Restaurant closure leaves a culinary and community void in the Midcoast | Opinion

Peter Imber lives in Camden.

It’s not often that a restaurant closure makes the newspaper. Many close and are hardly noticed. Not this one closure in Rockland recently, which didn’t need press coverage to make news in the Midcoast.

The odds of a new restaurant succeeding in America are not great — a quarter fail within the first year and half fail in the first five. Although that’s actually not higher than the success rate of most other new businesses, for a restaurant to succeed for nearly 20 years with its original owners is rare.

Home Kitchen Cafe in Rockland called it quits after 18 years not because it no longer attracted customers or was losing money. It had plenty of loyal patrons; having to wait before getting a table or a seat at the counter was nearly always a given. No, Home Kitchen closed because in the owners’ own words:

“This is not a post we ever thought we would make, but in today’s world, maintaining our level of quality has become increasingly challenging. Like many in our industry, we’ve faced a growing struggle to find and keep the skilled, dedicated team needed to consistently deliver the experience our customers expect and deserve. Rather than compromise what Home Kitchen Cafe stands for, we feel it’s the right time to step away.” — James Hatch and Susan Schiro.

I’ve never frequented a neighborhood bar like Frasier, Cliff and Norm did on the sitcom “Cheers,” but there was seldom a week when I didn’t make the eight-mile drive from Camden to meet friends and have breakfast or lunch at Home Kitchen. In fact, I was enough of a regular visitor that although, unlike “Cheers,” not everybody knew my name, the waitstaff did. And as long as I can remember — and that’s years — the waitstaff never changed.

Advertisement

In the two weeks after the announcement that the place was closing, the lines at Home Kitchen were nonstop from before it opened in the morning until it closed in the afternoon. It wasn’t hyperbole to call the place unique and special. It was. The food was good, and I mean really good, but there was more to it than that.

I feel fortunate to have the lifestyle we do in Maine but it can be deceptive if you refuse to look around. Right now, the autumn leaves have reached their peak. Income inequality among us, however, is in full bloom regardless of the season.

Was Home Kitchen an oasis where all of us at least ate in the same building? I’d like to think so. Certainly, political divisions were concealed there and perhaps that’s nothing novel for a public space. The ambiance at Home Kitchen, however, was different. Everybody was happy.

Here’s what happened to me there a few months ago that I’d claim was different. Home Kitchen also had its own bakery, just down the street from the cafe. When I discovered it sold turkey pies, an offering not on the restaurant menu, I bought one. But when I scored it before putting it in the oven at home, I was surprised that I had been given a fruit pie instead.

I returned to the bakery the next day and asked to exchange it but there were no turkey pies available and no one there at that moment who knew how to handle a refund to a credit card. I went to the restaurant, pie in tow, and was immediately reimbursed. I thought that was the end of the story.

A few weeks later, I was having lunch when one of the waitstaff came to my table and handed me a bag with a turkey pie. I protested to her that it wasn’t necessary and I wanted to pay for it but she remembered what had happened and refused my offer. Home Kitchen made a fine turkey pie.

Advertisement

The Home Kitchen Cafe menu was large and varied. I had my favorites: the turkey Reuben, a Vietnamese banh mi, the Cubano, fish tacos, pancakes, build your omelets. Can I console myself with the possibility that now it might be easier for me to lose a few pounds?

My absolute favorite thing to order was the huevos rancheros and it was this that chef and owner James considered Home Kitchen’s signature dish. I ate half and brought the rest home and waited a few days to part with it.

We have plenty of other places to eat where we live but Home Kitchen Cafe’s loss leaves a void that fond memories can’t fill.

What I know about myself and food is that I am a food person more than a restaurant person. The Michelin stars and the James Beard awards definitely have their place. But in the past in California before I moved to Maine, I drove a couple hours from Los Angeles for a great crabmeat sandwich at Point Loma Seafoods in San Diego. And I kept returning to Caffé Sport in San Francisco’s North Beach despite the waiters badgering me every time to order something other than the shrimp and mostaccioli that I always came there to eat.

Yes, I’m just a food person. But Home Kitchen Cafe was more than that for many of us. Not every business that closes is noticed. Not every restaurant that closes is missed. And not every business that was a restaurant is beloved. Home Kitchen Cafe was.

Adiós, huevos rancheros, and gracias.

Copy the Story Link

Tagged: columns