In embracing everything Maine, Fisher has decided to use only locally grown or organic produce for his restaurant. Last January he sat down with Martha Putnam, of Farm Fresh Connection, to discuss his menu plan, asking her, for example, which Maine potatoes might make the best homemade chips? Fisher, the kind of individualist who grew a ponytail while cooking for a four-star general, still can’t get over the “height of the yolk” and the “unbelievable arugula” he will be buying locally from Sparrow Farms. As of mid-May, equally enthusiastic Maine farmers were “looking for just the right coolers to make the trip to Chebeague,” according to Putnam.
The new restaurant at the Chebeague Inn will use its 450 Avon boat to transport everything from Cousins Island to the dock below the inn. As for the cuisine, Chef Fisher explains: “We’re trying to bridge two worlds here. So we will have steak and lobster – seafood’s a given – but we’ll also offer daily specials where we can be creative.”