From:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/201...Few-Cooks-For-
New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens

"David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon and
even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will cost him,
he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."

What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve at a
profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about spices? I
wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it, I'm just
curious. I'd love to see a menu.

Tara

Tara wrote:
> From:
> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/201...Few-Cooks-For-
> New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens
>
> "David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
> restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
> Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
> restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon
> and even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will
> cost him, he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."
>
> What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve
> at a profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about
> spices? I wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it,
> I'm just curious. I'd love to see a menu.
>
> Tara

What grows in Maine in February? Maybe they'll be serving snow cones
....

-S-

Tara wrote:
>
> From:
> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/201...Few-Cooks-For-
> New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens
>
> "David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
> restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
> Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
> restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon and
> even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will cost him,
> he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."
>
> What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve at a
> profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about spices? I
> wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it, I'm just
> curious. I'd love to see a menu.
>
> Tara

Fish, lots of fish. Presumably chicken and other locally raised meats,
eggs and dairy. Locally grown vegetables in the summer months and
traditional put away for winter stuff like butternut and acorn squash.
Spices would be an issue, but garlic, peppers and herbs would be no
problem. Certainly venison and turkey would be easy winter fare.

On 7/17/2013 8:05 PM, Pete C. wrote:
>
> Tara wrote:
>>
>> From:
>> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/201...Few-Cooks-For-
>> New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens
>>
>> "David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
>> restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
>> Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
>> restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon and
>> even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will cost him,
>> he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."
>>
>> What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve at a
>> profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about spices? I
>> wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it, I'm just
>> curious. I'd love to see a menu.
>>
>> Tara
>
> Fish, lots of fish. Presumably chicken and other locally raised meats,
> eggs and dairy. Locally grown vegetables in the summer months and
> traditional put away for winter stuff like butternut and acorn squash.
> Spices would be an issue, but garlic, peppers and herbs would be no
> problem. Certainly venison and turkey would be easy winter fare.
>
That sounds about right. Fish for sure. I wish him success, even
though I'll never get to Maine to find out if it works. I don't know
why spices should be a problem. Whatever can be grown there can be
dried. There must be ways to store whole spices and seeds for the off
months. Grind if/as needed.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
>
> On 7/17/2013 8:05 PM, Pete C. wrote:
> >
> > Tara wrote:
> >>
> >> From:
> >> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/201...Few-Cooks-For-
> >> New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens
> >>
> >> "David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
> >> restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
> >> Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
> >> restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon and
> >> even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will cost him,
> >> he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."
> >>
> >> What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve at a
> >> profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about spices? I
> >> wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it, I'm just
> >> curious. I'd love to see a menu.
> >>
> >> Tara
> >
> > Fish, lots of fish. Presumably chicken and other locally raised meats,
> > eggs and dairy. Locally grown vegetables in the summer months and
> > traditional put away for winter stuff like butternut and acorn squash.
> > Spices would be an issue, but garlic, peppers and herbs would be no
> > problem. Certainly venison and turkey would be easy winter fare.
> >
> That sounds about right. Fish for sure. I wish him success, even
> though I'll never get to Maine to find out if it works.


> I don't know
> why spices should be a problem. Whatever can be grown there can be
> dried. There must be ways to store whole spices and seeds for the off
> months. Grind if/as needed.

Not many spices grow in the US, only a few really, most are from India
and the surrounding region. Herbs can easily be fresh year round with a
little greenhouse and of course they can also be dried or frozen for the
off season.

