Interview with Erik Desjarlais

Bourbon. Portland. Beer. Politics. has published an interview with former chef Erik Desjarlais about his business Weft & Warp Seamster. Desjarlais has also launched a line of lotion and beard soap.

How have they been received?
Great. Some of my customers are Top Chef guys. The James Beard list just came out and it was cool to see that most of my customers were on that list, a lot of high profile folks. I think they also like the fact that I used to be a chef so I know what is needed. I am not just cutting these things from patterns. If the chef has a particular need, I can do it.

Meet Kris Horton and Sarah Richards

Maine Today has published an interview with Sarah Richards, the owner of Homegrown Herb & Tea,

What lesson have you learned?
My biggest lesson that my teashop has taught me is that you can do anything you want to do in life. You know, I worked for someone else my whole life. I was a waitress then a bartender, and then I became a Spanish teacher. And all that time, as much of a free spirit as I am, I felt very obligated to a system. Having broken away from that system has been the most marvelous thing I’ve ever done. It’s just awesome.

and Dispatch has published an interview with Kris Horton owner of the cheese shop in the Public Market House.

Kris describes The Public Market House as “constantly in a state of flux.” A business will get their start in the Public Market, leaning on other vendors for support, sharing costs and gaining strength in numbers. Eventually, the business will outgrow the space and be strong enough to branch out on their own, allowing the opportunity for a new small business to take their place. It’s a ongoing cycle, and it seems to work very well.

Maine Magazine: The Food Issue

mainemag201303The annual Food Issue of Maine magazine arrived in subscriber’s mailboxes yesterday. Inside you’ll find:

Service and Food Up, Tips Down

Portland Daily Sun columnist Natalie Ladd has written about a night when everything went well . . . except the tips.

So why were the tip so overwhelmingly bad?

It stands to reason there should be a direct correlation between customer satisfaction with the big three: Food, Atmosphere and Service (FAT) and a handsome gratuity. Typically that’s how it plays out, but that night, I just couldn’t figure what was going awry. There was the paper napkin upon which somebody wrote, “Fantastic Service! We had a great time,” and left a little over ten percent of their check.

Interview with Layne Witherell

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published an interview with wine professional and Portland resident Layne Witherell.

Q: I thought one of the best paragraphs in your book was the last one, where you hand out advice to people who want to learn about wine. Can you share a few of those suggestions?

A: Just write down everything that you taste or take a picture of that label, so that way you have a memory of what you had. I ran a store for years and years, and (customers) walk in and go, “This was the best wine I ever had.”

Science of Sweet: Desjarlais, Lopez & Barker

Maine magazine has published an interview with Tara Barker from 40 Paper, Ilma Lopez from Grace and Krista Kern Desjarlais from Bresca about the challenge of being a pastry chef and their approach to their craft.

One of the most fascinating things about the modern restaurant kitchen is the average savory chef’s complete aversion to the art of pastry. It is as if that particular vocation is the culinary equivalent of learning a difficult foreign language, with even the tiniest errors resulting in failure. With so many would-be chefs rushing into the cooking profession, why is it that so few dare to tread the scientific world of the pastry chef? What drives those who do accept the challenge?

The article is a preview of the upcoming March food issue of Maine which should be making its way into subscribers mailboxes in the next week or so.

Interview with 555’s Steve Corry

The Bowdoin Orient has published an interview with Steve Corry, chef and co-owner of Five Fifty-Five.

But while Corry is inspired by his team, he has also developed an individual methodology in his approach to creating a dish.

“First, it has to taste good,” he told me. “Then you have start thinking about balance, which of course plays into tasting good. You also have to consider seasoning. There needs to be acid and fat. There should be a liveliness. Appearance is also important. Visually, the components need to work in harmony. There should be some definition to the dish. There should be a hot and cold component to the plate.”

West End Deli Profile

The Portland Daily Sun has published a profile of the West End Deli and owner Nancy Arnold.

Nancy Arnold, owner of The West End Deli, is not afraid to speak her mind about how tightly she runs her business, whom she choses to do business with, and how she feels about the customers who frequent the little deli, grocery, and beer and wine establishment she’s owned and operated for eight years.