Ogunquit News
Ogunquit's Wild Blueberry Café serves up much more than blueberries
By C. Ayn Douglass
Walter Kallenback and Maria Grasso, owners of The Wild Blueberry Cafe at 82 Shore Road, enjoy the porch at the restaurant with Larry Johnson, the restaurant's manager, and Chef Joe Kenny. The restaurant, formerly Joan's, has undergone major renovations and opened in early July. The planters contain - what else - blueberries!
Photo by C. Ayn Douglass
OGUNQUIT - The Wild Blueberry Café, formerly Joan's, formerly Bernard's Bakery, opened recently after an intense and total renovation effort on the part of new owners Maria Grasso and Walter Kallenback.
They took the basic structure of the once strictly utilitarian building at 82 Shore Road, opened it up to serve 102 diners and created a bright and sunny destination for Ogunquit residents and visitors to enjoy breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a menu that is both innovative and well-prepared.
The name comes from Grasso, who owns an eight-acre blueberry farm in Chile. From the moment a guest steps into The Wild Blueberry Café, it's evident that the blue-colored theme is carried through the restaurant.
It's truly a "wow" moment as the owners have decorated in white with blue accents. The sun streaming through the windows is reminiscent of dining in the home of a friend with excellent taste.
Art work decorating the walls is reminiscent of the Maine coastline and done, primarily, by local artists including Robert Rasche and Phyllis Biasin.
Chef Joe Kenny, a graduate of the culinary program at Southern Maine Technical College, comes with years of experience at the Lobster Pier in Boothbay, and most recently, working for Roger Bintliff in Ogunquit.
"We hired him because of his imaginative vision of food preparation and because he absolutely loves food. He has a passion for food," said Manager Larry Johnson.
The menu reflects that passion from the morning coffee provided by Coffee by Design in Portland - a blend that Johnson said is created especially for the restaurant - to the omelets made in the classic style combining the diner's choice of vegetables, meats and cheeses.
Those who wish to start their day with a carbohydrate fix will love the French toast topped with a choice of Maine wild blueberries, bananas foster, cinnamon raisin, chocolate graham crusted or honey oatmeal with spiced apple.
Those who prefer protein in the morning will love the tenderloin benedict or Maine lobster benedict. The hollandaise is perfect.
And on the light side is a homemade granola parfait with fresh fruit and authentic Greek yogurt.
Lunch selections are varied and Johnson said the specialty is a fresh ahi tuna sandwich served open-faced on ciabatta bread with an accent of marinated white beans, grape tomatoes, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and basil.
The mission of The Wild Blueberry Café is to provide service that is professional, providing personal care and attention and to strive to buy, sell, and use environmentally friendly products and to consistently serve innovative, excellent meals with the best ingredients possible, according to the staff.
Johnson said the dining experience at The Wild Blueberry has been enhanced by providing live music on Sunday.
"We did it over the Fourth of July weekend and the jazz combo, Players II, was so successful we did it again," he said.
Whether or not the added ambiance of a gentle combo is playing in the background, The Wild Blueberry Café delivers all it promises.
