Last winter a small box arrived in the mail that had the faintest sounds coming from it. When I held the box in my hands it was warm and seemed to vibrate. Inside were our 22 new baby chicks, two days old, huddled together in clean sawdust, peeping and keeping each other alive. We ordered them through the mail because we wanted something more than the generic brands our local feed store offers year after year. We wanted something exotic. And we got it.

French food gets a bad rap. It’s often viewed as pretentious, fussy, and rich. Yet it can, in fact, be simple and rustic — especially when its preparation is a process that is never rushed and its main ingredients are fresh and in season.

Tender shoots of ostrich fern pushing their furled tips through the ground . . . fiddleheads are a sure sign of spring in Maine and a delicacy to be savored for but a brief time. 

A close friend of mine just celebrated her very first Mother’s Day. She had a baby a few weeks ago, and it’s been thrilling to watch her reaction to it all -- the excitement of bringing a human being into this world.

She has videotaped him moving his head in his crib, and taking his first stroller walk. He even has his own blog — I kid you not. (After all his mother is just 30, and a blog is apparently the new baby book.)

Photo courtesy of Bard Coffee

Bob Garver is a coffee connoisseur. The owner of Wicked Joe’s Coffee, a wholesale roasting company based in Brunswick, Garver decided to explore the retail side of life and opened Bard Coffee on Middle Street in Portland in April. [To read more about the coffee scene in Portland, see this article in the Portland Press Herald.]

Last night, Rob Evans of Portland's Hugo’s won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Northeast. Here’s a look at the night from his perspective:

“We’re still high as a kite. Last night we were on cloud nine for sure. It’s like we entered an exclusive club or something. It’s really exciting.

Big news for Maine food lovers. Rob Evans, chef and owner of Hugo’s in Portland, Maine, won the highly coveted James Beard Award last night for Best Chef: Northeast. Evans was competing against some heavy hitters – Maine’s Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier of Arrows in Ogunquit; Michael Leviton of Lumiere and Marc Orfaly of Pigalle, both of Boston; and Tony Maws of Craigie on Maine in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Photograph by Jennifer Baum.

A new breakfast and lunch spot serves sweet and savory grub at a price that’s easy to swallow.

Sticky buns. Those succulent, buttery, sweet, doughy tufts of goodness are the number-one reason you should stop in at Rockland’s latest breakfast and lunch joint, Home Kitchen Café (650 Main St., 207-596-2449). Once you’ve had one (or two, we won’t tell) you’ll be satiated and then pleasantly surprised by the extensive choice of wholesome, home-cooked food available for course number two.