Mike Wiley, co-chef/owner, of Hugo’s, Eventide, and The Honey Paw, has penned an article providing a behind the scenes look at staffing a restaurant. This is the first of a three-part series by Wiley.
When I try to be frank with our guests about where the ideas and food come from, I get the sense they think my explanations are false modesty. That’s not it at all: A lot of really talented and hardworking people work in our restaurants, and everything is a collaboration.
The September issue of Dispatch includes an interview with Sean Wilkinson, co-founder of Might & Main, about restaurant branding.
Might & Main have worked with a number of successful restaurants in Portland such as Eventide and Central Provisions, and are now building a client base elsewhere such as Alden & Harlow in Boston.
Erin French’s book The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine is now available for pre-order with an anticipated publication date of May 2017.
The book is described as “An evocative, gorgeous four-season look at cooking in Maine, with 100 recipes” and will be available in hardcover and as an e-book.
The Press Herald has interviewed Christopher Kimball about his new venture, Milk Street Kitchen.
“This is not really about me cooking Thai food or Cantonese or Moroccan food,” Kimball said. “It’s just about finding techniques and combinations of flavors, or ways of thinking about cooking to expand the repertoire. I’m not trying to cook somebody else’s food. Here’s the difference: Instead of going in the kitchen and taking an oatmeal cookie and making it 45 times, I’m starting somewhere else in the world to learn from somebody and listen to what they have to say and trying to figure out how I can adapt that back here.”
Kimball will be kicking off a cross-country Culinary Mystery Tour on the stage of the State Theater on September 8. Tickets are available online.
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.