Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram takes a look at the plant-based foods being offered at Black-owned restaurants in Portland.
In Maine, we’re blessed to have the new directory blackownedmaine.com, which allows users to search by business category and region of Maine. When the site launched in June, it confirmed what I suspected. Portland is home to many Black-owned restaurants, and most offer robust vegan choices.
Chef Damian Sansonetti from Chaval was interviewed for a segment on the PBS News Hour about how the pandemic is impacting small businesses in Portland.
October is a funny business in Maine. Warm days and cold nights; New England’s northern tip offers a confusing waltz between the seasonal past and what is to come. But this October is particularly difficult to read. After a summer nearly canceled by the pandemic, the fall is offering Portland a few extra chances at economic recovery. But, winter is coming, and the brief resumption of business made possible by warmer weather and outdoor space is in its final days.
Also interviewed for the report were Mary Alice Scott from Portland Buy Local, Lauren Wayne from the State Theatre and city councilor Justin Costa.
Biddeford-based Banded Brewing Company (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) will be opening their new brewery and tasting room in Bayside on Saturday. The 2,500 sq ft space at 82 Hanover Street houses a 5-barrel pilot brewing system. It will have limited indoor seating as well as a three-season patio area.
Banded plans to use the brewery to produce “a broader range of styles, as well as small-batch and experimental beers” which will be available at their two tasting rooms.
The Portland location will initially be open 4 – 9 pm Wednesday-Friday, 2 – 9 pm Saturday, and Sunday 2 – 7 pm.
The Portland Phoenix has published an article about Louis Pickens, the chef and owner of Black Betty’s Bistro.
In Portland, Pickens cooked in hotel and nursing home kitchens before starting his own company, Black Betty’s Bistro, named after the cast-iron stove his grandmother had back in Texas, where Pickens said generations of his family learned to love food.
After the coronavirus pandemic threw a wrench into his plans to open a storefront in the space next door, he said he’s been grateful that the community has kept him afloat. He’s cooking family-sized meals to go for pickup on Thursdays and Saturdays, and has catered for a school in South Portland.
The Portland Phoenix has published an article about the Portland Fish Exchange and an effort to determine its future.
Suggestions range from reevaluating the confusing governance structure (the quasi-public nonprofit Fish Exchange is governed by a board of directors and the fish pier is governed by the Fish Pier Authority), bringing freezing and more processing services to the pier, including more species in the auction, and redesigning it to handle smaller lots. Some have suggested opening a public boat-to-table-style market, similar to Pike Place in Seattle.
Evergreen Credit Union has announced that they’ll be matching all donation to Cooking for Community now through Friday up to a total of $2,000.
Combined with the matching challenge already in place this will mean every dollar donated will result $4 for Cooking for Community in their work to feed the hungry while supporting local restaurants, and Maine food producers.
You can make a donation at cookingforcommunity.org/donate-now.
Rover Bagel (website, instagram, facebook) has leased space at 10 West Point Lane and will be once again operating in Biddeford.
Owners Kim and Alec Rutter will be serving a similar menu to Rover 1.0 with wood-fired bagels, sandwiches, Tandem coffee and some expanded pastry offering.
The Rutters hope to open Rover sometime in early next year. Initially service will be through a takeout window.
The previous version of Rover was located on Elm St, and was in business from November 2017 until December 2019.
The Press Herald reports that Governor announced plans yesterday to allow for the re-opening of bars and for expanded seating limits in restaurants,
Numerous restaurant and bar owners contacted Tuesday welcomed the loosening of restrictions on indoor gatherings, but said they don’t intend to relax the safeguards they’ve put in place and will proceed with caution to protect their employees and customers from contracting the highly contagious virus. Bars have been among the last businesses required to stay shuttered during the pandemic.
The City of Portland is also looking at extending the timeframe for outdoor seating until January 2nd according to reports in the Portland Phoenix and Press Herald.
The city is still studying whether and how to keep outdoor dining going until Jan. 2, said Jessica Grondin, director of communications for the city of Portland. City staff is preparing a more detailed plan that will be presented to the council for a vote on Oct. 19.
A new Asian fusion restaurant and bar called Jing Yan is under construction at 90 Congress Street in the space formerly occupied by Lolita. Owners Britt Langford and husband Leo Zhang hope to open Jing Yan in November.
Portland is Langford’s home town and she met Zhang while living in China where the couple ran the Bar 4 Nine cocktail bar. They moved to Portland 3 years ago and have been working in the hospitality industry since then.
Chris Petrillo is coming onboard as the chef for Jing Yan. Langford and Zhang will be updating the interior design to be in keeping with their new concept, but expect the overall layout will remain the same.
Jing Yan will primarily do takeout to start with some limited indoor dining.
Wednesday – Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez from Chaval will be the first participants in the Duckfat Friteshack guest chef series, Portland Buy Local is holding a 24-hour auction in collaboration with small businesses across the city, and the weekday Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Friday – Niyat Catering is holding an Ethiopian Dinner at Fork Food Lab. Make your reservation for the 5:30 or 7 pm seatings.
Saturday –Portland restaurant Helm (under construction on Thames Street) is holding a pop-up event at Lorne Wine in Biddeford, it’s the first day of the Maine Maple Producers Weekend, the Portland Beer Hub is hosting a pop-up by Rhode Island-based Mexican restaurant Chilangos, and the weekend Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Sunday – the 13th Annual Open Creamery Day is taking place.
For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.