Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast
Susan Axelrod, Food & Special Projects Editor, Maine Magazine and Maine Home + Design.
Kate McAleer, Co-founder of Bixby & Co, Maine’s organic chocolatier, based in Rockland, Maine.
Sarah and Bryce Hach, Co-founders of Maine Food For Thought, an international award-winning educational food based tour in Portland, Maine.
In celebration of Maine’s 200th birthday I’m excited to launch my podcast with a series, Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast.
As you know Maine has one of the richest and most fascinating food and drink scenes in the country. This signature series will take a deep dive into Maine’s food story – past, present and future, showcasing Maine’s most creative and accomplished culinary taste-makers, food innovators and entrepreneurs.
When I left Mumbai 24 years ago, I never dreamed or imagined that Maine would one day be my home, my happy place. I knew I had to find a portal to somehow share my passion for Indian cuisine and tie it into my deep love for Maine’s rich and dynamic food scene.
This Bicentennial Food Podcast series is my gift to Maine on its 200th Birthday! I wanted to provide a platform, a portal of sorts to share some incredible ‘maker’ stories that capture Maine’s entrepreneurial spirit and ethos. I’m hoping with this podcast I am able to deepen the dialogue and conversation as to why Maine is a formidable state for small businesses to thrive, create and innovate.
Check out this amazing line up of guests:
- Susan Axelrod – Food + Special Projects Editor, Maine Magazine and Maine Home & Design
- Maine Food For Thought – Sarah & Bryce Hach, Co-founders
- Bixby & Co. – Kate McAleer, Co-founder
- Rob Dumas – University of Maine, Orono’s, Food Science Innovation Coordinator
- Gelato Fiasco – Joshua Davis, Co-founder,
- Coffee By Design – Mary Allen Lindemann, Co-founder
- The Holy Donut – Leigh Kellis, Founder
- Luke’s Lobster – Luke Holden & Ben Conniff, Co-founders
- Stonewall Kitchen – Jim Stott & Jonathan King, Co-founders
- Standard Baking Co. – Alison Pray & Matt James, Co-founders
- SKORDO – John & Cari Karonis, Co-founders,
- Chef Kerry Altiero – 2019 Chef of the Year, Cafe Miranda
- Cal Hancock – Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company, President
- Kathy Gunst+ Katharine Alford – ‘RAGE BAKING’, Co-authors
- Chef Melissa Kelly – Primo Restaurant, Owner
- Chef Sam Hayward – Fore Street and Lee Straw – Straw’s Farm, Owner
- Bettina Doulton – Cellardoor Winery, Founder
- Atlantic Sea Farms – Briana Warner, CEO
- Maine Grains – Amber Lambke, CEO & President
- Rob Tod – Allagash Brewing Company, Founder
- Nancy Harmon Jenkins – Cookbook Author and Chef Sara Jenkins – Nina June restaurant, Owner
- Split Rock Distilling – Topher Mallory and Matthew Page, Co-founders
- Linda Greenlaw – New York Times bestselling author and swordfish Captain.
- Karl Schatz & Margaret Hathaway, Co-authors, Maine Bicentennial Community Cookbook, 200 Recipes Celebrating Maine’s Culinary Past, Present, & Future.
I hope this podcast inspires you to explore the best of Maine’s food scene and your own culinary heritage. Join me as I take you on a culinary adventure with each formidable guest on this show!
Be sure to hit the subscribe button on your favorite app! Find us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn and Google Play.
MUMBAI TO MAINE WALKS THE 2022 FANCY FOOD SHOW IN THE BIG APPLE!
to strategically plan out MumbaitoMaine’s future in the bright big world of high end gourmet!
This Lobster Makhani is not just an award winner but the first of it’s kind on the market in speciality gourmet foods. Innovative, masterfully created by Executive Chef Kevin Messier and inspired by my authentic Indian Makhani simmer sauce and my story. I’ll never forget when he reached out to me and said how inspired he was when he opened up a jar and the aromas and spices blew him away. Huge thanks to the Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company team for this inspired collaboration. You can give it a try on Goldbelly!! Yum!
Mumbai to Maine Indian Simmer Sauces
Welcome to Mumbai to Maine – Maine’s first Indian-inspired culinary brand!!!
There’s something wonderful about being the first to introduce something unique and special to the world. But I feel like it also comes with tremendous responsibility. I consider myself a culinary ambassador for my homeland, Mumbai and my Goan heritage, here in this beautiful state of Maine.
MY STORY
Let me tell you a bit about how and why these simmer sauces came to be.
At 16 years old, I left Mumbai and moved to Canada with my family, our lives packed in 12 suitcases. Fast forward, I am fortunate to call Maine my home now for over a decade.
The Castelino family: L to R: My gorgeous mother, Regina, two-year-old me, Karen (my six-year-old sister) and handsome Dad (check out those sideburns.)
So this idea for simmer sauces, started a couple of years ago when I had just lost my mom and found myself having this intense and nostalgic craving for my all-time favorite dish, her signature Caldine: a creamy, spicy, luscious coconut gravy with juicy shrimp. I knew I wouldn’t find mom’s Caldine on a shelf at the food store, as a frozen entrée or even at a restaurant.
