Bonobo, the wood-fired pizza parlor at 46 Pine St. in Portland, has new owners. Dustin Grey and Dominique Gonzalez have applied to the city for a license to sell spirits, and indicated they also plan to expand the menu to include housemade pasta and salad entrees. Bonobo was opened in 2007 by Oliver Outerbridge, an outspoken opponent of fluoridation who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Portland Water District Board in 2009.
THEY GATHERED TOGETHER
Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport is offering a one-time-only Thanksgiving CSA share that will provide most of the ingredients you need for a locally sourced Thanksgiving dinner. Interestingly, the $100 share includes pasture-raised meats but no turkey. Farm spokesperson Marissa Mastors says that’s because “we really wanted it to be everything that was sourced here.” The farm didn’t raise turkeys this year, she said. For the same reason, you won’t find any cranberries or pumpkin in the share. But the box includes plenty of butternut squash for soup and meats for stuffing. And since this is the first year the farm has tried making value-added products, such as salsa and tomato sauce, the share includes a jar of farm-made raspberry jam. There’s enough food to feed a family of four or five, Mastors said.
Here’s exactly what you get: 10 pounds of butternut squash, 2 acorn squash, 3 pounds blue potatoes, 1 Wolfe’s Neck Center farm-made raspberry jam, 1 multicolor bunch of kale, 1 whole chicken, 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound mutton sausage, 1 dozen eggs and one Wolfe’s Neck Center tote bag. Only 30 shares are available, so if you’re interested sign up at wolfesneckfarm.org.
A spokesman for the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets said he knew of no other Maine farms offering a Thanksgiving-only CSA deal.
Repast IS prologue
If you were used to ordering Thanksgiving dinner from Aurora Provisions in Portland and are bummed that’s no longer an option – they closed in August – there are lots of other options, of course. But if you’re still feeling nostalgic for Aurora, I heard from Hannah White last week that she’s planning to offer a similar Thanksgiving menu through a new catering company she and her husband have started called Lake & Co. White is the former event and catering coordinator at Aurora Provisions, and her husband, Chuck White, was executive chef there for five years. The menu includes old favorites like butternut squash soup, leek and celeriac gratin, popovers, roasted maple-glazed carrots, and lots of pies. The ordering deadline is Nov. 17, and they are offering free delivery or pick-up at Fork Food Lab. For more information, email hannah@lakeandco.me or call 798-9983.
I LOVE WHAT YOU’VE DONE TO THE PLACE
I love building gingerbread houses when I get the chance, but often wish I had the time and talent to come up with more creative ideas. If you’re like me, help is available this year, in the form of a free class called “The Art of Constructing Gingerbread Houses.” The class, courtesy of the folks who put on the annual Gingerbread Spectacular at Boothbay Harbor’s Opera House, will be held at 3 p.m. Nov. 14 in the main performance hall of the opera house. The class will be led by experienced gingerbread house builder Kevin Kiley, who will share tricks such as “how to keep your house standing upright” and “icing that will withstand an earthquake.” (Maybe they should add “how to keep from eating your building supplies.”) Supplies will be provided. To register, call the Opera House at 633-5159.
This year, the Gingerbread Spectacular will kick off Dec. 14 with the Dough Ball opening night party. Buy tickets at the box office at 86 Townsend Ave., or by calling 633-5159. Specially priced tickets for Opera House members are available for $15. All other tickets are $25 or $30 on the day of the event. For more information, go to boothbayoperahouse.com.
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