Chef Rob Evans has long been a fan of artisanal foods, and since moving to Maine to open Hugo's and Duckfat restaurants, he has embraced many of the area's local providers:
Coffee By Design
Coffee By Design, a Maine-owned coffee company and micro-roastery, focuses on educating people about specialty coffee and providing them with the best quality coffee beans, beverages, and food products available. The company, who uses recycled products wherever possible and works with vendors and suppliers who share their commitment to the environment, has developed a blend for Hugo's. Learn more at coffeebydesign.com.
Maine Beer Company
The Maine Beer Company, a small microbrewery in Portland, uses 100 percent wind power for all of their electricity and donates used grain, yeast, and grain bags to local farmers. Spring Peeper Beer, the company's first ale, is a lean, dry, bottle-conditioned brew with a light color and moderate amount of American hops and malts. Find more information at mainebeercompany.com.
Maine Mead Works
In 2007, entrepreneurs Eli Cayer (a hobby beekeeper) and Ben Alexander (a technology entrepreneur) developed this Maine meadery to bring this sustainable beverage to the masses. Made from 100 percent Maine wildflower honey and only the finest locally produced ingredients, their HoneyMaker products have the delicate flavor of wildflowers; the HoneyMaker Dry Mead and HoneyMaker Blueberry Mead are two of Chef Rob's favorites. For more details, visit mainemeadworks.com.
Morse's Sauerkraut and European Deli
Morse's Sauerkraut has been a well-known part of Maine for nearly a century. The company produces fresh sauerkraut that is made with Maine-grown cabbage, has no preservatives, and is hand packed with its own brine straight from the same barrel in which the raw cabbage fermented. Learn more at morsessauerkraut.com.
Raye's Mustard
Located in Eastport, Maine, Raye's Mustard Mill is North America's last remaining traditional stone-ground mustard mill. Four generations of the Raye family have been grinding mustard on the rock-bound coast of Maine since 1900, when 20-year-old J. Wesley Raye, the son of a sea captain, founded the business in the family smokehouse to produce mustard for Maine's burgeoning sardine industry. The mill is known for its array of 21 award-winning gourmet and specialty mustards. For more information, visit rayesmustard.com.
Sweet Marguerites
Family owned and operated in South Portland, Maine, Sweet Marguerites hand makes delicious chocolates using only the finest ingredients, including cream from Maine's Smiling Hill Farm, European style butter, sea salt from the Gulf of Maine, and single-origin chocolate from Tanzania and Venezuela. Their chocolates range from delicate to intense in flavor. Get more details at sweetmarguerites.com.
Tibbetts Mushroom Company
The Tibbetts Mushroom Company, founded by Rick Tibbets, produces wild and cultivated mushrooms as well as wild vegetables. Their output changes based on the season, with items such as ramps, fiddle heads, and pheasant-back mushrooms available in spring; shitake mushrooms, gold oyster, and hon-shimeji mushrooms available in autumn. A regular customer, Rob is particularly fond of their matsutake mushrooms. To find out more, email tibbettsmushroomcompany@yahoo.com.
Wood Prairie Farm
Wood Prairie, a small certified-organic family farm, sells their own food and seeds as well as products of other certified-organic family farmers directly to consumers through their website and catalogue. Rob is particularly fond of cooking with Wood Prairie potatoes. For more information, visit woodprairie.com.
