Category: People

Modern Vegan Cooking School

| Posted in Profiles, People

The Portland Phoenix has published a profile of Chris McClay and her business the Modern Vegan Cooking School.

McClay, 38, is the proprietor of Portland’s new Modern Vegan Cooking School and the Maine representative for the Wellness Forum, a national for-profit dietary-education organization. She’s been eating a plant-based diet since 1992, when a college course piqued her interest in vegetarianism and then full-on veganism. She hasn’t eaten any animal-derived products since then — really. No meat, no cheese, no dairy products. And, perhaps most remarkably, no cravings.

Hot Chocolate, Sustainable Food, Trader Joe’s Parking

| Posted in People, General News

The Food & Dininng section in today’s Press Herald includes an article on hot chocolate along with drink reviews from several venues in town like this one for Gorgeous Gelato,

Don’t be surprised if you start hearing sleigh bells while you drink this. This is classic hot chocolate, the kind of drink you dream about when you hear the song “Winter Wonderland” or crave after coming in from a long day of skiing or playing in the snow.

It’s made with two kinds of Belgian chocolate and whole milk. Be sure to ask for whipped cream on top — it’s real whipped cream, cold, thick and delicious, and floats well and long on top of the chocolate…

a profile of Portland resident Dan McGovern who publishes the Sustainable Food News,

Produced in Portland, the online business magazine publishes Monday through Friday and chronicles the health food industry’s latest news and trends. The daily emails go out to 7,500 subscribers.

Also in today’s paper is a piece on the parking situation at Trader Joe’s.

 

Haitian Dinner, Others Profile and Perspectives from Former Restaurant Staff

| Posted in Profiles, People, Events

Friday’s Portland Daily Sun included a report on the Culinary Immersion Feast series that taking place on Thursdays at the Museum of African Culture,

If you’re hungry to learn about Haitian culture, and don’t mind feasting on a meal while delving into a Haitian-themed art exhibit, the Museum of African Culture may offer the perfect pairing. The museum is serving culinary immersion feasts, where the meal is an extension of the art on exhibition.

a profile of Others! in Monument Square,

At Others! a great deal of intent is evident in all aspects of the operation. The effect on the environment is a prime consideration, to be sure. The coffee stirrers, believe it or not, are strands of uncooked organic spaghetti. Bio-degradable coffee stirrers. And the to-go coffee cups and lids are state-of-the art bio-degradable as well. You wouldn’t believe the research Brad did to come up with them.

and perspectives from former restaurant workers on their old careers in the hospitality industry.

Nancy Farrell-Baker, Portland, 29. “I’d still be waiting tables if I hadn’t just had a second child. Even though my husband works days and my job was mostly nights, it was too stressful. He sells cars and does pretty well, but I still made more money and loved the people I worked with. Yeah, that’s the hardest part, not being around such great people.”

Artisanal & Roger Doiron

| Posted in Cooking, People, General News

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article about the overuse/misuse of the word artisanal,

Even real artisans need to lay off the word artisanal for a while. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that you are trying to do the right thing, and we do appreciate your craftsmanship. But do we really need to know that the bread you just made came from wheat sown by your great-great-grandmother Clara and was made with a recipe passed down from generation to generation in a Mason jar stored under the floorboards of your Uncle Ned’s log cabin? (Was that an artisanal log cabin?)

an article about Roger Doiron and Kitchen Gardens International, and a piece about a new locally produced cookbook.

Stavros Elias Shamos, 91

| Posted in People

Stavros Elias Shamos, the longtime owner of Quality Shop on Stevens Ave, passed away earlier this week at the age of 91.

Steve owned and operated The Quality Shop on Stevens Avenue in Portland for his whole working career, expanding the business to include his son, who owns it to this day. A local icon in Deering Center, many people knew Steve as a hard worker who ran his business as a perfectionist and a gentleman.

Q&A: Larry Matthews

| Posted in People

MaineToday.com has published a brief interview with Larry Matthews, chef/owner of the Back Bay Grill.

How did you get here?
I was born here and never really left. That’s the truth. I was born in Portland and I’ve lived in 12 different towns over the years. My family on both sides goes really far back – in fact, we can trace family to Campobello Island in the 1600s. I am a seventh generation Mainer on both sides. At some point we obviously crossed the bridge from Canada and came to Maine, and we stayed. My dad was a lobsterman, so was his dad.

Steve and Renee’s Diner

| Posted in Profiles, People

The Portland Daily Sun has published a profile of Steve and Renee’s Diner.

Renee was having trouble getting into the interview because she saw that my breakfast was getting cold. We had to take a break so I could finish eating, then things were fine. She cared. Just couldn’t get away from it.

Therein lies the tale. At Steve & Renee’s Diner it’s all about people. Has been for the twenty-nine years they’ve been in business. “Just don’t call us a restaurant,” she said, “there’s restaurants all over the place. We’re a diner, like the ones that used to exist in Portland. When people come in here they’re family.”

Russell Libby, 56

| Posted in People

Russell Libby, the longtime Executive Director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, passed away early Sunday morning after a battle with cancer.

Russell lent his extraordinary leadership skills to MOFGA for almost 30 years. He served on the Board of Directors for a decade before becoming its long-serving Executive Director in 1995. He held that position until November 2 of this year, when he assumed the title of Senior Policy Advisor. In that role he continued to guide the organization with his characteristic wisdom, compassion and dedication, even as his health failed.

For more information see  the Bangor Daily News, Portland Press Herald, Broadturn Farm, MPBN, Maine Cheese Guild and MOFGA on Facebook.

The State flew flags at half-staff to honor his passing.

Joe’s Moving to Boston

| Posted in People

Joe Ricchio has announced he’s moving to Boston.

Why? Well, I’ve accepted a sales position with an established wine company, which is certainly the catalyst for the transition. More importantly though I think it’s important for Food Coma to expand a bit (and really, Boston is closer to Portland than Camden!), and there are few things I enjoy more than drinking and eating my way through a new city, so this seemed like as good a time as any to pull the trigger and get the f[***] out of dodge.