The Proper Cup Now Open

| Posted in Openings

The Proper Cup (website, facebook, instagram) opened for business this morning. The new coffee shop is located at 500 Forest Ave on the corner of Noyes Street.

Owners Rachel Kreie and Zachary Figoli are serving coffee from Flight Coffee Company and baked goods from HiFi Donuts in their “quirky, professional and industrial themed cafe“.

The Proper Cup brings a third option for specialty coffee—Parlor Coffee at Rose Foods and Vivid Coffee at Little Woodfords being the other two—to a section of Forest Ave that just a year ago had none at all. I expect we’ll continue to see rapid change in the retail food scene on Forest from USM to Woodfords Corner in the next few years.

Lack of Love for Valentine’s Day?

| Posted in General News

Mainebiz reports data that shows Valentine’s Day is the 130th busiest day of the year for Maine restaurants.

If you do go out, the Womply’s breakdown of the stats for Maine restaurants shows there’s a 1% decrease in transaction volume on Valentine’s Day but a 12% lift in revenue compared to an average day. In other words, while fewer people eat out that night, they’re spending more money in the name of love.

Booze Traveler and Chopped

| Posted in Events

Maine food folks will be appearing on two upcoming TV shows:

  • Linda Kate Lobster will be featured in episode 14 of the Travel Channel show Booze Traveler. The episode will air February 26 at 11pm.
  • Dandelion Catering chef/owner Christian Hayes will be competing on an upcoming episode of Chopped which is set to air March 20 at 10pm. The episode is entitled Pork on the Brain. The Press Herald has posted an brief interview with Hayes.

Two Maine Beard House Dinners

| Posted in Events

Two more Maine dinners at the James Beard House in NYC have been scheduled:

  • April 3 – Maine Power Couples
    Chris and Paige Gould from Central Provisions and Tipo, Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez from Piccolo and Chaval, Danielle and Justin Walker from Walkers Maine
  • April 5 – Maine Escape
    Andrew Chadwick from the Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth

Chef Emil Rivera is already on the Beard House calendar for a dinner taking place on March 24th.