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CRAVING COMFORT FOOD
In fact, I couldn’t find any comforting home-style Indian food at the grocery story that matched my expectations here in Maine. Everything tasted overly processed to me and one thing was for sure: it definitely did NOT taste like my mother’s home-style cooking.
Homestyle Red Lentil Dahl – tadka of ghee, red onions, garlic, ginger, red chilis, cumin, red chili powder, curry leaves and black mustard seeds.
So, I went back into my kitchen, dug out my mom’s heritage recipes and mastered each one. I was thrilled with the results and thought to myself, there have to be others who probably have never experienced authentic home-style Indian flavors. I was determined to find a way to make these unique mouth-watering Indian recipes accessible to anyone.
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INTRODUCING
After spending countless hours in my kitchen crafting batch after batch, I am excited to introduce you to Mumbai to Maine’s shelf-stable Indian Simmer Sauce collection: Saag, Makhani and Caldine.
These savory simmer sauces are authentic, true to the specific region of India that they originate from and absolutely DELICIOUS!
- Based on my family’s heritage recipes
- Crafted with authentic, freshly ground spice blends.
- Handcrafted right here in Maine.
- For an authentic meal within minutes simply pour, add your choice of protein, simmer and serve.
- These 16 oz, ultra-premium simmer sauces will sit pretty in recyclable glass jars on your pantry shelf for up to a year. I can assure you they will not last that long, once you give them a try. 🙂
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SIMMER SAUCE LINE
Let me introduce you to the star line up!
Caldine is a Goan inspired sauce from the West Coast of India, a creamy coconut gravy with an infusion of toasted coriander, cumin, Tellicherry peppercorns, Kashmiri chiles and the finest turmeric. You can read more about this hallmark Goan dish and why it holds the most special place in my heart here. You can see below, all I added was some fresh steamed Maine lobsters to my Caldine sauce and within minutes we had dinner on the table this past Mother’s Day!
Lobster Caldine: A true Mumbai to Maine original recipe! When you live in Maine, lobster is the only way to celebrate this iconic Goan dish.
Makhani is the Indian word for ‘with Butter’. How could that get any better, you ask? Well, this ghee-tomato based cream sauce is infused with the finest Indian spice blends like toasted and freshly ground cardamom, cumin, coriander, peppercorns and a touch of heavy cream — because this dish is meant for royalty. Makhani pairs perfectly with chicken of course (are you a Butter Chicken fans, if so check this post out ???) but it also makes for a slam-dunk spicy Chickpea Masala, Paneer Masala, or my husband’s favorite, melt-in-your-mouth boneless lamb over steaming hot Basmati Rice and ghee-slathered garlic naans.
Makhani Murgh – (Butter Chicken with the Makhani simmer sauce.
Saag is the Indian word for leafy greens. Hailing from the North Indian state of Punjab, this hearty, vegetarian sauce is loaded with spinach, broccoli, aromatic and healing spices like Fenugreek and Garam Masala with a touch of cream . It’s often the go-to dish for the farmer because its packed with nutrients to sustain them for a long and hard day’s work in the fields. A home made aloo-fenugreek paratha would go so well with this dish. My mouth is watering already! You can put a vegetarian spin on this with cauliflower, chickpeas, sweet potatoes and paneer( Indian cheese) or add tender morsels of marinated lamb to elevate this thick gravy to another level of de-lish! We’ve been eating so much of this Saag in 2020 to stay healthy but also up our spice game in the kitchen on busy school and work days!
Murgh Saag ( Indian-style Creamed Spinach with Chicken)
There is no arguing, Indian food and its cultural influence are trending like never before. With restaurants not being as accessible as much during the pandemic, people are cooking more at home now than ever! AND, they are looking for different ways to be creative in the kitchen and up their spice game by tinkering with ethnic cuisines that are bursting with bold and spicy flavors.
It is my hope you have fun with these sauces and leave my blog feeling inspired to add more flavor and spice into your everyday cooking! If you are ever craving a home-style Indian meal or feeling too exhausted after your marathon zoom work calls to cook up an authentic Indian meal, or like me you just miss your mother’s amazing home-cooking, simply reach for a jar in your pantry and within minutes you will be transported back to your childhood and to India with a single bite of my mouth-watering, rich and luscious Makhani, Caldine and Saag sauces.
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FOOD CONNECTS…..
At the end of the day, food has this power to bring people together and it also has the influence to transport you to your childhood or a special place you love.
Since 2015, I have shared my Mumbai to Maine story through my blog, podcast, social media channels and teaching Indian cuisine at Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School. I’ve done this with intention and passion, because it has kept me connected and rooted to my childhood in Mumbai and my Goan (Portuguese-Indian) heritage.
I am so excited to share this labor of love, my debut simmer sauce collection, with you right in time for the 2020 Holidays. It’s an homage to my talented mother, who was and will always be the best cook I know and a heartfelt love letter to my Mumbai.
