Positively Grace

My second week in Portland began with taking Sunday orders at BTC. It was like going through a list of American Michelin starred restaurants as BTC received another round of requests from some of the country’s best restaurants. The BTC staff paid especially careful attention to the temperature of the fish, making a note of the temperature on the receipt. One peculiar site were the fish with trash bags on top of them, layered with ice. I learned that the bags were a sign that a great chef was inquiring about the fish before finalizing their menu. It was incredible to consider that the incredible seafood prepared at these notable restaurants comes from this single market, and that the expertise at BTC has been so finely crafted that they continue to meet the demands of exacting masters. Sourcing the highest quality ingredients is essential to BTC’s appeal, but it seems to me that delivering that freshness and quality with outstanding service goes hand-in-hand with the fish itself.

Mr. Rod Mitchell, owner of the Browne Trading Company, and me during my work/study experience.

By Day 9 I was ready to go lobster fishing with Mr. Mitchell’s friends at New Meadow’s Lobster. For the owner, Mr. McAleney, the day begins with packing the trucks at 6 a.m., which departed by 7 a.m. Dan Train, known throughout Portland as the “Lobsterman,” picked me up that morning and took me to his boat. There I watched them bait the lobster traps, and then switched boats and boarded Stan Train’s boat (Dan’s brother), where fishing for lobsters truly began. Dan and Stan are both young men with shortly cropped hair who can usually be found in t-shirts and bright orange, waterproof bib pants—a lobster fisherman’s uniform of sorts. On board the boat, they explained to me the fishing system, where six traps are strung together between two buoys, known as a “stringer.” They then pull up the buoys to collect their catch. These particular traps had been submerged for four days.

Pulling them up, the brothers sort through each crate-like trap, measuring the backs of each lobster to make sure they’re large enough to harvest. Stan and Dan explained that it takes about two years for a lobster to mature to the “legal size” that can be taken from the water. The inspection process also requires that the fishermen turn over the lobsters to check their gender. If it’s a female, she can’t have any eggs or a notch in her tail. The marking on her tail means she’s a good breeding lobster and needs to remain in the sea. Likewise, an overly large male lobster is considered a good breeder and can’t be harvested.

As Dan and Stan made their selections, I was impressed by their attention to the detail. They were, through and through, a professional operation. Their respect for the lobsters and the laws regulating their trade were evident throughout my time on the boat, showing thoroughly that they take every care not to fish in a way that threatens the species’ existence.

Sorting through the lobsters, the brothers placed their selects in large white buckets. Once back at the dock, the lobsters went into coolers and were then loaded onto trucks. Then Dan took me to the ferry, and I made my way back to Portland.

My lessons on lobster continued through the end of my time in Maine. Mr. Mitchell taught me the ins and outs of inspecting lobster, explaining that a lobster does not have to be alive to be fresh. Instead, you can determine its freshness by the length of the antenna. Like my instruction on caviar, I observed the great care that goes into the process of bringing Portland seafood to market.

I left Portland deeply impressed by not only the knowledge of the people I encountered in Portland, but also humbled by their willingness to share their wisdom with me. In the end, I benefited from all the lessons on seafood sourcing and preparation. More than that, I was the beneficiary of intense hospitality. Through each interaction and learning opportunity, the people of BTC treated me with so much respect, wanting to make the most of my experience. Those lessons in care and conscientiousness made as big of an impact as the food itself.

I arrived in Portland, Maine on Memorial Day, which gave me the chance to do some exploring before diving into my work/study position at the Browne Trading Company (BTC). It was a quiet day—perfect for a little wandering and ideal for sampling some of the town’s delicious food.

I stopped in at Eventide Oyster Co. on Middle Street and grabbed a seat at the bar. My first priority: trying a fresh Browne Point Oyster. Sadly, they were out of stock. Fortunately, though, I found more than enough to satisfy my oyster craving in their Damariscotta, Freeport, and Newcastle varieties, which were all fresh and delicious.

Me at Portland, Maine's scenic Casco Bay.

These first tastes of Maine were an ideal starting point for my 12-day learning immersion as a recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s Jean-Louis Palladin Professional Work/Study Grant. As the corporate executive chef at the Village Tavern, I don’t get to change my menu day-to-day. Instead, my work focuses as much on the recipes I craft as the people I work with and manage. So from the start, my Jean-Louis Palladin experience allowed me to connect with ingredients at their source—in the way that the master chef intended. Those lessons are always invaluable because even at corporate establishments diners want to know where their food comes from. As valuable as my instruction in seafood was, the lessons I learned about people and how to best care for customers made an especially big impact.

