Camden Famous

Windjammer Days has been a Boothbay Harbor tradition for 64 years, but what does it actually take to keep one of Maine's most recognizable waterfront festivals going? In this episode of the Maine Famous Podcast, April sits down with Bruce White, longtime volunteer, board member, and Boothbay local, to go behind the scenes of Windjammer Days. Together, they discuss how a simple idea involving a...

In this episode of the Maine Famous Podcast, April sits down with Matt Partridge and Ryan Edwards, the new owners of Five Gables Inn in East Boothbay, Maine. The two longtime friends talk about what it’s actually like to step into ownership of a beloved coastal Maine inn with decades of returning guests and a reputation already firmly in place. Over the course of the conversation, they discuss the...

Greg Soutiea didn’t set out to become an innkeeper. After years working in corporate property management in Boston, he and his wife Lauren were burned out by the constant cycle of “putting out fires.” Then a stay at a small inn on the coast of Ireland changed the trajectory of their lives. In this episode, Greg shares how the couple took a leap of faith and purchased Craignair Inn, a nearly 100-ye...

Dom and Liz Gioia met while working on tour boats in Portland. Years later, they’re now the owners of Camden Harbor Cruises, one of Camden’s most beloved on-the-water experiences. In this episode of the Maine Famous podcast, we talk about how a summer job turned into a life on Penobscot Bay, what it’s really like running a family business on the water, and why generations of visitors keep coming b...

Nick Krunkkala trained in some of New York City’s most demanding kitchens. Today, he’s smoking chicken wings for four hours behind a pizza shop in Damariscotta, Maine. In this episode of Maine Famous, April sits down with the owner and chef of Oysterhead Pizza to talk about why he left fine dining behind to build something more personal: a neighborhood restaurant where locals can grab a slice thre...

Chef Sara Jenkins of Nina June shares how a childhood between Maine and Italy shaped her approach to food, simplicity, and hospitality. From making olive oil in Tuscany to building one of the Midcoast’s most respected restaurants, she talks about seasonality, sourcing, and the realities of running a restaurant in Maine. This conversation explores why less is often more, and what it takes to create...

Gretchen Ostherr, CEO of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, joins the Maine Famous podcast to share how a lifelong connection to the outdoors shaped her path from Outward Bound to leading one of Maine’s most visited destinations. In this conversation, she talks about the Gardens’ mission to connect people with nature, the unexpected growth of the Trolls exhibit, and the work happening behind the sce...

Brady and Jessica Brim-DeForest share the story behind Camp DeForest, a summer camp–inspired boutique motel in Lincolnville built around experience, design, and storytelling. Drawing from backgrounds in marketing, hospitality, and immersive events, they’ve created a place that feels intentional at every turn. This conversation explores what it takes to build something memorable, why details matter...

Virginia Shaffer, founder of Lady Oyster, joins the Maine Famous podcast to talk about how a single visit to an oyster farm changed the course of her life and led her to build one of Maine’s most thoughtful food experiences. In this conversation, she shares her path from corporate travel to culinary entrepreneurship, the inspiration behind her oyster tastings and tours, and why storytelling, place...

In this episode, we sit down with Bethel native Alex Poland: A registered Maine Guide, artist, fly-fishing instructor, land steward, and owner of Western Maine Yurts. Alex grew up in the foothills, worked side-by-side with his grandfather in excavation, earned a graduate degree he never used, and built a life that blends creativity, outdoor adventure, and deep Maine roots. He shares how fly fishin...

"People who read are interesting people. That’s why I’ve stayed in this business.” For more than 30 years, Justin Ward has been the quiet anchor of downtown Bridgton. He and his wife Pam opened Bridgton Books in 1993, back when the mill had just closed, storefronts were boarded up, and everyone warned him a small-town bookstore would never survive the rise of big box stores, or, later, the Ki...

If you’ve ever wondered how great restaurants actually come to life in Maine’s mountain towns, this episode is for you. April and Vanessa sit down with owner Cody Gordon and Chef Brian Weber of Mountain Social in Bethel, a team that cut their teeth in Bar Harbor before building a winter-season destination on Main Street. They talk about what it means to grow three restaurants across two very diffe...

Rangeley has a way of pulling people in. In this episode, Virginia Patnode MacFawn explains why. A lifelong Rangeley resident and co-owner of Rangeley Lakes Building Supply and Welcome Home, Virginia talks about growing up in a town where everyone looked out for one another, leaving for New York City and Charleston, and choosing to come home. We talk about family business, community trust, and why...

Mike Rosa has an “Angry August” story that will sound familiar to anyone who has worked in a restaurant. A table comes in already keyed up. Complaints stack up. The instinct is to get defensive. Mike does something else. He goes straight to the table, listens, and makes it right. That moment is a doorway into what this episode is really about: running a restaurant means running a team, a room, and...

Anne Carter and Jesse Hill run Carter’s Cross Country Ski Center in Bethel, Maine. For a lot of people, it’s where winter begins. In this episode, we get into how it all started. A small farm in Oxford. Trails cut through the woods. A building that had to do double duty as a farm stand and a ski shop. Then the move to Bethel, and what it looks like to build a destination around Nordic skiing. We t...

If you want to understand Rangeley, you start at Sarge’s. In this episode, Vanessa and April sit down with Crystal Sargent of Sarge’s Sports Pub, a place that has been an anchor of the town for more than 25 years. Crystal shares how a local bar became a year-round gathering spot, why consistency matters more than trends, and what it takes to run a sports pub in a mountain town that has changed fas...

Western Maine is known for its ski culture, but just beyond the slopes is a thriving food world shaped by farmers, foragers, and one woman determined to connect them all. In this episode, we sit down with  Meryl Kelly , founder of  A Longer Table Homestead  in Bethel, to talk about how a girl from Oxford Hills became one of the region’s most trusted food connectors. Meryl traces her path from culi...

Bridgton, Maine has a cocktail bar with its own category: the  Rhinestone Room , a pink-and-gold neighborhood lounge that feels more like a living room than a late-night spot. In this episode, Vanessa Santarelli and I sit down with owners  Mitch Slattery  and  Ivory Farrell  to talk about how two kids from Missouri wound up in Maine after years in Oregon and three years living in an RV, and how a...

What does it take to bring a mountain back to life — and turn it into the #1 ski resort in the East? In this episode, we sit down with Saddleback CEO Matt Dieterich and GM Jim Quimby to talk about the mountain’s remarkable comeback, what it means to operate a ski area with a soul, and how a community rallied behind a place they refused to lose. We get into the years-long closure, the investment re...

Sam Shaw's got an artistic vision and it makes his corner of the world a better, more beautiful place. Located in Northeast Harbor, Shaw's vision culminates in entirely original, one-of-a-kind jewelry (and a whole lot more)!

In this episode of the Downeast Famous video podcast, April Shaw-Beaudoin and Jena Young interview The Criterion Theatre's Executive Director Allison Sullens. They discuss the unique challenges of booking acts at a seasonal theater, what the future holds for this historic theatre, and more.

In this episode, April Shaw-Beaudoin and Jena Young sit down with Kelly Corson, co-owner of The Travelin’ Lobster in Town Hill, Maine. What began as a roadside dream has become one of Mount Desert Island’s most beloved lobster shacks, serving 400 to 500 lobster rolls a day in peak season. Kelly shares how she and her husband, Phil, a third-generation lobsterman who’s on the water by 3:30 a.m., bui...

In this episode, April and Jena sit down with Rachel Sisson, founder of R.L. Sisson Events and the planner behind weddings so seamless they’ve caught Vogue’s attention. Rachel shares how she anticipates her clients’ needs before they even say them, what makes an R.L. Sisson event stand out, and how she stays calm when chaos hits. From discovery calls to day-of disasters, this conversation pulls ba...

Oysters are transforming the Gulf of Maine (in the best way possible). Join a discussion between Joanna Fogg, Jena Young, and April Shaw-Beaudoin as they discuss the triumphs and the hardships of oyster farming in the waters off of Mount Desert Island, Maine.

Jon Stein of Fogtown Brewing Company uses his Biochemistry degree to craft Maine's best beers. Have a listen as Jon, Jena, and April chat about Fogtown Brewing Company, Jon's passion for his business, and the ways he's engaging Ellsworth, Maine by serving as a City Councilman.