I would love for you to be a part of my story going forward.
So please go ahead and send me a message via my blog, ask me a question about Indian food, order a simmer sauce or two or three. I would love to see what you cook up with them in your kitchen.
I encourage you to get creative and share your creations with me on Facebook @mumbaitomaine, IG @mumbai2maine.
Thank you with all my heart for joining me in my Mumbai to Maine journey in a jar. It’s going to be quite a ride, and I am so glad I get to share it with you.
Love,
Cherie Scott
Coffee By Design – Community in a Cup
Photo Credit: Michael David Wilson, courtesy, Coffee By Design
Back in 1994, Mary Allen Lindemann and Alan Spear launched Coffee By Design in what was the sketchy neighborhood of Munjoy Hill, Portland, Maine.
During a recession, Munjoy Hill, was not the hippest place to launch a coffee business. But as you will hear in this podcast, Lindemann and Spear’s vision was never about just selling coffee it was focused on creating and building a diverse community around its coffee brand. They are also super passionate about the arts and have been credited as the leaders in the revitalization of downtown Portland’s vibrant and thriving creative arts scene.
So it should come as no surprise that after being in business for 25 years, Coffee By Design won the prestigious 2020 Macro Roaster of the Year award and proudly operates as one of 10 B Corp’s in the state of Maine. If you read up on the criteria for both, it’s no easy feat.
Coming off this prestigious win, I invited Mary Allen to the studio to share the remarkable Coffee By Design maker story and journey as part of Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast series.
Right after this picture was taken, Mary Allen Lindemann got on a plane to Africa and upon her return faced a daunting realization that COVID 19 was not going away anytime soon. Her next trip to Africa had to get canceled for fear she would not be able to return or deal with the unknown.
Here in Maine, businesses, especially small businesses, were grappling with laying off their valued employees while frantically applying for PPP loans and also trying to staying open within CDC guidelines, all while trying to stay alive, keeping their core teams safe and operational and NOT shut down shop!
The stress was surmounting all the way around. Mary Allen and Alan Spear and their teams…looked at everything with fresh eyes, reconfiguring how they would stay operational, make new signage, set up news ways of servicing their loyal customers.
But most important, they continued to serve their communities – hand delivering boxes of Maine Made treats and fresh coffee to nearby hospitals and to health care workers who were on the front lines working marathon shifts for days. As she and her team took on the toll of having to lay off a large percentage of the CBD team, she took the time to get back on a call with me and talk about Coffee By Design – through the Pandemic and beyond. What was the next chapter going to look like, with no playbook or anyone to turn to for answers.
Lindemann, Alan and their team decided to take an introspective look at CBD’s core values – the idea that you should as a business owner hold on to those values during your highest peaks and lowest valleys, resonated with me deeply and what provided them with a compass in a world that felt like it was spinning out of control.
I want to thank Mary Allen for sharing these thoughts with me in a follow up podcast. It was heartfelt, eloquent, and so deeply meaningful, I simply had to include it here, unedited, in her very own words:
I am a small business owner. The journey began 25 years ago when the doors to Coffee By Design first opened when the vacancy rate in downtown Portland was at 40%. I’ve gone from sleeping on the shelving in the basement of our first store to owning my own home and running five retail locations and a wholesale business, what began with 2 of us and a part timer became 65 strong. We’ve been through at least three recessions, the tail end of the AIDS epidemic and 9/11. After years of business growth for Coffee By Design and Portland (Maine) which is listed on almost every top 10 list as the City to be in, nothing prepared us for COVID-19 and the impact it is having on our community – locally and globally – our business and we ourselves.
We know we are strong. We have a community which supports all of us. We are Maine. Working together we will keep our team intact and bring them back home. We got this.
These are the words I say every morning I get up and go to work.
Yes, we are fortunate in that we are able to remain open and continue with a small portion of our business but having to furlough 50, 75% of our team who are like family soon after celebrating our 25th anniversary and becoming 2020 Roaster of the Year has brought us from the top of the mountain to the deepest valley.
The truth of the matter is I’m scared. I don’t know a single small business owner who doesn’t feel the same. Every tool in the emotional toolbox is being used in ways that we never even imagined they would need to be.
How do I bring my staff back and ensure that they can be safe. How do I instill in them that I’ve provided masks but they would prefer not to wear and believe the physical distancing is enough along with hand-washing and sanitizer everywhere.
We are afraid that we may get the virus and not be able to continue to care for our families and lead our team. An Asylum seeking friend of mine shared a phrase I had never heard before about sleeping trapped within one’s home to keep outside the danger. Ville Morte Dead City. But what if the danger is inside?
Do the numbers work? Do we have enough to hold on and if so for how long should the doors not fully open again longer than we hope.
Yes, we received the PPP loan money but will I be able to grow the business fast enough as a deemed essential business open in the midst of a state stay at home order at this point for half of that time I need to bring the equivalent of 48 full-time people back. How can I compete against unemployment when people are being given what in effect is a bonus check which means that weekly they are paid more than if they were working with me.
