Category: Under Construction

Strata

| Posted in Under Construction, Openings

A new knife sharpening service called Strata (website, instagram) launched earlier this year. Owner Evan Atwell sharpens knives using a traditional Japanese whetstone process.

Atwell is looking to expand Strata in the coming months to include retail sales of specialty Japanese and French cutlery  and eventually include knives from New England producers as well.

Atwell moved to Portland from California where he worked for the Bi-Rite Market group. He currently works as a butcher at Rosemont Market.

3 Brewery Expansion for Freeport

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

Three new breweries on Route 1 near Maine Beer Company are in various stages of development.

Brad Nadeau who started developing Stars and Stripes Brewing Co. (website, facebook, instagram) late last year has leased space in Freeport at 8 Varney Road where he plans to open a 2,000 sq ft brewery later this Fall. For more info check out this article in The Forecaster.

Mast Landing (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) is working on a project to build a 6,000 sq ft brewery at 475-491 US Route 1. The new space will include a 2,000 sq ft deck. You may remember, Mast Landing’s owners originally planned to open in Freeport before finding their current building in Westbrook, so this is a homecoming of sorts for the brewery.

A third brewery is being considered for a 15,300 sq ft lot at 392 US Route 1. Details are scarce at this point, but plans do call for a 2-story brewery to built on the site.

Stars and Stripes, Mast Landing and the proposed 3rd brewery will all be located near Maine Beer Company, potentially creating a new beer destination in the Portland area.

Two Lights Plural

| Posted in Under Construction

Hugo’s alum and Old Orchard Beach native son Chase Lovecky will be launching a new restaurant in London called Two Lights (instagram). In addition to Hugo’s Lovecky has worked at Jean George and for David Chang before moving to England and becoming part of the team, and eventually leading the kitchen, at The Clover Club.

Coincidentally, another former member of the Portland restaurant community, Chris Gatchell, moved to Chicago late last year where he helped open a restaurant also called Two Lights (instagram) earlier this summer.

Stadler Aquaponics Greenhouse

| Posted in Under Construction

Today’s Press Herald includes a very interesting article about chef Cara Stadler’s project to build an aquaponics greenhouse in Brunswick that will supply vegetables and rainbow trout to her three restaurants.

Now, drivers passing by Tao Yuan in Brunswick are watching the busy chef’s next project come to life before their eyes. Five years in the making, it’s an aquaponic greenhouse in a 55-by-60-foot, two-story building that will also house a new café and a commercial kitchen to supply Stadler’s restaurants. Both Stadler and Kate Holcomb, the 31-year-old project director, say they hope the facility will open this fall.

Under Construction: Empyreal Beverages

| Posted in Under Construction

Longtime Boda staff member Jeremy Sossei along with Boda co-owners Danai ‘Dan’ Sripasert  and Nattasak ‘Bob’ Wongsaichua are  launching a new company called Empyreal Beverages. Empyreal will initially produce and sell canned nitro cold brew coffee with plans to  branch out into a line of flavored cold brew coffees, cold brew seltzers and nitro Thai ice tea as well.

Empyreal has leased space at 1067 Riverside Street and hopes to launch later this year.

The word empyreal means “belonging to or deriving from heaven”, it can also mean “pertaining to the highest heaven or the empyrean; celestial; sublime; exalted”.