Upcoming Events: Jonesin’, Fermentation Fair, Yes Yes Pizza, Seaweed Week

Tuesday – a new business called Jonesin’ is holding a pop-up at Fork Food Lab. Jonesin’s serves “Jamaican inspired cuisine with Asian influences”, and Brian Ross, the creator of Quarantine Kitchen, will be participating in a Maine Voices Live interview.

WednesdayOxbow Brewing is hosting a Fermentation Fair organized by The Resilience Hub & Portland Maine Permaculture.

Thursday – Wayside will be serving a 4-course prime rib dinner, and Yes Yes Pizza will be holding a pop-up at Howie’s Pub, and the owners of Monte Rio Cellars will be at Lorne Wines for  a smash burger and wine event.

Friday – May 1 – the 4th Maine Seaweed Week will be taking place.

April 27 – the regular Portland Farmers’ Market season begins on Wednesday April 27th in Deering Oaks Park. The market has been in operation since 1768.

April 27-29 – the Northeast Aquaculture Conference & Exposition is taking place in Portland.

May 2Death & Co will be taking over the bar at the Hunt & Alpine Club.

May 3 – Upcoming restaurants Twelve and Bar Futo are collaborating on a dinner taking place at Evo; there are a 5:30 and 8:30 seating.

May 4Chaval is holding a Star Wars themed May the Fourth dinner.

May 25 – the debut of Season 5 of the Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil. Season 5 includes an episode shot in Portland, Biddeford and the Midcoast.

June 13 – The 2022 Beard Foundation Awards gala is taking place in Chicago. Five Maine chefs and restaurants are contenders for this year’s awards.

June 13 – 19 – the 5th Annual Portland Wine Week will be taking place—see details on their Women in Wine Dinner.

July 21Magnus on Water chef Ben Jackson will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Edgecomb.

July 23Chaval chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham.

September 3Tender Table is holding their 2nd Annual Food & Art Fair in Congress Square Park.

October 9 – the Maine Cheese Guild is holding Maine Open Creamery Day.

Upcoming Events: Eat It & Beet It, Ruby’s, CBD Gathering, Gasharoo

TuesdayCoffee by Design is hosting a group of women who work in the specialty coffee industry for a gathering at their Diamond Street coffee shop.

Wednesday – Eat It & Beet It (instagram) will be launching their food truck at Belleflower Brewing in East Bayside.

ThursdayRuby’s West End is hold a party to celebrate their 1-year anniversary.

SaturdayNovare Res is holding Gasharoo, their annual celebration of beers from Allagash Brewing Company.

April 19 – a new business called Jonesin’ is holding a pop-up at Fork Food Lab. Jonesin’s serves “Jamaican inspired cuisine with Asian influences”.

April 20Oxbow Brewing is hosting a Fermentation Fair organized by The Resilience Hub & Portland Maine Permaculture.

April 21 – Wayside will be serving a 4-course prime rib dinner, and Yes Yes Pizza will be holding a pop-up at Howie’s Pub.

April 22 – May 1 – the 4th Maine Seaweed Week will be taking place.

April 27 – the regular Portland Farmers’ Market season begins on Wednesday April 27th in Deering Oaks Park. The market has been in operation since 1768.

April 27-29 – the Northeast Aquaculture Conference & Exposition is taking place in Portland.

May 2Death & Co will be taking over the bar at the Hunt & Alpine Club.

May 3 – Upcoming restaurants Twelve and Bar Futo are collaborating on a dinner taking place at Evo; there are a 5:30 and 8:30 seating.

May 4Chaval is holding a Star Wars themed May the Fourth dinner.

May 25 – the debut of Season 5 of the Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil. Season 5 includes an episode shot in Portland, Biddeford and the Midcoast.

June 13 – The 2022 Beard Foundation Awards gala is taking place in Chicago. Five Maine chefs and restaurants are contenders for this year’s awards.