How do I ask people who are scared to go out side to come back out and work with others whom they can’t be sure are isolating appropriately when at home themselves.
On a daily basis, I feel I am being asked to bring people back to work, pay them less and be unsafe. How do I tell people if you don’t come back to work now I can’t guarantee that there will be a job later not as a way to get back but because if I don’t grow the business now, if I don’t come up with creative ways to re-think about what you do I can’t help for every body. I can’t bring everybody back as I had thought initially I could.
What if I should fail?
I think about A.A. Milne and Winnie the Pooh. “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.”
This moment will define who we are as small business owners but more importantly, who we are as citizens of the world.
Mary Allen Lindemann
April 28, 2020
*Published with permission from Mary Allen Lindemann, co-owner of Coffee By Design .
The Holy Donut – Fry Them and They Will Come!
Meet Leigh Kellis, the founder and co-owner of The Holy Donut and author of Women Who Need Donuts.
“I approached the business and my cravings with love, and the business has blossomed from making twelve donuts a day in a pot on my stove for $5/day to an eighty-employee, $6 million/year operation.” – Women Who Need Donuts
Leigh will be the first one to say that her donuts are nothing out of the ordinary but loyal fans would argue that they are unforgettable. You are probably wondering what makes them so special. Let’s start with the not-so-secret ingredient…Maine mashed potatoes. Everyone knows mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food, but add them (without butter and milk) to some sugar, butter, flour and a few more baking basics like baking powder, baking soda and salt and you get a super moist donut that almost melts in your mouth. But here is why Leigh’s donuts came out on top. She came up with the most unique flavors like Maine’s favorite and inexpensive Allen’s Coffee Brandy; freshly squeezed and zested infused Lemon Glaze; roasted sweet potato donuts; vegan and gluten-free donuts (that actually tasted delicious); the addictive, Holy Cannoli Donut (with a ginger glaze and a ricotta filling) and the ultimate Bacon Cheddar Filled donut. The Dark Chocolate Sea Salt is my favorite!
I’m going to stop here before I go into a donut coma just writing about all this wholesome sugary goodness.
Leigh’s mission was simple: she aimed to make a sinfully delicious donut from scratch that she felt good eating. Take a listen to her podcast and hear the incredible story of how Maine’s reigning Donut Queen made it all happen with love, passion and family.
Women Who Need Donuts (Copyright 2018, Leigh Kellis)
Donuts
Donuts changed my life.
I decided to make donuts after years of telling myself I couldn’t have them, and instead listening to another voice that said,
“Yes you can.”
This book is the story of making a business — and all decisions — out of love.
Donuts were love for my appetite. Love for my cravings. Love for my community. Love for my life — needing to pay my bills. Love for my family. Love for my daughter. My dad’s love for me.
This podcast would not feel complete without an homage to Leigh’s father, Allan Kellis, who was a co-owner and a huge part of The Holy Donut’s success. He was also a big time Barbershop quartet fan and composed this awesome Holy Donut jingle that we simply had to include in this episode in his memory.
From Flying Chicken Fat to Anthony Bourdain…
A Second Helping of Melissa Kelly!
On December 11, 2018, Melissa Kelly, walked into the local theater in my hometown of Boothbay Harbor to attend the screening of the pilot episode for my video series Mumbai to Maine. Why this two-time James Beard Foundation Award winner chose to make the drive from Rockland… on a snowy night… on her night off, will forever remain a mystery to me.
But I’m so thankful she did.
I’ve been extremely fortunate to interview Melissa at length not once, but twice in the last 6 months.
This past October, I was honored to host Melissa as my inaugural guest for the Talking Food In Maine, Intimate Conversations series at the historic Lincoln theater in Damariscotta created by the brilliant Executive Director, Andrew Fenniman. As you can imagine, it was a packed house. I was so taken with her and her career I knew I just had to have her on my podcast to share her story with everyone.
As soon as I launched my podcast, I asked Melissa to come sit down with me again, but this time, at my home studio in Boothbay. During the Gospel According to Melissa Kelly episode, we had so much fun chatting about her life’s work we totally lost track of time. This episode was so widely shared and so well received, I knew there were some die-hard Melissa Kelly fans out there who would love the additional stories that got edited out of the original podcast. I sat down with my audio engineer, Guy Scott, who came up with a neat idea to add a BONUS episode, entitled, A Second Helping of Melissa Kelly…a sequel! Thanks Guy!
This is a brief but fun 10-minute interview with some engaging moments that I’m sure will captivate you. If you’ve ever wondered what Melissa’s signature dish is at Primo, her award-winning ‘full-circle kitchen’ restaurant in Rockland, Maine? Or what it was like to cook for Anthony Bourdain on his show, No Reservations, take a listen, here is – A Second Helping of Melissa Kelly.
The Gospel according to Melissa Kelly
Melissa Kelly is the first two-time recipient of the prestigious James Beard award for Best Chef Northeast. It’s a notable fact, because it’s an unprecedented accomplishment. No other chef has ever won twice in the same category.
