Category: People

Knack Factory has posted a Q&A with Arlin Smith from Hugo’s.

Why are you in this business?
I love taking care of people in a way that they didn’t even think was possible. I would say that fact alone is what drives me. Ultimately it is what I do every day for people. Most people see service as service, where they have a server and they get to beckon them, call them over, whatever is brought over, they pay them and they are on their way. I feel like hospitality is an anticipation of needs, it is making suggestions, it is getting guests something they wanted that they didn’t even know they wanted.

Knack Factory has posted an interview with Kim Rodgers, pastry chef at Hugo’s/Eventide.

This industry can be a difficult one and sometimes people don’t stick around for very long. What made you stick around?
I went to school for art, sculpture and French. For me, it was a marriage of all of those things. It was a tactile and visual thing. There are materials and you are changing them and there are endless possibilities and I fell in love with it. And you go in every day and it is never the same. It is not always the easiest, but there is always something to learn and there are great people to work with.

Maine Today has published an interview with Luke Davidson, head distiller of Maine Craft Distilling.

How does your upbringing on a farm influence the way you work now?
That’s interesting. I definitely approach it in a more practical way, but it limits my abilities in other ways. Fortunately, I have my partner Fred [Farber] and a few other collaborators who have whole different skill sets, and together we make a good unit. In terms of the practical piece: growing up in a really, really remote setting during a really remote time, I learned from everybody that if you can’t find it, you make it. Basically everything here we’ve made ourselves.

Shift Drinks has posted an interview with Damian Sansonetti, chef and co-owner of Piccolo.

That is an excellent motivator.
You don’t really feel like you are going to work. Now it’s even more rewarding because it is our place. It is a smaller place too and so we get to see our customers and so it is easier. When you see a guest and they are happy, that’s the ultimate reward. When they tell you that what you made with all of your crew took them back to their childhood, or to a food memory, and it transported them in some way big or small, that is really rewarding.

Food & Wine has named Cara Stadler from Tao Yuan one of their 2014 Best New Chefs. According to an article on Press Herald,

Stadler, who was in New York to celebrate at a Food & Wine party Tuesday night, said she was “super excited – and shocked” to hear that she had been awarded the honor. She said she found a few weeks ago, when Cowin broke the news by phone

Sadierae & Co. have published and interview with chefs Mike Wiley and Andrew Taylor from Hugo’s/Eventide.

Do you have a favorite chef that you really, really admire?
Andrew: There are so many both from way back when and now… but when I was getting into cooking, I really loved Chris Schlesinger at East Coast Grill in Cambridge, MA. It definitely wasn’t the fanciest restaurant and he doesn’t own it anymore, but fifteen years ago, the food was so much fun – way ahead of its time in Boston. Chris really seems like a very intelligent guy too. He’s written several great cookbooks and he’s still a contributor to the NY Times.

Mike: I’m a reader, and right now, I’m way into David Kinch’s new book, Manresa. I’m so impressed by Chef Kinch’s approach to agriculture, food, seasonality, and even training young cooks. The guy makes his own finishing salt, I mean, come on!

Knack Factory has posted a Q&A with Nosh co-owner Jason Loring.

What appeals to you about the industry now that you own your own places.
I think I am growing out of cooking and I like building businesses. That’s what I want to do. Sometimes I feel guilty about it because cooking… those are my roots. It’s what I did for so long. You’re there on Friday nights and you’re sweating behind the line. Now I sometimes feel like maybe I am not doing something [when I am not doing that], or like I should be doing something more.

This is the second interview in a series. The first was with Amber Dorcus who works at Local 188 and LFK.

The American Journal has published an interview with Pamela Laskey, owner of Maine Foodie Tours.

Laskey sees the tours as a “win-win” for both foodies and businesses alike. Foodies get information and samples, and businesses have a chance to promote their product. She says that between 30 and 35 percent of tour customers end up making purchases on the tour stops. And, unlike some food tours, Laskey compensates businesses for the samples they offer during the tour. Yes, the businesses get exposure and sales, she says, but the cost of samples can add up.