Weekends with Yankee

>> NARRATOR: This week on Weekends with Yankee, senior food editor Amy Traverso explores a popular foodie destination-- Biddeford, Maine.

She begins the day at the Lincoln Hotel, a recently opened luxury hotel whose setting reflects the town's industrial heritage.

Next, Amy visits two gems in Biddeford's growing food scene-- Time and Tide, one of the best roasters in Maine, and the seafood restaurant Fish and Whistle for an unforgettable fish chowder.

>> AMY TRAVERSO: I mean, this is coming together so quickly.

It's such an easy weeknight meal.

You could make it any anytime.

>> NARRATOR: Finally, she stops in at Rabelais for a closer look at some historic American cookbooks.

>> Cookbooks become records of a family.

People write down... >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm, yes.

>> Who honed this, and then they pass it to the next generation and the next generation.

>> NARRATOR: Next we head west to Charlotte, Vermont, where adventurer Richard Wiese explores Earthkeep, an innovative farming collective, where he meets a shrimp farmer and a hemp grower.

>> We can reconnect people with the land in a way that's healthy for them and healthy for the land.

>> NARRATOR: Richard also takes a tour of the Vermont Malthouse and enjoys a craft beer tasting.

>> WIESE: You have created just world-class malts.

I mean, these are really... would stand up to anywhere in the world.

>> NARRATOR: Finally, it's off to Nantucket, Massachusetts, to pay a visit to the famed weaving studio Nantucket Looms.

The history of weavers is a storied one, and for more than 50 years, Nantucket Looms has kept the traditions of this important art form alive.

>> We feel lucky.

All of us feel lucky to learn this craft.

It's very, very, very rewarding to be a maker.

>> NARRATOR: So come along with us for a once-in-a-lifetime journey through New England as you've never experienced it before, a true insider's guide from the editors of Yankee Magazine.

Join explorer and adventurer Richard Wiese, and Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso, for behind-the-scenes access to the unique attractions that define this region.

It's the ultimate travel guide from the people who know it best.

Weekends with Yankee.

>> Major funding provided by: >> Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts.

The first public park in America.

The first fried clams.

The first university in America.

The first basketball game.

What's first for you?

>> Series funding provided by the Vermont Country Store, the purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find since 1946.

>> The Barn Yard, builders of timber frame barns and garages.

>> And by American Cruise Lines, exploring the historic shores of New England.

>> TRAVERSO: I'm at the Lincoln Hotel in Biddeford, Maine, which is just south of Portland.

And to me, this is pretty much the premier example of a New England mill town revival.

And a lot of that revival seems to be coming out of the food world.

They're winning national awards here all the time.

But first I want to talk to Rebecca Johns, who's the general manager of this hotel, which opened only recently.

Hey, Rebecca.

>> Hi.

>> TRAVERSO: It's so nice to see you.

>> Welcome to the Lincoln.

>> TRAVERSO: Thank you so much.

>> So nice to meet you.

>> TRAVERSO: I am so excited to be in this city.

It is...

I've been just hearing about it so much.

Like-- and I've been here before, but it feels like even since my last visit, there have been so many noteworthy openings... >> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Including this place.

>> Right, including here.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> I can't wait to show it to you.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah, great.

I'll follow you.

>> Okay.

Off we go.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> All right.

We have these beautiful mill buildings that were just waiting to be, to be occupied... >> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> And transformed.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> When this building was built in the mid-1800s, this was the center... >> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> Of production, of weaving... >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

>> ...And of commerce, and now, here we come back, bringing people back in again... >> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> As the center of the community.

Several years ago in the middle of town... >> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> There was an incinerator, essentially keeping people away from the town.

A place where people didn't want to go.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> And so, once that was gone, businesses started coming one after the other, and then the word got out, and, you know, now we just have this growing creative community.

The Palace Diner is a perfect example.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> They occupied an old train car, you know, and had recognition there.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> And then one thing led to another, and people were like, "Oh, people are going there."

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> They're going there for food.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> So it's very cool.

>> TRAVERSO: All right, well, I've got a big day tomorrow... >> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: I'm very excited.

>> Excellent.

>> TRAVERSO: And I'm also really excited to see my room.

>> Good, absolutely.

>> TRAVERSO: So, why don't we head there?

I'll follow you.

>> Awesome.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay, great.

>> All right, let's go.

>> TRAVERSO: Hi there.

>> Hi.

>> Hi.

>> TRAVERSO: You must be Jon and Briana.

>> Yes.

>> We are.

>> TRAVERSO: Nice to meet you, I'm Amy.

>> It's great to meet you, thanks for coming by.