Recently, as I was scrolling through my news feed, I came across a Forbes.com article that claimed less than 7% of restaurant owners in the country are female. Almost immediately it occurred to me that Chef Kelly falls into that stark statistic . She is the Executive Chef and owner of her nationally renowned and award-winning restaurant Primo, located in Rockland, Maine.
Based on the full-circle kitchen philosophy, Melissa Kelly has proved that the ultimate farm-to-table experience is not only sustainable but can also be a profitable one. In fact Primo was so successful she was approached by J. W. Marriott to open two more locations, one in Arizona and the other in Florida and more importantly, given full creative ownership.
Melissa Kelly, owner and chef, Primo restaurant, Rockland, Maine.
In 2019, Primo celebrated its 20th anniversary – a huge milestone for this New York native and Maine’s culinary superstar, given that approximately 60% of restaurants close their doors in their first year. And, if that’s not impressive enough, Melissa was recently nominated for yet another James Beard Foundation award, but this time for Outstanding Chef!
Melissa Kelly sharing her entree course at the 20th Anniversary Diva Dinner, October 27, 2019
Primo Gardens
Like most chef-owners, Melissa is known to work long hours and often hard to pin down. During the day she can be found walking the nearly five-acre sustainable farm with a clipboard in one hand, pencil nestled behind one ear, and a cup of either Rock City iced espresso with coconut milk or PG Tips black tea with a splash of milk, in the other hand, checking in on 15 heritage pigs, 200 laying chickens, 150 broiler chickens, 5 ducks, 3 acres of vegetables, honey bees, two thriving greenhouses, an herb garden, house-aged charcuterie and garlic, vinegars, setting up in the barn for a wedding or prepping and teaching a sold-out charcuterie cooking class on a Sunday afternoon. This does not include pre-meal where she connects with her front and back-of-the-house sixty-person team, followed by an intense dinner service. Melissa curates the Primo menu at midnight, after dinner service is done, for the following night’s service. Dylan, her master gardener, leaves a clipboard hanging in the kitchen with a list of what is harvested or in prime at the end of his day. The relationship between the master gardener and the chef is vital and cyclical, especially when the menu is seasonal and to the moment, at Primo. To most folk, this life may seem exhausting and beyond comprehension, but to Melissa this IS the way life should be! She lives, breathes and believes in the Primo life-style.
Dylan Jacob, Master Gardener, Primo restaurant, Maine.
Melissa may have grown up in an Italian household in Long Island, N.Y., but at Primo, she focuses on showcasing the terroir of her adopted home, Maine. The restaurant incorporates only the freshest scallops, oysters, razor clams, Maine lobster, Haddock, heritage Primo house-raised pork, grass-fed local beef, free-range chickens and of course their eggs. Honey from the Italian bees will accentuate a dessert or be transformed into a honey-wine vinaigrette to delicately lace a farm fresh salad. Every plate is purposefully plated. Garnishes are often harvested minutes before service or late that afternoon right before dinner service kicks off.
What is the signature dish at Primo you ask? You might think that when in Maine its lobster, but actually the star of the menu and the most frequently ordered dish is Pork “Saltimbocca”. On average, Melissa said they can sell up to 35 orders of this comforting classic per night in season. This Italian classic is traditionally made with veal and was Primo Magnani’s (Melissa’s grandfather) favorite dish. A butcher by trade Primo Magnani can be credited for curating Melissa’s palate and sensibilities for charcuterie at an early age. It was her grandmother who taught her the Italian classics and how to make pasta from scratch. Melissa adds her unique touch and replaces the veal scallopini with Primo’s prized pork instead. The pork scallopini are lightly dredged in flour, pan-seared in olive oil, layered with house-prosciutto, topped with garden spinach, foraged mushrooms and a sage-infused Madeira jus. At Primo, the heritage pigs are raised on the farm and when harvested, not one inch of the animal is wasted. The animal is honored and celebrated with the utmost respect.
For those hardcore Primo fans out there who are going through bouts of quarantine home-cooking, I thought you would enjoy giving this savory dish a try in your kitchen. Be sure to tag @primorestaurant and @chefmelissak on instagram.
Melissa Kelly’s Famous Pork “Saltimbocca”
Serves 4
2 pounds boneless pork loin, cleaned and cut into 3-ounce medallions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 sprigs sage, chopped
½ cup Madeira wine
1 cup chicken or pork stock
Gently pound medallions into scallopini. Heat olive oil over high heat. Dredge pork in flour you have seasoned with the salt and pepper. Place pork in pan, being careful not to crowd. Brown well on first side, turn, cook for 10 seconds on the other side. Remove pork from pan and repeat with remaining pork. Once all of the meat is browned, add 1 tablespoon butter to pan. Once the butter foams. add mushrooms and cook until they are softened. Add sage and then deglaze with the Madeira. Cook the wine down in pan until it has evaporated. Add stock and reduce by one-third. Add last tablespoon of butter and swirl in to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add pork back to pan. Serve over a bed of mashed potatoes, wilted spinach and a thin slice of prosciutto.
Inserted with permission from Chef Melissa Kelly, owner and executive chef, Primo restaurant, Rockland, Maine.
