Maine Food & Dining News: Lewiston, Swanville, Scarborough, Skowhegan, Hallowell, Augusta, Lincolnville, Belfast, Owl’s Head

| Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

  • The Lewiston Sun Journal reports that Democracy Brewing (website, instagram) is launching a $3.7 million dollar project to renovate the former St. Joseph’s Catholic Church into a brewery and restaurant. The brewery’s co-founder and CEO, James Razsa, is a native of Gray, Maine.
  • The Bangor Daily News reports that the Wabanaki group Niweskok has purchased a 245 acre farm in Swanville. “Niweskok plans to use the space to offer educational programming including outdoor classroom space, cultural camps and community events. It also plans to cultivate food and medicines on the land.”
  • Blake Orchard will be opening their new Scarborough location. This will be their third location having expanded from Portland to Brunswick last year. Stop by 2 Stewart Drive Unit 101 off Route One to see their new cafe. They’ll be open on Saturday the 31st, 8 am – 2 pm. For additional reporting see today’s article from Mainebiz.
  • The Snack Shack (website, facebook, instagram) in Skowhegan recently changed hands. The Chapman family who have run the eatery for 19 years have sold the business to Erin Hall who opened the seasonal business on May 6th along with general manager Fabian Fernandez and chef Kamden Diffley.
  • The Kennebec Journal reports that a new French bakery is under construction in Hallowell. Belle Boulangerie (facebook) will be located at 156 Water Street. “The new bakery will sell all kinds of French baked goods — freshly made croissants, brioches, pan au chocolats and baguettes — over a counter. The store will have no seating inside, and Syrota said she wants to lean into the grab-and-go model.” The bakery is being launched by Ukranian Galyna Syrota who attended the Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris and moved to Maine 8 years ago. UPDATE: Belle Boulangerie opened for business this morning, May 23rd. Their offerings included croissants, baguettes, and a variety of French pastries.
  • Begun as a food truck in 2020, Bao & Beyond (instagram) has leased space at 1 Hichborn Street in Augusta where they plan to open a restaurant. Owners Pear Nalaphas and Trevor Charette hope to open the restaurant in mid-June. See this article from the Kennebec Journal for additional reporting.
  • The Pen Bay Pilot has published an article about Dot’s in Lincolnville and its owner Susie Barnes.
  • The Midcoast Villager has recently published a trio of food and dining articles about Chase’s Daily in Belfast, the new Ararat Farms farm store, and the award-winning Seven Napkin Burger from the Owl’s Head General Store.

Interview with Hannah Ryder

| Posted in People

Mainebiz has published an interview with Hannah Ryder, the executive chef at Twelve.

Hannah Ryder was recently promoted to executive chef at Twelve, a high-end restaurant on Portland’s East End owned by the Prentice Hospitality Group. The 27-year-old, who grew up in Cumberland and has worked at the Prentice-owned Evo and Chebeague Island Inn, was part of the team that opened Twelve in July 2022. We sat down with her in the enclosed waterfront patio one sunny April morning as chefs were prepping that evening’s dinner.

Upcoming Food and Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Thursday – Allagash is hosting an event to support Farmers for Food Equity. The event, Let’s Spring into Action, is a tasting event where attendees can try oyster, beer, sausages and other Maine produced foods. Farmers for Food Equity supports local farms by purchasing produce that might otherwise go unharvested and redirect that food to organizations like Good Shepherd Food Bank or Preble Street.

Sunday – Alma Juice Bar + Market from Rhode Island will be at Onggi for a sandwich pop-up. They’ll be serving  tofu banh mi, chicken katsu, and pineapple-coconut cake.

May 30 – June 1 – The Maine Fungi Fest is taking place.

May 31 – Rosemont is holding a cookout at their Brighton Ave store serving Pineland burgers, Colvard sausages, sides and drinks. 100% of proceeds will be donated to MOFGA.

June 7 – BayCider Fest is taking place.