>> Nice to meet you.

>> TRAVERSO: Thank you so much.

Your coffee is legendary and I would love to try some.

>> Yes.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: So give me a signature drink idea.

>> All right, we're going to give you a pistachio latte.

>> TRAVERSO: I love pistachio.

>> Oat milk?

>> TRAVERSO: Yes, oat milk, thank you.

>> Got it.

>> TRAVERSO: I love it.

>> We bring coffee from at least seven different countries around the world.

>> TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

>> We have a production facility in one of the mill buildings.

>> TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

>> We do all of the production there.

We can have a capacity of 600 pounds a day.

>> TRAVERSO: Well, I mean, the results are amazing.

(laughs) >> Oh, great.

>> TRAVERSO: I'm loving this.

>> Thank you so much.

>> TRAVERSO: I know you're very active in sort of promoting the town.

Can you tell me a little bit about that?

>> Yeah.

In January this year, I joined the board of Heart of Biddeford... >> TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

>> ...Which is our local Main Street America organization.

And actually, our board president is right over there.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, my gosh.

>> Come over!

>> TRAVERSO: Hi.

>> Hi, how are you?

>> TRAVERSO: Wow, that's really cool... Hi, I'm Amy, so nice to meet you.

>> So, I moved here seven years ago, and when I came, there were probably about 20 empty storefronts.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> All of a sudden, we don't-- I don't think we have any.

(laughs) >> TRAVERSO: That's amazing.

>> I think... >> Not many.

>> TRAVERSO: Amazing.

>> We're really lucky to have all of this space.

>> When we were looking for a production facility for our coffee roaster side of our business... >> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> The mill was so important in that... >> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> Because we could get a certain amount of space at a really affordable rate, and, like, we can walk there.

>> TRAVERSO: Amazing.

>> It's a five-minute walk from our caf, and that makes everything a lot easier.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

Thank you for such a great start to this amazing day.

>> Thank you.

>> TRAVERSO: And just for everything you've done for this town.

Hey, Kate.

>> Hi, Amy, how are you?

>> TRAVERSO: I'm so excited, actually, to be here.

I've heard so many raves about Fish and Whistle and it's been what, less than a year that you've been open?

>> Yep.

My husband, Jason, and I opened in June of this year.

>> TRAVERSO: Hey, Jason.

>> Hi, how are you?

>> TRAVERSO: How are you?

Oh, my God.

(gasps) This looks so good.

Okay, so, it goes without saying, perhaps, that this is a restaurant that specializes in fish and chips, right?

>> Yeah.

>> Yes.

>> TRAVERSO: Both of you were chefs at some of Portland's best restaurants, right?

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Over the years?

So you were living here and commuting up to Portland?

>> Right.

>> Yeah.

To Portland, even to Brunswick... >> TRAVERSO: Oh, okay.

yeah.

>> For a bunch of years.

And yeah, we've lived down here for almost a decade now.

>> Yeah.

>> And we really love the community and wanted to be a little bit more involved down here.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> Commute less and just kind of integrate ourselves.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: All right, well, I can't bear to stare at this anymore.

(laughs) I've got to take a bite.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Now, how do you eat your fish and chips?

Because there's tartar sauce, there's vinegar... >> I like all the ways.

>> TRAVERSO: All the ways.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Well, I'm going to try... >> We're fans of tartar around here.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah, I love it.

That's amazing.

I've never had better fish and chips.

So, we're going to do your famous fish chowder, is that right?

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: So, how do we get started here?

>> All right.

We're going to render some bacon.

>> TRAVERSO: Mm, always a good start.

>> In butter.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> So onions first... Then garlic.

If this was a tomato sauce or something, it would be more important, the order of the garlic and onion.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

Right.

>> But with this, all at the same time is great.

>> TRAVERSO: They can just go in together.

>> Adding some salt up front to pull moisture out.

>> TRAVERSO: So we've got these potatoes here, right?

>> So the potatoes, I like to wait to cut till the last minute.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> The starch from the potato will thicken it just a little.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> And if you cut them ahead of time and put them on water or something... >> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> You'd be taking all that starch away, so.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

All right, you've got rosemary and thyme?

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> A teaspoon and a half of each.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> Chopped up.

So once the herbs have a little time to meld with the onions and garlic... >> TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

>> We add the clam juice.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay, so this is a fish chowder, but you're using clam juice?

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Tell me about that.

>> I just really like the taste of clam, and clam chowder is such a big thing.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> So it's kind of an homage to clam chowder.

>> TRAVERSO: Right, so you get a little bit of both.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: That's perfect.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Is this... >> That's cream.