Primo Pork “Saltimbocca” Image, credit to JW Marriott Starr Pass Tucson, AZ.
“We have an endless pursuit to accomplish a more sustainable ecosystem filled with love, creativity and respect for the food. Nothing is wasted — everything has its place. Any waste from the restaurant feeds the pigs, the chickens or is burned to fuel our wood burning oven. We consistently rotate gardens to keep the soil as healthy as possible. We give back as much as we take, for if we don’t, you get less nutritious food and it doesn’t taste as good. It is a continuous cycle that occurs throughout the restaurant with the kitchen, the animals and the gardens to savor every little piece…We’re not just a farm to table restaurant.We’re a farm that has a restaurant at the edge of it.” — Melissa Kelly, owner and executive chef, Primo, Rockland, Maine
Heritage pigs in their pens
When you are chef, especially in the Primo kitchen, your palette is paramount. Melissa does not permit her chefs cigarette breaks during work hours as she believes it compromises a chef’s ability to truly taste the food created. Pre-meal is not a just a time to nourish the team, but also to educate every front-of-the-house staff member on the daily specials so they too can be true ambassadors of Primo’s waste-nothing, full-circle, kitchen. There is only one switch at PRIMO and in season, it’s ON!
Primo is not just about the ultimate farm-to-table experience. It’s about how you are made to feel during the ultimate farm-to-table experience. The attention to detail from the front of the house is genuinely warm and inviting. Each room in the victorian style house has its own name, aesthetic, lighting, ambience and original art work commissioned by local artists.
Counter Room
Fireplace Room
The Bar
The Barn – seats 60 and can hold up to 100 guests. Primo hosts cooking classes, intimate weddings and events in this beautiful space.
This past fall I was granted exclusive access to the Primo kitchen for the 20th Anniversary Celebratory Diva Dinner. I covered every diva and each course as the Primo team seamlessly executed 6 courses to a sold-out event. I couldn’t help but watch Melissa in action; she was completely poised and in control; a maestro leading her orchestra. There is no denying she lives and leads with what I think are the 10 commandments to survive and succeed in what can be a cutthroat culinary world: vision, hard work, grit, compassion, excellence, authenticity, kindness, respect, humility and unwavering leadership. But don’t take my word for it, take a listen to Melissa’s incredible story, in the podcast above – The Gospel According to Melissa Kelly.
Primo’s 20th Anniversary Diva Dinner, October 27, 2019 From L to R: Chef Emily Luchetti, Chef Ilma Lopez, Chef Melissa Kelly, Chef Kathleen Osterhaus Blake, Chef Nancy Silverton and Chef Jody Adams.
ROB DUMAS: The Food Science Innovation Go-to Guy!
Rob Dumas, U of Maine’s Food Science Innovation Coordinator and Manager of the Dr. Matthew Highlands Pilot Plant. Check out that pasta maker!
Have you ever had a fabulous food idea that you wanted to develop and bring to the marketplace, like an Impossible Red Hot Dog or Maine’s Mushroom Burger, but didn’t know where to get started? Look no further than Rob Dumas, University of Maine’s Food Science Innovation Coordinator and the Manager of the Dr. Matthew Highlands Pilot Plant, a state-of-the-art research facility that aims to elevate, diversify and innovate Maine food products alongside big and small Maine food producers. The Pilot Plant is decked out with top-notch food processing equipment, including a pasta maker, meat chopper, dehydrator, blast freezer, steam cooker, cheese making equipment and packaging equipment.
A few months ago, I was researching how to start a specialty food product in Maine. The first link that popped up led me to Dr. Beth Calder, Food Science Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and School of Food & Agriculture. Dr. Calder has been an invaluable resource to me in launching my culinary collection, ‘Journey in a Jar’ – signature shelf-stable Indian sauces, spreads and marinades.
Dr. Beth Calder, Food Scientist, holding my first product: Journey in a Jar’s Buttery Masala simmer sauce, heading for testing at University of Maine’s product testing lab.
Dr. Calder suggested I attend a training at MOFGA( Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) and that is where I first met Dumas who happened to be a presenter at the training. I was on the heels of launching Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast – Maine’s food story past, present and future. Intrigued by how Dumas’ role could shape Maine’s food landscape in the future, I invited him to share his thoughts and his vision on the podcast.
Dumas has the most fascinating food story, one that started in the southern state of Louisiana, and ended up in the northern state of Maine. He’s cooked in kitchens large, small and even presidential. From a submarine off the coast of Virginia, to the White House Navy Mess and even cooking for the Obama family while on the road. Yet, if you met him he would tell you he is facing his biggest challenge yet!
My head is already brimming with ideas I might want to develop alongside Dumas’ expertise and the top notch commercial equipment at the Dr. Matthew Highland’s Pilot Plant. It seems like a no-brainer to leverage the tremendous resources that the University of Maine’s School of Food & Ag have in place. Check them out here. There is a fee associated with the service and its based on the scope of the product being developed.
