Reflections & Lessons from 2020

The Press Herald is hosting a webinar to gather reflections on the past year with members of Portland’s small business community.

The arrival of the pandemic this spring sent Maine business people into a scramble, searching for ways to keep the lights on while ensuring the safety of employees and customers. Several shared the thinking behind their difficult decisions and pivots in our Making it Work segments. Now we return to ask, “How did it all pan out?”

Participating in the webinar are.

    • Vanessa Santarelli, Your Maine Concierge
    • Andrew Volk, Alpine + Hunt Club
    • Krista Cole, Sur Lie
    • Mike Alfiero, Harbor Fish
    • Joanna Pease, Jibe Cycling Studio
    • Mary Allen Lindemann, Coffee By Design

The webinar is scheduled to take place this Thursday at 1pm. Register online to attend.

Oasis Cooking Classes

The Oasis Free Clinic is working with five Maine chefs to offer a online cooking class series. Classes are $75 and the funds raised will underwrite the medical and dental services Oasis provides to the uninsured. A new class takes place each month starting in January:

Best Fried Food

Maine Sunday Telegram restaurant critic Andrew Ross has put together his list of the best takeout fried food.

I realized a few months ago that I’ve eaten less deep-fried food than perhaps ever before. While my cardiologist is probably elated, I’m less pleased about the dearth of crunchy, golden batter in my life. With Hanukkah in full swing right now (it started Thursday evening and runs through this coming Friday), the timing seems perfect to bring back a little deep-fried delight.

Restaurant Bonds

Two local restaurants, Woodford F & B, and A & C Grocery are offering a chance for customers to support them now that comes with a payout with interest down the road.

  • A & C Grocery is selling special $100 gift certificate for $90. The gift certificates are after Maine lifts the pandemic state of emergency. Call (207) 329-4314 or visit them on Washington Ave to purchase. Anyone buying two or more also get an A & C t-shirt.
  • Woodford F & B is selling a special type of gift certificate that are worth more the longer you wait to redeem them. A $100 gift certificate bought this month will be worth $115 on April 1st (the soonest it can be redeemed), $125 on July 1st, $135 on October 1st and if held to maturity on December 1st are worth $150.

Cafe Louis in Knightville

Eaux chef/owner Evan Richardson along with business partner Ben Ferri have leased space in South Portland where he plans to open a new restaurant. Cafe Louis (instagram) will be located at 173 Ocean Street in the former home of RJ’s Pub.

Cafe Louis will serve brunch during the day and become a small plate/bar at night. Richardson has Costa Rican and Honduran family, and the cuisine from those countries will be the point of inspiration for the food at Cafe Louis. The menu will include re-imagined classic dishes like gallo pinto, chicharonnes and chorreadas.

Richardson hopes to open the new restaurant this spring in March or April. It will be joining a fast growing restaurant row in Knightville that includes Taco Trio, Judy Gibson, Solo Cucina and SoPo Seafood which is also under construction.

Richardson continues to move forward with plans to relocate Eaux to a larger location in Portland—details on the new spot are forthcoming. He had started work on the Cafe Louis project back in 2019 before making the decision to move his flagship restaurant to new quarters.

Interview with Pete Sueltenfuss

The Portland Phoenix has published an interview with Pete Sueltenfuss, co-owner of Other Side Deli and Other Side Diner.

It’s a dreary, overcast Friday morning. Pete Sueltenfuss, owner of the three Other Side Diner and Deli locations in Portland, sits in the almost deserted diner at 500 Washington Ave., off Bates Street.

“The delis have been open the whole time, we never had to shut them down at all,” Sueltenfuss said of his East Deering spot nearby on Veranda Street and the West End location on Vaughan Street.

East Ender >> Small Axe

Due to cold weather and the pandemic keeping diners away, East Ender has decided to retarget their energies into a takeout and delivery model.

This temporary shift will be under a new/old name. Owner Karl Deuben is reviving the the Small Axe brand—the name of the food truck that he and his then business partner Bill Leavy launched in 2013 and retired when they bought East Ender in 2015.

Follow them on instagram to stay in the loop.

Update: The first round of Small Axe dates are slated for December 17 – 19. Here’s a look at the menu.

Falafelopolis Pop-up Series

Palace Diner sous chef, Joshua Smallwood, is launching his own pop-up series. Falafelopolis (instagram) will, as the name implies, serve a falafel sandwich along with some optional ad-on sides such as hummus, harissa, pickles, and reportedly a lemon tahini cookie.

The first pop-up is tentatively scheduled for in mid-February. Follow the Falafelopolis instagram account to stay in the loop on when the date is set.

Calypso Sushi Pop-up

Chef Ambrely Ouimette is launching a takeout sushi pop-up. The Calypso Sushi (instagram) menu includes:

To place your order send a direct message to the Calypso Sushi account on instagram, and payment will be handled through Venmo. The two options for pick-up dates are December 14th and 15th, 11am – 7pm in Portland at Ishi Ishi Ramen on Washington Ave.