Roost House of Juice Opening Today

| Posted in Openings

Roost, a  vegan juice and biodynamic wine bar, is opening for business at 11 Free Street this morning at 8 am. Roost’s owners Kathleen Flanagan and Jeanette Richelson partially funded their new venture with a successful fund raising effort on Kickstarter.

For more information on Roost, read the Natural Foodie column in today’s Press Herald.

Kathleen Flanagan and Jeanette Richelson, yoga teachers with experience in the restaurant industry, have been planning this eatery for a year and a half. They worked with a large community of vendors, farmers, business consultants, family members, friends and artists to fine tune the restaurant into a space unique for this foodie town.

North Star Sheep Farm

| Posted in Farming

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article about North Star Sheep Farm in Windham. North Star provides lamb to several local restaurants as well as to Whole Foods.

The thin line of animals marching in single file is part of a larger flock of 500 to 600 that Webster and his wife, Lisa, keep here on about 650 acres of leased land that is just steps away from the country’s first woolen mill. The sheep that grazed here during the American Revolution provided the wool blankets that kept patriots warm.

Soon, this pastureland may once again be filled with these gentle creatures and the distant sound of their soft bleating.

Dalliances, Bread, Crystal Light

| Posted in People

In today’s Portland Daily Sun columnist Natalie Ladd provides her insider’s view on what goes on behind the scenes and stories of customers behaving badly.

I also had to half-jokingly remind the guy to punch out when heading to the love nest, which he shared with the fuse box, some cleaning equipment, and the Christmas decorations. The restaurant community adopted, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, long before the military and there are hundreds of stories equally as amusing (and fundamentally as inappropriate) as this one, which always makes me smile.

Interview with Eli Cayer

| Posted in People

The Bangor Daily News has published a text and video interview with Eli Cayer from the Urban Farm Fermentory.

The biggest-selling products UFF makes are its kombucha — a sweet but tangy tea fermented with bacteria and yeast, renowned for its properties for detoxification — and its hard cider, which is dry, tart and miles away from the sugary, mass-produced ciders you might find at the grocery store. There’s mead, too. Aside from the drinkable stuff, however, Cayer has a broad, ambitious vision for UFF.

Photo Credit: Bangor Daily News

Tandem Coffee Roasters Opening on Wednesday (UPDATED)

| Posted in Openings

Tandem Coffee Roasters on Anderson Street in East Bayside is will open for business late Wednesday morning at 7 am.

Tandem is co-owned by Will and Kathleen Pratt. The Pratts and staff member Vien Dobui are all former employees at Blue Bottle Coffee, one of San Francisco’s leading coffee roasters.

For more on Tandem view their Tumblr, visit them on Facebook or read this article in Sprudge.

This Week’s Events: Austrian Wine Dinner, Muddy Boots, Dinner of the Gods

| Posted in Events

Monday — Giffords, Hannaford, LL Bean and Oakhurst dairy are holding a “consumer event and press conference” to launch the sale of Gifford’s Muddy Bean Boots Ice Cream. The muddy boots flavor honors the 100-year anniversary of L.L. Bean.

Tuesday — Local Sprouts is hosting the monthly Local Foods Networking Breakfast, and it’s Growler Nite at Bunker Brewing.

Wednesday — the Cloak & Dagger is putting on a 21-course Dinner of the Gods, the Bier Cellar is holding a beer tasting featuring Lagunitas Brewing, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — Cultivating Community’s eighth Twilight Dinner of the summer is taking place at their farm in Cape Elizabeth (tickets available online), and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Slumbrew and Nosh is showcasing beer from Lagunitas.

Saturday — the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — The Well in Cape Elizabeth is holding an Austrian Wine Dinner.

Upcoming Events — registration for Kitchen & Cork’s pie and cupcake baking contest is now open, call 207-885-5727 to enter the contest. Tickets are now on sale for the Common Ground Fair taking place September 21-23 in Unity. There are only 13 seats left for the next Pocket Brunch. Food Day 2012 is taking place October 24, Maine Food Day coordinator Sharon Kitchens is asking that anyone interested in running a Food Day event contact her at kitchens.sharon@gmail.com.

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.

Under Construction: More on Chef Gould’s Upcoming Restaurant

| Posted in Under Construction

Maine a la Carte has published an interview with chef Chris Gould about the small plate restaurant he’s planning on opening this Spring in Portland.

“It will be like tapas-style small plates, but it’s not going to be necessarily Spanish or French or Italian,” Gould said. “It will be kind of chef’s whim, and the menu will change every day, depending on what’s available, what’s fresh. And it will be anything from pastas to sashimi dishes, fresh oysters, all from Maine. I’m using a lot of local products, whether it’s veal and lamb in the spring or braised short ribs or beef cheeks in the winter. But all small plates, all good price points, anywhere between $5 and $20 – mostly right around $12 a dish.”