Food & Family #233

Justin Walker:

I think having your significant other understand, I mean, at least as a chef, understand sort of what you go through as a chef. You know, the long days and the tough decisions and the stress and the chaos and you know, all the things that we sort of go through. I think it's great to have somebody

Karen Watterson:

that understands that there's really no reason to be critical at this point. We just want to tell people what something's like.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This is Dr. Lisa Belisle and you are listening to Love Maine radio show number 233, Food and Family, airing for the first time on Sunday, March 6, 2016. Food is one of our favorite subjects. We love the nourishment that it provides on so many levels. Not only does it provide our bodies with fuel, but it also brings us together with family and friends both in the kitchen and around the table. Today we discuss these ideas with Justin and Danielle Walker, the husband and wife team who run the restaurant Earth at Hidden Pond, and with Old Port and Maine Magazine food editor Karen Waterson. Thank you for joining us.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

my favorite restaurants, really anywhere but definitely here in Maine is Earth at Hidden Pond. So today it is really quite wonderful that I have with me Justin And Danielle Walker, who pretty much keep Earth at Hidden Pond moving. You guys are earth at Hidden Pond. Justin is the chef there. And I guess are you considered the executive chef? That's your official title. And Danielle, you're the general manager.

Justin Walker:

Yes, she's my boss.

Danielle Walker:

That's.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's good. And so not only is she your boss in your work, but possibly in your home life. I don't want to presume anything.

Danielle Walker:

He's a good husband if he's admitting that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah. Well, so you guys. Well, thank you for being here. I appreciate it.

Danielle Walker:

Thank you for having us.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Because you're really busy and it's hard to sometimes schedule the time in, but I'm fascinated by people who are able to work together professionally but then also share a life personally. Tell me how that's been working for you.

Danielle Walker:

It's been working for us since we met, essentially because we work together before we were together. So I think those boundaries were established really early on. So it's just something that we've carried through and you blink. It's 15 years later.

Justin Walker:

I think having your significant other understand that, I mean, at least as a chef, understand sort of what you go through as a chef, you know, the long days and the tough decisions and the stress and the. The chaos and, you know, all the things that we sort of go through. I think it's great to have something that understands that because they live it as well, and to have the support from somebody that understands it is important for a chef. And I think that's why you see so many couples now running restaurants together and, you know, and you're doing something together for each other. And we're lucky that our profession is recognized the way it is. And, you know, it's been great.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Now your son Jackson is 5.

Danielle Walker:

5 years old.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Started kindergarten this year. What's that balance been like?

Danielle Walker:

That was a new facet to things because before we could really write our own schedule, we could put him to bed later and get up later because that's kind of what our life is. But now that we kind of have to find the boundaries that, you know, help us put him into school, get up at 7, onto the bus at 8. It's definitely been new and challenging in different ways, but he is his own little person with his own schedule and ideas and things like that. So it's turning the corner on a really great new chapter.

Justin Walker:

It's definitely hard being away from him, you know, because, you know, we take, you know, we're working 16 plus hours a day, sometimes even more Very, very, not very often less. And you know, you miss a lot of things. You suddenly realize you haven't fed your, actually physically fed your child in two days. You know, we have a good support network and he, he's had really great, you know, preschool and obviously in kindergarten. And we just, we rely on each other, we help each other, the family and it works out. Generally, I think he's happier when he gets to go to his auntie's house than he is to hang out with his parents. So that's, that's a luxury that we have, which is really great.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So I just want to clarify for people who are listening, it's not that nobody has fed your child for two days. You just have not fed your own child for two days. Somebody else is stepping in.

Justin Walker:

Exactly. You have people, you know, family that, that helps with that and, but it is kind of, it does give me like, makes my, you know, gives me a kind of a gut wrenching feeling to know that like, you know, I wish I could be there for him, you know, and it's definitely a balance that's hard to achieve. But you know, no matter what, we're up with him early in the morning and doesn't matter if we've been sleeping two hours or five hours or whatever it is, we try to stay as consistent with that. We always are consistent with that.

Danielle Walker:

You find your family time shifts from what I guess, quote, the norm would be because our family time is in the summertime. He's out of school, it's in the morning, it's from 8 to sometimes I don't leave the house until 10:30, 11 o'.

Karen Watterson:

Clock.

Danielle Walker:

So that time where most people, the kids are getting off the bus, 3:30, that kind of family time just shifts. It's different. So we're usually out the door, we're in the front yard outside big playing that kind of stuff. It's just you have a cup of coffee in your hand instead of come in, it's time for dinner.

Justin Walker:

Yeah, I mean when we're off or we have to be completely off even from home responsibilities, you know, in the summertime we split our days off so that neither one, we don't have a day off together, which is hard. But he, our son gets to make sure he gets two days with his parents and that way that the restaurants covered as well, which is important. And we, but it's all about him. You know, there's no, you know, everything else gets figured out some other way. We just, when we're in season and working, we're either working or we're with him and that's it. And that's our life. Balance difficulties, you know, but you find

Danielle Walker:

time in the wintertime to catch up, to catch up. This is our slow time. We do have that kind of 9 to 5 lifestyle when the restaurant's closed. So we do get to enjoy everything, you know, as it goes by.

