Restaurants across Maine get grants from chef-led cooking show fundraiser
Courtesy / Wilson County Barbecue
Wilson County Barbecue, in Portland, was one of the restaurants that benefited from a ReUp Maine grant. The restuarant got $5,000 this fall.
The chef-led Maine Restaurant Relief Fund has so far generated $140,000 and provided grants to 19 restaurants in all 16 counties, organizers said.
Launched in late August, the fundraiser features a weekly live-streamed "Sunday Supper" cook-along with a variety of chefs, includes recipes, and provides information on the grants and how to donate.
The show has generated more than 200 donors, ranging from individuals to corporations such as Hannaford Supermarkets and Bangor Savings Bank. The hour-long shows feature chefs guiding viewers through recipes, and gives views information on how to donate to the fund.
"In the face of a new round of COVID challenges, our Maine restaurant owners are doing everything they can to be safe, serve customers and make it through the winter," said Rory Strunk, founder of O'Maine Media, who produces the Sunday Supper series. "I am amazed at the generosity of individuals and corporations in Maine."
Strunk added, though, "More help is needed to keep these vital pillars of our community open."
The effort provides $5,000 grants to restaurants through the HospitalityMaine Education Foundation. The original goal of the program was to provide 100 grants to restaurants across the state affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by the end of December.
"It has been a life raft for recipients," who apply online for help, Strunk said.
Mike Therriault, co-owner of Bath Brewing Co., said the money helped pay employees and increase outdoor seating. "It's fantastic," he said. "What a great way to show support and help us through these tough times."
Harding Lee Smith, who operates three Portland restaurants collectively known as the Rooms, cooked on one of the shows in November. He's spent part of the shutdown doing extensive renovations, and now that winter is approaching and COVID-19 cases are rising, he said, "What’s going to happen in January and February? That's the scariest part and why this money is so necessary for people because we don’t know what is going to be like."
"Sunday Supper" airs at 5 p.m. Sunday at tastemaine.com, as well as the tastemaine YouTube channel and O'Maine Studios Facebook page, where viewers who watch it live can comment and during the show. Past episodes of the program can be watched on tastemaine.com. Two more episodes are scheduled for December.
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