Chef Melissa Kelly

April Shaw Beaudoin sits down with two-time James Beard Award–winning chef Melissa Kelly, owner of Primo in Rockland, for a conversation about food, land, and the long view.

Kelly traces her path from an Italian American childhood shaped by family kitchens to formative years cooking in New York, before taking what she describes as a leap of faith on Rockland more than 25 years ago. Primo grew from that decision into one of Maine’s most influential restaurants, built around a working farm and a network of fishermen, foragers, and farmers. “We do everything the hard way,” Kelly said. “That’s Primo’s way.”

Her philosophy is rooted in restraint and memory. “Food is like a ribbon that ties things together,” she said, explaining why dishes are designed to evoke place as much as flavor. Primo, she added, is meant to offer “not just a meal, but an experience.”

It’s an episode about stewardship, patience, and why some restaurants become part of people’s lives.

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Anna Jones & Josie Davis

April Shaw Beaudoin is joined by guest co-host Brett Haynie of The Norumbega for a conversation with two Midcoast arts leaders: Josie Davis of Bay Chamber in Camden and Anna Jones of Midcoast Community Chorus.

Davis traces Bay Chamber from its 1961 beginnings to what it is now: a year-round presenter with 50-plus concerts, a faculty of 23 teaching every instrument, and a community music school serving more than 375 students. She’s also clear on the point that defines the organization under her leadership: access. “We’ve never turned someone away,” she says, noting that about half of students receive scholarship support.

Jones explains how Midcoast Community Chorus became a non-auditioned, multi-generational group of roughly 120 singers, and why their mission is “by the community, for the community.” “If you can talk, you can sing,” she adds.

It’s an episode about lowering barriers, building belonging, and what music can do when a town shows up.

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Adam Roberson & Clementina Senatore

Adam Robson and Clementina Senatore are behind two of the Midcoast’s most magnetic places to gather. In this episode, we talk with Robson, owner of Dos Gatos in Belfast, and Senatore, owner of Paper Plane in Camden, about opening new businesses, building atmosphere, and creating spaces people want to return to.

Robson reflects on the early lessons of running a busy restaurant, from learning how to lead a staff to thinking of service as performance. “The show must go on,” he said. Senatore shares why Paper Plane is intentionally a one-woman operation, and how simplicity and surprise shape both her cocktails and the experience. “I’m never going to send anybody away,” she said.

Together, they talk about authenticity, social media, and why being yourself matters more than polish. As Robson put it, “We are ourselves.”

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Lea Freni, Hannah Berta, & Robert Wolterstorff

CMCA exists to stay in motion. In this episode, April Shaw-Beaudoin talks with Executive Director Robert Wolterstorff, artist and staff member Hannah Berta, and designer and artist Lea Freni about what it means to lead a museum that is focused entirely on the present.

Unlike many institutions, CMCA does not maintain a permanent collection. That choice is intentional. “We don’t collect,” Wolterstorff said. “We are very much about this moment.” The conversation explores how that philosophy shapes everything from programming to artist support, and why CMCA remains deeply connected to Maine’s creative community.

Berta, who grew up in the Midcoast, talks about returning after time away and finding inspiration in the region’s seasonality and creative density. Freni shares what surprised her most after moving from New York City: the openness to collaboration. “People tend to just say yes to ideas here,” she said.

Together, they describe CMCA as a place that champions artists, curiosity, and what’s happening now.

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Brittany Parker & Anne Rogers-Popejoy

The Strand has been lighting up Main Street in Rockland since 1923, but the story is still moving. In this episode, we talk with Executive Director Anne Rogers-Popejoy and Education Director Brittany Parker about how the Strand became a nonprofit, and what it takes to keep an old movie house working in a modern world.

Rogers-Popejoy came to the Strand through fundraising and stepped into the executive director role this year. Parker first arrived as a performer, then joined the team in 2018 to build programs that make the theatre feel like it belongs to every kid in the Midcoast. “If I can get young people to feel like the Strand is a comfortable, welcoming place for them,” Parker said, “then we nailed it.”

They share what’s coming this summer, why movies still matter, and what community support really funds. As Roger-Popejoy says, “If you want the Strand to last another hundred years, the simplest move is also the easiest one: show up.”

