Category: People

Interview with Nathan Hann

| Posted in People

Mainebiz has published an interview with Nathan Hann, CBD’s Director of Training,

MB: On the retail side, what’s the first thing you teach people?
NH: It’s still a work in progress, but right now we’re doing the espresso fundamentals class. It’s a three-hour class where they’re introduced to the machine and overall cleanliness and upkeep. Then we migrate into espresso and milk texturing and then constructing of the drink. We do that for wholesale accounts as well. It’s a long process that goes for weeks to make sure they’re ready.

Portland Barrel Co.

| Posted in People, Profiles

Mainebiz has published an article about the Portland Barrel Co. and its owner Ed Lutjens.

Lutjens works alone, planing staves so they fit together tightly, sculpting the staves’ inside and shearing off some wood outside so they’ll form a round barrel when set into hoops. He starts from the top of the barrel, placing the staves, which are of different widths, inside a metal hoop that he also hand makes. No glue is involved, so the sides of the staves need to be planed flat and fitted carefully.

Maine Street Designs in Chicago

| Posted in Under Construction, People

Portland-based interior designer Brett Johnson from Maine Street Design Co. is working on a prominent new restaurant in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood called Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar. Johnson has designed interiors for several Maine restaurants including Fore Street, the White Barn Inn, The Edge and Stripers.

Johnson’s work in Chicago is an example of a trend of Maine hospitality and design expertise being exported beyond the state’s borders. Branding and design firm Might & Main worked with chef/owner Michael Scelfo on the launch of his new restaurant Waypoint, both in Boston. Eventide is expanding into the Boston market this year, Boda opened a second location in Portsmouth last year, and the Brewers Guild built and delivered the Maine Beer Box to Iceland.

Maine agricultural and fishery products (lobster to China, native blueberries, glass eels and urchins to Japan) have been widely sought after for some time. It’s nice to see homegrown talent and concepts following their foot steps to have impact in the wider food world as well.

Interview with Gillian and Jim Britt

| Posted in People

The Press Herald has published an interview with the owners of gBritt, a firm that specializes in providing public relations support to restaurants.

Q:Still, it’s 2016. Why can’t I tweet/Instagram/website and market my restaurant myself?

JB: Our clients tend to be chef-driven restaurants. There is no marketing person in place. They are trying to do payroll, meet the delivery truck out back, fix that ice maker that stopped working.

Then in the very back of their mind, they are thinking, “We haven’t posted on Instagram in a week,” or “We haven’t updated our Facebook.” Then there is the storytelling. They might have a great story to tell, but they just don’t have the contacts with professional media or the time.

Coffee Me Up

| Posted in People, Profiles

The Portland Phoenix has published an article about Coffee Me Up and its owners Alba Zakja and Mateo Hodo.

What sets this gem apart are three things: First, the owners, Alba Zakja and Mateo Hodo are two of the most beautiful humans I have encountered. Their smiles are warm, welcoming and real. Second, their pastry offerings are homemade and Albanian; Albania is their birthplace, although they have both become American citizens. Two of their pastries are especially delicious: Byrek is a traditional phyllo savory pastry. It’s light, unlike anything you’ll find anywhere else in Portland, and you can rely on seeing it at Coffee ME Up seven days a week. The other is Alba’s mother Simina’s Baklava.

Staff Training, David Levi, VegFest

| Posted in Events, People

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article on how restaurants train their staff to be ready for the summer season,

The summer tourist season is looming, and Maine restaurants are gearing up. That means hiring extra wait staff and training them to deal with all kinds of situations, before their businesses get insanely crowded. It’s a common rite of spring, for both destination restaurants with national reputations and more casual spots that cater to the shorts-and-T-shirts crowd.

the first article in a three part series written by David Levi about his restaurant Vinland,

“Restriction” is a word I sometimes hear when people first hear about our concept at Vinland, where every ingredient in every dish is local. I counter with two words: “form” and “mission.” To be clear, Vinland is a restaurant, not a concept. At the most basic and real level, it is a place to eat, drink, enjoy company, relax, be delighted and have fun. Like any restaurant. So what makes this restaurant unique? Actually, a fair number of things, but they all boil down to form and mission.

and an overview of the upcoming vegan food festival, VegFest.