Maine Women Magazine has published an interview with Leslie Oster from Aurora Provisions which includes some pointers for putting on a great event.
Leslie Oster is a bit of a legend in Maine. As general manager and catering director for Aurora Provisions (the café, catering company and market in Portland’s West End neighborhood), Oster will oversee a whopping 23 weddings this year and more than 50 catered events. She creates original menus and is known for her stunning table arrangements.
Chef Mike Smith and wife Robyn Luongo Smith are leaving their positions at Scales and The Honey Paw to lead the kitchen and front of house staff at the new off-peninsula restaurant Central Provisions has under construction in the Back Cove neighborhood.
Chris and Paige Gould, founders of Central Provisions, have purchased the former Borealis Bistro at 182 Ocean Ave where they plan to open a wood-fired Italian restaurant. The as-yet unnamed restaurant will seat 48 including a 9-seat bar and will serve Neapolitan-style pizza as well as pasta, salads and crudo and is slated to open in December or January.
For more information see this article in the Press Herald. It includes an interview with Smith.
Update: Chefs Fred Eliot and Travis Olson will co-leading the kitchen Scales. Eliot is the former chef de cuisine at Petite Jacqueline and Olson is the pastry chef at Scales.
This week’s Great Beer Adventure episode is an audio interview with Eric Michaud and Terry Peterson from Liquid Riot.
Collaborating is big in the beer world, at least here in Maine! Amanda sits down with Terry Peterson and Eric Michaud from Liquid Riot Bottling Co. Not only do they chat about how and why folks choose to team up; Eric and Terry introduce Amanda to something she never even knew existed.
Shipyard Brewing chef David Squillante will be featured later this summer in an episode of the Food Network show Cutthroat Kitchen. It will air August 10th at 9pm.
The show is hosted by Alton Brown. Four chefs compete in a three round competition with the added twist of opportunity to sabotage each others work.
Great Beer Adventure has posted a podcast interview with Sean Sullivan, executive director of the Maine Brewers’ Guild.
We invited Sean Sullivan of the Maine Brewers’ Guild on to chat Maine beer with us. We have learned a lot in a year and can’t wait to see what the next year brings for us and for the Maine beer scene.
The Press Herald has published an interview with seafood expert, South Freeport resident and author Barton Seaver about his new book, Two If By Sea.
Sometimes it seems like not a month goes by without a new cookbook by fish sustainability expert, chef and South Freeport resident Barton Seaver showing up in the mail. Most recently, it was the 304-page “Two if by Sea,” chock-full of recipes; indexes of fish species; short essays on sustainability, equipment and ingredients; more essays and step-by-step photographs on technique; and pictures of food, fish and Seaver himself fishing and cooking.
Today’s Press Herald includes a behind the scenes look at Josh Doré’s job manning the reservations line at Fore Street.
“Every job is different. Every guest is different,” Doré said. “The way that you speak to one person may not be the way you are able to interact with another person. Some people are very straight and narrow, some people like to have more fun. They’ll joke with you on the phone. You have to be able to read your guest without being able to see your guest, which is a learned talent. Is this a sir or madam conversation, or can I call you Scott?”
an interview with Gillian and Jim Britt who own gBritt, a restaurant public relations firm,
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.
and an article about two new vegan organizations in town.
Two new groups that have set up shop in the city are aiming to make Portland more vegan-friendly. V for All is working to increase the number of vegan items on restaurant menus, and Plant IQ is spreading the word about the health benefits of plant-based food.
For their new episode Great Beer Adventure interviewed Vena’s co-owner Steve Corman on his personal journey to be becoming a bartender and about beer cocktails.
As we explore beer cocktails, we learn (yet again) that we should be willing to take more risks in our beer drinking. Steve Corman of Vena’s Fizz House joins us to teach us a thing or two about adding booze to our beer. (Really it’s all about the bitters.)
Today’s Press Herald Food & Dining section includes an article on the 2 decade relationship between Back Bay Grill chef/owner Larry Matthews and the restaurant’s dishwasher William “Franco” Tucker.
Larry Matthews Jr., chef and owner of the elegant Back Bay Grill in Portland, and William “Franco” Tucker, dishwasher at the same, have worked together for about two decades. Longer than many marriages last. Longer, by decades, than dishwashers typically stay at restaurants. Longer than either ever expected, and longer than Matthews has worked with anyone else at his reliably first-rate restaurant.
Paste has published an interview with Will Pratt, co-owner of Tandem Coffee Roasters.
Paste: What’s important to Tandem from the perspective of buying beans?
Will Pratt: The coffee has to have a story. Most of our coffee comes through importers, but we’re starting to travel a little bit with them, too. The people that we work with have been doing it for a long time; they’re vetted, and we know their principles.