A new restaurant called Jack’s Thai is under construction on Main Street in Westbrook. It’s a few doors down from Big Fin Poke and about a half mile away from where Veranda Thai has their own Westbrook outpost in development.
$500k in Funding for Food Start-ups
Mainebiz has a report on a $500,000 fund to help new food start-ups.
Hall said of the total $500,000, the average loan size will be $25,000 to $150,000, which would cover six to eight companies a year. But those wanting a larger amount should still approach the group, Hall said, as they might be able to make introductions to other groups with deeper pockets to participate.
Interview with Chad Conley
Urban Eye has posted the video of an interview with Chad Conley. Conley is the co-owner of Palace Diner and is in the process of launching Rose Foods.
Down East: Best of Maine
Down East has released the results of the Best of Maine readership survey.
Portland people and places on the list include: Mister Bagel, The Holy Donut, Novare Res, Allagash, Hunt and Alpine, Harbor Fish, Amato’s, Ilma Lopez.
Maine Food Sovereignty Law
Maine has enacted a new law that gives towns more control over regulating food businesses within their borders, reports the Press Herald.
Gov. Paul LePage has signed a bill into law that affirms the rights of cities and towns to regulate local food production, making Maine the second state in the nation to allow consumers to buy directly from farmers and food producers regardless of the state and federal licensing and inspections that would otherwise apply.
Interview with Gillian and Jim Britt
The Press Herald has published an interview with the owners of gBritt, a firm that specializes in providing public relations support to restaurants.
Q:Still, it’s 2016. Why can’t I tweet/Instagram/website and market my restaurant myself?
JB: Our clients tend to be chef-driven restaurants. There is no marketing person in place. They are trying to do payroll, meet the delivery truck out back, fix that ice maker that stopped working.
Then in the very back of their mind, they are thinking, “We haven’t posted on Instagram in a week,” or “We haven’t updated our Facebook.” Then there is the storytelling. They might have a great story to tell, but they just don’t have the contacts with professional media or the time.
Under Construction: Little Giant
Boston Magazine has published an article about Little Giant, the new restaurant the owners of Hunt & Alpine are opening on Danforth Street.
To achieve that balance at Little Giant, the Volks brought on a Boston ex-pat to lead the kitchen. Rian Wyllie, opening chef at Deep Ellum and both Lone Star Taco Bars, left that group after 10 years to relocate to Maine. Wyllie, an Arlington native, and his wife were considering a move when mutual friends introduced them to the Volks. It’s a perfect fit, both parties agree.
New England Regional 38
Eater’s roving food editor, Bill Addison, has issued his list of the 38 essential restaurants in New England.
Included on the list are 10 restaurants from Maine: Drifters Wife, Eventide, Long Grain, Maine Diner, Mcloons Lobster, Palace Diner, Primo, Tandem Bakery, The Lost Kitchen, Tao Yuan.
Even five years ago, this list would have looked very different — or certainly less geographically broad. (As it is, Boston nabs a whopping 10 spots, but hey, it’s a metro area of nearly 5 million people.) Thanks to game-changers like Eventide in Portland, Maine, and Oberlin in Providence, Rhode Island, there’s now a breadth to the selections that shows off an upsurge in creativity. With its mosaic of risk-taking chefs and guardians of traditional foods, New England has never been a more varied or exciting culinary destination.
I had the pleasure of working with Bill on the list and wrote a few of the entries for Southern Maine in the article.
This Week’s Events: Falafel Mafia, Portland Food Festival, Strawberry Festival, Miyake Farm Dinner
Wednesday – the Falafel Mafia (facebook, instagram) food truck is set to launch, they plan to be on Commercial Street for lunch time and then head up to the Eastern Prom for dinner. The Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Thursday – it’s the first day of the Holy Trinity Church Greek Festival, there will be a latte art competition at Bard Coffee at 8pm, the Portland Food Festival Will be at Thompson’s Point, Slab is holding the the 3rd Annual Barreled Souls tape takeover, the next meeting of the Portland Spirits Society is taking place and Woodford F&B, and The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing beer from Allagash.
Friday – the Cape Farm Alliance Lobster Bake & Pig Roast is taking place, and there will be a wine tasting at the West End Rosemont.
Saturday –the Allagash Street Fair, the 9th Annual Strawberry Festival and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market are taking place.
Sunday – Sur Lie, Lolita, Union, Piccolo and David’s are collaborating on a 5-course fund raising dinner to benefit the Maine Children’s Cancer Program, and Miyake is holding a farm dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Farm.
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.
Edible Maine Launched
Edible Maine released the first issue of their magazine yesterday.
Editor Michael Sanders has assembled a strong team of writers and photographers including Russell French, Ted Axelrod, Claire Jeffers, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, John Myers, Christine Burns Rudalevige and Kate Shaffer.