Category: Maine

Sur Lie owner Krista Cole and business partner Tyler VanScoy have leased the space being vacated by Part & Parcel in Biddeford where they plan to open the Catface Cafe (website, instagram).

Catface will be serving breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. Chef Mimi Weissenborn is planning a seasonal Maine-inspired menu with “elevated modern flare.” The cafe will have a specialty coffee program, beer, wine and “fun boozy cocktails” to go with the food. Weissenborn is the executive chef of Sur Lie and Gather.

Cole and VanScoy want Catface to be a community gathering place. The location includes a back patio which can host warm weather events or be a spot to hang out solo or with friends. They plan to hosts monthly special events at Catface for the people of Biddeford to gather and socialize.

Cole is a co-founder of Sur Lie which opened for business in 2014. In 2023 she was a James Beard Awards semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurateur category and Sur Lie was a semifinalist in the Outstanding Hospitality category. In 2022 Cole took over ownership of Gather in Yarmouth from the restaurant’s founder, Matt Chappell. VanScoy has worked in the hospitality industry in a variety of front and back of house roles for over 10 years.

Part & Parcel owners Danielle O’Neill and Ali Preble announced on November 25th that they plan to close their market/cafe. Their last day in business is December 23rd.

A new fine dining restaurant called The Chametz (website, facebook, instagram) is under development west of Skowhegan in the town of New Vineyard, Maine. The restaurant promises to bring “Michelin-level dining experiences” to Franklin County.

Founders Lina Mamut and chef Jared Rudnick plan to source all their ingredients from within a 100-mile distance from their restaurant and in 2023 planted a biodynamic garden to augment the produce they’ll have available from Maine farms and from foraging in the local area.

When it launches the 20-seat restaurant will offer a 10-course tasting menu served at a communal table (see architect’s rendering above). The Chametz will have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings to go with the meal and with a full liquor license will also have a cocktail program. The menu is expected to showcase seasonal ingredients and Rudnick’s skills in whole animal butchering and fermentation/preservation techniques.

The couple met while working at Journeyman in Somerville, Massachusetts. They have extensive front of house and back of house experience at a variety of restaurants in the Boston area. Rudnick’s resume includes Craigie on Main and No. 9 Park as well as being the chef de cuisine at Journeyman. In addition to their hospitality experience, Mamut also has MS in Data Science, and has worked in the food tech startup world.

For Mamut and Rudnick how they operate their business is perhaps as important as the food and dining experience they and their team will create.  The Chametz will be run as a collective that gives all the team members a voice in decision making and an approach to compensating staff that reflects that shared responsibility.

The build out of a commercial kitchen for The Chametz is underway with the hope the restaurant can launch in early June. To support the launch of The Chametz, Rudnick and Mamut have set-up a $150k Kickstarter campaign. The campaign has already raised $25k towards its goal.

If you are in the Sugarloaf area on this Saturday December 16th you may want to stop by at Cork & Rind for an event featuring tastes of Rudnick’s cooking.

Credit: Image courtesy of The Chametz.

A new wine bar and wine shop called Pulling Corks (instagram) is under construction in Belfast. It’s being launched by David Speer and Kristin Amundson-Speer. Their vision is a place where customers can “casually drop in and have a glass and a snack, or come and celebrate a really special occasion with an amazing bottle.”

They’ve purchased the 150 year old building that was the former of Bellabooks and are in the process renovating the first floor to be the home of Pulling Corks. The building is at 31 Pendleton Street located just a block away from the center of town. The bar will seat 24-30 people with outdoor seating in an adjacent garden during warmer months.

David Speer has been in the wine industry for over two decades. In 2013, he was named by Food & Wine to their list of the Best Sommeliers of the Year. Prior to moving to Maine, he was the founder and owner of a 20-seat champagne bar called Ambonnay in Portland, Oregon. Speer also operates the Red Slate Wine Company which offers private sommelier service specializing in wines from Champagne and Burgundy.

The couple hope to have Pulling Corks open in time for the start of the summer season.

Adam Roberson and Jesse Soto have leased the former Perennial Cider Bar space at 84 Main Street in Belfast where they plan to open Dos Gatos Gastropub (instagram).

Dos Gatos will serve a taco-centric menu prepared with house-made tortillas. They plan to offer traditional standards as well as some taco combos of their own design (e.g. duck confit, crab, etc).  The bar program will include classic cocktails and specialize in margarita variations with an extended selection of mezcals and tequilas.

Soto and Roberson have been thoroughly renovating and redesigning the space with the aim of creating a venue that “combines vintage charm with a mischievously playful approach.” Overall Dos Gatos will seat 30 with a pair of lounge areas, a 14-seat bar and table seating.

The Dos Gatos experience will be informed by Roberson’s and Soto’s global travel and experience with and within the restaurant industry. Their aim is to create an “overall ambiance that captures the essence of a memorable dining journey”.

Dos Gatos is slated to open in December. Stay tuned to their instagram account for updates and an announcement on an opening day.

A new “small-town coffee shop meets experimental cocktail bar” called The Abbey (website, instagram) is under construction in Brunswick. The Abbey will be located at 87 Maine Street in the space formerly occupied by the Little Dog Coffee Shop.

During the day, owners Connor Scott and Lainey Catalino will be serving Bard Coffee, breakfast sandwiches and baked goods including options sourced from their near neighbors Ritual Bakehouse and Patisserie. In the evening The Abbey will transition into a cocktail bar and small plate restaurant. The sample menu on their website includes dishes like Fennel Buried in Cream and Mussels al Forno. Catalino and Scott want the cocktails to emphasize sustainable and local ingredients. Watch for the menu to include house-tuned twists on classic cocktails.

Across the board The Abbey will be trying to meet customers where they are but also provide openings for them to try new food and drink that are a fit for their tastes. Scott and Catalino plan to refresh the menu often.

The owners are excited be a part of the Brunswick restaurant scene and contribute to it’s evolution. Over the last few years Brunswick has seen the opening of Zao Ze Cafe, the transition of Frontier into Nomad, the launch of Dutchman’s and Ritual Bakehouse, Cabelleras opening within Vessel & Vine, the Bizibuns food truck arriving on the Main Street Mall and the reopening of Tao Yuan…just to name a few highlights.

Catalino and Scott began working on the business plan and concept for The Abbey early in 2023 and plan  to open their 65-seat restaurant in December. Follow them on instagram to stay up to date on their developments towards an opening day.