Justin Walker:

Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So when is the restaurant actually closed? This is the time of year where things are just taking a rest.

Danielle Walker:

Yes, it's closed for six months. So it's from, let's see, November 1st until first week in May, it's closed. So we fill our time doing different things. We've been doing a couple pop up events where you can see the Earth team. It's really nice this year. It's the first time we've done it consistently over January and February. So we get the band back together like every two weeks. So it's nice to kind of keep that momentum going and we work on the following year. Everything from programming, whether it's food based or health based, you know, lots of different things that we look forward to next year and just putting them down on paper so that when the train does start moving, we keep it on the tracks.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I was fortunate to go to table in Kennebunkport. I always get the Kennebunk. Kennebunkport, but I think it's Kennebunk Port.

Danielle Walker:

It's Lower Village. Kennebunk technically.

Justin Walker:

But if you walk 15ft the other direction, it's Kennebunk Port.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Okay.

Justin Walker:

Kennebunkport.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Kennebunk. Lower Kennebunk. I was there. And this is a place that you have also been. You've also spent time. Is this where you were talking about doing your pop ups?

Danielle Walker:

Yes.

Justin Walker:

Yeah, we've been doing kind of sneak peeks at 2016. Generally in the wintertime, we'll spend four to six weeks very casually testing menu ideas. We try not to push the issue with time. We're not trying to let's get it all done today. We really try to have ideas that are on a page kind of happen. And sometimes things get thrown away. Sometimes we love them, sometimes we tweak them, sometimes, you know, whatever. But this way is doing these pop ups is a great way to keep the guys and girls busy that we work with, give them some winter work and also kind of test out ideas. And it's actually a better. It's a better way to do it because then you kind of see how things morph in a night of service or whatever, and it's great for the guests. And we're really lucky to have a following that really trusts. And, you know, we just did a dinner with. There was. I think there was seafood on every course. I mean, there was, you know, octopus and oysters and different things that would normally. Normally scare most people away, but they loved it to be different and they trust us. So I think that's really great. And, you know, it's been a lot of fun, for sure.

Danielle Walker:

That was in the table space where we actually did the restaurant pop up. And then when Justin's doing menu testing. This is the first year where they've really had a beautiful space. There's a wood oven there. The room is really warm and inviting, and the kitchen has beautiful natural light on one side. So it's really wonderful because the past couple years we've been using our kitchen at home. Different spaces, going into different shops.

Justin Walker:

One of our other smaller properties, which was great. This is just like. It couldn't be more ideal. And you feel comfortable there. There's lots of light, like she said, and we have lots of storage.

Danielle Walker:

It's.

Justin Walker:

It's going to be. It's been great. So we're really, really happy with it, for sure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And table is sort of one of the newest, I believe, properties as part of the Kennebunkport Resort collection.

Danielle Walker:

That's correct. It's a culinary event center, so we have the opportunity to have guest chefs other than the regular Kennebunkport Resort collection. Chefs come in and do dinners there. We've had brewers, Algash Brewing Company held an event there. We've had Ang Andrew Volk from Hunt and Alpine Club come down and do some mixology. Some of our own bartenders, the Earth guys, did one this past Saturday. You can do anything that you can dream up in that space. We've changed the room several different times. So we've done big community tables. We've done date night. We've done all different types of things. So it's versatile space. So you can bring people there and do your own party, or you can just have someone and come in and be your guest. So it's a. It's a living, breathing thing, and I think it's a very organic process that it's going through. So sky's the limit with that. With that building.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I was at a birthday party that Dave and David Turin from the Boat house and also David's388 and David's Restaurant. But he's. He works with you, obviously, through the Kenny Bungport Resort Collection and there was something, I mean, it was very beautiful. There's something that's very simultaneously elegant but homey feeling about it. And it just reminded me that we don't always have to be in a fancy, well appointed place in order to have a really great meal that really feels special. Although this place certainly is very elegant.

Justin Walker:

So I think it's like it's not over designed or trying to look like it wasn't designed. It's like it's been a restaurant before, it has a soul. It's got that central fireplace and

Karen Watterson:

it

Justin Walker:

feels comfortable and just with changing some of the appointments in the room, you can make it feel elegant or casual or whatever. So I think it's definitely that restaurant was designed a long time ago. And you know, things have changed obviously, but it's still timeless. I mean, very, very little effort to turn it into what it is, you know, into its new look, you know, which is cool.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

One of the reasons that Earth at Hidden Pond has become one of my favorites is that you do so much with local produce, local seafood, locally grown greens and vegetables. But it's also in such a wonderful natural setting and it's unique, it's a unique place. The actual physical footprint of the restaurant is very unique, as is actually the entirety of Hidden Pond. How has that been for both of you? It's such a special, such a special setting.

Danielle Walker:

The setting at Earth was a hook for me the second that I walked into the space and that was in the summer of 2011. So walking into that room, the cathedral ceiling, the apple tree that they had strung from the roof, all the lights, like every section of that room. And I'm biased, I do love it and I work there, but there's always something interesting to look at. And you hear that from guests who have come back several times saying, I didn't notice this the last time I was here. So it's always evolving in the gardens outside, the bonfire that you retire to after dinner, the farm bar outside, the cocktails and the food. And that is what really drives the heartbeat of the restaurant is the ever changing scape that just goes into every little movement that's there.

