Finestkind (website, instagram) is scheduled to open on Thursday. The 26-seat breakfast and lunch cafe is located at 17 Pepperell Square in Saco. It’s being launched by Victoria and Tom Barthelmes along with their business partners Chris and Paige Gould.
Finestkind will serve (see menu below) a wide range of house-made baked goods like Pumpkin Cake, Mudslide Cookies and the Tiny Debra’s. Breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches, salads and other cafe dishes are available all day. Shown above is the Maine Grains bowl (warm farro over cabbage, charred corn, shishitos, cherry tomatoes, pepita, salsa verde vinaigrette) topped with crispy chicken. Finestkind is serving Tandem Coffee, as well as beer, wine, brunch cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.
Pastry chef Kim Rodgers has joined the team at Finestkind. Rodgers is a cofounder of Little Spruce Baking Company was previously the executive pastry chef at Big Tree Hospitality. The Goulds are the owners of Central Provisions and Tipo. Victoria Barthelmes was the GM of Tipo and remains the wine director of both restaurants. Tom Barthelmes has transitioned to fully focus on Finestkind from his position as the kitchen manager at Central and Tipo. The Barthelmes met when attending The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and worked together at the Apple Pie Bakery Café. In New York City, Victoria worked in the pastry department at Lincoln Ristorante where she produced pastry for the Metropolitan Opera and wedding cakes for the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Tom worked at Lincoln before moving to Per Se where he worked for Thomas Keller.
Finestkind will be open Thursday through Monday, 7:30 am – 2 pm.