Category: People

The North East Kitchen has published an interview with Greg Mitchell & Chad Conley, chef/owners of the Palace Diner. The interviewed is beautifully illustrated with a set of photos from kitchen and counter at the diner.

NEK: What about now, is there someone or something that particularly inspires your cooking?
CC: I’ve moved away from my earlier interest in fine dining and anything “fancy”. My favorite restaurants are well-run local favorites. I’m proud of the way we execute homey, comfortable food at Palace. I’ve become more interested in paying attention to the non-food parts of the restaurant experience. The idea of creating a simply pleasant experience that exceeds people’s expectations and leaves them feeling like they’ve found something unique but approachable has become a part of what drives me alongside creating fun and delicious food.

The North East Kitchen is a new project which will include “interviews – and recipes – from chefs and cooks, and feature kitchens and food life along the North Eastern US”. Author/photographer Myriam Babin is also “producing a photography book about chefs of the North Eastern US to be published by Princeton Architectural Press.”

Portland Phoenix columnist Chris Papagni has written about the recent visit by chef Alfie Mossadeg to Portland for Tempo Dulu’s Singapore Sling dinner.

Raymond Brunyanszki and Oscar Verest, owners of Tempo Dulu and the Danforth Inn, are known for doing things in a big way. They believe that their Executive Chef Lawrence Klang, whose cuisine has been widely celebrated, can benefit greatly from exposure to great chefs from all over Southeast Asia. Flying Chef Alfie to Portland is the first of several chef visits planned for 2016. Each chef will work alongside Chef Lawrence, collaborating and creating a new and exciting menu. This big-picture thinking is what sets Brunyanki and Verest apart from the rest. It’s all about learning, questioning and improving. Chef Alfie has great respect and much gratitude for the two men who brought him to the United States.

The Press Herald has published an interview with James Schwartz on the advent of his 1-year anniversary as the restaurant critic for the Maine Sunday Telegram.

Q: If you could give advice to a restaurant about how to do things right, what would you say?
A: The first thing I would say is cleanliness makes a huge difference. Nothing turns off a diner more than a sticky table. Next, warm service is good. Warm, professional service is better. It’s very nice to have a waiter or waitress who is nice. But it’s better to have a waiter or waitress who is nice but knows what they are doing. The last thing for me would be, simple is always better. A beautifully prepared piece of sautéed fish or chicken is better in my opinion than a poorly prepared piece of fish that is exuberantly sauced. I think gilding the lily is unnecessary.

Peter P. Profenno, Jr. passed away on Friday at the age of 81.

Along with his late wife Mary, he founded Profenno’s Pizzeria in Westbrook in 1962.

Po’ Boys and Pickles founder Peter Zinn has sold the business to Chris Bettera. Bettera doesn’t plan to make any major changes to Po’ Boys, “When you have an amazing product and a great crew, there really isn’t a need to start from scratch.”

Bettera is a 3rd generation restaurateur. His grandfather owned 5 restaurants in the Hartford Connecticut area, and his parents ran La Trattoria Restaurant in Canton, CT for over 40 years. Bettera grew up working in restaurants and has been working at Bonobo’s since moving to Portland while searching for the right opportunity to own his own restaurant. He spent the prior “16 years traveling the world while working in the field of international education”.

Zinn plans to now spend his time growing the Choomi Cookies business he launched in 2013.

The Portland Phoenix has interviewed Chris Harris, co-owner of Crooners & Cocktails.

LO: What do you feel makes your restaurant stand out from the other dining options in Portland?
CH: Attention to detail. I do my walkthrough of the dining room every single night. I measure the silverware. I measure the glassware. I measure how far the napkins are from the edge of the table. … We don’t want people to think it’s stuffy, because it’s not. But we are such professionals here, in every aspect. Everyone here is after the same goal, and that’s absolute perfection. We’re trying to do something special here in Portland, and there’s nothing else like us here.

Ben Alfiero, co-owner of Harbor Fish Market, passed away earlier this week at the age of 59.

Alfiero and his brothers, Nick Alfiero and Mike Alfiero, have been involved in the operation of the Harbor Fish Market since their father Ben Alfiero Sr. founded the business in 1969.

For years, Benjamin A. Alfiero ran the retail store for Harbor Fish Market, which is located at 9 Custom House Wharf on the city’s waterfront.

For more information and public comment see this facebook post by Harbor Fish.

Andrew Regios, co-owner of Pizza Villa, passed away on November 11.

“He always had a compliment for you,” his sister-in-law said. “Someone referred to him as a sweet, zany Greek boy. He was very joyful, but he was also a prankster. He loved to make up jokes. He could be really corny. He had a sweet, fun and youthful side to him.”

See the obituary for details on today’s memorial service.