Category: General News

As the end of the year approaches we’ve entered the season when publications and columnists sum up the past and make predictions for the future. First out of the gate this year is Brian Duff from the Portland Phoenix,

A year ago Portland was feeling giddy, food-wise — with Eventide on every national best-of list, many interesting new openings rumored, and several prominent food trends, like pop-ups and food trucks, poised to take root in our town. A year on the excitement has subsided, and Portland’s food scene is basically the same. So be it…

What do you think? Is the Portland food scene “basically the same”, and if not how would describe the growth in 2013?

Top Gun is an intensive 5-month training program that teaches small business owners the skills they need to grow and be successful. The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial runs the program and it’s a point of distinction just to be invited to participate.

Nine out the 21 organizations people in the Spring 2014 class are Maine food/agricultural businesses. From the Portland area are Nonesuch Oysters, Apiara (beekeeping technology), and Finest Kind Tea. Participants from further afield in Maine include Bixby Bar (a 2014 Good Food Award finalist), a distillery, a malt house and more.

You can learn more about Top Gun on the MCED website.

Tandem Coffee Roasters has launched a new monthly coffee delivery program. The Coffee Subscribers Alliance gives participants the choice of drip or espresso blends. For $20 you’ll get a pair of coffees each month delivered to your home.

The New York Times referenced an article about Finest Kind Tea (facebook, twitter) in a wrap-up of the week’s small business stories.

Diet soda sales have crashed, and a Maine entrepreneur offers a healthier alternative.

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a food-oriented gift buying guide,

When it comes to shopping local for the holidays, especially when you’re on the hunt for food-related gifts, those of us who live in Maine are luckier than a hungry elf trapped in a gingerbread factory.

and some recommendations on where to source gluten-free or vegan prepared foods for the holidays.

If you’re looking for prepared Christmas food that is gluten-free or vegan or meets other dietary needs, you’re in luck. It’s never been easier to find these eats in Greater Portland. But for the people running the food businesses, it can be hard to keep up with demand.

The Press Herald has tapped Vince Maniaci, co-owner of The Cheese Iron, and Shannon Tallman from Whole Foods, for their expert holiday cheese buying advice.

Cheese has become a much more popular addition to the holiday table, but standing in front of a cheese counter these days is like standing in the cereal aisle at the grocery store – so many choices, the head starts to spin.

Chef/owner Jay Villani is back running the kitchen at his first restaurant, Local 188.

With the return to Local 188’s kitchen, Jay’s introduced a new menu. It’s a great menu of hot and cold tapas, raciones, salads and entrees. For longtime customers, you’ll feel like you’re reading a menu from back in Local’s old space, across the street.

There was a fire at Boone’s early Wednesday morning that resulted in some damage, but the restaurant expects to re-open on Saturday.

“Firefighters on the scene eventually discovered the source of the smoke in the facade surrounding the chimney and fireplace.” he said.

“Unfortunately, we had to completely remove the facade to the fireplace to extinguish the fire,” he said. “The good news is this fire could have been much worse had it not been for the functioning fire alarm system. It worked exactly as it should have.”