How does an establishment gracefully react to requests for items that are out of stock? How do they offer alternatives that leave the customer not only happy with his or her selection, but also eager to return to the restaurant? Success requires a good menu and a delicate approach. For me, finding the answers to these questions offered a window into the deeper meaning of hospitality. My time in Portland provided ongoing instruction on the enduring value of anticipating and meeting my guests’ needs. At BTC and the many other places I visited during my trip, I saw again and again the importance of pairing excellent food with outstanding service.

My second day allowed me to have a more hands-on encounter with New England seafood sourcing and preparation. My contact was the legend himself, Mr. Rod Mitchell, the owner of BTC and heir to a centuries-old family tradition in purveying seafood of the highest quality. We started with caviar. Mr. Mitchell explained that he believes the delicacy will be reestablished on menus through education. So far he’s seen some real success, having helped Chef Rick Tramonto develop his Caviar Staircase at TRU in Chicago.

In BTC’s Caviar Room, I spent two days learning the essential details of caviar production, and getting to sample their delicious offerings along the way. Among my many lessons: Don’t use Chinese tins with Italian caviar. Always save the lids from the caviar containers. Don’t mix different colors of caviar—each fish is distinct, adding variety to the color of the eggs, so it’s best to match the colors. I got to try my hand at the packaging process, capping portioned caviar and vacuum packing paddle fish spoonbill stickers. I even did some labeling. They keep meticulous records, charting each case and the tins that go in them. Ever prepared, they even run mock recalls internally in case a problem arises.

Following my time in the Caviar Room, I graduated to two days focused solely on fish. I learned the ins and outs of seafood handling and packaging. To me, it was a culinary school for the very best in fish and seafood. Perhaps the most remarkable part was observing how Mr. Mitchell and his team ensured that they provided the very best products to their clients. We packed fish for Le Bernardin, Restaurant Daniel, Per Se, and the French Laundry, to name a few. It was humbling to see the careful attention to detail they gave each client. At BTC they’ve invested in longterm relationships built on quality and trust—elements that are so important across to the hospitality industry.

My education didn’t stop when I left BTC each evening. After work, I spent my time exploring Portland’s many flavorful destinations. I took as many recommendations as I could from the BTC staff. Among the many highlights: Duck Fat for their delicious French fries, Hot Suppa for their corned beef and hash, Dry Dock for their friend clams and steamers (one of Mr. Mitchell’s personal favorites), and Street and Co. for their pan-served dishes.

I also had a little homework to do. Mr. Mitchell asked me to research the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. As I learned, the act was first passed in 1976 and was created to longterm sustainability for U.S. marine life, extending its provisions to cover 200 nautical miles from the shoreline. The act prevents overfishing, helps rebuilt overfished stocks, and helps ensure a longterm and sustainable supply of seafood. Throughout my time in Portland, I would see the importance of this act and what the fishermen do the uphold it.

Mr. Mitchell also gave me a personal tour or Portland one evening. We stopped at Coffee by Design, a favorite cafe of his that specialized in micro-roasted coffee. We also stopped at Long Meadows Lobster Company, where he introduced me to the owner, Mr. Peter McAleney. While there, we made plans for me to go lobster fishing—something I would have to look forward closer to the end of my trip.

To round out my first week in Maine, Mr. Mitchell took me to the famous Portland Fish Exchange. Here Mr. Mitchell carefully inspected the various fish he would purchase for BTC. Rather than placing bids there at the exchange, it’s all done via computer back at BTC. Once back at the shop, Mr. Mitchell instructed one of his employees on which fish to purchase. Throughout the process, Mr. Mitchell made every effort to anticipate the needs of his clientele, ensuring that the shop would more than meet their demands.

After the fish exchange, Mr. Mitchell made arrangements for me to get a firsthand lesson at Central Provisions, a Portland restaurant known for locally-sourced fare served up on small plates. There I got to work with Chef Chris Gould and quickly saw why this is one of Mr. Mitchell’s favorite restaurants. We prepared a variety of exceptional dishes, including a deliciously tender slow-roasted pork and soft shell crab dredged in a combination of corn meal, rice flour, and paprika. I learned how to prepare smoked trout and smoked Scottish salmon. I even got their recipe for a trout brine (a combination of salt, sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, black pepper, and garlic), as well as their salmon brine, which uses just three simple ingredients: salt, sugar, and seaweed. It was an excellent education in seafood preparation—one as delicious as it was instructive.