June 13/14 – The Rockport Donut Festival is taking place.

June 26-28 – The Holy Trinity Greek Festival is taking place.

June 28 – The Wavy Days beer festival is taking place.

June 28/29 – The Maine Oyster Festival is taking place in Freeport.

September 14 – The Maine Cheese Festival is taking place in Pittsfield.

September 19-21 – The Common Ground Country Fair is taking place in Unity.

October 12 – Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.

November 1-9 – 207 Beer Week is taking place.

November 10-16 – Brunswick Wine Week is taking place.

Sodt Now Open

| Posted in Openings

A Nordic candy shop called Sodt (website, facebook, instagram) opened for business on Saturday. It’s located at 119 Cumberland Ave in the space formerly occupied by Sticky Sweet. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday,  noon – 8 pm (and until 9 pm on Fridays and Saturdays).

Sisters Nikoline and Signe Ostergaard have been bringing candy back to Maine from trips to Denmark to share with friends. Sodt, which means sweet in Danish, is an effort to share the sweets they love with the people of Portland. The sisters are being joined in the business by their mother Liz Ostergaard.

The Ostergaards are selling treats from Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and England. Customers are able to put together a mixed bag from the wide range of sweet and sour candies, chocolate, caramels and black licorice available. Sodt also offers some house packaged mixed bags of candy plus jars of licorice and chocolate bars. Gluten-free and vegan options are available.

Terlingua Outpost

| Posted in Under Construction

Terlingua has leased the 858 sq ft storefront at 34 Washington Ave where they’ll be launching Terlingua Outpost (instagram). The Outpost will be an all-day 12-seat cafe with grab-and-go food to takeaway as well as the new home for the restaurant’s market. The Outpost team, led by general manager Justine Smith, hope to launch the new venture in early summer.

The menu will include sweet & savory kolaches, “pocket-ritos”, ice cream, espresso drinks, coffee & tea, as well as iced and hot NA drinks like an adaptogen latte made with chaga, and a mojito-cino made with mint, brown sugar and half-and-half. For customers dining at cafe there will also be a beer, wine and spirits selection. The market will continue to offer prepared food and staples like enchiladas, Terlingua’s cornbread, chili, soup and house made sauces and spice blends. They are aiming to be open daily, 8 am – 8 pm.

The launch of The Outpost will enable Terlingua to reformat the current market space at 40 Washington Ave as a side dining room for restaurant guests and for use for private dinners or events.

Terlingua initially launched in 2015 at 52 Washington Ave (where Lil Chippy is today). They moved to their current spot in 2020 and launch Ocotillo in the West End last year.

Yosaku Owners Expand to South Portland

| Posted in Under Construction

Yosaku owners Rattanak Tray and Hope MacVane-Tray have purchased the former Elsmere BBQ building in South Portland where they plan to open a new restaurant.

The as-yet-to-be-named business will serve a similar sushi menu to Yosauku and in addition will offer a choice of small plates and grilled Japanese dishes with a seasonal approach to the menu. The menu will reflect a vision chef Tray has had for a number of years that the South Portland location provides an opportunity to bring to life. Renovations to the building are underway with the goal of opening the restaurant in the spring of 2026.

The couple became the owners of Yosaku upon the retirement of the restaurant’s founder Takahiro and Susan Sato in 2022. Elsmere BBQ launched in 2013 and closed in November last year.

Maine Food & Dining News: Wells, Topsham, Nobleboro, Westbrook, Brunswick, Swanville, Columbia Falls, Harpswell, North Yarmouth, Freeport

| Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

  • Renovations of Baker Bru Cafe (instagram) in Wells have wrapped up and owners Alex d’Emarese and Tiffany DeMartino have announced plans to launch the new business May 21st. Baker Bru (see photos above) is located at the former Drake’s Island Cafe building at 2073 Post Road in Wells. The 2,400 sq ft counter service cafe seats 30. d’Emarese and DeMartino will be serving house-made pastries, meat pies and quiches as well as açaí bowls, breakfast bowls, and focaccia sandwiches (see the full menu below). Baker Bru Cafe will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 7 am – 3 pm.
  • The Morning Moose (website, facebook, instagram) coffee truck has bought the building at 11 Main Street in Topsham where they plan to open a coffee shop. Renovations will start later this summer and they expect to be open by the end of the year.
  • Wanderwood (website, facebook, instagram) in Nobleboro has rolled out the schedule for their 2025 farm dinner series. The dinners run June through October and are produced in collaboration with a series of guest chefs.
  • The board game cafe Owlbear’s Rest is scheduled to open on May 30th. They’re located at 506 Maine Street in Westbrook and will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am – 9 pm (until 10 pm on Friday and Saturday).
  • The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of Pomelia, the Sicilian-inspired restaurant that opened this past January in Brunswick.
  • Circumstance has published the opening menu for their farmstead restaurant in Swanville. Their first dinners of the season will be May 23rd and 24th.
  • The Bangor Daily News has published an article about the reopening of Columbia Falls General in Washington County.
  • The Harpswell Anchor has a report on new management of the Holbrook Store (facebook) and Harborside Grill (facebook) at Holbrook’s Wharf in Cundy’s Harbor. The store and restaurant opened for the season this past weekend.
  • Well and Good Brewing owners Byron and Elise Kern have acquired Mainely Custard. They plan to sell frozen custard pints at their North Yarmouth brewery, and will be launching a beer garden next to Mainely Custard’s location on Route One in Freeport which will serve beer and sausages.

BayCider Fest in June

| Posted in Events

Apres has announced their plan for BayCider Fest (instagram), a cider festival taking place on June 7th in East Bayside that will feature Maine cider producers. The line-up includes: Absolem, After Harvest, Bon Vent, Cellardoor, Cornish, Freedom’s Edge, Norumbega, Orchard Girls, Sea Hag and Whaleback as well as Apres’ own ciders.

Whether you’re a seasoned cider lover or just hoping to enjoy local community culinary and beverage — join us under the big tent in our Tasting Room’s backyard for what is sure to be an unmissable day of good drinks, people, and fun outside in the East Bayside sun.

Tickets are now on sale: $35 for general admission and $50 for VIP admission.

Woof Play Eat in Allen’s Corner

| Posted in Under Construction

A new business called Woof Play Eat (website, facebook, instagram) has leased 15k+ sq feet of space in Portland. Owners Brad and Marissa Sterl plan to launch a combination indoor dog park and bar/restaurant at 49 Northport Drive in North Deering near the Allen’s Corner.

The dog park will offer both off-leash spaces as well as an on-leash area where pet owners can enjoy drinks and a meal along with their dogs. The separate restaurant, coffee shop and bar will serve a range of coffee drinks, alcoholic beverage and soft drinks. The menu is still under development but is expected to include offerings like pizza and house made pasta.

Brad Sterl has worked for three decades in food industry and is the CEO of Rustic Crust/American Flatbread. Joining the Woof Play Eat team are professionals with a combined 30 years expertise with “dog care space, including training, dog behavior and enrichment.” The Sterls hope to launch Woof Play Eat this fall.

As reported in April, another hybrid indoor dog park and restaurant called The Barkery is under construction in South Portland.

Tin Pan Bakery Closing

| Posted in Closings

Tin Pan Bakery on Brighton Ave has announced plans to close later this month. Their Facebook post reads in part,

It is with mixed emotions that I have to announce the end of Tin Pan. Over the past nine years we have weathered inflation, tight labor markets, a pandemic, ingredient shortages, and more, including my own inexperience with business and some questionable decisions. But it turns out I can’t keep enduring arthritis and its constant toll on my aging joints, which makes this decision sad but inevitable…Lindsay and I are filled with gratitude for the kindness of our customers and your willingness to entrust your family celebrations with us. Fortunately Portland has many excellent bakeries and we know we leave you in good hands.