Former NYC Star Chef Launches Maine Pop-Up

NEWCASTLE — Damian Sansonetti, who until last month was executive chef at Bar Boulud in NYC, has heeded Maine's siren call and launched a pop-up called SONNET. On Sunday afternoon, he's cooking for his first event, a 6-course harvest dinner at Dandelion Spring Farm, featuring their produce, lamb and dairy products. In an email, Sansonsetti said he's planning for "a few more pop-ups in the city an area of Portland this fall." Limited seats are available for Sunday's dinner: email sonetpopup@gmail.com. [EaterWire]

YARMOUTH — The mission of Gather is the subject of a profile by Will Graf in The Forecaster. The new restaurant is owned by Matt Chappell, who "said his primary goal is to bring regionally grown food to customers at moderate prices by partnering with an array of small New England distributors and growers – what he calls the 'foodshed.'" Among these is Farmer's Gate in Wales, who provides Gather with meat "from a collection of about 15 pasture-based Maine farms." [TF]

PORTLAND — Dick Grotton, president of the Maine Restaurant Association, has written an op-ed piece for The Portland Press Herald in response to the recent controversy over restaurant inspections in Portland. He asserts that his members are committed to food safety, while pointing out that among the challenges for Maine restaurant owners is that their businesses are often housed in older building not originally constructed for their current purpose. "It isn't always readily achievable or even possible to exactly meet every requirement of the very complex 100-page Food Code in the leased space of an older building." [PPH]

· Yarmouth Restaurant Bets On Local, Aims For Affordable [TF]
· Restaurants Take Food Safety Seriously, But Face Subjective Inspections [PPH]
[Photo: Damian Samsonetti Twitter]