Changsu Kristopher Lee hasn’t let the kitchen at 1492 State St. in Veazie cool down once this winter, even as a few longtime tenants have moved on from the restaurant incubator he operates at the cute little stone building.
Four new part-time purveyors are set to start serving up more diverse international cuisines in the coming weeks, in the space also known as Korean Dad, Lee’s Korean food kitchen.
The new eateries are Virgin Island Hotspot, Torrey’s Muffins and Cookies, Katahdin Kitchen and Dedebird’s Contemporary Classics, all of which will offer a unique menu one day a week for both eat-in and takeout at 1492 State St.
The four new eateries join established pop-ups Dreamer Food, which serves Armenian and Lebanese food on Wednesdays, and Casa Colombia, which serves Colombian food on Saturdays. Edelweiss Cafe, which served German food, is on hiatus, while Ca C’est Bon will focus on serving Cajun food from its food truck this summer, and Waffle Wednesdays is working on a new business focus for its gourmet waffles.
Dedebird’s Contemporary Classics, run by Dede Sylvester, will offer contemporary food from an array of different cuisines for dinner every Tuesday, ranging from New York chopped cheese sandwiches and burgers to a variety of other creative influences.
On Thursdays, Katahdin Kitchen will offer Indigenous cuisine and American soul food. Owners Zack Neptune, Orion Nolan Tintor and Jasmine Thompson-Tintor are planning on a late March opening.
Virgin Island Hotspot, run by U.S. Virgin Islands native Jonathan Williams, will offer Caribbean classics on Fridays. Some specialties include coconut johnny cakes, smoked jerk chicken wings, homemade veggie burgers and Caribbean snow cones.
Torrey’s Muffins and Cookies, as the name suggests, makes from-scratch cookies and muffins, and will offer a variety of flavors of both as well as breakfast and brunch every Sunday morning. Torrey’s also sells at the Hampden Farmers Market, the Bangor European Market and Tiller & Rye in Brewer.
Korean Dad, Lee’s pop-up, will serve up Korean dishes on intermittent free days. The four new eateries will be opening in the coming weeks, and opening dates and hours for all will be announced on the Korean Dad Facebook page.
Lee’s restaurant incubator business model allows food entrepreneurs to test and refine their menus and operations without a huge financial investment, so they can see if their business model works before they commit to a full-time, standalone business. Each business shares the kitchen and dining area of 1492 State St., and must get their own licensing before opening.
“I take a lot of pride in being able to help people get their dreams off the ground, and to showcase all the different cuisines we have right here,” Lee told the Bangor Daily News last year. “Plus, what other restaurants are there around here where there are [so many] different food options under one roof?”
