Category: People

The Bangor Daily News has published a text and video interview with Eli Cayer from the Urban Farm Fermentory.

The biggest-selling products UFF makes are its kombucha — a sweet but tangy tea fermented with bacteria and yeast, renowned for its properties for detoxification — and its hard cider, which is dry, tart and miles away from the sugary, mass-produced ciders you might find at the grocery store. There’s mead, too. Aside from the drinkable stuff, however, Cayer has a broad, ambitious vision for UFF.

Photo Credit: Bangor Daily News

The Boston Globe has published an interview with Maine food writer Michael Sanders about the 2nd edition of his book, Fresh from Maine.

In the second edition of “Fresh From Maine: Recipes and Stories From the State’s Best Chefs,” released in June, the author adds 10 restaurants, primarily from inland and northern regions. Along with providing new recipes, the chefs who are profiled discuss the challenges and benefits of cooking in Vacationland.

Earlier this week Joseph L. Discatio passed away at the age of 97. Discatio founded Joe’s Smoke Shop on Congress Street in 1945.

In 1945, after the war, Joe had an opportunity to buy a small store on Congress Street. He named his store ‘Joe’s Smoke Shop’ and there he blocked hats, shined shoes, sold newspapers, soda and cigars. Several years later, after St. Stephen’s Church was razed, he bought that land which abutted his small store. He then expanded the size of his store and added magazines, cigarettes, groceries and a snack bar. The remainder of the land became his parking lot. Joe’s Smoke Shop was to become his legacy.

Dana Cowin, Editor of Food & Wine, was is in town today for a one day visit. She stopped in at Petite Jacqueline, had a coffee at Speckled Axe, then went on to Browne Trading, tried to get a slab at Micucci’s, had an oyster bun at Eventide, snacked on nigiri at Miyake before heading to the Inn by the Sea for dessert. Check her Twitter feed for comments and links to photos.

Maine Travel Maven has published an interview with chef Mitchell Kaldrovich from the Sea Glass Restaurant.

How does your Argentinian background influence your cooking?
Because I’m Argentinian, I’m humble and appreciate food. I came from war, and the economy was up and down all the time. If I had $2, I saved it. I run my kitchen the same way. I peel asparagus; puree scraps. I want to help the culture of America to become healthy, to use less fat, less bacon, do less cooking out of the box. Cooking is easy and it’s important. We all should be able to cook instead of microwave. We pay the price when we’re older if we’re not cooking.

Former chef Erik Desjarlais has written an article for Find Eat Drink about his new career as a craftsman. His business Weft & Warp Seamster produces hand-crafted knife rolls.

I picked up the Chandler Adler sewing machine, (“Mule”, as I call her) and the hand tools. The touch quickly came back to me, and the soft whirr stirred up fond memories of working in Grandpa’s shop. I made a few knife rolls, based on the design of my twenty year old roll. One for my wife, then one for my knives. Trial and error brought me to a design I was happy with, and I sold a slew of them before Christmas. And so was born Weft & Warp Seamster.

Today’s Press Herald includes an article about Maine native and California winemaker Michael Terrien. Terrien was raised by back to the landers and fished with Linda Greenlaw before moving to California and getting his start in the wine industry.

The winemaker’s trip to Maine in May was a special event because Browne Trading Co. is the only retail market in the country that sells his chardonnay. He plans to return later this month to begin a new project working with Maine blueberries – more on that later.

“I’m so impressed with Portland’s – and Maine’s in general – food scene,” Terrien said. “It’s just mind-boggling how the quality is way beyond what it should be for the population size.”

Sustainable Food News has published an interview with Jason Williams, chef/owner of The Well.

SFN: What’s the focus of the Well?
JW: All about supporting Maine farmers, cooking good food and giving it to people of all income levels. You could find this food in the nicest restaurants in Portland, but this place isn’t about that. You can come in without a reservation, without a shirt and tie or dressed up. You can come and get a decent meal that’s prepared from local quality product.

The folks at the Portland Harbor Hotel sent out a press release yesterday to announce the new chef at Eves at the Garden. His name is Timothy Pierre Labonte. Here are some cv details from the release,

Labonte earned a culinary arts degree from Johnson & Wales University in 1999 before beginning his career as a sous chef at the Key West Hilton Resort & Marina in Key West, Florida. The following year, he worked as Executive Chef for Bagatelle restaurant in Key West, and in 2003, he moved to Maine, where he spent the next four years serving as Executive Chef for three different restaurants, including the Bradley Inn in New Harbor. After a four-year stint back in Key West, where Labonte served as Executive Chef for two different resorts, he returned to Maine to work with the Portland Harbor Hotel…