Category: Under Construction

Anoche (website, instagram) has launched an exciting new initiative called the Backyard Cider Project. The Washington Ave cider bar will be gathering apple donations from the public, and work with Cornish Cider Company (website, facebook, instagram) to press, ferment and bottle a “unique cider that showcases the terroir of Maine”.

The finished product is expected to be bottled and available this coming spring along with a map that shows where in Maine the fruit for the community cider project was sourced from.

All across our state apple trees abound on public and private property alike. A large portion of these apples go to waste, and we want your help turning those apples into a unique cider that showcases the terroir of Maine.

With the apple harvest being upon us, we are asking any and all who have access to apple trees to bring us your fruit! [B]ring whatever you can: blemished apples, small apples, crabapples, etc. from now through the end of October. Because good cider apples don’t typically taste good to eat—the more bitter and sour, the better! Drop them off at Anoche any day of the week between 2 pm and 8 pm. Leave them by the front door and come to the window to let us know they are there…we will bring them in!

Happy picking!

Anoche owner Erika Colby shared, “We thought this project could be a fun way to bring people together at a time when the pandemic is keeping us apart. Pressing and fermenting juice into cider is an expression of hope in a better future—one where we can come together again to taste the fruits of the work we did to make this cider possible.”

Everyone who donate a bushel (40 lbs) or more to the Backyard Cider Project will be entered into a drawing to win an apple tree from a local nursery so “we can keep the tradition going for more years to come.”

Anoche opened late last year on Washington Ave serving a menu of draft and bottled cider and Basque food. During the pandemic Anoche has launched an outdoor seating area and cider takeout window serving draft and bottled cider as well as a cider growler service.

Mainebiz reports that The Holy Donut will be opening a new donut shop in Auburn.

Eight years after opening for business with a single shop in Portland, the popular donut maker and retailer is expanding to Auburn, in a former Tim Horton’s coffee shop that’s been vacant for five years. The new store, at 848 Minot Ave., will be Holy Donut’s first location outside greater Portland.

The new location is expected to open before the end of the year.

D Ajans Supermarket is under construction at 170 Brighton Ave. D Ajans will occupy the 2,173 sq ft former 7-11 building at the intersection with Saint John Street.

Owner Maaz Ullah is also the founder of the Crown Fried Chicken on Forest Ave.

Fork Food Lab is raising funds for am Entrepreneurial Empowerment Scholarship. $1,800 of a $4,200 goal has already been donated.

Fork Food Lab is dedicated to closing the racial-economic gap that inhibits BIPOC from opening food businesses by hosting and supporting small food startups regardless of race or identity. Fork Food Lab is proud to organize a scholarship toward entrepreneurship for the statewide BIPOC community. The purpose of this scholarship is to create an opportunity for a Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color to start a food business. This scholarship aims to dissolve some of the economic barriers to entrepreneurship and provide sustainable, logistical business support in the interest of longevity and success. 

Visit www.forkfoodlab.com/lfpp to learn more about the program and/or to make a donation.

Two new businesses are under development in Biddeford:

• The owners of the Southern/Italian restaurant, Yeto’s, have a new business under development. Bryan Casale and Jackie Hardin are leasing space on Main Street where they plan to open D & G (instagram) next year. D & G will  be an Italian deli, gelato shop and specialty goods store featuring imported foods from Italy.
• Sergio Ramos is launching Mi Pueblo Tacos Y Tequila at 45 Boulder Way. Ramos plans to offer a limited menu along with beer, wine and margaritas to start. Ramos is a certified tequila expert.

Ishi Ishi (website, instagram), a ramen bar on Washington Ave, has applied for a liquor license. Ishi Ishi opened last year as a BYOB restaurant, and so this marks an evolution from their original business plan as a result of the change in business climate brought on by the pandemic.

Update: now renamed Rathskeller on Wharf.

The owners of the Wharf Street Rathskeller have applied for a liquor license for the tavern they have under construction at 51 Wharf Street.

The Rathskeller will have a full bar and will be serving a “classic tavern menu” for lunch and dinner. Here’s a look at the draft menu supplied with the application.

The space will seat 48 including a 22-seat bar in the center of the room.

As we reported back in January, this project is headlined by Tom Minervino, his sister Meg Minervino and their business partner Mike Barton who also operate Legends Rest in Westbrook.

The Portland Planning Board is reviewing a request for a zoning change on Washington Ave. If the proposal (page 883) gets approved it will pave the way for a new brewery, Newscapes Brewing (facebook, instagram) to be located at 163 Washington Ave. Owner Jeffrey Curran plans to have outdoor tables along with a limited amount of indoor seating and to serve a menu of pub food.

Update: The Portland Phoenix has published an update on Newscapes (January 17, 2021).

Update: The Portland Phoenix has published an update on Newscapes (February 23, 2022).