Karen Watterson:

So

Danielle Walker:

you definitely have those moments of pause when you're there in the middle of the summertime and look outside and, and things are blooming and growing.

Justin Walker:

I mean, I can't agree more. I also, as a chef, to have a property that's rural, I've always, my former jobs have always been lucky enough to have gardens and all these things that even going back to 1991, 1990 to 1995, I worked in a restaurant in Saratoga, New York, and we used to. We used to help the farmers that would grow for us. And we were buying things like shisu and shin guku and all kinds of interesting herbs and basils and vegetables. And this is a long time ago. And the chef would bring us all out for a week and we would help plant the seeds, and it just seemed normal. And it's funny to me now that it's so. It is important, but it's so kind of a catchphrase now. But with all of that, I think over the years of sort of learning how to use local people and things, even out your back door, we do a ton of foraging and a ton of learning. And Hidden Pond is so wonderful because you can walk all just not even going into the kind of hinterlands. You can just walk around the property that all the guests can see. And there's a million things that are edible and not just things that are kitschy or whatever, things that actually are good. And, you know, that's. I love that. That's, like, super inspiring to me. And, you know, we can also go in. In the. In the forest for walks sometimes. We go every day, every other day when it's good. And we can do 4 or 500 pounds of mushrooms a year, you know, and. And other things. So it's really, you know, that. That to me is like, what defines the. The place. And being a chef there, it's like such a valuable resource. Then, of course, all the cultivated gardens that we have on the property, which, you know, we try to keep as interesting as possible. And then, you know, the farmers and all the people that we've developed relationships over the years, the local butters and then, you know, of course, Danielle and I have a small dairy goat herd. And, you know, we do a lot with that. And, you know, it's. Yeah. I mean, you have to be that kind of chef that's willing to think outside the box and use the things that are available to you that aren't symmetrical and that don't come in perfect little boxes. And if you're willing to do that, you could do some pretty neat things, I think.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Justin, you spent 15 years at Arrows before it transformed itself to, I believe it's called the Velveteen habit. But the chefs that you worked with, Mark and Clark, they just were well known throughout the state of Maine and probably nationally. How did that impact your cooking?

Justin Walker:

I mean, that's what brought me to Maine, you know, I came for the job to work there. I just, you know, looking around, looking at restaurants in the Northeast, and really at that point, it was wherever I wanted to go in the country. I could have gone wherever I, you know, I was young and didn't really matter. But Maine seemed far enough away from. I lived in upstate New York, live Lake Plaza, New York, Vermont. And, you know, it had that setting, right. So the ocean was different, which was cool. But the setting of, you know, the rural setting, you know, all the things that I kind of, you know, grew up with and whatnot. And, you know, the restaurant was cutting edge. I mean, you know, way back when, you know, it was, you know, and it was a successful restaurant for a really long time. But the fact that they were willing to take a chance and plant a garden, I think Melissa Kelly can attest to this. You know, she did it after they did it. And it's hard for a restaurant. It's not cost effective. It's extremely. It's like another department to manage on the business end of things. It's tough. And you can spend lots of money to plant tomatoes, several thousand dollars a year and get nothing. So it's a commitment on a lot of different. For a lot of different reasons. And I feel fortunate to have worked with them, did things, cooked all over the country. And, you know, I took every minute of my time there and tried to learn and tried to help better myself and, you know, better the restaurant. And, you know, it was a. It was a great experience for sure. Any restaurant that can be open 25 years is pretty. Pretty neat place, especially in a rural setting.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I think it's interesting because in addition to Earth being one of my favorite restaurants, I really enjoyed Arrows while it was around. But you've referred to Primo, which is up the coast, which is Melissa Kelly's place, also one of my favorite restaurants. And I think there is something that, although I know that it has become the thing that we're all trying to do, local foods and foraged is even becoming more popular. As someone who really orients herself towards vegetarian eating, to have that is really special. It's really important. So you're not eating like the grainy trucked in from California, beef steak, tomatoes, You're. You're eating fresh off the vine still, maybe even a little warm, and it makes a big difference.

Justin Walker:

