Midcoast Entrepreneurs: Bright Ideas, Creativity and Enterprise
From restaurateurs to artists, and everything in between, the Midcoast is beaming with creatives and innovators in all mediums.
Since the inception of PenBayPilot.com, a collective goal of our writers has been to spotlight entrepreneurs and their creativity. Now, we have established a hub for our stories about the Midcoast’s entrepreneurs to permanently reside.
We encourage our readers to support as many local business owners as possible across as many industries as you can. Our neighbors need our support, so please browse through this hub for potential purchases or places to eat.
Briar Patch restaurant opens in Appleton
APPLETON — Briar Patch restaurant was a vision years in the making said owner Ben Magro, over a cup of coffee in the bright but intimate space that houses his new restaurant venture. The structure, while not new, was a labor of love.
Magro, a longtime resident of Appleton, said that he had always admired the property that now houses Briar Patch.
“I always eyed this property, it’s just so beautiful,” he said, referring to the early 1800s cape that has been reimagined as a… Read more
Kurafuto brings Japanese street food to Camden wharf
CAMDEN—Kurafuto, the long-awaited Japanese-style pub now open in Camden, completes restaurateur Matt Haskell’s vision of combining his Blaze Brewery with a menu of small plates, noodle bowls, and sushi.
“We’ve been open a week now and while sushi has been a big draw, people are really drawn to the noodle bowls,” said head chef Luigi Patelli. “The House Ramen, with Kurobuto pork shoulder pork belly, soft egg, nori and scallion, has been the favorite so far.”
Patelli, who moved… Read more
Ice cream cones with a sprinkling of unmarred ocean views
LINCOLNVILLE—Set in the annex of the Lincolnville Beach’s Lobster Pound is a cool treat for the last days of summer: ice cream with unspoiled ocean views.
Even when the restaurant is closed, the ice cream shop is open seven days a week from 12 to 9 p.m., the only establishment to stay open that late in Lincolnville Beach.
Mariah Lapham, 23, of Belfast, is the sole ice cream scooper, and on any given day she gives her right shoulder and hand a workout scooping nearly 50-100… Read more
Hope to welcome Barrettstown Farmhouse restaurant
HOPE — On Wednesday, August 1, the pastoral property at 42 Hatchet Mountain Road in Hope — formerly the Hatchett Mountain Publick House — will reopen as the Barrettstown Farmhouse, a restaurant specializing in tasty, approachable food, fun drinks and good people, said new owner Jessica “Jessi” Wootton.
Jessi's decision to stay in her home state of Maine was not initially one she anticipated. After more than five years living on St. John USVI, she flew home in July 2017 to attend the… Read more
The Block Saloon opens in Thomaston
THOMASTON — When Martin Farrell bought the building at 173 Main St. in Thomaston in 2014 it was initially to house the offices of his healthcare consulting business. Though the historic building started its life as Delano's Saloon, said Farrell, prior to his purchase it spent about 150 years as a bank under various names.
Now, Farrell has decided to take the building back to its roots, officially opening The Block Saloon on Tuesday, June 26.
The name for the establishment was… Read more
The Hichborn offers fine dining, local ingredients in Stockton Springs
STOCKTON SPRINGS — When Kirk P. Linder and Charlie Zorich decided to leave Portland, Oregon, it was New England's siren song that called them. Traveling in their 1984 Volkswagen Westfalia — affectionately called "Larri" — the pair said they were discussing their shared feeling that it was time to leave Portland.
They had been working on starting a project out there but had become discouraged and were ready to move on. What they did not yet know was that they would become the owner/… Read more
Rockland’s North Beacon Oyster to feature Maine seafood, happy hour
ROCKLAND — 421 Main Street in Rockland will soon open its doors as North Beacon Oyster. Owner and Chef Michael Mastronardi, of Port Clyde, said he hopes to open the doors of his new business in the next two weeks, and “definitely before Memorial Day.”
Mastronardi, 33, is no stranger to the Midcoast restaurant scene. A native of Hartford, Conn., he said his career in restaurants started organically when he accepted a position washing dishes and “worked really hard.”
His work… Read more
Camden’s harborside Blaze Brewing Co. set to open in June
CAMDEN — The roll out for the Camden location of Blaze Brewing Co. is right on schedule for a June opening. Maine restaurateur Matt Haskell took the winter to fine tune plans for the new microbewery, which is sandwiched between his two restaurants, Hoxbill, a casual fine dining restaurant overlooking the harbor on Bay View Landing and their soon-to-open Japanese counter-service izakaya, or pub, called Kurafuto. Joined in the center is the dramatic glass-enclosed microbrewery production room… Read more
Odd Alewives, new Waldoboro farmhouse brewery opens May 3
WALDOBORO — Even though it feels remote, one of the latest breweries opening in the Midcoast area is a stone’s throw from Moody’s Diner off Route 1.
Odd Alewives Farm Brewery, founded by John and Sarah McNeil, sits on 22 acres of gardens and forest. The brewery and tasting room are a converted 1850s alpaca barn that sits next to their farmhouse. While John works with a 10-barrel system on one side of the barn, Sarah will oversee the tasting room. With quirky bowed floors, handcrafted… Read more
Handcrafted candles that look, and smell, sweet enough to eat
HOPE—Easter has come and gone but in many homes, small beeswax candles in the shape of bunnies and Easter Eggs, made by Susie Smith, serve as the holiday’s fragrant reminder.
Smith has been handcrafting the naturally colored and honey-scented pure beeswax candles for 10 years at her home studio in Hope on property she shares with her husband, David Smith.
David is a beekeeper and the Smiths make honey, as well as maple syrup. The natural byproducts of the hive have become the… Read more