June 13 – 19 – the 5th Annual Portland Wine Week will be taking place—see details on their Women in Wine Dinner.

July 21Magnus on Water chef Ben Jackson will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Edgecomb.

July 23Chaval chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham.

September 3Tender Table is holding their 2nd Annual Food & Art Fair in Congress Square Park.

October 9 – the Maine Cheese Guild is holding Maine Open Creamery Day.

Women in Wine Dinner

Portland Wine Week has released the details for their opening day 5-course Women in Wine Dinner. The event brings together chefs Matt Ginn from Evo, Paolo Laboa from Solo Italiano, Jef Wright from Crown Jewel, Paige Gould from Central Provisions, and Victoria Nam by Siblings Bakery along with 10 sommeliers.

Each course will be paired by two of the sommeliers and the diners will have the chance to vote on which wine best matched each dish and which sommelier came up with the best pairing overall. Participating sommeliers are:

  • Nikaline Iacono, Vessel & Vine
  • Cecily Upton, Friends & Family
  • Lizzie Legre, Helm
  • Jessie Robb, Broken Arrow
  • Kelly Nelson, Fore Street
  • Kimberly Lund, Regards
  • Brittany Saliwanchik, Magnus on Water
  • Siobhan Sidoni, Wayside Tavern
  • Stella Hernandez, Lolita
  • Erica Archer, Wine Wise

Tickets are now on sale on the Portland Wine Week website.

Upcoming Events: Timber/Bay Bowls Opening, Beer wo/ Beards, GF Workshop

TuesdayTimber is slated to re-open as the Timber Bourbon Bar & Lounge.

WednesdayLucky Pigeon will be hosting a Gluten-Free Chacuterie Workshop and Beer Tasting organized by Mrs. Gee Free Living, and Banded Brewing will be launching the Banded Taproom + Kitchen in Biddeford.

Thursday – Broken Arrow is holding a dinner with 100% of the proceeds going to support World Central Kitchen and their work to support refugees from Ukraine.

Friday – Bay Bowls is scheduled to open on Washington Ave.

Saturday – the Beer With(out) Beards festival will be taking place.

April 14Ruby’s West End is hold a party to celebrate their 1-year anniversary.

April 16Novare Res is holding Gasharoo, their annual celebration of beers from Allagash Brewing Company.

April 20Oxbow Brewing is hosting a Fermentation Fair organized by The Resilience Hub & Portland Maine Permaculture.

April 22 – May 14th Maine Seaweed Week will be taking place.

April 27 – the regular Portland Farmers’ Market season begins on Wednesday April 27th in Deering Oaks Park. The market has been in operation since 1768.

June 13 – The 2022 Beard Foundation Awards gala is taking place in Chicago. Five Maine chefs and restaurants are contenders for this year’s awards.

June 13 – 19 – the 5th Annual Portland Wine Week will be taking place.

July 21Magnus on Water chef Ben Jackson will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Edgecomb.

July 23Chaval chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham.

September 3Tender Table is holding their 2nd Annual Food & Art Fair in Congress Square Park.

October 9 – the Maine Cheese Guild is holding Maine Open Creamery Day.

2022 Down East Lobster Roll Competition

Down East magazine has put out a call to Maine restaurants, food trucks, and lobster shacks to participate in their  2022 Down East Lobster Roll Competition.

Customers will visit the participating businesses from  May 2nd to July 17th and vote online for their favorite lobster roll. The first, second and third place winners will get ad space in Down East and promotion across all their online platforms and bragging rights of having the top lobster rolls in the state—see this page for all the details.

Restaurants interested in taking part can fill out this registration form.

Maine Wild Wine Fest

The inaugural edition of the Maine Wild Wine Fest (website, facebook, instagram) will be taking place May 21st at the Wolfe’s Neck Center Mallet Barn in Freeport.

The one-day festival will feature two attendance windows (10:30 – 1:30 and 1:30 – 4). Attendees will be able to taste the natural wines and talk with representatives from natural wine producers and importers.

