Pizza Perfection
The mad geniuses behind Caf? Miranda and Borealis Breads team up to make pies.
By Andrew Vietze
it was such an obvious pairing that it was bound to be good. Two midcoast culinary titans, one known for his breads, the other for his spices and sauces, join forces to make a take-home pizza. The result was likely to be an inspired product, and that's just the case with MOBO Foods, which pairs Kerry Altiero of Café Miranda of Rockland and Jim Amaral of Borealis Breads of Waldoboro in a partnership of the pie. Launched last November, MOBO sells its pizzas at independent groceries and specialty stores from Wells to Belfast. The vaguely rectangular pizzas come in six flavors, including the obvious (cheese) and the deliciously wacky (broccoli, red pepper, and ricotta). At $11, they're pricey, but they're easy to prepare, large enough to feed two hungry adults, and they come out of the oven tasty. Amaral says a whole lot more is in the works: "We're looking at pre-baked pizza dough, so that you can put your own toppings on -- we've had a lot of requests for that -- as well as small pizzas with gourmet toppings like smoked salmon and duck. We're also planning on adding lines of spreads, dips, and sauces later in the year." Find out more at www.mobofoods.com or by calling 207-832-5177.Nature's Classroom
White Pine Programs has been around in a quiet way since 1999. The York-based nonprofit was founded with the goal of helping people reconnect with the natural world, and to that end it sponsors a variety of outdoorsy workshops and field trips all year long. Much of the organization's schedule is focused on kids, but it offers a bunch of adult programs as well. In March, with the woods draped in snow, this means animal tracking. Two six-hour workshops in stalking are offered on successive Saturdays, the first in search of the ever-elusive bobcat, the second trailing weasels (fisher, mink, otter). Each one costs $50 and is led by White Pine co-founder and executive director Dan Gardoqui, who boasts an impressive outdoor bio (Registered Maine Guide, Wilderness First Responder, master's degree in natural resources). Last year the bobcat outing, which takes place along Mount Agamenticus, found not only tracks and trails but also dens. Who knows what they'll find this year? Find out more at www.whitepineprograms.org or call 207-361-1911.
Toy Library
Kids are fickle. Perhaps the very definition of fickle. One minute they have a new toy that's their favorite in the world, the next they're dashing off with their new best plaything -- a stick. This age-old phenomenon has left many parents scratching their heads. Rockland has a nifty solution in its Toy Library Center. Based at (but not affiliated with) St. Peter's Church, the place is open a few days a week during the school year. Inside is a wonderland of fun for kids -- toys and more toys, climbing gyms, not to mention lots of other children. When they get ready to leave, kids can pick out a toy to bring home from among the hundreds available, just like borrowing a library book. The fee to participate is $40 a semester and, as board member Noreen Malloney says, "We don't want the price to be prohibitive if a kid wants to come." So scholarships are available. Children from all over are welcome. The Toy Library is located at 11 White Street and is open Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon during the school year, with expanded hours during vacation weeks.
No Divots, Either
Maine golfers are a lot like gardeners in their feelings about winter-- they hate the season, and they spend much of it planning their return to their favorite pastime. In recent years they've had some help from Pine Tree State entrepreneurs. Indoor golf, which seems logical in a place bound by snow and ice for six months of the year, has really taken off in Maine. Built around virtual golf, a computer simulation of driving and putting, these places are like eighteen holes under a roof, and they allow duffers to work on their swings during the long off-season. One such facility is Golf Country on Union Street in Bangor. For $21, golfers can play for an hour, or about eighteen holes, on one of thirty courses. The center has three simulators, and it's become so popular it even hosts tournaments when the snow flies. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call 207-990-4777 for more details.
Virtual Museum
Like any museum with an impressive collection, the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) has a bit of a space problem: there isn't enough room to display every work it owns. But the PMA came up with an intriguing workaround when it debuted a redesigned Web site at the end of last year. One of the best features of the site -- www.portlandmuseum.org -- is the virtual tour of the PMA's major collections. Broken into categories -- American, European, prints and photographs, and glass, and then again by collection (Elizabeth Noyce, Winslow Homer, etc.) -- the site improves upon the original in two ways: it's always free and you can stay as long as you like.