>> TRAVERSO: Cream.

>> It's about half the amount of the clam stock.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

I mean, this is coming together so quickly.

It's such an easy weeknight meal.

You could make it anytime.

>> So now we've got to cut the potatoes... >> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> ...And put them in there.

>> TRAVERSO: And you're just, is this a dice?

>> It's a dice, yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> About a... centimeter.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

And how long will these potatoes take to cook?

>> Five minutes.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay, so, I've almost forgotten about the fish.

>> I know.

(Traverso laughs) I always do it.

>> TRAVERSO: But let's talk about white fish.

So which ones would you recommend using?

>> Pollock or hake.

Honestly, we've been finding, for the price, the quality is better... >> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> With pollock and hake, and those lesser-used or known varieties.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

I can see that the chowder is really thickening with that potato starch.

>> Yeah.

So now it's time to add the fish.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> This is trimmed from fish that we've portioned for our fish and chips.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh right, so you're being economical, you're using every bit.

Nothing's wasted.

>> Yep.

>> TRAVERSO: That's awesome.

>> Yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: And that's going to cook up so fast.

That's like... one minute?

>> Maybe a minute, yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah, okay.

All right, I'm very excited about this.

>> Dig in.

Mm.

Wow.

(laughing): Bravo.

>> Thank you, yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Thanks for letting me cook with you.

>> Oh, thanks for coming, yeah.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah, and thanks for just making such good food.

(laughs) >> Yeah.

>> NARRATOR: Amy's next stop is Rabelais, for a closer look at some historic American cookbooks.

>> TRAVERSO: I don't think anything brings, for me, sort of day-to-day history alive as much as historical cookbooks.

Do you have that feeling?

>> I do, and I think there are two sort of... you know, at least two big causes for that.

One is that all of us eat... >> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> So we're all connected to the subject matter.

The second part of that, that makes them just really special is that, you know, cookbooks become records of a family.

>> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

>> People write down who honed this... >> TRAVERSO: Yes.

>> And then they passed it to the next generation, and the next generation.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> So we interact with them differently.

So this is the oldest book I have in the shop right now, and in seven years, this book will be 500 years old.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, wow.

>> So that's the easiest way to... >> TRAVERSO: In Latin?

>> It's in Latin, and it's a book that's referred to as "Pla-tie-na" or "Pla-tee-na."

I don't know if you-- yes, you'd find them.

>> TRAVERSO: The notations.

>> So that's marginalia, notes that have been written in the margins.

The types of books I, I have here are much broader than just cookbooks.

So they're cookbooks, but there are also books on all sorts of other things related to food and drink.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> So... this, to me, is one of the most important books one should know about in the history of cookbooks.

This is Amelia Simmons, American Cookery.

So it's the, it's the very first American cookery book, 1796... >> TRAVERSO: Wow.

>> It's just 20 years after the American Revolution, and it really was the book that takes us from mimicking English cookery... >> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

>> To starting something new here.

>> TRAVERSO: So, moving away from kind of Europe and the Americas, what, what would be an interesting thing to look at?

>> This is from the 1990s, and as far as I'm able to tell so far, it's the earliest Cambodian cookbook in the United States.

>> TRAVERSO: Mm.

>> Loads of cultural information.

I think that it was a, it was a real download for this family... >> TRAVERSO: Mm.

>> Of all sorts of stuff they had from their past that maybe they haven't been talking about so much.

>> TRAVERSO: You know, being here today, I'm so grateful that you've devoted your life's work to preserving this heritage, because to me, it feels like... a million lives are still a little bit alive in here, through these texts.

>> It's just rich, rich, rich stories in every cookbook.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

Thank you so much.

>> You're welcome.

>> TRAVERSO: What a great day.

This has been fantastic.

>> Thanks for coming, it was great to have you.

>> NARRATOR: In Charlotte, Vermont, Richard visits Earthkeep Farmcommon, an innovative 583-acre farm.

Richard met up with Will Raap, the founder of Earthkeep.

>> WIESE: So what is the concept of Earthkeep?

>> Keep the name Earthkeep is around how can farming be what it was for most of our history, which is a concept of stewardship and taking care of the land.

Most farming in the last 50 years has not had a priority of save the soil, save the biodiversity.

If we really invested in that, could we create farms that were also economically viable?

That's the question that we're trying to address here.

So the concept we're working with is creating a cooperative of smaller businesses that all combine to be doing their own thing, but also taking advantage of the land and the buildings we have here.

>> WIESE: What makes you most proud of this... >> Oh.

>> WIESE: This whole farm?

>> I love the fact that we can reconnect people with the land in a way that's healthy for them and healthy for the land.

