Crooked Spoon in Thomaston
The magic of the Crooked Spoon Co. transcends any four walls, beginning as a catering pop-up for private dinners and small weddings. Now, the Italian and fresh pasta business is locked into public dining service a few days a week, having found a home and pasta production site at the former Block Saloon in downtown Thomaston, which owners Chef Samuel Emery and Chloe Chalakani, partners in business and love, first opened on June 20th of this year.
Their menu is simple and ever-changing. You can expect a meat dish, a vegetarian dish, seasonal dessert, and, of course, their house Caesar dressing on local greens. Their flavors? Rich, complex, and layered.
Chloe’s background is in events and wedding coordination, which she still does during the summer months. She also works at a physical therapy clinic in Rockland. For Chloe, running the bar and front-of-house operations for Crooked Spoon Co. is all about the community aspect. “I love connecting with people, getting to hear people’s stories,” she said. “What drives us is who we cook for. We want it to feel comfortable, we want it to feel like we’re cooking for family.”
Chef Samuel formerly ran the pasta program at Primo, along with curing meats for them. He attended the Culinary Institute of America to refine multiple techniques and cuisine, but kept returning to pasta. “He has always had an affinity for pasta,” Chloe explained. “He made homemade pasta with his dad as a kid.”
And Chef Samuel’s childhood love of pasta grew into a crafting excellence. He understood the local need for quality and consistency, and much of his culinary acumen is based on filling the gaps of his own food experiences. “As the chef of the business, being in this era of food in the Midcoast has been incredibly special to me,” he mused. “Growing up here, there were always limited options for food, and almost everything in this state was borne from necessity. That’s why we started this business: we wanted a consistent, year-round place to go eat good food.”
Chloe smiled, “He’s the most passionately, joyfully exuberant person. To watch him truly spread his wings and grow into this space and create things in this space is truly amazing.” She added that since its inception, everything about the business has been highly adaptable, allowing her and Samuel to shine in a variety of environments. “We want whoever we’re cooking for to feel like they don’t have to worry about anything,” Chloe said.
During the warmer months, the duo also sell their fresh pastas and sauces at the Rockland farmers market. They continue to work private events, cook home dinners, and do pop-ups around the Midcoast. Their favorite kitchen to cook in? The Norumbega Inn, where they will bring their signature dishes in a collaboration through multiple Saturdays this winter for the second year in a row.
“We’re really excited to be back there,” Chloe said. “It’s a beautifully designed kitchen; the attention to detail that the owners have put into the inn has obviously been noted. They received their Michelin Key and have been voted number one in magazine after magazine. For sure that is deserved, and we just love working with them. It’s fun, and it’s a fully different crowd.”
Chef Samuel said, “This food era is so important … This feels more like a collaboration at all times with our community, with Chloe and I. It’s something we really, really enjoy and is not forced. It’s happened naturally on all fronts, and that feels really good.”
FAMOUS FOR:
Chloe’s meatballs. Fluffy meatballs in a bright and perfectly acidic red sauce, this is a dish you can (and should) pair with some bread and salad as a shared starter. “It’s my family recipe, it’s a secret,” Chloe shared. “It took at least a year for me to let Samuel know the recipe. The recipe was gifted to me as a Christmas present one year. I don’t know how far back it goes or who created it; it’s shrouded in mystery.”
Also famous for their lasagna, which always sells out. Delicate, paper-thin sheets of fresh pasta hold together layers of hearty bolognaise and creamy béchamel, which is all topped with freshly grated Parmesan and served in a dish of molten comfort.
Finally, their Caesar salad. “Our Caesar salad has become a bit of a staple,” Chloe said. “We have a secret ingredient that really makes it pop. When we put additional salads on the menu, we only sell the Caesar. These things are our specialties, and it’s why people come through the door to dine with us.”
WEBSITE:
crookedspoonmaine.com
written by Freyja Grey
photographed by Aaron Snow