Yeah, I mean, I think if you looked at Earth's spring menu last year, you know, it just sort of happened where it was like, you know, we could source, you know, broccoli for instance, you know, of course, you know, we opened, we had to buy some. You know, we tried to buy organic, we bought organic, the best thing we could get. And then, you know, once our small, the smaller farms in New York started producing, then, you know, we kind of rolled into a more local product. But the basis of the dish was broccoli instead of being whatever beef or scallops. And I think at Earth a lot of times, I think American diners are changing where you can base a dish off of a vegetable or something other than a protein. And people are comfortable with the protein being the garnish. And I think that's where everything's going now. And we try to do that at Earth. The eggplant is the center of the, the dish and sort of the. I mean, I'm making this up completely, but the halibut is the, is the garnish, you know, so, you know, that's just kind of your upbringing. You know, if you're used to cutting, you know, pre portioned proteins out of packages as a chef, then you think of the protein as the center of the plate. Where. I don't, I don't think that way. You know, recently was speaking to somebody about a sponsorship for a dinner and they wanted to sponsor the center of the plate. And I was like, well, the center of the plate is going to be. You know what I mean? It was, I thought that was, I mean, I got. I know, I understand what she was saying. And then I asked for some kind of off cut and it was like, oh, okay. You know, it was like they were expecting. I wanted to have some kind of big primal cut of beef or something. And I actually chose something completely, you know, not normal, I guess. So she was surprised, but, you know, that's, I mean, that's how we think about it now.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I think the first time I ever had shishito peppers was actually at Earth, just. And they were so simple. They were just. I think they're just roasting with a little bit of salt. And the surprising thing about shishitos is you can have three of them in a row that are not hot, but you get that fourth one and it's really hot. And since then, of course, I think more and more people are doing this, but when I first had them, I was like, wow, what are these things and why are they in Maine? And I think it makes perfect sense.

Justin Walker:

And that's a particular ingredient that we buy, we do buy some from, from California. You know, we go through. I mean, it's astronomical. The amount that we use. But then once the, the east coast catches up, you know, you start seeing we can get things a lot closer. And then even like we grow some. At our house we had our farrier who shoes our horses grow some for us. And it's those, those are like the gold. Those are like gold. They're like completely a million times better than anything that gets trucked in and moved around. So we're always trying really hard to like satisfy our demand, you know, as far as the amount of people that we do and try to get the products as close as we can, the best we can, you know. So it's almost a full time job. I'm almost thinking about adding somebody to the staff. That's literally all they do is make sure we know where every little thing comes from and how we get it and how we can communicate to get it more consistently in the future.

Danielle Walker:

You know, it's really important.

Justin Walker:

It's super important. You know, the GMO thing is very important to us. The organic thing is very important to us. Really understanding our. And I think we start with our basic products really trying to make sure just sugar is the right sugar and the flours we're using are the best we can use. So we're offering a product that's more wholesome. And we just, we try constantly using local butters, which are three times the price of commodity butter for certain things, not just for flavor, but because we want to support a local business and we want to sometimes in the butter's case, the products. Amazing. So sometimes it's not hard to make those decisions and it's just a matter of communicating to the purveyors and to the small producers and developing a relationship.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Danielle, your family actually has a farm and you grew up in southern Maine. You actually went to school with our audio producer, Spencer. You went to kindergarten in fact, from what I understand. So you have never gone. I mean, you left to go to college, came back to Maine, but you've never gone that far away from sort of the soil of Maine.

Danielle Walker:

Right. I went to college at University of Rochester in upstate New York. So I did go again, far enough away to try my own wings. And I enjoyed it there. It's actually where I started in the restaurant business because I was working my way through college in the restaurant business. But I came home for one last summer. I was gonna come back to Maine. Of course you wanna be in Maine in the summertime. Who doesn't? And I met this guy. He was the first person I shook hands with when I went to Arrows as well, which is where we met. And I never left again. Great plans of going to work, you know, in Boston somewhere else doing a different profession, which I went to school for, but hard left, turn into the restaurant business. Started really enjoying the wine list. So I had a genetics and ecology background, so I kind of fell in love with the wine and the innuendos of it. So I started working with Clark Fraser on the wine list at Arrows, and it just kind of went from there.

Justin Walker:

But the farm, you know, I think Daniel grew up, you know, in a family that, you know, her dad used to raise beef cattle and, you know, they're little girls. And he would suddenly moo. Would disappear and the girls were wondering what was going on, and he would tell them they were in this other field somewhere, but they weren't. They were eating moo. And, you know, I think, you know, I think that's a really important way to grow up. You know, I think, you know, understanding, you know, what it takes to have a farm. You know, I mean, we, you know, we have horses, we have goats and chickens. And really Danielle was the driving force to turning it back into a farm. She really wanted to have horses there, which is what it was back in the 1700s, a draft horse barn, and breathe, you know, breathe some life back into it. And it sort of snowballed from there. We realized, you know, there's nettles and there's, you know, frogs, bellies, and there's cranberries and there's, you know, black birch, and there's all different kinds of things that grow on the property that you can use. And now it's like, now this is the life we want to live. You know, we realize, you know, it's. It's a financial commitment for us. It's just. It's instead of having that fancy car payment that we've chosen to have a farm and. And, you know, and we've committed to it. I mean, you know, this morning after our son gets on the bus, we have to feed all the animals before we can do anything. You know, it's. It's constant. You know, if it's a bad snowstorm, the last thing you're thinking about is putting the windshield wipers up on your. On your windshield, your car. You're thinking, oh, my God, you know, do we have enough water? What happens? The power of the goes out. You know, the horses have enough hay tonight. And, you know, and the goat's gonna be, you know, the goats hate wind, so we need to make sure they're gonna be out of the wind and.

Danielle Walker:

And, you know, it's a labor of love, though. It's.