>> WIESE: When you think of Vermont farming, maybe you think of giant kale, or apples, cheddar cheese, or milk.

The one thing you probably don't think about is shrimp.

Let me show you Vermont's hidden coast.

>> That's the feed.

>> WIESE: Okay.

>> Yeah.

>> WIESE: Come and get it.

>> They're going to love you.

>> WIESE: Why Vermont, and why shrimp here?

>> Shrimp are one of many species used in inland aquaculture to provide local protein, local seafood to communities.

My background was in marine science and aquaculture.

And after 15 years of owning an oyster farm in Massachusetts and decided to move here, wanted to continue my business in aquaculture.

>> WIESE: What's the process of creating a market-ready shrimp?

>> Well, shrimp are produced in hatcheries, and they're about the size of an eyelash when I get them.

It takes two to three months.

Basically, the only thing that's challenging is keeping water quality sufficient for their, you know, range of tolerance.

>> WIESE: One of the chief complaints I also get from a lot of New England farmers is that it's very difficult on the market to compete price-wise.

>> Mm-hmm.

There is a high demand for fresh, locally grown seafood.

What I also do is I, I produce a unique product.

It's a head-on shrimp, you don't see that in markets.

So I provide something that is very rare here and the chefs absolutely love it.

>> NARRATOR: Richard also meets up with Addison Raap of Upstate Elevator Supply.

Addison's a hemp grower who's also part of the collective at Earthkeep Farmcommon.

>> This is the hemp that we've been growing here at Earthkeep Farm.

The ultimate use of this hemp is to distill down into our CBD products.

>> WIESE: This, to me, looks like marijuana.

>> And it is.

>> WIESE: It is marijuana?

>> It is marijuana.

>> WIESE: So... >> This is the same... the genus species of this is still a cannabis sativa or a cannabis indica.

These plants are selectively bred over time to have a low THC threshold.

>> WIESE: And THC is what?

>> THC is the psychoactive component that gets you high.

>> WIESE: So this does not get you high, so... >> This does not get you high.

The end use of this will be a CBD product, which is an excellent anti-inflammatory and helps alleviate conditions ranging from insomnia, to joint pain and arthritis, to anxiety.

You know, it's hard to get over it the first time you see it, but then once you do, it should just be seen like any other crop that farmers are migrating into as a new avenue.

>> WIESE: What are some of the stories that you hear from people?

>> My grandmother, who passed away last year at 99, but for the last five years of her life, the only thing that would help her with her joint pain was CBD, our CBD product.

But in general, CBD was very beneficial to her.

At the end of the day, we can all benefit from managing inflammation.

>> WIESE: All right, great.

>> NARRATOR: Capping off the day at Earthkeep Farmcommon, Richard pays a visit to Rob Hunter, manager at the Vermont Malthouse, makers of locally sourced grain-based pilsner and malt.

>> WIESE: So, I mean, the most obvious of questions, so what is malt?

>> So malt is, uh, is the basis of all beer.

It's a grain that has been sprouted and then essentially kilned.

>> WIESE: The grains come from where?

>> We try and source everything 500 miles from our front door.

Whenever we can get it from Vermont, we do.

But we do go across the border to Canada a little bit, and we go as far east as Maine.

>> WIESE: And what brought you to this location?

>> When this facility was purchased by Will Raap, I think that he saw the potential.

The reality is, is that what we're doing here speaks to the regenerative practices that he really wants to embrace.

So a lot of what we're doing right now on this property is really taking abused soils and bringing them back.

Part of that is the, is the process of growing these grains and proper field rotation and all the different things.

We just planted a hundred acres of winter wheat on the northern fields of this property.

Earthkeep Farmcommon, our umbrella parent, essentially, did the lime-spreading and did the mold-tilling and all the different things that the land needed in order to prepare it for what we would then rent from them.

We say that we're going to be bringing in grains from 500 miles from our front door.

This is almost 500 feet from our front door that we're getting some of these grains.

And that, that's a win-win for everyone.

This is a micro-farm community, and it's great to see that, you know, we can help the farmer down the road, or we can help the farmer across the state.

If we can't help a guy 50 feet away from us, how can we help anyone else everywhere else?

>> WIESE: You have a maltster here.

I believe that's the correct term, right?

>> Our head maltster is Jamie, and he's a really talented guy.

>> WIESE: Jamie, what do we have across the line here?

>> So these are a select few breweries here in Vermont that we have worked exclusively with here.

Here is Hired Hand, which is in Vergennes, Vermont.

This is Lawson's Brave Little State, which is in Waitsfield, Vermont.

