Category: Profiles

Maine Today and The Forecaster have published articles about Gritty’s 30-year anniversary.

Before throwing back a few pints of Gritty’s well-known ales and lagers, imagine the world of brewing in 1988. While only a handful of the nation’s breweries that were opened in the pioneer years of the 1980s and 1990s still exist, several big names remain. The famous Class of ’88 includes Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, New York), Deschutes Brewing Company (Bend, Oregon) and Vermont Pub & Brewery. If you ask Stebbins what’s changed in the last 30 years, he’ll tell you, “pretty much everything.”

Today’s Boston Globe includes an article about the Maine Food for Thought tours that launched this Summer.

Wednesday’s Press Herald reports on the growing number of local options for vegan ice cream.

“People went crazy for it,” said Kelley. “And those who had tried our ice cream that weekend ended up telling everyone they knew. Before we knew it, people were coming into the Market House looking for the vegan ice cream.”

Ashley said the demand was too big to ignore, causing Sticky Sweet to pivot from sticky rice to vegan ice cream (which Sticky Sweet calls a “frozen plant-based treat.”)

In lieu of a restaurant review, the Maine Sunday Telegram has published a survey of some of newest food trucks/carts with recommendations on what to order when you go.

But what about the newcomers? Over the past several weeks, I visited eight rookie carts and trucks, all in their first or second season. From spruce-tip-flavored ice cream to Cambodian sandwiches, their creative, sometimes zany offerings showcase how kitchens on wheels can expand and enhance the diversity of Portland’s dining options.

Mainebiz and The Blueberry Files have published articles on Maine Food for Thought.

The tour started at Union, where we heard an introduction from Bryce and then from chef Josh Berry. Maine Food for Thought features businesses that, according to Bryce, “go beyond their bottom line to source locally and sustainably.” Union’s menu is shaped by local produce availability, with the menu often being determined by what’s available at the farmers’ market.

The Bollard has published a profile of Liquid Riot.

“We do everything,” said owner Eric Michaud, “we can’t have one part without the others here. There’s a synergy to it.” Nationwide, there are still only a dozen or so brewery/distillery combinations out there. It’s difficult to manage two alcoholic-beverage-producing operations in concert, let alone with the addition of a full-service restaurant and bar, but after five years, Liquid Riot seems to have it handled. Michaud, who also founded Novare Res Bier Café, a renowned craft-beer bar in the Old Port, works with his small, close-knit team to accomplish something that others have not even dared to attempt.