On 7/17/2013 9:02 PM, Pete C. wrote:
>
> jmcquown wrote:
>>
>> I don't know
>> why spices should be a problem. Whatever can be grown there can be
>> dried. There must be ways to store whole spices and seeds for the off
>> months. Grind if/as needed.
>
> Not many spices grow in the US, only a few really, most are from India
> and the surrounding region. Herbs can easily be fresh year round with a
> little greenhouse and of course they can also be dried or frozen for the
> off season.
>
Herbs, yes. I'm drying some fresh parsley as I type. But of course
he'll need things like salt & pepper. Does he own a salt mine? Where's
he going to get peppercorns? I can't think of a single meal that
wouldn't benefit from salt & pepper. The term locavore in this instance
is entirely too restricted. MHO.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
>
> On 7/17/2013 9:02 PM, Pete C. wrote:
> >
> > jmcquown wrote:
> >>
> >> I don't know
> >> why spices should be a problem. Whatever can be grown there can be
> >> dried. There must be ways to store whole spices and seeds for the off
> >> months. Grind if/as needed.
> >
> > Not many spices grow in the US, only a few really, most are from India
> > and the surrounding region. Herbs can easily be fresh year round with a
> > little greenhouse and of course they can also be dried or frozen for the
> > off season.
> >
> Herbs, yes. I'm drying some fresh parsley as I type. But of course
> he'll need things like salt & pepper. Does he own a salt mine? Where's
> he going to get peppercorns? I can't think of a single meal that
> wouldn't benefit from salt & pepper. The term locavore in this instance
> is entirely too restricted. MHO.
>
> Jill

Maine is coastal, local evaporated sea salt should be no problem.
Peppercorns would probably be an issue, but with careful use of say
dried and powdered local medium to hot peppers you ought to be able to
do ok.

On 7/17/2013 5:20 PM, Tara wrote:
> From:
> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/201...Few-Cooks-For-
> New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens
>
> "David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
> restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
> Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
> restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon and
> even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will cost him,
> he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."
>
> What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve at a
> profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about spices? I
> wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it, I'm just
> curious. I'd love to see a menu.

Here's the link to the Kickstarter campaign running to help fund the
restaurant. It describes his plans for the restaurant and give some
details about food sourcing and menus during the winter months.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...-100-local-ing

And here's the manifesto for the restaurant, explaining why he wants
to do this.
http://www.vinland.me/mission/

From the manifesto: True profit is not monetary. As Wendell Berry
writes,

Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit.

Uh-huh. If this gets off the ground, it'll close after two years.

On 7/17/2013 10:19 PM, Pete C. wrote:
>
> jmcquown wrote:
>>
>> On 7/17/2013 9:02 PM, Pete C. wrote:
>>>
>>> jmcquown wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I don't know
>>>> why spices should be a problem. Whatever can be grown there can be
>>>> dried. There must be ways to store whole spices and seeds for the off
>>>> months. Grind if/as needed.
>>>
>>> Not many spices grow in the US, only a few really, most are from India
>>> and the surrounding region. Herbs can easily be fresh year round with a
>>> little greenhouse and of course they can also be dried or frozen for the
>>> off season.
>>>
>> Herbs, yes. I'm drying some fresh parsley as I type. But of course
>> he'll need things like salt & pepper. Does he own a salt mine? Where's
>> he going to get peppercorns? I can't think of a single meal that
>> wouldn't benefit from salt & pepper. The term locavore in this instance
>> is entirely too restricted. MHO.
>>
>> Jill
>
> Maine is coastal, local evaporated sea salt should be no problem.
> Peppercorns would probably be an issue, but with careful use of say
> dried and powdered local medium to hot peppers you ought to be able to
> do ok.
>
According to the link posted by Moe DeLoughan, "This means no olive oil,
no lemon, no black pepper."

Jill

Moe wrote:

> Here's the link to the Kickstarter campaign running to help fund the
> restaurant. It describes his plans for the restaurant and give some
> details about food sourcing and menus during the winter months.
> http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...-100-local-ing
>
> And here's the manifesto for the restaurant, explaining why he wants to do
> this.
> http://www.vinland.me/mission/
>
> From the manifesto: True profit is not monetary. As Wendell Berry
> writes,
>
> Say that your main crop is the forest
> that you did not plant,
> that you will not live to harvest.
> Say that the leaves are harvested
> when they have rotted into the mold.
> Call that profit.
>
> Uh-huh. If this gets off the ground, it'll close after two years.

I see that Vinland is inspired by Fäviken in Sweden, which I suspected as
soon as I saw the name Vinland. Fäviken is apparently doing great, and it's
a helluva lot more isolated. It's also got a somewhat smaller set of
potential local ingredients. I think the restaurant's success will depend on
whether it ends up located in the city or the country: One of the reasons
that Fäviken is successful is its status as a retreat. If Vinland doesn't
accomplish that same kind of vibe, it will probably falter.

Bob