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V O L . X X I X N O. I I JA N UA R Y 2 3 , 2 0 2 3 12 S O U T H E R N M A I N E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY F O C U S T welve is a lucky number for Portland chef Colin Wyatt — it's the name of the restaurant he helped open and runs on Portland's East End, and the number of dishes on the seasonal prix-fixe menu (not counting the sweet potato milk bread with brown butter). e eatery opened last summer in what had been Building 12 of the old Portland Co. rolling-stock manufacturer. As part of the Portland Foreside redevel- opment, led by Casey Prentice, the 150-year-old brick structure was taken down, moved and reassembled to house a restaurant. "To me the story of the building was truly incred- ible," says Wyatt, who returned to Maine to open Twelve after working in some of New York City's most esteemed kitchens including three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park. At Twelve, he's crafted a menu he describes as modern New England using local ingredients "in fun and exciting ways." Glad to be back in Portland, Wyatt says, "e qual- ity of the chefs and the restaurants and the level of food that people are doing here is amazing." Portland's culinary transition Four and half years after Portland was named Bon Appetit magazine's "2018 Restaurant City of the Year," some of the businesses highlighted in that article have since shut down — including Drifters Wife in 2020, Little Giant in 2021, Back Bay Grill in 2022. But the carnage was limited. Today, as survivors seek to put pandemic setbacks behind them while grappling with industry-wide staffing and supply-chain shortages, Portland's culinary cachet is on the rebound. Driving that momentum is a host of new investments in the 68,000-population southern coastal city that's home to more than 500 licensed eating and drinking establishments. "At the beginning of COVID I just pictured mass carnage," says Lynn Tillotson, president and CEO of Visit Portland."I thought, this is going to devastate our community, and what drives tourism to Portland is definitely the restaurant scene." Instead, "I feel like they never really lost their footing." HospitalityMaine CEO Matt Lewis is equally bullish, describing Portland as a healthy market where restaurants are always coming and going: "It's possible we may see a few more go out of business," he says, "but you will quickly see new developments as well." The quality of the chefs and the restaurants and the level of food that people are doing here is amazing. — Colin Wyatt Twelve pot the Portland sees a wave of new restaurants and expansions B y R e n e e C o r d e s Stirring Stirring

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