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New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:
- Day Boat Cafe (website, facebook, instagram) in Waldoboro (above left) had their grand opening on Wednesday. Located at 17 Friendship Road in the town center, Day Boat is the creation of Anna Hymanson and Kelsey Woodworth. Their menu includes options like a pork with broccolini sandwich, panzanella salad and clam chowder. They also have prepared foods to go. The space features a 13-seat lunch counter, two window booths, and a large community table in an open kitchen concept. Outdoor seating will also be available as the weather warms. Day Boat will be open Wednesday through Friday, 10 am – 6 pm, and Saturday/Sunday 10 am – 4 pm.
- Chef Nate Fenn is joining with Logan and Ashleigh Feeney in their relaunch of the Bowdoinham Country Store (above right). The Feeney bought the store last year and have been renovating the building. They’re hoping to launch BCS in May addressing the needs of the community with a neighborhood market and serving as a gathering space with a menu of snacks, pizza, sandwiches and prepared food to go. Later in the summer they hope to expand the seating area and launch a restaurant that will be open for dinner Thursday through Saturday. Fenn is currently the chef at Table Bar in Gardiner. He began his career at Flatlanders Pub in Greenville and has worked at Spring Creek BBQ in Monson and elsewhere in the state. The store is located at 54 River Road near the town center.
- The Waldoboro Inn (instagram) has announced their summer plans and kicked of a novel crowdfunding campaign to help in the build out of their kitchen and expansion of their bar program. Starting on May 30th, Finocchi (instagram) will be operating Trattoria Finocchi at the inn on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays throughout the summer. The Finocchi project “focuses on the story & magic of food as they queer Italian and Italian-American traditions.” They plan to grow some produce at the Inn as well as source ingredients from Landsmith Farm & Commons. You can buy tickets for the crowdfunding campaign/raffle on the TWI website. Ticket prices are aligned with prize packages, and in a unique twist even losing ticket win some type of prize. For example the winner at the $50 level gets a dinner for two, and the remaining ticket holders get a free drink at the inn’s wine bar.
- The Bangor Daily News has published an article about Rasa, an Indian restaurant being launched in Bangor by Sai Guntaka from Taj and his uncle Obul Reddy. The restaurant is scheduled to open March 29th.
- Cellardoor Winery took home an award from the International Wine Competition for their 2024 Late Harvest Frontenac Blanc.
- Salt + Pepper Social in Newcastle is holding 3-course plant-based dinner on May 2nd.
- A new pizza food truck called Colonel’s Canteen (facebook) is under development. They plan to operate at the Korean Dad space in Veazie and at events in the Bangor/Brewer area.
- The Pilgrim’s Inn on Deer Isle has rebranded as The Ark. The restaurant at the inn was on the New York Times “50 best places in America right now” restaurant list in 2025.
- The Crooked Spoon is holding a pop-up dinner at The Norumbega in Camden on March 28th.
- Meet York County has published a field report from Bob’s Ugly Bagels in Shapleigh., and Biddo Foodies has published a field report from Fern Leaf Bakery in Saco.
- The Sanford Springvale News has published a profile of Bob Rizk, the chef and owner of The Rialto in Sanford.
- The Bethel Citizen reports that the Upton Village Store is under new ownership. “They will sell groceries, prepared food and Maine souvenirs year-round. The store will also offer live bait, small camping supplies and check stations for wild game and furs.”
- The Press Herald reports that Maine Beer Company in Freeport is planning an 11,000 sq ft expansion that will enable them to double their production capacity to 100,000 barrels a year.
- As reported last Sunday, Vince Maniaci and Jill Dutton have announced they’ll be closing their Scarborough market and cheese shop, The Cheese Iron
