Category: Profiles

Uni Lunch at ISF

| Posted in Profiles

Food & Wine has published an article about the seafood lunch experience to be had at ISF Trading on Hobson’s Wharf.

ISF Trading doesn’t seem like a place you could have lunch. The seafood processor on Hobson’s Wharf at 390 Commercial St. has minimal signage and limited web presence…Nevertheless, ISF opens its break room daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to anyone who wants to eat uni and other seafood at the source. Check the menu via a QR code on the company’s website, flag down an employee to order, and load up on boxes of raw uni, spicy squid, and other sought-after seafood. Then, take your tray to the second floor to dine. You can also help yourself to free coffee and tea from massive urns.

Fork Food Lab

| Posted in Profiles

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article about Fork Food Lab, which highlights on several of the nonprofit business incubator’s members. Fork operates a 30,000 sq ft commercial kitchen in South Portland used by ~80 companies.

On any given day, you’ll find Fork Food Lab members at their kitchen stations baking hoagie rolls, simmering jams, prepping pork bellies or packaging spreads for sale at local farmers markets. Members run the gamut from food trucks and carts, packaged foods businesses and prepared meal shops to catering companies and private chefs.

“There’s really nothing quite like this in Northern New England,” said Corinne Tompkins, the facility’s deputy executive director. “Nobody’s doing under one roof what we’re doing to this scale and scope.”

Community Plate & Review of Lucky Cheetah

| Posted in Reviews, Profiles

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article about Community Plate,

This is Community Plate’s 25th story-sharing potluck supper in the 18 months since Schatz and his wife, Margaret Hathaway, launched the nonprofit group in an effort to build community and combat loneliness statewide. Community Plate’s moveable feast has been held so far in 12 of Maine’s 16 counties, reaching as many as 700 people.

and a review of Lucky Cheetah.

Co-owners Wills Dowd and Jared Dinsmore (who together also own Bird & Co.) view their “dumpling lounge” as a destination for celebrations, champagne, cocktails and small plates. It’s easy to imagine the semi-subterranean space playing host to some seismic revelry. Bar manager Ben Bozeman’s cocktails are absurdly good, including non-alcoholic concoctions like the sparkling cherry-miso Double Zero. Service still has some kinks to iron out, as does the menu, which shines bright in some places — a custardy egg tart served with a scoop of malty black tea ice cream and crisp Wagyu top-round egg rolls wrapped in brittle sheets of phyllo dough are two highlights.

CP in CP

| Posted in Profiles

Cover of the August 2024 print issue of The Chronicle of PhilanthropyMaine nonprofit Community Plate (read more) has been featured in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Lots of people are concerned about polarization and the lack of social connection in the country right now. Husband and wife team Karl Schatz and Margaret Hathaway decided to do something about it. Their answer: deploy the power of food and storytelling to build community.