The former Nina’s Variety on Bucknam Road closed earlier this year. The Forecaster reports that the property has been purchased by Nicholas and Jodie Sotiropoulos who plan to open ELA Market & Grill.
With ELA’s they said they plan to “revitalize the (local) culinary landscape” by serving “a plethora of specialty Greek, Italian and American dishes with both individual and family-size portions.”
Sticky Sweet (website, facebook, instagram) has launched a Kickstarter campaign. Co-owners Kelley and Ashley Dow are hoping to raise $22,000 to expand the production capacity of their dairy-free, gluten-free vegan ice cream business. They’ve already gotten pledges for $2,500 and have another 28 days to reach their goal.
The Dows have leased a 600 sq ft space at 115 Cumberland Ave—just around the corner from the restaurants on Washington Ave—where they’ll be opening a Sticky Sweet scoop shop.
Plans are have been submitted for review detailing a renovation and addition to 84 Commercial Street, the former home of the Dry Dock Restaurant and Tavern. The owners hope to add a new kitchen, a retail space off the East side of the building, move the entrance and renovate/expand the back deck. You can read the full details in this document prepared for a recent meeting of the Historic Preservation Board.
Here’s a sneak peek inside The Cheese Shop of Portland (instagram, facebook), which will be opening soon on Washington Ave.
Rosemont Market co-owners John Naylor and Scott Anderson are planning to a open a new 2,000 sq ft market this Winter in Falmouth.
This will be Rosmont’s 7th store, and will be located at 231 U.S. Route 1, near the intersection with Depot Road. The market will serve the full spectrum of Rosemont products and will include “full deli including cheese counter and house-prepared cold cuts, and an all-local butchery. There will also be a Harbor Fish Market licensed seafood counter.”
“I worked and grew up in small neighborhood markets all my life,” said Naylor. “It’s what I know and love. And we’ve known for a long time that Falmouth would be an ideal town for such a market. Our whole reason for being is to connect our neighbors to the farmers, fishers and other food producers we love working with, and so we’re really excited to bring those relationships and that spirit to Falmouth.”
Construction of the new Crooked Mile Cafe recently began at the corner of Brighton and Stevens Aves. The original building at that location was torn down after a car crash damaged the structure.
Today’s Press Herald reports on a proposal By Shucks Maine Lobster to build a “processing plant, seafood restaurant and marine education center” on the Fish Pier.
Hathaway plans to put up a two-story, 16,000-square-foot building that will be a combination lobster processing plant, raw bar, marine heritage display and test kitchen called the Maine Sustainable Seafood Center. The combined business would create up to 80 new jobs, Hathaway estimated.
His vision is a “trap-to-table” experience that gives customers a chance to learn more about how seafood gets from the ocean to their plates and meet the people who put it there.
A new gluten-free cafe is under construction in Westbrook. Roots Cafe (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) is located across from the fire station at 20 School Street.
Owners Aimee Fortier, Lorraine Fagela, and Faye Wilson plan to serve a menu of sandwiches, soups, salads and crepes. The building features a childcare area run by Green Tree Ministries where kids can play while adults meet up in the cafe. There’s a large roof top deck as well as an outdoor patio on the ground floor.
Roots Cafe is working with Farm House Coffee Roasters in Winterport on a line of house-labeled fair trade organic coffee. The cafe is scheduled to open in early September.
The 5 Spot is building out a space they’re dubbing The Philly Underground in the basement of their sandwich shop on Congress.
The 5 Spot received their liquor license for the space back in June.
The custom shipping containers that will be the future homes of The Cheese Shop of Portland (instagram, facebook) and All Those Who Wander(website, facebook, instagram) were installed on Washington Ave earlier today.
The Cheese Shop is planning to open in early September, and ATWW hopes to open in late August/early September.
For more info see these earlier announcements on the two businesses: