A new food truck called Mami(instagram) plans to launch on June 9th in Congress Square Park. Mami is run by chef Austin Miller and will specialize in “Japanese street food”.
Category: Under Construction
Under Construction: Portersfield Cider
David Buchanan’s new cider company, Portersfield Cider is set to launch this later this month. Buchanan will be selling the Portersfield line of farmhouse-style hard cider from his stand in the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market. David has a pair or ciders in the works:
[The] first release blends over a dozen apple varieties, including Baldwin, Northern Spy, and Golden Russet, while a second will include aronia berries and elderberries.
He plans for the Portersfield farm winery in Pownal to be,
a production space and conservation center, focused on preserving and evaluating rare American cider fruits. In Buchanan’s sixth year of collecting fruit trees, his orchard now has over 250 varieties of apples and cider pears, including many in danger of extinction.
In addition to launching Portersfield Cider, David is the author of Taste, Memory and for the past few years has operated the Old Ocean House Farms stand at the Saturday farmers’ market.
You can get a chance to try Portersfield Cider at the Maine Fare Hard Cider Revival taking place this Thursday.
Under Construction: High Roller Lobster
A new food cart called High Roller Lobster Company(instagram) is under development. Owners Andy Gerry and Baxter Key will be serving lobster and crab roll on Commercial Street this summer. They hope to be open by mid-June.
Under Construction: Soakology
Soakology(website, facebook) has a new larger location under construction at 511 Congress Street next to Golden Lotus. The new digs will provide the space to expand the tea house and foot spa sides of their business with dedicated areas for both.
They hope to have the new Soakology open sometime in July.
Under Construction: Figgy’s
The Forecaster has published an article on Figgy’s Takeout.
When Natalie DiBenedetto looked out her window on Walker Street last year, she didn’t just see a parking lot. She saw an opportunity.
Now, a year later, DiBenedetto is set to open a business in the once-empty lot that she believes will fill one of the city’s last foodie niches: up-scale comfort food and skillet fried chicken to go.
Figgy’s is scheduled to open on Tuesday at 11am.
Figgy’s Opening June 2nd
Under Construction: Forq Food Lab
A new venture named Forq Food Lab is now under development in Portland. Founders Neil Spillane and Eric Holstein are creating a commercial kitchen and business incubator to help Maine food entrepreneurs get through the early stages of product development and to successfully launch their businesses.
Business owners will get access to Forq on a membership basis similar to how coworking spaces like Think Tank and Peleton Labs operate. They plan to provide to members:
- Immediate market feedback and validation with a public tasting room on-site
- Staff that trains members on equipment, regulatory compliance, and business plans
- Equipment that is maintained and available to use immediately with no up-front investment
- Member collaboration: Innovative products, sales leads, lower ingredient costs
Spillane and Holstein have put together a strong board of advisors, located a potential space for the kitchen and are now finding the remaining funding they need to make it a reality.
Investors and/or potential Forq business members can contact Neil Spillane for more information at forqfoodlab@gmail.com.
(Re)Opening Plans: Rosen’s Deli & Catbird Creamery
Two Westbrook based businesses are planning to open this week:
- Rosen’s Deli, aka Full Belly Deli, will be opening their new sandwich shop at 650 Main Street at 10:30am on Tuesday. They’ve posted their new menu on Facebook.
- Catbird Creamery is planning to open their new location at 861 Main Street next weekend.
Evo & Editor’s Cookbook Collection
Today’s Press Herald includes an update on Evo, the new Eastern Mediterranean restaurant opening on June 7,
The tight space offered significant design challenges. Just 1,000 square feet, which was increased to 1,400 with the addition of the mezzanine, Evo has floor-to-ceiling glass walls on two sides with sharp corner angles. The design makes the most of this by wrapping the inside of the walls with a dining counter.
and an article on food editor Peggy Grodonsky’s relationship with her cookbook collection.
But this spring, unpacking and re-shelving my cookbooks for the fourth time in just 10 years, I decided to count them, and I came up with 334 cookbooks, more or less, plus another 160 books about food. In the latter category, such items as memoirs by Betty Fussell, histories of the spice trade and the no-nonsense “The Maple Sugar Book” by Helen and Scott Nearing. That last entered my household long before I lived in Maine, and I’m tickled that it has found its way home.
Under Construction: Sea Snacks
A boat-based ice cream business called Sea Snacks is set to launch this Sunday, according to a report from Maine a la Carte.
[Ashley] Rutherford, a 34-year-old medical practice manager who lives in South Portland, is launching a new business this weekend selling ice cream from her boat on Casco Bay…she decided to start her own business, stocking her 20-foot Mako with Italian ice, ice cream cups, Snickers and Twix ice cream bars, freeze pops, ice cream sandwiches and similar treats.
For more information visit the Sea Snacks facebook page.