Gross Bakery and Gross Confection Bar chef and owner Brant Dadaleares has decided to close the bakery side of the business. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer The bakery inside Gross Confection Bar in Portland’s Old Port has announced it will close for good on Sept. 1.
A post on Instagram on Monday said that the decision was driven by staffing shortages. “We’ve been battling this challenge since COVID, and unfortunately, it hasn’t improved over the past year,” the post said. “I’ve spoken with 10 or 15 others – not just restaurants, every kind of business is in same boat,” owner Brant Dadaleares elaborated by telephone.
“ People are bouncing from place to place, whoever pays more. People jump ship really quickly.” Until it closes in a few weeks, Gross Bakery – which sits inside Dadaleares’ dessert-cocktail bar on the corner of Exchange and Middle streets – will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.
m. to 3 p.m.
There are no more Thursday hours. Dadaleares will do the baking himself for the few remaining weeks, as he said his morning baker, whose day begins at 3 a.m.
, has quit. The bakery, which opened in 2019 and sustained the businesses through the pandemic, won’t disappear entirely, however. Some baked goods will be offered in the evening at Gross Confection Bar, Dadaleares said, and he is planning occasional bakery pop-ups for weekends, featuring some of the bakery’s most popular items, among them an assortment of biscuits and scones, sausage and parmesan hand pies, and ham and cheese croissants.
“It was a tough decision, but honestly a little better mentally for me,” Dadaleares said, “a little less stressful.” He said figuring out how to cover staffing at the bakery on the occasions someone phoned in unable to work that day was a continual challenge. MAYOR PETE’S EATS Because U.
S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was visiting Maine in an official capacity last week, he couldn’t say much about the presidential race. But he did give some insight into another pressing matter: what he ate while he was here.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster in Freeport.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Transportation Buttigieg told a Press Herald reporter that he’d had a lobster roll and a whoopie pie (which his office later said came from Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster in Freeport), as well as a meal at Other Side Diner in Portland.
A post shared by Other Side DINER (@othersidediner) Other Side co-owner Jessica Sueltenfuss said Portland Mayor Mark Dion, who is a regular at the diner, asked about a week earlier if he could come in with Buttigieg and others (including Gov. Janet Mills and U.S.
Rep. Chellie Pingree). She said Buttigieg ordered the pork belly banh mi and a Diet Coke, and the table shared blueberry doughnuts.
From left, U.S. Rep.
Chellie Pingree, Gov. Janet Mills, Portland Mayor Mark Dion and U.S.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg eat lunch at Other Side Diner in Portland. Photo courtesy of U.S.
Department of Transportation “Everybody was very gracious. He was very nice. He asked how business was going and seemed really excited to be dining in Portland,” Sueltenfuss said.
Asked if she knew what else Buttigieg ate while in the state, Gabrielle Mannino of Pingree’s office said he and others at a briefing were provided with doughnuts from The Holy Donut, and she heard him say that “he had a really good dinner at Scales.” NEW DIGS FOR HIGGINS BEACH MARKET Higgins Beach Market to get a new building next summer. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer The seasonal Higgins Beach Market, which is part of the Big Tree Hospitality Group (Eventide Oyster, The Honey Paw), has announced that next year it will have a new building.
The market, which sells casual grab-and-go beach food, including cold drinks, sandwiches and ice cream , and serves as a small market for the beach community, has been in an equally casual shack with a laid-back beach vibe. But the building has frequently flooded, according to a post on social media. The market, at 82 Spurwink Road in Scarborough, rents from property owner Chris Owens, who will be responsible for constructing the new building.
“Swing by the market in the next month to say goodbye to that pitted concrete floor and those steamy beverage doors!” the Instagram post ends. Higgins Beach Market will close for the season on Sept. 2.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR MAINE CHEESE FEST The eighth annual Maine Cheese Festival is set for next month in Pittsfield. Scheduled for Sept. 8, from 11 a.
m. to 5 p.m.
in Manson Park, the event is the largest gathering of cheesemakers in the state. The festival showcases the best Maine artisan cheeses and encourages attendees to taste and explore the array of Maine cheeses made from cow, goat, water buffalo and sheep milk. Attendees can sample and buy nationally recognized cheeses from more than 15 Maine cheesemakers.
A beer and wine garden will feature vendors selling and sampling Maine beer, wine and spirits. Local food trucks will be on site throughout the day. Additional vendors will be selling foods that pair well with Maine cheese – such as ferments, crackers, breads, jams and chutneys – as well as craft artisans offering goat milk soaps, pottery and charcuterie boards.
Tickets cost $11-$63 and must be purchased ahead of time at mainecheesefestival.org . AFGANI COOKBOOK DISCUSSION AND POTLUCK IN SCARBOROUGH The third installment of “Food for Talk,” Scarborough Public Library’s cookbook club series, is scheduled for Aug.
25 at Frith Farm. The event, which is free, features an optional potluck dinner, where participants can share dishes they’ve made inspired by the month’s featured cookbook. The cookbook for August is “Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen,” by Durkhanai Ayubi and Farida Ayubi.
Before the event, attendees can pick up a copy of the book at the library’s circulation desk or browse a reference copy and photocopy recipes for personal use. The event runs from 3-5:30 p.m.
at Frith Farm, 61 Ash Swamp Road, Scarborough. Sign up at the library’s website . MAINE RESTAURANTS PARTICIPATE IN NEW ENGLAND BIPOC FESTIVAL A number of Maine restaurants are among the 30-plus participating chefs and restaurants at the New England BIPOC Festival, which is scheduled for Sunday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The participating restaurants include Mr. Tuna, Regards, Ugly Duckling and Yardie Ting, in Portland; ZaoZe Café & Market in Brunswick; La Casita in Kittery; and Ore Nell’s Barbecue in Kittery and Biddeford. The festival, which is free, runs from noon until 5 p.
m. at Strawberry Banke. The event bills itself as “A joyous outdoor festival celebrating the talents and accomplishments of New England’s BIPOC Community.
Everyone is welcome to come together to celebrate the beautiful and festive food, arts, music, diversity and cultures.” Find details at newenglandbipocfest.com .
ALL-DAY CONFERENCE ON WATER AND FOOD SYSTEMS Edible Communities, the group of independently owned local food magazines in North America that includes Edible Maine, is hosting a daylong event featuring discussions about water’s impact on our food systems. The event, “Waves of Change: Navigating the Future of Food,” part of the Edible Communities’ Edible Institute series, will feature talks led by sustainable seafood educators Jennifer Bushman and Barton Seaver, as well as U.S.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, Dave Herring of Wolfe’s Neck Center and others. “This event is not just a gathering,” said Tracey Ryder, co-founder of Edible Communities.
“It’s a catalyst for change, where we hope to deepen our collective understanding of sustainable food practices, foster collaboration, and empower individuals and organizations to make a lasting impact.” The event runs from 8:30 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m. Sept.
13 at Hannaford Hall on the University of Southern Maine campus. Tickets cost $75-$135, available at eventbrite . Features editor Leslie Bridgers and food editor Peggy Grodinsky contributed to this column.
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