But first, be sure to tune into Rob’s insightful podcast to find out how a latchie kid from Slidell, Louisiana curated a deep understanding of food… one that greatly influences his gig as Maine’s food innovation go-to-guy!
Rob Dumas and Dr. Beth Calder in The Dr. Matthew Highlands Pilot Plant, University of Maine, Orono.
Maine’s Modern Day Willy Wonka
It’s not everyday that a talented chocolatier and chocolate-maker stops by bearing hand-crafted organic bean-to-bar candy, cacao soap, cacao-infused spices and nibs of dark chocolate to share. This past Holiday I was thrilled to host Kate McAleer, co-founder of Bixby & Co, located in Rockland, to share her entrepreneurial story on Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast.
Bixby & Co. is an organic chocolatier and chocolate-maker based in Rockland, Maine. Women owned, co-founders, Kate and her mother Donna, recently made Maine food history as the state’s first chocolate-maker of organic bean-to-bar vegan smoothie bars– innovation in chocolate making at its best!
It took hours of additional paperwork, federal and state regulations, grant-writing, demonstrations and testing in the kitchen with their talented team to innovate at this level. It didn’t come easily, but it paid off. There are only a few other organic bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the country.
The thing I love the most about Kate is her grit. Kate has won multiple entrepreneurial pitch competitions and written multiple grants to fund her business from the ground up in the last 8 years with no outside investment. She’s not afraid of the paperwork nor the regulations. She’s also not interested in an exit strategy. She’s in this for the long run and truly wants to build a chocolate company with a moral conscience. A creative collaborator, Kate recently worked on incorporating her chocolate nibs with Gelato Fiasco, Maine’s beloved gelateria. Last year, two-time James Beard award-winning chef Melissa Kelly and owner of Primo restaurant in Rockland reached out to Bixby & Co. to launch her 20th Anniversary ’20 Karat Primo Bar’ featuring Primo’s popular and addictive signature bar snack, roasted almonds with a touch of Calabrian chili and rosemary. The bar was uniquely sweet, salty but also contained spicy notes infusing the 70% dark chocolate. Hundreds of bars were produced but only 5 bars contained a hidden golden ticket.
Its fun collaborative creative experiences like these that inspire Bixby & Co. to continue embracing Maine and its community of outstanding makers while growing its brand. Kate recently collaborated with Maine’s only organic bourbon maker, Split Rock Distilling, located in Newcastle, Maine, to create a chocolate bar (Split Rock Bourbon 70% Dark Chocolate Bar.)
Bixby & Co. retail store located in downtown Rockland also houses Maine’s first bean to bar chocolate factory. The production area is fun to watch through a glass window. I stopped by with my family and enjoyed sampling our way through Pumpkin Caramels, Needhams, Maine Blueberry Jam Bonbons and Dark Chocolate Almonds. We even got lucky and got to watch a chocolatier at work. I’m sure you’ll find it hard to leave without a 2 lb dark or milk chocolate handcrafted Lobstah in your hand! For now, check out the pictures below and be sure to listen to Kate’s inspiring story on the podcast. If you can’t squeeze in a visit to Maine soon Bixby & Co. also ships its delicious candy through its website.
Kate enjoying her Mumbai to Maine chai before we hit the studio.
Co-founders of Bixby & Co., Kate and her mother and inspiration, Donna McAleer.
“Kate the Great!”
Sampling Maine Sea Salt and nibs of organic chocolate.
Award-winning restaurant Primo’s 20 Karat Bar made with Bixby Chocolate
What a feast for the eyes or for any Vegan chocolate lover!
Chocolate making in action
A two-pound dark chocolate hand-crafted LOBSTAH!!!
MAINE FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Sarah and Bryce Hach, co-founders of the international award-winning educational based food tour, Maine Food For Thought, sharing their story in the studio.
Meet Sarah and Bryce Hach – Maine’s food ambassadors!!! They are one of the reasons I felt inspired to produce this Bicentennial Food Podcast series.
With stellar non-profit backgrounds and a passion for all things food, they moved to Maine back in 2012 and came up with the brilliant idea to start a food tour with an educational twist. The tour was called Maine Food For Thought. (Isn’t that the perfect name for an educational based tour?)
Shortly after they kicked off the tour, in an almost prescient launch, Portland was voted the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year, Bon Appetit.
Sarah and Bryce are committed to sharing Maine’s food story – behind the plate. They partnered up with restaurants and chefs who feel the same way. Each notable chef has created a dish that showcases a specific Maine food system while also bringing their own respective personalities and culinary flair to the featured dish. Check out the beautiful pictures below.
UNION, The Press Hotel
New England Clam chowder with a Thai twist, a dish inspired by Union’s Executive Chef Josh Berry’s travels to Thailand. This East meets West, fusion-style chowder captures the essence of land and sea in Maine: clams, haddock, lobster oil, potatoes and celery but in a coconut-milk base, inspired by a Thai ‘Tom Ki Guy’- soup.
UNION’s gorgeous display of pumpkins sourced from farms all over the state of Maine.
