Donation to Fight Food Insecurity, Vegan Options

| Posted in General News, People

The Food & Dining section in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article about Kevin Ly and his company’s donation to Full Plates Full Potential. Ly grew up in Portland poor and hungry. Knowing the impact of food insecurity first-hand he’s donated the profits from the first year of his business Golden Wat Cognac to help fight food insecurity in Maine.

But as a child in Portland’s Riverton Park, a low-rent public housing community, Ly grew up hungry. He was the eldest of four siblings living in a three-room apartment with their young, single mother, who had recently immigrated from Cambodia.

“We had a kitchen with absolutely nothing in the cabinets but some ketchup packages,” Ly said. “And we didn’t even have it as bad as some families I know.”

Today’s paper also includes a wrap-up of vegan food options in Maine.

Spring remains weeks away, yet vegan and vegetarian ventures keep popping up across the state. Here’s a look at the latest in Maine veg news.

Down East: Maine Pizza

| Posted in Reviews

The February issue of Down East magazine includes a list of the 30 Maine Pizzas You Have To Try.

Maine, she says, was “ripe for the mouthwatering version versus the same old version,” as a decade-plus of proliferating pizzerias has proven. These days, Mainers can find authentic Neapolitan on the midcoast and Jersey-style thin crust down east and arugula on the toppings menu from Portland to Augusta to Fort Kent, not to mention plenty of throwback parlors that have withstood the test of time. Maine’s pizza scene is booming. Here’s where to get a slice of the action.

The list includes several Portland pizzerias: Radici, Lazzari, Monte’s, Portland Pie, Slab, Micucci’s, and Coals.

Back Bay Grill

| Posted in Closings

Chef/owner Larry Matthews has announced his decision to permanently close Back Bay Grill.

I have come to the conclusion that it is time to close the doors to Back Bay Grill and say goodbye. This was not easy, but it is time for me to step out of the kitchen, and move on.

Thank you for sharing your lives with me. Your laughter, and stories. Your special occasions, and family milestones. Thank you for the years. It’s been wonderful in so many ways. You became part of my family, and I loved cooking for you, and seeing the joy Back Bay Grill added to your day.

I was fortunate to have such incredible staff over the years, and they too are part of my family.

I’d like to thin k we did Joel proud. He was a constant presence and a guide for me.

I will be emptying the restaurant over the next few weeks, and selling equipment and other items. Feel free to reach out to me if there is something you’d like to purchase, or ask about.

Back Bay Grill will live on in my memory, as I hope it does in yours.

I wish you all the very best,

Larry Matthews, Jr.

Back Bay Grill was founded in 1988 by Steve Quatrucci who sold the business to Joel Freund two years later. Larry Mathews joined the Back Bay Grill team as its chef in 1996 and became the owner in 2002. The announcement yesterday has triggered a wave of comments on the facebook post from customers and former staff sharing memories and thanks to Mathews.

For additional reporting see these articles from the Bangor Daily News and the Press Herald.

Crepe Elizabeth for Sale

| Posted in General News

The owners of the Crepe Elizabeth food truck have announced that it’s time for their “family to move on to our next adventure”.

To all our crepe fans out there…
When we moved to Maine, we never thought we’d join forces and open a food truck business. Four years later, we’re so glad we decided to venture out on our own. Lonnie and I have loved every minute of it, meeting so many wonderful people, working with such spectacular employees…we are really blessed.
All that to say, it’s time for this little family to move on to our next adventure. We’re relocating and are looking for someone special to take over the reigns of Crepe Elizabeth.

The business and their two food trailers Babe and Babette are for sale. See their facebook post for more info.

Moonday Coffee Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Moonday (instagram) soft launched their new indoor coffee shop on Wednesday while the renovations for coffee shop/jewelry store continue. Their hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 9 – 4.

Owner David Kessel originally launched Moonday this past summer as a food cart serving espresso-based coffee drinks prepared with beans from Speckled Ax. With the move indoors Kessel is expanding his menu with a selection of teas.

Kessel and his partner Rebecca Perea-Kane who is the founder of Thicket (instagram) leased the former Ishi Ishi space on Washington Ave to jointly operate their coffee bar and jewelry businesses.

The Photo Kitchen

| Posted in Under Construction

Mainebiz has published an update on The Photo Kitchen which is under construction in Morrills Corner.

The space can accommodate photographers, influencers, cooking classes, workshop-based businesses, and events. It was designed with the Portland creative community in mind to be a resource for photographers and food professionals. The high-end boutique studio will also be available to rent as an event and workshop venue.

A&C Moving to South Portland

| Posted in Under Construction

Joe Fournier is moving A&C Grocery to South Portland where it will re-open as the A&C Soda Shop (instagram) sometime this summer.

The menu will carryover some old favorites from Washington Ave such as the cheeseburger and Italian sandwich while adding soups, salads, and dishes like moules frites and crab cakes. True to its new name the A&C Soda Shop will also serve ice cream floats, milkshakes, and herbal tonics. Wine-based slushies as well as beer on draft and in cans are also on the menu.

The A&C Soda Shop will be located in the former Terra Cotta Pasta building at 501 Cottage Road. In 2019 Terra Cotta moved to a new spot nearby and Nosh co-founder Matt Moran leased the property with plans to open a neighborhood restaurant. The new A&C is a collaboration between Fournier, Moran and Michael Gatlin.

A&C Grocery originally opened on Washington Ave in 2017 as a neighborhood grocery store. The concept transitioned into a popular sandwich shop before closing in 2021 with plans to relocate.

Interview with Sam Hayward

| Posted in People

News Center Maine has aired a really nice Rob Caldwell interview with Sam Hayward.

“Like playing rock-and-roll and jazz, which I was really familiar with, there was an improvisational aspect to [cooking] that really caught me, that really grabbed me,” he said. “I still love being handed a basket of ingredients and figuring out how to put them together and what to do with them.”