Justin Walker:

Yeah, it's. It's. And as a chef, you start realizing that it doesn't start with the phone call to the purveyor. Sometimes, you know, for me, it starts with a phone call to my hay supplier. And this year in particular was a terrible year. And we, you know, our goats milk is better if the hay is better. And, you know, we're driving three hours north to find good hay now. And, you know, it's.

Justin Walker:

You realize, you know, when you actually do it, I mean, we're not doing it on a big scale by any stretch, but you realize, you know, how much goes into it, and it's generations. You know, her father is the man that can fix everything. He knows a little bit about everything known to man. And it's. It's neat to see that and to try not to let it die with him. You know what I mean? To keep passing it on, like passing it on to our son and passing it on to us. And I think, you know, I think that's the kind of key to the future.

Danielle Walker:

You know, our son is the sixth generation to live on the farm, so to have his grandfather there and then also have him listen to stories about him being a kid in that same farm, you know, our running across the bedroom, oh, my mom used to hate that I used to bounce off the bed before I made that corner, too. It's just one of those things that you kind of understand how many generations have been in that farm. My grandfather was a kid in that farm. So when you go out the door and you are in the field and you do have to feed the animals, there's a sense of place that gets passed on that I don't think you can get anywhere else. And because we are making a commitment to doing this, it is a labor of love, but it's something that's going to get passed down. So things that are important to us, we try and show our son, but we also try and show the people who are coming to eat our food that this is important, that you are making a good choice to eat well and eat vegetables. But we've taken that next step and thought through, we're not going to give you a GMO beet sugar. We've already done that step for you, so you can just come and eat and enjoy what we're doing. It does take some extra effort, but it's so rewarding to know that you're doing that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I know that you have some events that are coming up in support of Share Our Strength and Cooking Matters. How can people find out about these events and also about the work that you do at Earth and actually about Earth itself?

Danielle Walker:

We have our website, earthiddenpond.com we also have a fairly active Facebook page, so that is always pulling links from Share Our Strength from no kid hungry. We'll keep you up to date on Justin's chef cycle ride, which is a partnership through Share Our Strength to feed kids year round and especially through the summer when they don't have their backpack where people can, you know.

Justin Walker:

Yeah, that's a really important thing, you know, a really important cause for us. And, you know, Share Our Strength started with Sharing chef strengths, and now this is kind of an offshoot. You know, chefs, I think, are no longer the, you know, rock star. Well, maybe. Maybe they still are, but rock star going out late at night and barely making it through the next day. And, you know, now it's, you know, I have lots of friends all over the country that are chefs and some pretty well known chefs that start their day by, you know, putting their kid on the bus and then jumping on their bike for two or three hours. And you can realize that once you start to as a chef, especially when you start to exercise and get healthy, you can do your job a lot better. I mean, a lot better. And it just passes on to your staff. And the staff, they can't complain. You know, they can't say, oh, I'm tired if I just got off, you know, I can ride to work and put 60, 50, 60 miles in before I get to work on my way in. And then I work all day long and all night long.

Danielle Walker:

That was Share Our Strength. That was a catalyst. Share Our Strength. He's really committed to the cause. We both believe in it very strongly. And he committed to doing 300 miles from Santa Barbara to San Diego last June. And So to do 300 miles in three days, you need to do some work ahead of time. So he started in February for the June ride. And because you had that goal, you really did some amazing.

Justin Walker:

Yeah, I mean, you know, thousands and thousands of miles on the bike, you know, just to get the fitness to, like, to. To push it and to, you know, and to, you know, to be. You know, the group was very diverse. We have some. Some. Some chefs that rode a lot. Everybody was, like, super into the cause, obviously, and some chef. And everybody prepared very, very well. And it was fun to see, you know, I've been riding for years, and I never made it a super big commitment. You know, it was always like, my work's my commitment. But I realized after the last few years that I needed to go back to that. You know, I needed. I needed that in my life. And. And Daniel supported me, you know, a thousand percent. But, you know, to see some of the chefs are, like, excited about, like, next year, next year, I'm gonna get in shape. And how can you ride, you know, so much faster? And, you know, there's always somebody faster. Right? You know, so it's. It's. It's fun. It was fun to see that. And it's like, it levels the playing field. You know, it's not about chef's, you know, accolades or, you know, the grocer, the restaurant or whatever. You know, it's about, like, this cause how it brought everybody together, it shared a different strength. And it also is creating, you know, it's creating a new lifestyle for a lot of people. And most everybody that, I think almost everybody that did the ride last year is. Is still riding and gonna do it again this year. And they know what to expect now. So, you know how to prepare. But, you know, it's. Yeah, it's a wonderful thing. It's very, very important to us, for sure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, I give you a lot of credit for having supported, share our strength and making sure that there is no kid hungry, as they say, and also for getting yourself healthy and also for, I guess, continuing this generational farm, that multi generational farm that you are engaged in. Danielle, I feel like we could just keep talking forever because there's so many interesting things that you're engaged in. I encourage people to go to the website or go to the Facebook page and learn more about the work that you're doing and your passions. I myself will be at Earth as soon as it opens. Hopefully, I'll definitely be there during the Kennedy Bunkport Festival in June. We've been speaking with Justin and Danielle Walker, who are the husband and wife team who run Earth at Hidden Pond in Kenny Bunkport. Thanks so much for coming in and talking with us today.

