The new Cakes Extraordinaire (website, facebook) opens today. In business since 1984, and located for many years on Brighton Ave, the bakery has relocated to Yarmouth.
Owner Steve Leeman tells me he’s really happy with his new location in the former Ice It Bakery space at 305 US Route 1.
The hours for the new shop are Tuesday through Saturday, 7 am – 5 pm.
Bam Bam Bakery (website, facebook, intagram) has leased the former Cakes Extraordinaire space at 1054 Brighton Ave where owner Tina Cromwell plans to relaunch her gluten-free bakery. Initially Cromwell will use the space as a production kitchen for online orders but as she scales up staff will open the Brighton Street location as a retail bakery as well. The retail shop will sell gluten-free bakery mixes, flour and some gluten-free products from other food producers.
Cromwell has also recently shared plans to launch a Bam Bam food truck called the BamBamBulance—click on the link to understand why. The BamBamBulance will be used for deliveries, for pick-up spots for preorders, events, and perhaps also as a traditional food truck.
Bam Bam is taking their new space through a very thorough process in order to convert the kitchen to a completely gluten-free facility.
Cromwell closed her Commercial Street retail operation in 2020. There had been plans to reopen Bam Bam in East Bayside earlier this year but they fell through.
Man & Oak (website, instagram), a Maine-based whiskey event and education company, has leased the 2,132 sq ft second floor of 44 Oak Street where they plan to open a private bottle club in Portland.
Man & Oak will feature 300 private bottle lockers of various sizes. Members will be able to store their special bottles of whiskey, other spirits and wine which they’ll be able to access and consume onsite. Man & Oak will also include a space for trainings, tastings, education programs and other related events. The new business will not be a bar or a bottle shop, but will sell glassware, etc.
Since they announced plans to launch the business back in November, Man & Oak has already leased out a third of their locker spaces.
Mast Landing (website, facebook, instagram) has announced they’ll be partnering with Nighthawk’s Kitchen (instagram) in the launch of their new 11,000 sq ft brewery and tasting room in Freeport. While the kitchen is being built out Nighthawk’s will initially open as a food truck and then expand into a brick and mortar restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with indoor and outdoor seating.
According to the press release, the menu will feature “original and approachable menus of American and international comfort foods utilizing the freshest locally sourced ingredients” including options for vegans and a children’s menu.
Nighthawk’s Kitchen is the creation of Christian “Nighthawk” Noe who moved to Yarmouth from NYC in 2020 where in addition to operating Nighthawk’s Kitchen at LIC Flea and Food and Rockaway Brewing Company in Long Island City he also founded a catering company called Film Eats.
Mast Landing anticipates opening their new Freeport location in July where they will be “showcasing small-batch recipes made and offered exclusively at the Freeport location, as well as its lineup of flagship beers”.
Cafe Louis (instagram) the new South Portland restaurant by Eaux chef/owner Evan Richardson along with business partner Ben Ferri is scheduled to open today.
Cafe Louis will serve brunch and coffee during the day (8 – 3) and dinner (5 – 10). The menu is inspired by Richardson’s family from Costa Rica and Honduras with dishes like Ron Don (mussels, coconut, plantain, cassava, green curry, sourdough) and Fiddle Head Empanada (tat soi, cabot cheddar, garlic scape adobo) on the brunch menu.
Cafe Louis is located at 173 Ocean Street in the same neighborhood as Judy Gibson, BenReuben’s Knishery, Solo Cucina Market, Taco Trio (which is moving to larger quarters) and the soon to open SoPo Seafood store and oyster bar.