The Bollard has published a 2nd article about chef Harding Lee Smith, owner of The Front Room, The Grill Room, The Corner Room and Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room.
During the two months since our July issue hit the streets, hardly a day has gone by that I have not encountered someone eager to share their own account of awful behavior by the subjects of that issue’s cover story: Chef Harding Lee Smith and his wife, Darcy.
Editor Chris Busby has announced that the September issue of The Bollard will include a second article about Harding Lee Smith, chef/owner of “The Rooms” series of restaurants.
Matt Bolinder, owner and roaster at Speckled Ax, was featured in article about wood-roasted coffee in the latest issue of Imbibe magazine.
For Bolinder, wood choice is about controlling this highly specialized process. “The type of wood is important for the rate of burn and how quickly I can manipulate temperature,” he says. “I can’t go from zero to full gas in a second like most roasters, so I compensate by using different types of wood. Ash takes off quickly and with it, I can increase temperature fairly quickly. On the other hand, red oak takes longer to catch and start throwing heat, but its large pieces hold the temperature.”
The article isn’t yet available online but there is a copy behind the counter at Speckled Ax which you can take a look at. Imbibe has posted a short list of coffee shops in the US that feature wood-roasted coffee.
The Press Herald has published an interview with Mike Keon and Anthony Allen, owners of Otto Pizza.
Q: What’s next for Otto Pizza?
A: Allen: We like what we do now, but the idea of growing bigger probably means we’d be working for someone else, and we look at each other and say, “Why do we want to do that?” We added four locations last year, and this year we’re down to two and next year is going to be for retrenching and making sure every line on our notepad gets more attention and every product gets more scrutiny. It’s time to just fine-tune things.
Also in today’s paper are articles about the dismal 2013 Maine honey crop,
Bees and beekeepers have been struggling through one of the worst summers for honey production in Maine in recent memory.
Babson Magazine has publish a profile of Mainely Burgers. MB co-owner Jack Barber is a member of the Babson class of 2015.
Sharon Kitchens, author of The Root, and bartender Andrew Volk finished off their 3-part series on Maine distilleries with a visit to Bartlett’s Spirits of Maine.
When Bob Bartlett and his wife Kathe arrived in Maine in 1975 they brought with them a passion and knowledge of wine-making. In 1983 they opened Bartlett Maine Estate Winery in Gouldsboro and became the first winemakers in the state. In 2007, the couple added a distillery to produce pear eau de vie and apple brandy (the apples are sourced from Maine producers). Two months ago they introduced Rusticator Rum made with organic molasses sourced from South America.
In parts 1 and 2 of the series Kitchens and Volk visited New England Distilling and Sweetgrass Farm Winery & Distillery.
Mainebiz interviewed Masa Miyake about his start in the restaurant industry and plans for opening Miyake Diner on Spring Street.
MB: Why did you open the original Miyake in the West End, and why are you returning?
MM: I visited Maine on vacation, and we moved to the countryside. My dream was growing a few pigs, chickens and vegetables by myself and working somewhere. But the owners of a small pizza place [in the West End] asked me if I was interested in buying the lease for $20,000. I took it over in June 2007. But it only had an electric stove. So I put in a sushi bar, because you don’t need gas. We served tsubo-style sushi and interesting dishes. A chef came in, Rob Evans [former Hugo’s owner], and told the newspapers the place to go is Miyake. So he introduced us around. At the time we were small.
According to a report in today’s Press Herald, Shipyard co-founder and head brewer is selling his stake in the brewery.
Pugsley remains master brewer at Shipyard, but on a consulting basis. He goes into the brewery about two days a week, he said, while also working as a consultant for other breweries through his Pugsley Brewing Projects International.
He has also made arrangements with Shipyard’s co-founder, Fred Forsley, to sell back his 20 percent ownership in the company.
Portland Daily Sun food columnist has documented her thoughts on the mid-summer event known as Campers’ Weekend.
I know. I know. Many readers will say, “There goes Natalie Ladd again. She’s being disrespectful and unappreciative to the hand that feeds, pays and tips her.” On the surface, the scolders may be right, but, in my defense, here’s a little background on the whole thing. If it offends anyone by stereotyping and making presumptions — too bad. I’ve worked through enough of these weekends to know what I’m about to vent is true.
The Maine Culinary Podcast has posted an interview with Sarah and Karl Sutton, owners of Bite into Maine.
Our conversation with Sarah and Karl begins with how they ended up here in Maine, then dives deep in to their menu and how they decided on which Rolls to keep. We also discussed the wide world of food trucks and how the Maine food truck economy can continue to improve.