Each year Portland Buy Local organizes the Indie Biz Awards, a program to celebrate and recognize the best of the independently owned businesses in the city.
The nominations process has kicked off, and you can put forward the businesses you value and admire the most in 10 categories including Eat Local and Drink Local.
Author Nancy Harmon Jenkins makes the case for bringing restaurant dining room volumes down to a more tolerable level in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
So what’s the solution? You can tuck your ears between your shoulders and put up with it. Or you can complain. Complain loudly, if you must to get above the noise. If enough of us Ancient Mainers with money in our pockets, looking for enticing places to spend it, if enough of us complain, the owners will hear, believe me. Or they will, perish the thought, get old too and understand what we’re yelling about.
A new business called 
Taytene Cafe is under construction at 863 Broadway in South Portland. According to the awning signage, their offerings will include coffee, boba tea, smoothies, house-made bread, banh mi and pho.
This bakery/cafe has been in development since early 2019.
MaineBiz has published an article on the continuing development of East Bayside as a location for food and beverage businesses.
East Bayside was “a very rough neighborhood when I was growing up,” said Justin Lamontagne, of NAI The Dunham Group and a Portland native. Now it’s become one of the peninsula’s fastest-growing commercial areas. “It wasn’t originally designed to be what it is,” he said. “It evolved organically into a vibrant area.”
The Forecaster reports that Liquid Riot hopes to build a 3,000 sq ft barn in Yarmouth which they’ll use to age their whiskey.
MaineBiz has published an article about the architecture firms and branding companies that help Portland restaurants make an impact and succeed.
“Because it’s such a high bar for food in Portland, restaurants want every edge,” says Jamie Broadbent, Kaplan Thompon’s chief restaurant architect. “The space has to be dynamite as well.”
According to a report from the Press Herald, a fire on Sunday has temporarily closed Flatbread and Ri-Ra.
[Fire Chief] Gautreau said both businesses had to close Sunday following the fire, which was concentrated in a roof line hood vent, and won’t be able to reopen until the owners meet with the city’s code enforcement officer on Monday to develop a repair plan. A portion of the roof had to be opened up and there was some water damage, but Gautreau said the building’s sprinkler system worked well to contain the fire.
Monday – Cherry Bombe will be recording a panel discussion podcast among Erin French of The Lost Kitchen, Leigh Kellis of Holy Donut, Briana Holt of Tandem Coffee Roasters, Jacqueline Dole of Parlor Ice Cream, Cara Stadler of BaoBao and Lio, Rebecca Charles of Pearl Kennebunk Beach and Spat Oyster Cellar, and Briana Warner of Atlantic Sea Farms at The Press Hotel (sold out), and Eaux and Oxbow are collaborating on a burger night at the brewery tasting room on Washington Ave.
Wednesday – the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Thursday – it is the opening day for The Garrison (website, facebook, instagram).
Friday – it’s the opening night of the Truffle Shuffle Weekend, and there will be a wine tasting at the Munjoy Hill Rosemont.
Saturday – the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Sunday – Fork Food Lab is throwing a West Bayside Block Party.
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.
Bay Area truffle purveyor Truffle Shuffle (website, facebook, instagram) is coordinating with Maine Beer Company, and with chefs from a variety of restaurants to showcase their truffles:
Chefs from participating restaurants will all feature truffle-based dishes on their menus this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Maine Beer Company’s pizza chef, Parker Auger, will have 2 “truffle-ized” items on the menu on Saturday and staff from Truffle Shuffle will be onsite to talk about their products.
Restaurants that want to join in should DM Truffle Shuffle on instagram.