This is Whirligig Brewery in St. Johnsbury, and Dirt Church Brewing Company, which is in East Haven, up near Burke Mountain.

These are some growlers from another one of our partners, Foam Brewers up in Burlington.

They've been one of our earliest supporters.

>> WIESE: Take me through how a malt tasting goes.

>> We selected beers that are made with 100% our grains.

I'm going to start you off, what do you say, with a sour?

>> Sour... >> This'll make you pucker up a little bit.

>> WIESE: Okay.

>> There you go.

>> WIESE: Yeah, it definitely has a... sort of a, a lemony sour taste to it.

>> And so it's got a crabapple base in it as well.

So he's, he's doing some really neat things with the... Something that you're probably a little more familiar with is the hefeweizen.

This is their Full Vermonty.

>> WIESE (laughing): That is a great name.

>> It's... >> WIESE: The Full Vermonty.

Come on, you gotta laugh.

>> You should see the ad campaign for it.

It's... (laughs) >> Yeah.

>> WIESE: It's great, and it has a more familiar taste.

>> The next one we're going to go to is a pale ale.

>> The weird thing is here, these are four different beers, four different styles, all with essentially the same grain build, probably.

>> WIESE: You have created just world-class malts.

I mean, these are really... Would stand up to anywhere in the world.

>> NARRATOR: Traveling south, we head to the island of Nantucket for an insiders' tour of the six-decade-old weaving studio Nantucket Looms.

Our visit coincides with the island's much-anticipated annual Christmas stroll.

Amid the festive cheer, we had the opportunity to talk with co-owners of Nantucket Looms, Bess Clarke and Becky Peraner.

>> Nantucket Looms is a home furnishings business.

We have a production weaving studio.

We opened our doors in 1968, and we represent dozens of local artists.

So my mom, Liz Winship, started working at The Looms in 1974.

She came to stay for only a season, and 40 years later, she had developed the business into a home, home decorating business, branching out into interior design.

She was the man who came for dinner and never left.

So, Nantucket has a history of women business owners, because the men would be on the whaling ships, and they'd go away for years at a time.

So there's Center Street, was known as Petticoat Row because it was all women business owners.

And so today, with my business partners Stephanie Hall and Becky Peraner, we are a female-run business.

>> I am Becky Peraner, master weaver here in the Nantucket Looms weaving studio.

You know, it's a dying art.

Handmade textiles in the United States is a dying art.

We feel lucky, all of us feel lucky to learn this craft, and execute this craft, and sell our craft.

And it's very, very, very rewarding to be a maker.

>> My earliest childhood memories is probably the weaving studio.

Just hearing the banging of the looms... (loom frames clacking) and the whining of the warp, all of those sounds just are associated with my childhood.

But I can still go upstairs today and still hear and see those same looms at work, just like when I was a child.

So, Stroll, they close down the Main Street, and so it's only pedestrian traffic on Saturday.

It's a nice opportunity for people to come together and hear the carolers sing.

All the Christmas trees are decorated by the school children, and it's just a really kind of warm and fuzzy time of year to celebrate and to take a deep breath after, after a busy summer season.

It tends to be a more festive, happy crowd.

Our hand-woven blankets are probably the most gifted of all our items.

Our mohair throws are what people typically get when they get married.

And then they would receive a baby blanket for, you know, that next chapter.

I think what makes Nantucket really special is that people come out here to be inspired and to create.

I think the color palette of the island, and the expansive skies and oceans are just, you know, it's an artist haven.

And so, it makes a lot of sense that there's craftsmanship that's here, and that's created, and we can offer that to people who come from all over the world.

>> A lot of people ask us, "Oh, does it get boring?"

No, because there's always something.

The attention to detail that goes into every thread that's incorporated into your woven piece is what makes it so special.

There's something beautiful in the hand... handmade that's not perfect, you know.

Striving, because none of us are perfect, and...

But there's beauty in it.

>> NARRATOR: For exclusive video, recipes, travel ideas, tips from the editors, and access to the Weekends with Yankee digital magazine, go to weekendswithyankee.com, and follow us on social media, @yankeemagazine.

Yankee magazine, the inspiration for the television series, provides recipes, feature articles, and the best of New England from the people who know it best.

Six issues for $10.

Call 1-800-221-8154. Credit cards accepted.

>> Major funding provided by: >> Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts.

The first public park in America.

The first fried clams.

The first university in America.

The first basketball game.

What's first for you?

>> Series funding provided by the Vermont Country Store, the purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find since 1946.

>> The Barn Yard, builders of timber frame barns and garages.

>> And by American Cruise Lines, exploring the historic shores of New England.