Category: People

Rob Evans and Ben Hasty’s cooking class earlier this week at Stonewall Kitchen was written up in both the Portsmouth Herald

Evans explained just how much American cuisine has changed since his days at the legendary French Laundry Restaurant in Napa Valley. “Everyone’s awareness of food is elevated. We have local farmers and artisan food producers bringing us ingredients. The American chefs coming up, they don’t want to wear a suit or tie. And even American service has changed, it’s casual, fun.”

and by the blog Soooo.. You Really Like Cats, Don’t You

When asked his favorite late-night snack, Evans explained, “By the time I remember to eat after service, the kitchen’s already been cleaned up and it’s 2AM. And I keep in mind that I don’t like cooking at home. So, sometimes I’ll just head down to Cumberland Farms, get a Red Baron Pizza to pop into the microwave – sprinkle some Malden salt and give me a glass of wine and I’d be set.”

Wayne Tuohey from CUE Culture was interviewed for the ShopTalk column in today’s Press Herald.

The initial stuff I made at home, since the early ’90s, was the Apricot Habenero Rum barbecue sauce. I used to make it for the family. For Christmas every year they’d get a Tupperware full of frozen pulled pork and a Mason jar of sauce. So when I thought about doing Cue Culture, I thought, ‘My family likes it, but I don’t really know if it’s any good.’ I took some to a restaurant in Portland, and some people I knew, and my parents knew. They’d moved to Florida, and my father took some barbecuing classes at the local community college.

The Maine Mouth has published a profile of Bob Garver. In addition to running Wicked Joe Coffee and being an co-owner of Bard Coffee, Garver is also a World Barista Championship sensory judge and was recently in Atlanta for the 2009 competition that saw Michael Phillips from the US place third behind competitors from the UK and Canada.

“What we’re primarily concerned about is the taste of the coffee,” says Garver. “What notes are in the coffee? Does the barista understand the coffee? How do they present it? Professionalism, passion, dedication…their overall attention to detail. All of those things are part of what we’re evaluating, but what matters most are taste scores.”

The Press Herald has published a Shop Talk interview with Gene DiMillo. DiMillo is co-owner of G & R DiMillo’s, a sports bar and restaurant.

When we opened up I really thought the demographic would be ages 25 to 40. We had the menu of basically pub food, pizza and burgers. And we did some Italian dishes as well. And slowly it started morphing into the family restaurant idea, as we were getting people who used to go the Village. The age range now runs 25 to 80. It’s unbelievable how it’s changed, and we’ve revised the menu two or three times for that reason, different items that appeal to an older clientele.

The Maine Switch has published a profile of Jennifer Flock and her ongoing effort to become a Master Sommelier.

Today, with all of her culinary knowledge and her experience in the service industry, you can imagine that Flock might be a rather intimidating dinner guest. “I have a friend who always says, ‘I have wine, but I don’t know if you want to drink it,’” Flock says with a laugh, but truly her friends needn’t worry. “I usually bring my own wine,” Flock explains, and probably that bottle is the first one drained.

The Portland Press Herald has published a profile of Norm Sprague. Sprague recently retired from a “30-year stint instructing culinary arts at Westbrook Regional Vocational Center.” He is now working as the daytime manager at the Miss Portland Diner.

Chef Christian Gordon from the The Inn on Peaks Island has been named 2009 Chef of the Year by the Maine Restaurant Association.