EVO Kitchen + Bar (Hyatt Place Portland- Old Port)
Check out Matt Ginn’s Mediterranean-inspired Harra dish showcasing Maine’s humble but hearty potato.
A true reflection of “Maine’s urban sophistication and the rural yankee work ethic”- Bryce.
Per the tour: “Rural meets urban” potato dish flavored by an array of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ingredients like leeks, garlic, fresh turmeric, and spices including coriander, cayenne, and cumin.
“Evo Kitchen + Bar’s Head Chef Matt Ginn marries Mediterranean techniques and traditions with the incredible bounty of Maine produce, fish and meat – connecting Maine’s urban and rural lifestyles into a single dish.” Matt was recently a ‘Chopped’ Champion! Go Matt!
Solo Italiano
It’s not everyday that a World Pesto Champion moves to Maine and opens a restaurant as beautiful as Solo Italiano.
Meet Chef Paolo Laboa who is a master at handcrafting handkerchief pasta (a work of art) tossed in an authentic Genovese basil pesto. The pasta is made with 00 grade flour and the pesto is made with Langorian Olive oil, both ingredients imported from Italy. The star of this vibrant dish is the Genevose basil grown right at Olivia’s Garden (a state-of-the-art pesticide-free greenhouse garden up in New Gloucester, about 45 minutes north of Portland.)
The pasta was as smooth as silk with a thin coating of the freshest pesto making this dish an explosion of delicate flavors.
No garlic overload in this award-winning pesto! I was in heaven and didn’t want this bite to end.
Solo Italiano’s owner and chef Paolo Laboa is from Genoa, Italy, where he was awarded the Best Young Chef in all of Italy and the winner of the Pesto World Championship.
Scales
So, I have to admit, I’ve been dreaming about this seafood dish since I left the tour. As we casually walked over to Scales where I devoured some of the best Mussels I’ve had in the longest time Maine’s sustainable initiatives with seafood farming, fisheries, aquaculture, kelp farming, lobster and climate change were all on the table for discussion as we dug into that cast iron skillet filled with Bang Island mussels. I tried to be as polite as I could waiting to see if anyone was interested in snagging that last piece of crusty bread from Standard Baking co.
Tender and sweet, these sea jewels were swimming in a broth that was so delicious, it was almost distracting. Bryce almost had my full attention. I wish I didn’t have to share that afternoon.
Don’t you simply love the old fashioned scale and the sunlight pouring right into this glorious open kitchen?
Bangs Island mussels prepared with Maine cider, Raye’s Mustard, cream and dill served with bread with Maine grains from Standard Baking Company. Raye’s Mustard, located in Eastport, Maine, hasn’t changed since it opened in 1900. The mustard was originally used in the packing of sardines. Maine no longer produces sardines but Raye’s mustard is going strong.
East Ender
I was so stuffed by the time we left Scales, but somehow I managed to make room for yet another bite – an ooey-gooey lobster melt. This melt was so next level with 100% Maine lobster meat dressed in a lobster mayo that they make in-house with reduced lobster stock and fresh chives. The sandwich is topped with local Monterey jack cheese from Pineland Farms. The bread is from Southside Production bakery in South Portland.
Piccolo
After almost three hours of exploring the restaurant scene and eating one tasty bite after the next, we buttoned up this thought-provoking tour with a scrumptious dessert at Piccolo where Bryce shed light on food insecurity in Maine and global food waste. Piccolo is a leader in the restaurant community addressing food insecurity. Their culinary teams at Piccolo and Chaval (their sister restaurant) host community events to raise funds for various non-profit organizations focussing efforts on diminishing food insecurity.
Bryce addressing food insecurity, food waste as he wrapped up the tour at the Piccolo.
I loved that this walking tour was only about a mile long with approximately 5-6 minutes between restaurants. I can’t think of a better way to restaurant hop, and take in the historic district of Old Port on a beautiful late fall afternoon. Each dish was expertly crafted and tied right into a discussion about Maine’s food systems. I had the best time chatting it up with fabulous foodies from all over the country. On my ride home from Portland to Boothbay, I felt a deeper connection to Maine. Bryce’s closing resonated with me all the way home:
“If you really think about it, we really do have a wide array of the food choices at our disposal everyday and what we decide to put on our plate is a reflection of our values and our circumstance. Hopefully today’s tour will spark in you changes you might make with your palate, your health, and your community in mind.”
Maine Food For Thought was an intimate culinary exploration that went beyond the plate.
It’s no surprise that within three years, Bryce and Sarah have already won a prestigious international award: WINNER, BEST FOOD OR BEVERAGE TOUR EXPERIENCE, by the World Food Travel Association’s 2019 FoodTrekking Awards for “Excellence & Innovation in Food and Beverage Travel Experiences.”
It was an honor to have Sarah and Bryce in the studio sharing their journey. If you are ever in Maine, please do carve out time to take this tour and also eat at these award-winning restaurants.
I hope you enjoy their podcast. I can almost wage you’ll be catching the next flight to Portland or tempted to get in your car and make a reservation to enjoy some of that award-winning pesto or those Bang Island mussels.
Happy Listening!