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Caitlin Sackville & Bella Feracci

The Apprentice Shop has been part of Rockland’s waterfront for more than 50 years, teaching traditional boatbuilding and seamanship while quietly shaping lives. In this episode, April Shaw-Beaudoin talks with Executive Director Bella Ferrachi and Program Director Caitlin Sackville about how a place devoted to wooden boats has become a gateway to confidence, curiosity, and community.

Ferrachi first arrived from New York as a two-year apprentice, drawn by what she described as an overwhelming desire to understand how things are made. That decision changed the course of her life, eventually leading her back to the shop in a leadership role. Sackville, a Maine native, came to the organization through sailing and program work, helping expand access to the water for people of all ages.

Together, they describe The Apprentice Shop as a place where curiosity matters more than experience. “You don’t need to know anything,” Ferrachi said. “You just need to show up.”

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Kea Tesseyman

KEA Dance Center has been part of the Midcoast for 15 years, but for founder Kea Tesseyman, the story started much earlier. In this episode, April Shaw-Beaudoin talks with Tesseyman about growing up in southern Maine without access to formal dance training, and how movement became her refuge. “Dance was my safe space,” she said. “It was how I survived.”

A turning point came in high school, when a teacher offered her a chance to join a dance team through a work trade. That moment of inclusion shaped everything that followed. Tesseyman began teaching shortly after graduation and never stopped.

Today, KEA stands for Kinetic Energy Alive, and the studio reflects that philosophy. Classes welcome dancers of many ages and backgrounds, with a focus on access, emotional awareness, and self-expression. “I built the place I was looking for my whole life,” Tesseyman said.

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Rory Keohane & Peter Alsop

Tenderwild Farm sits just outside Rockport, but it feels like its own little world. In this episode, we talk with Peter Alsop and Rory Keohane about how a piece of land that hadn’t been farmed since the 1960s became an organic, no-till micro farm, and why the barn matters as much as the lettuce mix.

Peter had a career in journalism before he and his wife, Morgan, followed what he explained as an “inner call” toward growing food and “bringing life to a place.” Rory came from a long run in branding and design, showed up to help for a season, and stayed to build the farm store, café plans, and a growing calendar of community events.

Their goal is simple: make the farm a place where you can see your food being grown, wander the land, and feel welcome. “Ultimately,” Peter says, “it is the place… a hearth… that belongs to everyone.”

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Jordan Barnett-Parker & Seth Gideon Fainkujen

In this episode of the Camden Famous Podcast, April is joined by guest co-host Brett Haynie for a conversation with two Midcoast jewelers who take the craft seriously: Seth Gideon Fainkujen of Harvest the Light in Rockland and Jordan Barnett Parker of Jordan Adams Designs in Lincolnville Centre.

Both started young, fell into jewelry through “happy accidents,” and never really left it. Jordan talks about following the work all the way to Germany, studying in a program with limited seats, learning in a pressure-cooker environment that demanded both precision and stamina. Seth shares how he moved to Maine as a teenager, built a career at the bench, and eventually found his way back because the Midcoast feels like a place where creative work can actually breathe.

What comes through most is their shared belief that custom jewelry is supposed to feel personal, not transactional. They talk about mastery, repetition, and the intimacy of making something for a specific person. As Jordan puts it, “We have to put a little bit of ourselves into every piece.” Seth frames it as intention: not just what you make, but why.

It’s also a conversation about community, mentorship, and making the experience feel accessible, even if you don’t know a thing about metals or stones.

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Elise McCave

In this episode, you’ll hear from Elise McCave, the executive director of Points North Institute and the Camden International Film Festival. Elise shares what drew her to the Midcoast and how CIFF has grown into an organization that connects Camden to the global documentary film community while staying deeply rooted locally.

Joined by guest co-host Allison Brzezinski of Birch Bark Events, the conversation goes beyond logistics and programming and into purpose. Elise talks about what it means to support filmmakers at different stages of their careers, how Points North creates space for long-term creative development, and why CIFF prioritizes thoughtful storytelling over spectacle. You’ll hear how the festival balances international reach with local impact, from welcoming visiting artists to engaging the Camden community year after year.

The episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the leadership, values, and intention shaping one of Maine’s most respected cultural institutions, and why CIFF continues to matter both far beyond the Midcoast and right here at home.

Available to stream now