Category: Under Construction

Truckster

| Posted in Under Construction

Another new food truck tracking service, Truckster (website, apple, android, facebook, instagram) plans to launch in Portland later this year.

Truckster got its start in Denver and has since expanded to serve four cities in Colorado as well as works with food trucks in the other Portland and Austin, Texas. Truckster was co-founded by Molly and Connor Hollowell. Connor Hallowell grew up in Falmouth, and that’s part their motivation for bringing their service to Maine.

Connor Hollowell owned a food truck in Denver with his brother. It’s that insider perspective that the Hallowells feels gives them an edge in developing a platform that addresses the needs of food truck owners. The Truckster Vendor app lets food truck owners “control their profile, schedule, view marketing dashboard analytics, and are able to interact with their fans.” It also provides “catering leads and [has] an integrated mobile and online ordering system.”

Truckster is currently making connections with Maine food trucks and hope to launch the service for consumers this fall. The service for consumers will be available on the web and as native apps for both Apple and Android.

A year ago there weren’t any food truck tracking services in Portland. Three services launched in Portland earlier this year, and two of them—Food Trux and Maine Food Truck Tracker—merged in July. I’m aware at least one more service currently under development.

Kuno at 166 Cumberland Ave

| Posted in Under Construction

Nick Yee, the owner of the Kuno (instagram) food truck, has leased 166 Cumberland Ave where he plans to open a brick and mortar restaurant of the same name. Kuno will be serving an expanded menu of Southeast Asian dishes and his family recipes with a full bar.

Yee hopes to open the restaurant in September, and in the meantime will be offering takeout using the food truck kitchen and delivery through services like 2DineIn.

Yee launched the Kuno food truck in February of 2019.

Magnus in the Park

| Posted in Under Construction

Magnus on Water reopened last week for service on their patio. As they scale up the menu for that aspect of their business, the team is also working on a new project.

Magnus hopes to open a food truck across Water Street in Mechanics Park overlooking the Saco River. Serving out of a converted Airstream, Magnus will be offering a more casual scaled down menu that customers can enjoy in the park.

Vertical Harvest Coming to Maine

| Posted in Under Construction, Farming

An urban farming company called Vertical Harvest (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) is planning to build their second hydroponic  vertical greenhouse in downtown Westbrook. Co-founders Nona Yehia and Caroline Estay expect to start construction in 2021.

Vertical Harvest provides “consistent, meaningful employment” for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. Their focus is to “create partnerships to build cost effective, profitable hydroponic farms that will not only act as innovative urban models for growing fresh food, but will have a substantial social impact.”

The 70,000 square-foot Vertical Harvest Westbrook located on Mechanic Street will initially grow a variety of microgreens and lettuces. It’s estimated this vertical farm will produce a million pounds of produce per year. In addition to wholesale partnerships with hospitals, corporate cafeterias, schools, chefs, restaurants, caterers and more, the Westbrook location will also have a consumer marketplace and plans for a presence at farmer’s markets.

The company anticipates bringing 50 full-time equivalent jobs to Westbrook.

Vertical Harvest got their start in 2016 with the launch of their first vertical greenhouse in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Co-founder Nona Yehia stated, “We have felt a kinship with Maine for quite some time. At our beginning stages 10 years ago, Vertical Harvest Jackson engaged the same engineer as Backyard Farms in Madison, Maine. Wyoming and Maine have more in common than just a four-to-five month grow season and drastic seasonal climates – they have polar rural and urban areas, there is deep rooted respect for the environment, the farming and food communities are a source of pride, and there is a sense of responsibility to serve the job and food insecure population. With our second location for Vertical Harvest, we feel honored to become a part of this special state and Westbrook community.”

A documentary about Vertical Harvest called Hearts of Glass was recently released. Here’s an excerpt from the film.

Little Easy Snoballs

| Posted in Under Construction

A new food truck called Little Easy Snoballs (website, instagram, facebook) is in the final stage of development and owner Lauren Gauthier plans to launch Little Easy in the next couple of weeks.

Gauthier (on left in photo) always wanted to have her own snoball stand while growing up in Southern Louisiana. After she and her wife Cassie Pruyn moved to Portland last summer Gauthier began working on Little Easy to bring a taste of home with her.

Snoball flavors on tap for Little Easy will include standards like “nectar cream, wedding cake, tigers blood (combo of watermelon, coconut, and strawberry), ice cream, rainbow (strawberry, ice cream and bubble gum), cotton candy.” Gauthier also plans to serve a rotating list of house-made flavors such as “raspberry-mint, Thai tea, chai latte, cafe au lait, strawberry rhubarb, lemonade, limeade”. Customers will be able to get their snoballs  “topped with marshmallow fluff, condensed milk or stuffed…[with] ice cream in the middle.”

Gauthier plans to locate Little Easy on Back Cove on weekdays and on the Eastern Prom on weekends. The truck will also be available for catering.

Browne Trading Rebuilding Store

| Posted in Under Construction

Back in mid-April, a three alarm fire knocked the Browne Trading retail store on Commercial Street out of commission. The retail shop is in the process of being redesign and rebuilt.

Like before the new Browne Trading shop will sell seafood, caviar, wine and other provisions. The shop will also feature a more robust seafood smokehouse operation than before with two full time seafood smoking experts on staff.

Browne Trading hopes to relaunch this fall.

Actual Foods Launching Friday

| Posted in Under Construction

A new food truck called Actual Foods (instagram) is set to launch this Friday.

You can find them Friday at the Urban Farm Fermentory from 5 – 7.30 where they’ll be serving a limited menu on their opening day. Moving forward their plan is to be located at the Eastern or Western Promenade on Wednesdays and Thursdays, at Austin Street (Industrial Way) on Fridays, and at UFF on the weekends.

Owner Steffy Amondi shared that the food truck will serve

fresh, made to order wok-style bowls in a fast casual manner. Our menu features few simple, fresh, easy to prepare ingredients tied together with chef inspired sauces- making it a great way to create your own bowl with different permutations yielding completely different flavors.

Here’s a look at the menu:

In addition to ready to eat meals, Actual foods also plans to eventually sell prepared meal packages for simple final preparation at home.

Mast Landing Food Truck

| Posted in Under Construction

Mast Landing Brewing is in the process of developing a food truck that will be stationed at their tasting room in Westbrook. Chef Tim Goddu is currently working out the menu, but a date hasn’t been set yet for the launch. You can see a couple pictures of menu R&D on Goddu’s instagram account.

Mast Landing is releasing a new beer today. Windbreaker is a hazy 6.5% IPA with “notes of melon, mango, and grapefruit”.

A Guide to Maine Cider

| Posted in Under Construction, Openings

Buoyed by an interest in local food, gluten-free eating, and the ongoing enthusiasm for heirloom apples, the last few years have seen significant growth in Maine cider industry. There are now 17 cider makers in Maine with at least four more producers under development. Additionally, in 2019 two dedicated cider bars – Perennial in Belfast and Anoche in Portland – opened for business.

With all of that in mind, I’ve put together a Guide to Maine Cider to provide a resource for me and my fellow cider enthusiasts to the producers, cider bars, bottle shops and events that are part of the emergent cider community in Maine.

Read the full Maine Cider Guide.