Portland Harbor Hotel introduces new restaurant

The Portland Harbor Hotel recently unveiled BlueFin North Atlantic Seafood in the space that was formerly known as Eve’s at the Garden. Executive Chef Tim Labonte remains. Changes in addition to the new menu and name include new furnishings in the lounge. More information about BlueFin, including complete breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, is online at portlandharborhotel.com.

Portland Harbor Hotel General Manager Gerard Kiladjian spoke of the decision to relaunch the hotel’s restaurant saying, “Eve’s was well loved, but we really wanted to do something that fit better with the city and our neighborhood, and given Portland’s growing reputation as a dining destination, this felt like the right time to move ahead.” 

Labonte said, “BlueFin’s menu will change routinely, based on seasonality and availability, which is the way we really like to cook.”

Granted

The Greater Portland Council of Governments is receiving a $500,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Local Food Promotion Grant for its project, “Scaling for Growth in the Portland Foodshed” to address a lack of food processing infrastructure and an inefficient distribution network. The project will add processing capacity, reduce food waste by finding inefficiencies, and increase local food purchasing among retailers and institutions by $7.5 million.

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute will receive a $99,473 Local Food Promotion Program Grant to work with New England fishermen to address marketing local seafood to local markets.

New director will help wishes come true

National nonprofit Twilight Wish Foundation has appointed Amanda Carr of Portland as director of the newly formed Maine chapter.

Twilight Wish Foundation is a nonprofit that grants wishes to low-income seniors who are over 65 and have an income of less than 200 percent of poverty level or who are a permanent resident of a nursing facility.

In addition to serving as chapter director, Carr has been an R.N. for the past 10 years, working in hospitals and emergency rooms across the country. Carr founded Changing the Face of Dying, which takes a multi-faceted approach through education, planning, advocacy and support for the end-of-life experience for individuals and families. She was inspired to start a chapter of Twilight Wish while caring for her grandmother on hospice. Together, they talked about bringing a hospice wish-granting organization to Maine, but then Carr discovered Twilight Wish Foundation and realized there was no need to limit it to hospice patients.

“Our seniors spend their lives pouring their magic into future generations. Having a chapter of Twilight Wish here in the state gives us an opportunity to give a little of that magic back and connect people across generations as we make dreams come true,” said Carr. “In a way, it’s a fulfillment of Gram’s (and my) Twilight Wish to make this happen.”

Levey welcomes new head of school

Levey Day School has appointed Jeffrey Tremblay to serve as its next Head of School, succeeding current head Gerri Chizeck in July 2018.

Tremblay brings over two decades of experience as a teacher and administrator, most recently as Head of Lower School at Renbrook School in West Hartford. He also served as principal of Hillel Hebrew Academy in Beverly Hills. Levey’s search committee and board said they were especially impressed by his accomplishments in student recruitment, parent engagement, and teacher mentorship.

Levey Day School offers pre-kindergartners through fifth-graders a curriculum infused with Jewish values and Hebrew language. 

“Levey is a school that prides itself on teaching the entire child—mind, body, and spirit,” said Tremblay. “But Levey is much more than just a school: it is a strong, vibrant community, a place where parents, teachers, staff, and students happily encourage, care for, and support each other.”

Tremblay added that Levey’s greatest and most important challenge is to expand student enrollment across all grade levels. “We need to reach broader audiences and continue to welcome families of all faiths and experiences,” he said. “We need to share our current students’ and alumni successes and show future families why Levey is the school of choice in the Portland area.”

Save the Date

Aurora Provisions, a market and café in Portland’s West End, will hold a ribbon-cutting and Halloween party Friday, Oct. 27, to mark a change in ownership. “I’m so excited to join the community and especially proud to carry forward the amazing work of Marika Kuzma Green,” said Melissa Carr, who assumed ownership earlier this year. The Halloween party will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot at 64 Pine St., to which all are welcome. There will be games and treats for children and wine and mulled cider for the grownups along with a pumpkin carving contest by employees. The ribbon-cutting will take place at 4:45 p.m. 

Two Fat Cats Bakery, specializing in American-style sweets from scratch at 47 India St., Portland, is hosting an open house 3:30-5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. 

The Maine Apprenticeship Program at the Maine Department of Labor is offering manufacturing employers a free, two-hour seminar about the benefits of sponsoring an apprenticeship. Registered Apprenticeship is an “earn and learn” training model that combines work-based learning with related classroom instruction using the highest industry standards. Locally, a seminar will be offered 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31 at Greater Portland CareerCenter, 151 Jetport Blvd., Portland. Seminars will also be held at various locations in Southern Maine. Manufacturers can register online at www.maine.gov/labor/jobs_training/apprenticeship.html .

The Institute for Family-Owned Business is presenting a Women in Family Business-Affinity Group program called “Maine Women Magazine MWM Panel.” The event will take place 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 at The Woodlands Club, 39 Woods Road in Falmouth. It is open to members and future members of the IFOB, see http://bit.ly/2g5t9vN for complete details. Panelists include Lee Hews, publisher of Maine Women Magazine, which is owned by The Forecaster’s parent company, Maine Today Media. Discussions will center around work-life blend, credibility, equality, and dynamics in the workplace. 

Maine Downtown Center in Bath announced the annual Downtown Visionary Award has been renamed the William F. King, Jr. Downtown Champion Award in honor of downtown advocate Bill King. From left are Anne Ball, MDC Program Director; Jayne Palmer, MDC Advisory Council; King; Jon Edgerton, MDC Advisory Council; and Yellow Light Breen, Maine Development Foundation President and CEO.

Shannon Coray, Mid Coast Hospital director of Volunteer Services, left, and Lois Skillings, president and CEO of Mid Coast–Parkview Health, right, present the 2017 Volunteer of the Year Award to Rosemary Anderson a recognition dinner and awards ceremony held Sept. 21.