According to “The Improper Bostonian,” chef Lydia Shire encountered skunks when she first scoped out the Atlantic House Hotel in York Beach, where her Blue Sky restaurant now sits. Writer Nick Altschuller says her signature lobster pizza “has foodies driving the 90 minutes north to try it.”
Shipyard Summer Ale is No. 3 on Chow.com’s list of the Top 10 summer beers, described as “slightly sweet” and “well balanced.”
The July issue of “Travel + Leisure” includes a feature called “50 Reasons to Love the USA.” The bit about summertime in Maine highlights the food served at The Inn at Ocean’s Edge in Lincolnville, saying chef Bryan Dame “reinterprets classics.”
Even further Downeast, Tom Gutow, chef and owner of the Castine Inn, has hooked up with Bike Riders Tours. The July edition of “Bicycling” magazine says Gutow has been moonlighting as a guest chef on the group’s tours to Burgundy and Tuscany.
The historic Black Point Inn in Scarborough was recently featured in “National Geographic Traveler” magazine, which named the property to its inaugural “Stay List.” The list features properties from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, which represent an authentic “sense of place,” and which have embraced the authenticity of their surroundings, given back to their community and “think green.”
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Five finalists faced off in a Blaine House competition to claim the title of Maine Lobster Chef of the Year. Margaret McLellan, corporate chef of Native Maine Produce and Shucks Lobster, won the honor with her Maine lobster purse with pea shoot salad and wild Maine complements.
Gray’s Chef Wilfred Beriau, chair of the culinary arts department at SMCC, was named Chef Educator of the Year by the American Culinary Federation, Inc.
The wheat-free bagels and pizza dough from Spelt Right Bakery are now being cooked up in the hydro-powered Sparhawk Mill in Yarmouth.
Eve’s at the Garden has snatched pastry chef Lisa Smith away from Standard Baking Company. At the Portland Harbor Hotel’s restaurant, she’ll focus on Old World baked goods, including croissants and brioche.
When the voting was tallied from the 65,000 attendees at this year’s World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI, Gifford’s Ice Cream won the award for the World’s Best Chocolate Ice Cream.
A Yarmouth landmark since 1976, the Muddy Rudder got a facelift last month. The new interior design includes Maine Cottage Furniture and Angela Adams’ carpeting.
Another massive greenhouse is under construction in Madison for Backyard Farms, the grower of vine-ripened tomatoes. The new 18-acre greenhouse will help the company keep up with the skyrocketing demand for locally-grown food.
The Heritage Wheat Conservancy is growing 89 heirloom varieties of wheat at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Common Ground Education Center in Unity.
Local, organic eats from Turkey Hill Farm in Cape Elizabeth are the focus of Cultivating Community’s Twilight Dinners. The three-course meals cost $15 per person, with dinners scheduled for Aug. 14, Aug. 28 and Sept. 11.
— Compiled by Avery Yale Kamila