New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:
- Joe Robbins has joined the team at Marsh Island Brewing as the executive chef for Marsh Island Kitchen at the new location they have under construction in Hampden. The restaurant will have a comfort food like poutine, burgers and wings and include salads, sandwiches, fish and chips and both a pan-roasted rib eye and an herb-crusted house filet. The indigenous inspired dishes which Robbins has become known for will be in rotation as daily specials. Robbins was a 2024 Beard Awards semifinalist in the Emerging Chef category, and has cooked at the White House Tribal Nations Summit in 2023 and 2024. Until it closed last year, he had been the chef at Bissell Brothers in Milo.
- The American Cider Association has recognized Khris Hogg with an award for Individual Excellence in Cider Hospitality. Hogg launched his restaurant Circumstance in Swanville last May and previously operated a cider bar called Perennial in Belfast.
- Michelle Corry was recently interviewed for an episode of Restaurant Unstoppable. Corry and her husband Steve were the founders of Five Fifty-Five, Petite Jacqueline and the Portland Patisserie, and are partners in 555 North in Brunswick.
- As reported earlier this week, The Frog and Turtle in Westbrook is closing. Their last day in business will be March 2nd.
For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.