A brand new survey from Entire Meals Market and Wakefield Analysis finds 56 % of respondents assume it’s vital to serve vegan dishes at vacation gatherings, and the metric appears an correct reflection of this wacky yr, which has proved a increase time for vegan meals in Maine. As 2021 nears its shut, the plant-based happenings preserve rolling in, whilst I kind, making it a battle to squeeze all of them in. Right here goes.
Final month, vegan burger firm Veggie Life introduced a transfer to the previous Mainely Custard constructing at 150 U.S. Route 1 in Freeport. That location is now the manufacturing facility for the corporate’s frozen veggie burgers and jackfruit chili, each of which have been just lately added to the menus of all of the Sea Canine eating places in New England.
Veggie Life moved from its unique rented kitchen house in The Forks. Proprietor Jaime Shaw, who has a restaurant background, is targeted on fulfilling her elevated wholesale order load inside the corporate’s new and spacious digs, but she hasn’t dominated out the potential of promoting vegan meals from the Freeport web site. May a veggie burger café or a vegan ice cream store be in Freeport’s future? I’ll preserve you posted.
In different veggie burger information, Akua, a Portland-based firm that makes meals from nutrient-dense sea greens, launched a kelp veggie burger earlier this yr, and it landed a point out in The New York Instances’ Entrance Burner column, the place Florence Fabricant wrote: “Even if you happen to knew how kelp tasted you most likely couldn’t guess it from sampling these new iterations.” Extra vegetable burger information comes from the brand new meals vendor Snow Canines on the Camden Snow Bowl, which plans to serve veggie burgers and veggie canine, amongst different plant-based choices, when the mountain reopens for the ski season.
The choices for vegan snacks have been increasing in Maine, too. Portland-based granola bar firm Sidebar just lately launched a vegan bar made with crystallized ginger, almond butter and dried apricots, whereas this fall, Kittery-based doughnut store Lovebirds began making vegan croissants and dipping them in chocolate.
On-line vegan deal with maker Baristas + Bites, primarily based in Portland, just lately achieved Kosher certification, and Lois’ Pure Market in Scarborough began carrying the corporate’s vegan Anzac cookies. In the meantime, Brunswick-based R.E.D.D. launched a brand new taste of its ready-to-mix vegan elixirs: matcha latte.
Members of Folks for the Moral Remedy of Animals protest the apply of boiling lobsters in Portland’s Congress Sq. Park on Oct. 14. Picture by Avery Yale Kamila
Folks for the Moral Remedy of Animals attracted discover Oct. 14 when it protested the apply of boiling lobsters by organising a dunk tank in Portland’s Congress Sq. Park. I checked it out and was stunned by the numerous horn blasts from supportive drivers. A protester advised me she was impressed with how many individuals strolling by advised her they have been vegan.
In early November, King Center College in Portland invited me together with Ahmed Abbas of Dina’s Delicacies, Alana Dao of Công Tử Bột, newly elected Portland Metropolis Councilor Roberto Rodriguez of Contemporary Meals Gardens, and Lewiston Metropolis Councilor Safiya Khalid of Gateway Neighborhood Service, to speak with college students about our cultural meals traditions. I spoke concerning the world tradition of vegetarianism and its historical past right here in Portland. Slightly little bit of that tradition confirmed up in Arundel just lately at Frinklepod Farm’s all-vegan Harvest Dinner, the place the farmers served pumpkin seed croquettes produced from a recipe of mine first printed greater than a decade in the past within the Portland Press Herald.
On the principally vegetarian Little Gem in Bangor, the colourful Jen Pen salad is topped with carrots, peanuts, cabbage, edamame, cucumbers, cilantro, avocado and miso-sesame dressing. Picture courtesy of Little Gem
Plant-based Gem in Bangor
Within the midst of the pandemic, Maggie Bauman and her mom, Sara Bauman, each vegans, moved from Toledo, Ohio, to Bangor, the place they purchased a duplex and settled into their new life in Maine. Then, final month, the pair opened the plant-based restaurant Little Gem, which is co-located with Mainely Dietary supplements within the Hannaford Mall Plaza. The restaurant is serving principally vegan and vegetarian salads, wraps and smoothies.