Justin Walker:

Thank you.

Danielle Walker:

Thank you for having us.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

it is my great pleasure to have

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

the time to speak with Karen Waterson, who not only is the new food editor for Maine and Old Port magazines, but also a longtime friend of mine from Yarmouth.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Karen Waterson is a former copywriter, food blogger, and bookseller. She may have started out life as a picky eater, but she's making up for lost time as she explores all the deliciousness that Maine has to offer. The only thing that equals Karen's love of good food is talking and writing about it. She is the food editor of Maine and Oldport magazines. Thanks for coming in.

Karen Watterson:

Happy to be here, Lisa.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So you are doing a great job. I must say, we've been so impressed with your energy and your weekly blogs and all the stuff that you've done for Old Port and Maine magazine. And you're kind of, you're equaling the energy of the food scene in Maine. You're just as excited and energetic about all of this as all the people who are coming here to eat.

Karen Watterson:

I try to be. There's a lot going on that's really exciting, and I love to look at it as brand new and not as cynical or jaded. It's exciting. And sometimes people get, you know, oh, it's this, it's that. But every day I get excited about the new openings, the new dishes, talking with the chefs. It's great energy here in Portland. We're really lucky to be here.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You're not originally from Maine.

Karen Watterson:

I'm not. I'm from Massachusetts. I've been in Maine almost 14 years and spent all my summers here as a child.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And of course, I've known you because our sons played baseball together.

Karen Watterson:

That's right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And they're now young men out in the world. But now our daughters play basketball together.

Karen Watterson:

What goes around comes around. That's true.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

That's true.

Karen Watterson:

We're back in the stands together.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Exactly. We can't get away from kids, sports and genres.

Karen Watterson:

Go Clippers.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Exactly. The nice thing about the writing that you do, and I think you just alluded to it is that it's. Even though you're looking at food with sort of a curatorial eye, you're not critical, you're not out there to make people feel bad about the great work that they're doing in their restaurants.

Karen Watterson:

No, not at all. I don't think that serves us well, frankly. I like to talk about the experience of eating someplace. I also really love getting the chef's stories, the background, how they got to where they are. To me, that's a huge part of what makes a restaurant. They're so interesting. And every day that I interview a chef or an owner, I'm surprised by their story. And there's really no reason to be critical at this point. We just want to tell people what something's like.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, tell me about that. What are some of your favorite chef stories?

Karen Watterson:

Oh, gosh. I was really surprised to find how many husband and wife couples there are that work together really well. There's Brianna and Andrew Volk at Portland Hunt and Alpine Club. There's Damian and Ilma at Piccolo. At Pachirino, there are a couple who moved here from Milan, and everybody really works well together. Oh, and at Earth, of course, Danielle and Justin Walker. So I think that's a really hard thing to do, to work next to your spouse in a high pressure environment like a restaurant. But these couples have really made it work, and that's exciting.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah. Even as you're talking, I'm thinking about Guy and Stella Hernandez up at Lolita

Karen Watterson:

and also Issa, Suzy and Isa Ul and at Sirli, so you could just keep going. There's so 555 petite Jacqueline. There's just many of them. And I think that that talks about how family is important to us also in this area. People move to this area because it's family friendly and they can have a business and still have a family without the high pressure stakes as if they were in a bigger city.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

When I've been to some of the restaurants that are created by couples, including Terlingua up on Munjoy Hill, I often notice that the children are invited to come in and be part of the restaurant scene itself in a very safe way. I think. When I was up at Terlingua, the grandmother was there with the child, and I know that Guy and Stella Hernandez at Lolita, their son will often come in. And this actually kind of, for me, harkens back to the type of farming, fishing communities that Maine has always had, where things really are a family affair and everybody kind of understands what needs to get done. In order to make the money to pay the mortgage and live a daily life.

Karen Watterson:

Yeah, I would agree with that. People make it work however they can. Like you said, extended families are helpful. I've seen kids doing homework at the bar. And I don't mean, you know, while people are drinking at the bar, but you know, in the afternoons their kids are sitting up there working on homework or getting help from their parents while their parents are working on setup. I think as with young families, you just have to make it work the best you can and do what you love doing, run a restaurant and take care of your kids at the same time. If the kids are fine with it, then there's nothing wrong with it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And it's interesting that our conversation has taken a turn into the family realm because I think that food recently seems like it's become this very precious thing. It's become this very special occasion, work of art type thing. And what I really enjoy about food is sharing it with the people that I love. And whether it's, you know, just going and having pub food somewhere while the football game is on, or whether it's going for a birthday meal to 4th street with my 15 year old daughter, I mean, it's. You can enjoy different levels of food and cuisine and you can begin enjoying it with your children, you know, at appropriate ages, but from a pretty young age.

