New Brewer restaurant channels the flavors of the Gulf Coast
Throughout the first two weeks of Jessica Calvert’s new Brewer restaurant, Southern Spoon, being open, she was stunned to search out individuals coming in to ask for all kinds of southern delicacies delicacies.
“Greater than half of the those that have are available in to this point have requested issues like purple beans and rice, rooster gumbo, stuff like that,” stated Calvert, who moved to Maine final yr from her house state of Mississippi along with her husband, Jesse. “Someone got here in and requested for boudin [sausage], and I used to be like ‘What are you aware about boudin? The place’d you come from?’”
Calvert, a seasoned chef who minimize her tooth working in Emeril Lagasse’s eating places in New Orleans and elsewhere on the Gulf Coast, is aware of her stuff — she’s spent 20 years in kitchens, together with her personal restaurant, Savory Roots, which she ran for 5 years in Biloxi, Mississippi, earlier than shifting to Maine.
Since January, she’s been providing catering and meal prep companies out of Southern Spoon, positioned at 495 South Essential St. in Brewer, and in early July, she launched her common menu there for each dine-in and takeout.
Clockwise, from left: Shrimp n grits, rooster alfredo flatbread and balsamic French dressing provided on the menu at Southern Spoon in Brewer. Credit score: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
Although Calvert’s menu adjustments each week, there are just a few objects that normally seem, together with her wealthy, flavorful shrimp and grits, a specialty that she says has already introduced in repeat prospects. Pimento cheese BLTs, home made banana pudding, Mississippi pot roast, jambalaya and different Gulf Coast treats commonly rotate out and in, alongside an array of different sandwiches and salads.
“I actually discovered a lot from cooking in New Orleans and from being on the Gulf Coast, in order that’s actually the sort of meals I like to prepare dinner,” Calvert stated. “I strive to usher in as a lot stuff from down there as I can, like Zapp’s Chips, Gambino’s bread, New Orleans espresso. If I can supply the correct stuff, I’m bringing it.”
Calvert has been stunned by how many individuals from southern states who’ve moved as much as Maine have come out of the woodwork in latest weeks.
“I didn’t notice how many individuals have deep connections to the south, and the way many individuals spend a part of their yr down south after which come up right here,” she stated. “I’ll make something anyone needs. If any person is available in and asks for fried rooster, I could make fried rooster.”
The eating room at Southern Spoon is small and seats fewer than 20 individuals, however it’s received a comfy feeling, and the open kitchen permits prospects to see Calvert at work, whipping up each candy and savory dishes with ease. The constructing has previously held various meals companies, together with Riverside Pizza and a number of other different catering companies.
Southern Spoon is open for each dine-in and takeout from 11 a.m. to six p.m. Mondays by Fridays, although it closes at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays. For extra data, observe Southern Spoon on Fb or name 207-401-9115 to position an order.