“We’ve gotten quite a lot of enterprise and nice suggestions and quite a lot of pleasure on social media,” Maggie Bauman mentioned. “The Jen Pen salad is certainly the most important vendor for the time being. It’s named for my aunt and has carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, edamame, crushed peanuts, avocado, cilantro and miso-sesame dressing.”
All of the dishes are vegan or vegetarian, aside from a meat-eaters model of the Gem salad, which is topped with rooster, bacon and cheese, together with pita crisps, raisins, tomatoes, mushrooms and onions. The vegan Gem salad comes topped with jackfruit rooster, tofu bacon and vegan mozzarella. The Sol Pleasure salad options beans, corn, avocado and cheddar cheese, whereas the Hey Jude comes topped with chickpeas, cabbage, quinoa and feta. Smoothies embrace Chocolate Indulgence, Contemporary Inexperienced, and PB + Chai.
“We wish to create a restaurant that caters to vegans and vegetarians as a result of there appears to be an absence of choices round right here,” Maggie Bauman mentioned.
The Baumans spent the final decade in Toledo operating a household restaurant began by Maggie Bauman’s grandmother and aunt. Sara Bauman utilized in reside in Portland, and the pandemic stirred a want to return to Maine. Maggie Bauman mentioned Bangor’s affordability and proximity to Acadia Nationwide Park drew them to the riverside metropolis.
“The restaurant business is what we all know,” Maggie mentioned. “We determined we’d give it a shot.”
Toast bakery will use its sourdough, gluten-free, vegan loaves and bagels as the bottom for sandwiches when it opens a store in Kittery. It hopes to have the store open by yr’s finish. Picture courtesy of Toast
Gluten-Free Toast in Kittery
The artisanal, gluten-free bread Nina Holland developed in the course of the pandemic rapidly attracted a loyal following for pick-up and supply. Now Holland has rented a storefront in Kittery the place she plans to pair her sourdough bread, which can be vegan, with sandwich toppings. By the top of the yr, Holland hopes to open the plant-based sandwich store Toast at 7 Shapleigh Highway. The menu might be gluten-free and vegan aside from pasture-raised eggs which will be added to any sandwich.
It took Holland many tries earlier than she perfected Toast’s signature sourdough bread and bagels utilizing wild yeast and a recipe that mimics wheat bread. “I used to be taking a look at texture, for one, as a result of gluten-free breads within the retailer are very crumbly,” Holland mentioned of her recipe improvement course of. “I needed a crispy crust on the skin and mushy and doughy on the within. As soon as I accomplished recipe seven, I acquired that texture and the sourdough taste. I mentioned, ‘That is the one.’”
To assist these with gluten intolerances and digestive tract points, Holland makes use of a sourdough starter primarily based on rice flour.
“Naturally fermented yeast is nice for the intestine,” mentioned Holland. “The brown rice flour and water sits and ferments, and it creates good energetic micro organism that’s good to your intestine. The micro organism assist break down carbohydrates, so folks can break it down simpler of their our bodies.”
Holland arrange a Kickstarter marketing campaign in search of $16,980 for constructing renovations, and met the aim in 15 days, in the end elevating $18,000. Building is nearing completion, whereas Holland awaits licensing from the state. The storefront just isn’t zoned for a bakery, so Holland will proceed to bake the bread and bagels off-site.
The sandwich menu will embrace a “subsequent degree” avocado toast, a vegan BLT with carrot bacon and an herbed chickpea sandwich. A youngsters menu will embrace smaller slices of bread topped with nut butter, bananas and vegan Nutella or cashew grilled cheese.
Within the meantime, loaves will be ordered for native pick-up at themainetoast.com.
Shuttered in the course of the pandemic, Gatherings 4 Principal Road, a brand new group middle and vegetarian restaurant in Dexter, reopened this summer time. It serves vegan lunches on Mondays and Wednesdays. Picture courtesy of Gatherings 4 Principal Road
Vegan Gatherings in Dexter
Within the small Penobscot County city of Dexter, a group middle serving vegan meals opened in 2019. However, like many issues, it was shuttered by the pandemic. This summer time, nevertheless, Ethan and Tiffany Wright moved from Tennessee to Maine with their two youngsters to assist reopen the group house, Gatherings 4 Principal Road, named for the handle, and restart the group meals, that are supplied in trade for a donation.