Karen Watterson:

Absolutely. Lisa. I think it's important to take young children who are well behaved to restaurants and teach them how to eat out, how to be considerate of other guests, how to occupy themselves, hopefully without looking at an iPhone or an iPad. But crayons, of course are fine. And show them some, teach them manners and teach them to try different foods, expose them to sushi or various ethnic foods. And then you can reinforce that at home by trying to cook similar things, letting them help you. Kids love to be in the kitchen. I know my kids always have. And that just reinforces how food is a family thing that everybody can do together.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I know one of the ways that we have enjoyed the local restaurants is by making them part of our quality time. So we love to cook at home. I like to cook at home, but sometimes being able to sit, everybody sits together and nobody is preparing the food, nobody's washing the dishes. You're all just sitting and being present with each other and having a really good conversation. And that can be as important as the meal itself.

Karen Watterson:

Absolutely right. When there are no things that the mom or dad have to be standing at the kitchen sink or at the stove or whatever, it can be A more relaxed atmosphere. Like you said, it doesn't have to be a fancy experience. It doesn't have to be sophisticated or precious. It can be anywhere that you're comfortable. And I found that restaurants enjoy having families. They're accommodating to children. I find that kids menus have taken off from the old chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese and offer much more sophisticated tastes of things. Or we'll just offer smaller dishes off the regular menu, which I think is a huge step forward and will help bring in new customers as well.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, now that we've talked about the ways that we can enjoy food as families, tell me what restaurants you have particularly enjoyed. I know this is a really hard question because there's so many different restaurants, not just in Portland, but really all over the state of Maine.

Karen Watterson:

Yes.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Tell me some of your favorites and why.

Karen Watterson:

Well, people ask me this question all the time and I always like to say my favorite restauran is the one I was last at because it's always fresh in my mind. So for instance, last week I was at Congress Square at the Westin Hotel and so that's really fresh in my mind. The chef was wonderful, the manager was lovely and very accommodating. Before that I was at a family run Italian restaurant called Bruno's which has been around forever. And it was so great to sit with the whole family. The dad, the, the wife who runs the dining room, the son, the cousins eating pasta. I felt like part of the family. But as far as my personal preference for food, I have to say I'm a big fan of Evo at the Hyatt Hotel, although they're not really attached to the hotel. I love Boda and Green Elephant because I really love spicy Asian food. Paimin Miyaki is a favorite. We, let's see. Any place I can get good seafood, that's my favorite thing. Street and company. It's great. You can't beat their clams and linguine. Love the pizza at Tuscan Bistro in Freeport in Bar Harbor, I've had fabulous meals at Red sky and Havana. Camden is more wonderful, of course, Natalie's and Long Grain. Again, because I love Asian food and I'm really open to any kind of new experience. There's so many places in Maine that I haven't even had a chance to eat yet that are on my list. I keep saying I've got to get there. I've got to get there. There's only so many days in a week.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, and somehow you've already managed to squeeze in a lot of restaurant visits in a relatively short period of time. How long have you been doing this job?

Karen Watterson:

Seven months. I started actually on my birthday last July. So yeah, I've tried. I've squeezed in a lot. But boy, that list keeps growing. Every time something new opens, add it to the list. But that's exciting and that's what I love about the job too.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

One of the things that interests me about you, Karen, is that you have been a food blogger. You had a beautiful food blog that I enjoyed reading. Especially the cookies for some reason. Cookies and the pastries, the specialty. Yes, those were always very delicious looking. But you were a political science major at the University of Vermont. You've also been a copy editor. You've always had your hands in sort of the world of words. You've also always enjoyed food, but you've had this kind of broader view of life. How do you get from being a poli sci major at University of Vermont to the Maine Magazine, Old Port magazine and food editor?

Karen Watterson:

That's a good question too. I was poli sci major because I am sort of a political junkie. I pay attention to politics and international relations. I really enjoy that kind of thing and I still do. I thought at one point that I wanted to work in foreign service when I was in college, but then I overslept when the foreign service exam was being given, so that was the end of that career. So I went into advertising right out of college in the Boston area. Worked for some of the big ad agencies there, there as a copywriter. Like you said, I love words. Playing Scrabble is like my favorite pastime. I think I grew up in a family where words were valued like that and reading was really important. I'm a big reader, so I just kept doing the things that I really enjoyed doing. I did the copywriting after I had children though. I was a stay at home mom for quite a long time. Although I was doing some freelance writing, if opportunities came up, I was always happy to do that, including pro bono work for different charitable organizations. Just sort of to keep my hand in it. When we moved to Maine, again, stay at home mom for quite some time, but did some volunteer work. Then the opportunity came up to work at a little independent bookstore in Yarmouth called Royal River. Books and bookstores are my happy place. And to have the opportunity to work there was fantastic. I was there for over five years and the woman who owns it gave us the opportunity to run it as our own. I could order whatever books I thought were Necessary for the store, whatever. I liked to have neighbors stop in and chat with everybody in town. I had an open door policy. Literally, I would keep the door open every time the weather was good enough so that people felt welcome and people would just stop in to talk with me. And I love recommending books to my friends, to strangers. And it's a little. I've discovered, like a sommelier would recommend wine. You ask questions, you say, what have you liked in the past? What kind of things do you like? Do you like a dry red or do you like a good mystery? They're all. It's all kind of the same questions leading up to finding the right choice for somebody. So I loved that. And I'd probably still be there if it wasn't. For a project I did for Maine Magazine several years ago, I had the opportunity to do a 48 hours piece, and it was probably the most fun I ever had, and handed it in. And I said to Kevin and Susan, please keep me in mind if anything else ever comes up. And I said, okay. Not thinking that maybe it would, but every time I saw them, I would say, hi, remember me. Please keep me in mind if anything else ever comes up. And last, I think it was May. I got a phone call from Kevin, said, we're looking to add another food writer. Would you be interested? I said, yes, I would certainly be interested in that. And started doing the blog, the Eat Main blog, for a month or so. And one thing led to another, and here I am as the food editor, which, to be honest, is a dream come true. If I could have chosen any job for myself, it would certainly be this. Especially in Portland. Well, especially in Maine. So it combines everything I love, the writing, the meeting new people, the talking about food, the tasting of food, taking pictures, just learning new things every day. It's. I'm so lucky to have this job.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You just finished with the March issue, which is the food issue. How do you feel about that?