The concept of natural wine aligns with the mission of understanding where our food and beverage comes from, and how to produce products in more responsible ways. This is a unique opportunity to meet and talk with the people who have shaped that movement in America, learning from them first hand, while tasting delicious and very special wines!

MWWF is being organized by Ned Swain and Margot Mazur. Tickets are now on sale at www.mainewildwinefest.com.

Upcoming Events: Choptails, Codex, LBT Pop-Up, Hungarian, Rose Series

Tuesday – the Choptails Cocktail Competition is taking place at Batson River. Chef Cody Finch will be holding the next dinner in his Codex series at Petite Jacqueline (5 courses @ $85/person).

WednesdayTandem Bakery will be re-opening for indoor seating for the first time since 2020, and Ramona’s will be opening for indoor seating for the first time ever. Liu Bian Tan will be holding a takeout pop-up at Sichuan Kitchen (2 – 4 pm). The New England Ocean Cluster will be holding a talk on Maine Oyster Aquaculture.

Thursday – the cafe at the Washington Baths will be holding a pop-up featuring Hungarian food in collaboration with chef Andrew Barton of Secret Restaurant Portland (Oregon).

Friday – it’s the start of the Rose Foods guest chef series.

Saturday – it’s the Grand Opening of the Rosemont/Harbor Fish market in Scarborough.

April 5Timber is slated to re-open as the Timber Bourbon Bar & Lounge.

April 6Lucky Pigeon will be hosting a Gluten-Free Chacuterie Workshop and Beer Tasting organized by Mrs. Gee Free Living.

April 8 – Bay Bowls is scheduled to open on Washington Ave.

April 9 – the Beer With(out) Beards festival will be taking place.

April 16Novare Res is holding Gasharoo, their annual celebration of beers from Allagash Brewing Company.

April 20Oxbow Brewing is hosting a Fermentation Fair organized by The Resilience Hub & Portland Maine Permaculture.

April 22 – May 14th Maine Seaweed Week will be taking place.

June 13 – The 2022 Beard Foundation Awards gala is taking place in Chicago. Five Maine chefs and restaurants are contenders for this year’s awards.

June 13 – 19 – the 5th Annual Portland Wine Week will be taking place.

July 21Magnus on Water chef Ben Jackson will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Edgecomb.

July 23Chaval chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham.

September 3Tender Table is holding their 2nd Annual Food & Art Fair in Congress Square Park.

Upcoming Events: Paper Tiger, Piedmontese Wine at Solo Italiano

MondayPaper Tiger (website, facebookinstagram) is scheduled to open today.

Wednesdaywinemaker Giorgio Bava will be at Solo Italiano, and the restaurant will be featuring his wines by the glass and serving some dishes inspired by Bava’s region of Piedmont.

March 29 – the Choptails Cocktail Competition is taking place at Batson River. Maine’s newest cidery the Absolem Cider and Oxbow Brewing will collaborating on a beer/cider dinner at the Oxbow Beer Garden in Oxford. Chef Cody Finch will be holding the next dinner in his Codex series at Petite Jacqueline (5 courses @ $85/person).

March 31Eat It & Beet It (instagram) will be launching their food truck at Goodfire Brewing in East Bayside.

April 1 – it’s the start of the Rose Foods guest chef series.

April 9 – the Beer With(out) Beards festival will be taking place.

April 20Oxbow Brewing is hosting a Fermentation Fair organized by The Resilience Hub & Portland Maine Permaculture.

April 22 – May 14th Maine Seaweed Week.

June 13 – The 2022 Beard Foundation Awards gala is taking place in Chicago. Five Maine chefs and restaurants are contenders for this year’s awards.

June 13 – 19 – the 5th Annual Portland Wine Week will be taking place.

July 21Magnus on Water chef Ben Jackson will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Edgecomb.

July 23Chaval chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham.