Public Market House Set to Expand

| Posted in General News, Events

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According to an article in today’s Press Herald, the Public Market House’s 2nd floor renovation and expansion is near completion. An public open house is scheduled for Friday, and soon after the first 3 businesses to be located on the second floor hope to open: Market House Coffee, Peanut Butter and Jelly Time, and Pie in the Sky Pizza.

The space is open and inviting, comfortable and eclectic. Months of work have produced refinished wood floors and a brightly lit area overlooking Monument Square. Local artwork hangs on the red-brick walls.

“It’s sort of the fruition of what we want to be as a public market,” said Kris Horton, president of Market Vendors. “We see the market as a community meeting place.”

Photo added to post on December 6, 2009.

Freedom from Want

| Posted in General News

Today’s Portland Daily Sun has a report on a recent recreation of Rockwell’s 1943 painting Freedom from Want that was staged at the Blaine House. Members of the Maine food community modeled for the shot.

The table holds fruits and vegetables, cheese, bread, wine and milk, a reminder that Maine is capable of feeding itself. The challenge is, as it always has been, distribution, a matter of logistics, economics and political will. Feeding someone is a sacrament. Whether it’s with expensive ingredients or ramen noodles, it is still an elemental act of love. Although the most public praise goes to the chefs and food artisans, there are countless people-seen and unseen who work to feed us here in Portland…

Review of Shima

| Posted in Reviews

The USM Free Press has published a review of Shima.

Shima offers delicious food at a great price, a feat that has not been executed as well in this town since Portland food legend Harding Lee Smith opened The Front Room.  If you’re looking to get a solid dose of excellent food and a healthy bit of culture, don’t miss it.

Digging Clams & Harvesting Shrimp

| Posted in Fisheries

The Maine at Work article in today’s Press Herald tags along with Tim Downs as he digs clams in Scarborough.

“It’s important to keep the hole clean, so you can see where the clams are at,” Downs said.

Once he had a hole dug, he began digging up mud more strategically, looking for air holes the clams had made, and placing two of his four tines on either side of the hole so as to not pierce the clam. Then he’d flip a chunk of mud over, and more often than not, find clams.

“We’ll get this one next year,” said Downs, holding a clam that looked less than 2 inches long, which means the state deems it too small to keep.

Today’s newspaper also includes an article on the 2009-2010 Maine Shrimp Season.

Northern shrimp are believed to be so plentiful in the Gulf of Maine that regulators have declared a full six-month fishing season for a second straight year. And, unlike last year, fishermen and dealers are hopeful that there will be enough of a market to make money on the small pink crustaceans.

This Week’s Events

| Posted in Events

Monday—The weekly Piatto per Tutti cooking class and Foodie Trivia Contest are taking place tonight.

Tuesday—is the start of Maine Shrimp Season.

Wednesday—Black Tie Bistro is holding a cooking class.

Friday—First Friday Art Walk is taking place, and there will be an art exhibit and information session at the Meg Perry Center  by the co-owners of Local Sprouts.  West End Grocery is holding their monthly wine tasting.

Saturday—A wine tasting is taking place at Leroux Kitchen.

Sunday—culinary superstar David Chang from Momofuku will be at Rabelais for a book signing. Sweet Marguerites will be at an opening at the Toby Rosenberg Gallery for a chocolate tasting.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

Coastal Maine Popcorn

| Posted in Under Construction

Friday’s Press Herald included an article about the Coastal Maine Popcorn shop that’s under construction at 43 Exchange Street.

They have a 6-foot-tall, stainless steel industrial hot air popper, capable of popping 50 pounds of kernels at a time. After the popcorn is popped, it’s flavored. The company offers 30 to 50 flavors at any one time, broken down into sweets (toasted coconut, maple, berry) and savories (salt and vinegar, buffalo wing, garlic).

The plan is to keep popping the popcorn in Boothbay Harbor, supplying the seasonal retail operation there and the year-round operation in Portland.