Iron Chef at the Whole Grocer

Edible Obsessions has published memories of her days as the resident cook at the old Whole Grocer.

There were needs: vegan muffins, vegan cookies, two soups, two hot dishes, sandwiches and deli items. Mostly all vegan. Every day was playing a bit of (the original) Iron Chef, the mystery ingredients you’d have to create with wouldn’t be revealed until a box of produce or grocery items were culled and left. Dandelion Greens? Quinoa? Seitan? Huh? So, long before I was roasting pork bellies and failing miserably at pickling a cow’s tongue, I was a vegan and, sometimes, raw cook. And, honestly, it made me the cook I am now.

Fish Exchange, Open Farm Day, Packing Salmon

Today’s Press Herald includes a visit to Upper Farm Alpacas in Pownal on Sunday’s Open Farm Day,

Greg and Nicole Carter, owners of Upper Farm Alpacas, said they began their business in 2005 with the intention of getting only a few alpacas for the fiber they yield. She said the more research they did, the quicker they fell in love with alpacas.

a Maine at Work column on prepping and packing Salmon,

Behind Malia, a half-dozen or so people were on the salmon-cutting conveyor belt line. One man chopped off the head and tail, then a fillet machine cut open the fish. More men trimmed the fillets, another machine deboned the fish, then someone else plucked out the peskiest bones using tweezers. The fish was then inspected before being packed.

and an article about a call for aid from the Portland Fish Exchange,

The city last week mailed a letter to the owners of more than 60 groundfishing vessels. The future of the Portland Fish Exchange is now uncertain, the letter says, and it needs increased fish landings to ensure its continued operation.

Review of Nosh

pArts has published a review of Nosh.

You’re going to love or hate this place – I don’t see much of an in between. Me? I love it. Nosh may have what has become my favorite sandwich in Maine: The Pig Belly Reuben. The pork belly was slow cooked and had “Sunday afternoon comfort food” written all over it.

This Week's Events

Wednesday — a tasting of organic wines at Old Port Wine Merchants and a Wine Wise class at The Wine Bar.
Thursday — the 3rd Annual Sushi & Sake Tasting at Browne Trading and the monthly Latte Art Competition at Bard Coffee.
Saturday — the 8th Annual Festival of Nations in Deering Oaks Park. For more info read the recent articles in the Portland Daily Sun and the Portland Press Herald.
Farmer’s Markets — the traditional series of Farmer’s Markets are taking place Monday (Monument Square), Wednesday (Monument Square) and Saturday (Deering Oaks Park). Cultivating Community is running their new series of markets Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at various locations around the city.
For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

This Week’s Events

Wednesday — a tasting of organic wines at Old Port Wine Merchants and a Wine Wise class at The Wine Bar.

Thursday — the 3rd Annual Sushi & Sake Tasting at Browne Trading and the monthly Latte Art Competition at Bard Coffee.

Saturday — the 8th Annual Festival of Nations in Deering Oaks Park. For more info read the recent articles in the Portland Daily Sun and the Portland Press Herald.

Farmer’s Markets — the traditional series of Farmer’s Markets are taking place Monday (Monument Square), Wednesday (Monument Square) and Saturday (Deering Oaks Park). Cultivating Community is running their new series of markets Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at various locations around the city.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

Food Cart Space Competition & Orange Lobster

The Portland Daily Sun published a report on the competition for prime locations among Portland food  cart vendors.

Most pushcart food vendors will tell you there’s an unspoken agreement among the 23 licensed sidewalk restaurateurs currently operating in Portland: Once you get a spot, stick with it, and no one will mess with you.

But this agreement can at times clash with the official stance of the city, which doesn’t recognize street cart vendors’ seniority. And some vendors say that competition, especially on Commerical Street, can get fierce.

The newspaper also includes an article on a rare orange lobster that’s on display at Harbor Fish Market.

Ben Alfiero, owner of Harbor Fish Market on Custom House Wharf, has seen a lot of lobsters over his 35 years in the business, but this is only the second orange one to have graced his tanks.