Karen Watterson:

I think it looks fantastic. Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited about that. So I wrote about the Velveteen Habit, which is a terrific place in Cape Nedic. It's on the old Arrows property. And Ben Goldman and his team have really turned it into something completely different. Very casual, farmhouse kind of restaurant. They're taking full advantage of the garden that was started there, discovering new things that they can grow, fermenting, distilling, preserving all kinds of vegetables. It's a very casual atmosphere, come as you are, kind of place. And Ben is happy to talk to you about wines that's his real love. And he's practically jumping up and down when people ask him questions about wine. So he's very enthusiastic. And I think that enthusiasm rubs off in the restaurant. You get that impression when you're there. It's a lot of fun. I can't wait to go back next summer.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And there will also be the Eat guide that is coming up soon.

Karen Watterson:

That's right. That's right. So that talks about all the restaurants we've covered in Maine over the past year. Some we haven't quite gotten to, but checking in on. And it's a very comprehensive guide for people who are looking for a place to eat. It's wonderful for people coming from out of town, especially in the summer tourists. I hope to see that Eat Main guide in every hotel room. And it's also great for locals who are wondering, where should I eat tonight? I want to try something different. And especially the photography. And it is going to be amazing. So people can really almost taste the descriptions.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So we started this conversation with this, with the idea that there really isn't one great restaurant that is the best restaurant that all of us should go to. There really is just the best restaurant for whomever it is that you're talking to. So kind of like being a bookseller or a sommelier, it's. You are trying to fit the right restaurant for the right person, the right family, the right group of people. And really that's what Maine Magazine, Old Port, that's what we were trying to do is offer a broad array of possibilities so that people can be inspired to figure out what works best for them.

Karen Watterson:

Exactly. There is literally something for everyone here. You know, there's Otto's Pizza if you want a slice of pizza. All the way up to white tablecloth dining at Tempo Dulu and everything in between. There are very few formal restaurants in Maine anymore. But if that's what you want, you can easily find that. But if you want a lobster roll and fries, you can find that too. You don't have to spend a fortune. There's a broad range of price points, so you don't have to feel like you breaking the budget to eat out in Maine. And you can get a great experience at any price point. I find that Maine restaurants are very hospitality oriented. They're friendly, they enjoy locals and they enjoy tourists. And they keep an open mind about both of them. The locals keep them going in the off season and the tourists are always welcome. And sometimes they'll see the same tourists who come back every year. And they welcome them back just like locals.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, Karen, it has truly been a pleasure to talk with you today, and you are doing a really phenomenal job. I mean, I can't. For people who, if you're out there, if you're listening, if you've seen the food coverage that has been in the magazines over the past seven months, I mean, this woman is a per. She just. She just works and works and works, and she loves it. She's so joyful. When you come to our editorial meetings, I mean, you're just. You're just like brimming over with the happiness of your job. And I think that shows in your writing and I think that shows in the March issue of Maine Magazine, which is our food issue. And it's going to show in the upcoming food. The upcoming Eat Guide. So I really appreciate the work that you do with Maine Magazine and Old Port magazine as our food editor, and I appreciate the time we spend together in Yarmouth.

Karen Watterson:

Well, thank you, Lisa. I love the time we spend together in and out of the office, too, and I appreciate this opportunity to talk about it. You know, I'm happy to talk about food anytime.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You've been listening to Love Maine radio

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

show number 233, Food and Family. We love to hear from you, so please let us know what you think of Love Maine Radio. We welcome your suggestions for future shows. Also, let our sponsors know that you have heard about them here. We are privileged that they enable us to bring Love Maine Radio to you each week. This is Dr. Lisa Belisle.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I hope that you have enjoyed our

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

food and family show. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. May you have a bountiful life.

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She said, baby, I sleep. With Secrets I bank keeping. Won't you play with me? 1, 2, 3. Will you sleep with with me? One, two, three. 1, 2, 3. She makes no sound when talking. She's off the ground when walking. Won't you play with me? 1, 2, 3. Will you sleep with me? One, two, three. Remember me 1, 2, 3. Sam.