OWLS HEAD, Maine — Down a dirt road, a few miles from the heart of Rockland, a long, low-slung barn isn’t the prettiest on the block, and it won’t appear in “Architectural Digest” soon. But Kerry Altiero’s barn is well loved and well used all the same.
When the chef and owner of Cafe Miranda in Rockland purchased the compound — which includes an 1820s farmhouse, shed and workshop — in 2000, Altiero was just settling into the rural life. Fifteen years later, his 17-acre spread is humming.
In an open field, neat rows of onions shoot from fresh soil. Under a tent, a cluster of workers at his Headacre Farm cull just-harvested produce for his restaurant and prep for tomorrow’s farmers market. The farm, a separate endeavor, is central to his business. Farm to table? He’s been doing it for years.
Across a dirt road, aromas of Sicily escape from Altiero’s wood-fired oven, giving the pastoral scene an international air.
Amid the activity, the barn, built in the 1930s, is key to his growing culinary enterprise. “If I need anything, from chandelier lights to a smoker, to old siren horns, I have it here,” the charismatic Altiero says with pride. “I know where it is.”
Some barns are built for beauty or functionality, this one, with peeling paint and rusty latches, is like an old friend. Comfortable and easy to be with.
Packed with farm implements, run-down tractors, a 1968 BMW and a dusty, red Alfa Romeo, his barn is a composite of his high-adrenaline, jam-packed life. “It’s got high mileage, but the chassis is decent,” said the co-host of “ Nosh” on VStv and Maine’s 2012 lobster chef of the year. “It’s still running.”
“It’s got an old tractor, a car and a sailboat, what else does a barn need?”
Besides new doors and shelving, the catchall space hasn’t been patched up much, which would be like putting lipstick on a pig. Posts are hand hewn, but the joints could use a chiropractor. Overhead beams are not level and in some cases don’t fully meet. Gaps? There are a few.
The barn’s slapdash origins amuse Altiero. “See this, it’s so uneven. Why use two nails when one will do?” he says. “I laugh at the joinery … ‘Oh, we have to go clamming,’” is what he suspects the builders had on their minds when the barn went up. “I like things with character.”
Once home to the Benner Farm, the barn initially housed livestock and chickens. Engrained in its cracked wood are memories from long, long ago. The barn was last owned by a retired couple from Massachusetts. It sat idle for years. Now, Altiero is breathing in new life inch by inch.
“This is an active-use barn, a lot of people are in here,” Altiero said.
Employees, friends, acquaintances, anyone in need of a hovercraft, beekeeping gear or a Halloween costume are welcome. Looking for an old grill? The barn houses a few.
“I don’t have an addiction yet,” he said.
Surely some of these treasures were here when he bought it?
“Barney was here,” Altiero said, unearthing a scarecrow (or forgotten bean bag doll?) slumped in a shopping cart. Clad in orange hunting gear. Barney is the mascot. “What else do you call a guy who lives in a barn?”
Barney has a good home. Made with used lumber from a demolished barn in Warren, the 85-year-old structure could have started the reclaimed wood trend.
“It’s all hip now, but this is rough agricultural carpentry,” Altiero said. “It was put together on a wing and a prayer.”
In the future the barn will be used for events, weddings and farm-to-table dinners said Altiero. Right now it’s a scrappy hideaway bursting with finds and creative possibilities.
