Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti have leased 246 Danforth Street in the West End where they plan to open a new daytime bakeshop and cafe called The Ugly Duckling (instagram). They hope to have The Ugly Duckling open by the end of July.

Our focus will be Buttermilk English Muffins with a range of flavors, freshly made tarts, Our Famous Trocaderos, Custards, Mousses and more. (There will be some Gluten free and vegan options also). It’s a Bakery/Patisserie Our way. We will serve espresso (and espresso drinks) and drip coffee from Speckled Ax beans. There will be house made preserves, spreads, jams and more for the muffins (that will also be available retail). And we will serve some breakfast style items in the morning also. Then come lunch the menu will shift and wine and cocktails will be available to pair with your charcuterie & cheese, or tinned fish, or sandwich. We will also expand on the Custom-Made Cakes or any occasion and tailor it to your tastes. And we will be open for Brunch on the weekends also. All in a great place to hang out in all day to eat and meet with friends.

Their aim is to create an inclusive space where everyone feels welcome,

This is a place where all the misfits find themselves, be you and proud. Because at the end of the day we are what we see in the mirror, and to my eyes we are all just perfect. It is our self-reflection and perception that matters, how we see ourselves that matters, we need to show up for us, we need to love us.

Lopez and Sansonetti will introduce a pay-forward system at The Ugly Duckling that will enable their customers to donate funds to feed members of the community. Funds that don’t get used by the end of the month will be donated to Maine-based nonprofits.

As you can see from the floor plan the space features a 15-seat horseshoe coffee bar as well as additional table seating in the front windows of the former PrintCraft shop. The Ugly Duckling will be available in the evening as an event space and to host private parties.

Lopez and Sansonetti also own and operate Chaval, and previously operated the now closed Piccolo.

The Bangor Daily News has the scoop on some interesting restaurant developments in Castine and Stonington.

Max Katzenberg, who worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant and owned two highly praised restaurants in Brooklyn, recently took over the Harbor Cafe in downtown Stonington and plans to reopen Dennett’s Wharf on the Castine waterfront next month.

While Katzenberg, who had previously spent summers in Maine and moved to Deer Isle during the pandemic, brings big-city credentials and acclaimed chefs to the two projects, he promised he and his team are focused on upgrading what already made the two local favorites great.

The article explains that Max Katzenberg worked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and was a co-owner of Olmsted (a Beard Best New Restaurant nominee in 2017) and Maison Yaki, both in Brooklyn.

The Harbor Cafe (instagram) project is in collaboration “with friend and Deer Isle dining veteran Matt Spector” which they bought “to prevent the town losing the Main Street fixture.”

For the relaunch of Dennett’s Wharf (instagram) in Castine is Katzenberg is working with Ingrid Paronich and Taylor Hester. Paronich has degrees from Johnson & Wales in Food Marketing and Hospitality and in Italian Gastronomy and Tourism from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Parma. Her recent work has been in restaurant operations and management in the Northeast.

Taylor Hestor will be the executive chef at Dennett’s Wharf. He was part of the original team at Sean Brock’s launch of Husk in Nashville. In 2017 he joined the team at Olmsted which that year was on the Bon Appetit list of the 50 Best New Restaurants in America and which was the Food & Wine 2017 Restaurant of the Year.