, and peddle one-of-a-kind local wares like hand-thrown ceramics.

Today’s Press Herald includes an article about local food writer and stylist Vanessa Seder and her new book Secret Sauces.

“When you’re getting hired as a stylist, there’s so much money and pressure involved,” she said. “You have to understand how everything works. You have to understand who’s on the set, why they’re there, what your role is, how to do take after take if needed. And there’s all different types of food styling – there’s styling for video, commercial styling, editorial, cookbooks, magazines, packaging. It’s all different, and you have to understand that before you get into it. And you have to know what tools are good.”

Food & Wine has come out with their 2018 Best New Chef list. There aren’t any chefs in Maine on the list this year, but the July issue does include a list of all 323 chefs that have been recognized in the last two decades. Four are located in Maine today:

• 2004 – Rob Evans, Duckfat and former chef/owner of Hugo’s
• 2007 – Steve Corry, Five Fifty-Five
• 2011 – Bowman Brown, Elda in Biddeford and former co-chef/owner of Forage in Salt Lake City
• 2014 – Cara Stadler, Tao Yuan, Bao Bao and Lio

Industry veteran Liz Koenigsberg and her husband chef Will Lavey are in the process of buying the Blue Spoon from founder David Iovino.

Koenigsberg shared that they were “drawn to the Blue Spoon for its intimate feel and smaller size as a neighborhood restaurant” which they are very familiar with having been regular customers at the Munjoy Hill restaurant for many years.

Their goal is to “preserve the reputation and following that David has built over the past several years but, add some of our own touches and style from years in the business” including Sunday brunch and extended dinner hours with the menu remaining focused on “local farm to table American bistro”.

Iovino opened the Blue Spoon in January 2004. The official transfer of ownership is scheduled to take place in August.

Randall H. Gifford Jr., co-founder of Giffords Ice Cream, passed away last week at the age of 90.

In 1954, Randall and Audrey purchased a dairy (milk business) in Forestville, Conn. Later, it became R.H. Gifford Dairy & Sons. In 1971, the Gifford’s moved to Farmington, where they owned and operated Gifford’s Dairy, Inc., and founded Gifford’s Famous Ice Cream in Skowhegan.