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StarChefs Photo Profiles

May 26, 2023May 26, 2023 | Posted in People

StarChefs has featured a set of 10 Maine chefs and sommeliers as part of their On The Ground photo series.

Included in the May set of profiles are:

  • Billy Hager, Helm
  • Michael Lagasse, Salt Yard at the Canopy Hotel
  • Bizhan Eslami, BiziBuns
  • Siobhan Sindoni and Michael Sindoni, Wayside
  • Ian Driscoll, Bar Futo
  • Chad Conley, Rose Foods
  • Michelle Hicken, Leeward
  • Valarie Goldman, The Honey Paw
  • Jordan Rubin, Mr. Tuna

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About Portland Food Map

Portland Food Map launched in 2007 as a simple directory of the local food community. Other features have been added over the years including food event listings, the Under Construction page, guides to Maine apples and cider producers, the restaurant real estate listings, Year in Review reports, the My Kitchen Their Table chef interview series, the Maine Food Map guide, Maine news reporting, and the annual Maine Thanksgiving List.


The 2024 editions of the Portland and Midcoast Pocket Guides are now out. Pick-up a copy Portland and Midcoast guides at local businesses, and if you need a bunch for an event you’re organizing or for your business you can buy them in packs of 25 on our online store.

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Preparations for the launch of The Send Brewing Co Preparations for the launch of The Send Brewing Company (@thesendbrewing) are wrapping up. Owner Cole Corbin hopes to open his Knightville brewery and restaurant within the next few weeks. The Send will have their own IPA, pale ale and stout on tap as well as Sapporo and an additional guest tap—house-made Japanese-style lagers will eventually be added to the tap list. Chef Jayde Miller will be serving a menu of Japanese comfort food including onigiri, fried chicken, curry korokke, gyudon, daikon salad. Miller is a graduate of Johnson & Wales and spent a year living in Japan. Corbin worked for 8 years at Maine Beer Company initially as a brewer and then as the director of brewing operations and the technical director for the Freeport-based brewery. He’s also worked as a bartender and prep cook at Mast Landing and Knighthawk’s Kitchen. Earlier in his career Corbin was an aerospace engineer at NASA (@nasa). The 50-seat space retains the same layout as Foulmouthed Brewing which previously occupied the building. It now features a neon/mural installation co-created by David Johansen (@neon_dave) and Jill Perry from Third Bird Creative (@thirdbirdmaine). #southportlandmaine #knightvillesouthportland #thesendbrewing #mainebeer #japanesecomfortfood
Qi Shen, the owner of Sichuan Kitchen (@sichuankit Qi Shen, the owner of Sichuan Kitchen (@sichuankitchenportland), is working on a second restaurant. Tuan Yuan Hotpot will be located at 29 Forest Ave in the former Able Baker space on the first floor of the Portland Stage building. The name of the restaurants means reunion dinner. Shen launched Sichuan Kitchen in 2017, and had offered hot pot dinners on Wednesday nights prior to 2020. Shen is excited to introduce the Sichuan variation of hot pot dining to her customers and to bring to life a dedicated hot pot restaurant in Portland. She hopes to launch Tuan Yuan by the end of February. The draft menu for Tuan Yuan includes a variety of broth options like Seafood Kimchee and Chinese Sichuan Spicy and a wide assortment of meats, seafood and vegetables for the hot pot as well as appetizers and desserts (shaved ice and mochi with rice wine). Tuan Yuan will seat 56. The first floor has a 9-seat bar and seating in booths and tables for an addition 29 people. The mezzanine dining are offers two 6-seat round tables and three small tables. #hotpot #sichuanhotpot #tuanyuan #mainefood #comingsoon2025
Apéro (@aperomaine) opened for business on Friday Apéro (@aperomaine) opened for business on Friday night. The Biddeford cocktail bar has been launched by sisters Sophia Normantas and Marie Grasser. Grasser is also the owner of Charcutemarie (@charcutemarie). The ~30-seat establishment serves a menu (5th and 6th photos) of cocktails, mocktails, wine, beer, charcuterie boards and other light bites. Shown here (2nd photo) is the For Figs Sake (lemon infused Bimini gin, fig reduction, thyme simple syrup, regatta ginger beer) and the La Petit charcuterie board. Apero is located at 20 Alfred Street and is open Wednesday/Thursday 4 – 9:30 pm, Friday/Saturday 4 – 11 pm, and Sundays 1 – 7 pm. #biddefordmaine #aperococktailbar #charcuterieboard #mainefood
