Restaurants Act

| Posted in General News

Leigh Habegger, executive director of Seafood Harvesters of America, and Andrew Taylor, Arlin Smith and Mike Wiley, the co-owners of Eventide, Hugo’s and The Honey Paw have co-written an article for the Press Herald advocating for passage of the Restaurants Act and funds to support the seafood industry.

The connection couldn’t be clearer: Without restaurants, many fishermen have nowhere to sell their catch. Without fishermen, many restaurants have nothing to offer. We’re proud to harvest and serve the best-managed, most sustainable seafood in the world, especially when it comes on a steamed bun or slurped down with a squeeze of lemon. By passing the RESTAURANTS Act and providing additional assistance to the commercial fishing industry, Congress would make sure fresh oysters, lobster tails and haddock filets continue to make it to consumers, returning hundreds of billions of dollars and millions of jobs in the process.

For more information on the challenges faced by restaurant during the pandemic visit the Independent Restaurant Coalition website.

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.

Andrew Zarro

| Posted in People

Andrew Zarro (website, instagram) the co-owner of Little Woodfords, has thrown his hat into the ring as a candidate for the District 4 City Council seat. Zarro makes the case that his perspective as a small business owner is central to what he can contribute to leadership in Portland on the City Council.

Owning and operating a small business is challenging on a good day. It’s also one of the most wonderfully rewarding contributions to make to your community. I opened my first shop three years ago in woodfords corner because I wanted to invest in our neighborhood and be the change I wished to see. COVID-19 changed the landscape in our city, and small businesses are facing a mass extinction without the continued support from federal, state and municipal governments. We need a voice on our council that understands the needs of Portland’s small businesses both on and off peninsula, the nuances of our neighborhoods and the empathy of someone who knows these struggles first hand.

Truck Tracking Merger

| Posted in Openings

Two of the food truck tracking platforms we wrote about in late June have joined forces. Food Trux which has just recently launched in Denver, Colorado has acquired Maine Food Truck Tracker, a Portland company that provided a web-based app/service for Maine food trucks.

FoodTrux CEO Matthew Noone is also excited about the possibilities presented by this deal: “Because Maine Food Truck Tracker was first in the local market with more than 50% of the state’s food trucks signed up, I couldn’t be more excited to merge with them. The fact that both companies are based here in Portland, our home market for FoodTrux.co, just makes this collaboration all the more beneficial for us and the food truck operators.

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.