“When this closed due to the pandemic, folks have been unhappy to see it shut down,” Ethan Wright mentioned. “Earlier than we reopened, my spouse and I acquired to know everybody downtown, the native shops and the submit workplace, to allow them to know we have been opening. So after we opened we had a fairly heat reception.”
A educated chef, Tiffany Wright is in control of the meals, that are served from midday to 1:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. The prompt donation is $8 per meal, and people with out funds are welcome to eat at no cost.
One meal is obtainable per day, which have included crunch wraps, veggie burgers, falafel gyros, lasagna and enchiladas. One widespread dish is the Taco Truck Burrito, full of beans, rice, greens, guacamole, vegan bitter cream and vegan cheese. All of the meals are vegan, although diners can add cow’s milk cheese or bitter cream.
“One other factor we’ve achieved as soon as and been requested to do once more is the noodle bar,” Ethan mentioned. “We had two broths, ginger-garlic and coconut curry, a pair totally different types of noodle, rice vermicelli and a flatter pad Thai-style noodle, and plenty of veggies. We grill the veggies proper there with the noodles and prime with contemporary pea shoots and seaweed sheets.”
The group middle, which presents board video games, puzzles, books and an indoor playground, is open from 10 a.m. to five p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays because of the assistance of volunteers. If the Wrights discover extra volunteers, they might develop the hours. The veg-friendly Seventh-day Adventist Church, based by Maine prophet Ellen G. White, helps fund the group middle, and a weekly Bible examine group meets within the house.
Subsequent month, Gatherings is planning a Christmas cookie celebration, and the Wrights hope to be partnering with the city by January to host pop-up academic occasions.
Constituted of complete meals with out refined sugar, Lokahi Meals vegan, gluten-free frozen desserts will be ordered from Fork Meals Lab. Picture courtesy of Lokahi Meals and Vuk Multimedia
Nutrient-Dense Treats in Portland
At Fork Meals Lab in Portland, new dessert firm Lokahi Meals is making vegan, gluten-free treats with out refined sugar – the recipes depend on maple syrup and dates to sweeten as a substitute. Lokahi (a Hawaiian phrase which means “harmonious unity” and pronounced loh-kah-hee) grew from proprietor Jelena Cesljarac’s love of sweets and quest to enhance her well being.
Cesljarac, who immigrated to the US from Serbia, first settled in North Dakota the place she began a dessert firm utilizing conventional recipes from her mom’s bakery in Serbia.
“I used to be operating that enterprise for some time, and sadly I needed to cease as a result of I developed intestine points due to unbalanced diet,” Cesljarac mentioned. “I needed to stop processed sugar and many of the carbs. I began researching extra concerning the impact sugar has on the physique. I made a decision I can’t promote these merchandise to clients and I needed to shut that firm.”
Quitting refined sugar didn’t treatment her candy tooth and so when Cesljarac moved to Portland final yr, she started mixing collectively nutrient-dense berries and nuts. Her associates tasted the treats and inspired her, and she or he now sells them as frozen power bites and power cups, in flavors that embrace chocolate, coconut, chocolate hazelnut, raspberry lemon, triple berry and strawberry chocolate. She is engaged on specials for Christmas.
Cesljarac’s frozen desserts will be eaten straight from the freezer or allowed to melt within the fridge first. Order for pick-up or supply at lokahifoods.com.
Correction: Not vegan mushy serve
Earlier this yr, I reported the B&R Dairy Bar in Grey was serving 30 flavors of vegan mushy serve and attracting quite a lot of new clients. Properly, it seems the producer Newberry’s hadn’t disclosed the total ingredient listing and the mushy serve combine comprises the cow’s milk protein, casein. When the inside track store found this on the finish of the season, it modified its signage to let clients know the mushy serve wasn’t vegan in spite of everything. “I’m sorry for the confusion,” proprietor Tom Murray mentioned. The store is closed for the season, however Murray mentioned the provider advised him they’re engaged on the product to make it actually vegan. Right here’s hoping they’ll do away with the cow’s milk protein by the point B&R Dairy Bar reopens within the spring.
Avery Yale Kamila is a meals author who lives in Portland. She will be reached at [email protected]
Twitter: @AveryYaleKamila
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