Taco Trio (@tacotriosopo) is returning to their or Taco Trio (@tacotriosopo) is returning to their original location at 119 Ocean Street (2nd photo). The building is currently under renovation and owner Karen Rasmussen hopes to open the new Taco Trio by the end of January. Rasmussen’s late husband and co-founder of Taco Trio Manuel Peña passed away in October after a long battle with cancer. Peña and Rasmussen had been discussing a return to their original spot for the last few years. They had been able to start on a redesign and the renovations in 2024 with the help of their friends Carlos Guzman and Alejandra Herrera who are the owners of Quiero Cafe (@quierocafemaine). Guzman was a former chef and manager at Taco Trio before opening Quiero Cafe. One of the original goals of the move to their current larger quarters was to add a bar program and Rasmussen plans to retain that come January. The redesigned space has an open kitchen (1st photo), a 9-seat bar as well as counter and table seating totaling ~27 seats overall. There will also be room for 30+ people in their outdoor seating area during the warmer months. Taco Trio will continue to serve the menu they currently have available. Taco Trio originally opened in 2011, and moved to 60 Ocean Street (3rd photo) in 2021 into the building that had formerly housed Big Babe’s Tavern. Taco Trio had also operated a second location on Forest Ave at one time. The restaurant space at 60 Ocean Street is now available for lease. #southportlandmaine #tacotriosopo #mainefood #comingsoon2025 #mainetacos
RAFFLE COMPLETED Welcome to the December edition o RAFFLE COMPLETED Welcome to the December edition of the Portland Food Map raffle sponsored by Evergreen Credit Union (@evergreen_credit_union). The winner will receive a $150 Visa gift card for use at Empire Chinese Kitchen and either two tickets to the Maine Marriners OR two tickets to the Portland Museum of Art. Simply comment on this Instagram image and tag a friend (or, two, or three...), and you’re entered to win. To whet your appetite for a visit here’s a look at some dishes from Empire: a crispy Empire egg roll made with pastrami and sesame cabbage, a Mai Tai cocktail, Kung Pao chicken, garlic green beans, chive/shitake dumplings, duck lomein, jalapeno shrimp with rice, pork belly bao, and a bowl of won ton soup. #mainefood #evergreeneverywhere #pastramieggroll #ducklomein #maitaicocktail #wontonsoup #empirechinesekitchen #portlandmaine NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. 1 winner will be chosen at random and will receive either 2 tickets to a Maine Mariners home game OR 2 guest Admission Tickets to the Portland Museum of Art. Date of Maine Mariners game to be determined with the winner. Meal for two at Empire is good for up to $150 in the form of a VISA gift card; any additional costs will be the responsibility of the winner. The winner will be chosen on December 10th, and will be notified via Instagram direct message by Portland Food Map. The winner will connect with Evergreen Credit Union to receive their prize package. Per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 18+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use. This contest is in no way sponsored or administered by the Maine Mariners, Portland Museum of Art, or Empire Chinese Kitchen. By entering, entrants confirm that they release the Maine Mariners and Portland Museum of Art, andEmpire Chinese Kitchen of responsibility.
Angela Lee and Alex LeBlanc have leased 147 Cumber Angela Lee and Alex LeBlanc have leased 147 Cumberland Ave where they plan to open Luncheonette (@luncheonettemaine). Luncheonette will be a counter service cafe and take-out spot serving a salad-centric menu along with sandwiches and a daily selection of house-made breads and pastries. Luncheonette will have draft beer, wine, house-made sodas, drip coffee and tea. A sample menu includes a Shredded Beetroot Salad plated with yogurt, dill and pistachio as well as an Eggplant Sandwich made with golden fried eggplant, baba ganoush and cabbage slaw. The daily selection of six salads can be ordered as described but customers can also choose to add on proteins like smoked salmon or roast chicken. LeBlanc and Lee are just starting to plan out the renovation for 147 Cumberland Ave. They anticipate some additional indoor seating and making use of the back patio during warmer months, and hope to launch Luncheonette in late spring. They have moved to Portland from New York. For LeBlanc who grew up in South Portland it’s a return home. Lee’s culinary career started in NYC baking at Petee’s Pie Co from there she went on to work as a whole animal butcher at Meat Hook and as a fish butcher at Osakana. LeBlanc’s most recent position was as the sous chef at Sailor in Brooklyn, and previously was the chef de cuisine at Gus’s. When he last lived in Portland, LeBlanc had worked for Abby Harmon at Caiola’s and for Matt Ginn at Evo Kitchen + Bar. 147 Cumberland Ave has most recently been the home of Union Bagel which is now located in Falmouth. Looking further back in the past it was also been a launchpad for Katie Made and Silly’s, and was the location of Peddleman’s/Falafel Underground. The photo shown here is from September 2018. #portlandmaine #mainefood #luncheonette #salads
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