This summer, the GIBY eatery will open under new ownership, and a new name! CRAFT Kitchen & Provisions will offer breakfast and lunch, to start. The food will be restaurant-quality and feature locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. In time, offerings will be expanded to include catering services, pop-up dinner events, and smoked meat. Beginning this summer, the owner/operator team of Pamela Rhoads and Wes Trout will also provide appetizers for GIBY’s Friday Night Music on the Deck events. 

CRAFT is scheduled to open in July, following a significant remodeling of the kitchen and dining areas. The update will include the addition of a wrap-around deck, introducing outdoor dining to the site. The newly minted space will be surrounded by fresh landscaping, new signage and lighting, and a new stone wall to the roadside.

Pamela is excited to get started with her first “brick and mortar” retail space in Maine, near family on Orr’s/Bailey Islands. She has worked with food throughout her career – from Seattle to Pennsylvania – as a caterer and a manager involved in setting up a culinary teaching kitchen. Though she is a trained social worker and has spent many years fundraising for non-profits, her heart has always been in preparing and cooking food.

Her business partner, Chef Wes, has been preparing food he loves for over 25 years as a cook, chef, and caterer. After culinary school, Wes got his start in hotels and restaurants. He has cooked at colleges, for thousands of people, and catered intimate parties for two. Smoking meat and fish became a passion along the way, as did producing flavorful, eclectic food. It is this combination – and the people who enjoy his food – that sustain his passion for cooking.  Over the years, Wes has travelled extensively to increase his food knowledge and expand his repertoire.

Pamela and Wes are excited to share their passion for food with all of us. We can’t wait to see what they cook up!

While we know CRAFT will enhance the GIBY experience, we think this fun establishment will do the same for the greater Harpswell community. Please join us in supporting Pamela and Wes. Make CRAFT Kitchen & Provisions part of your regular GIBY routine. And, please, tell your friends!

Stay tuned for opening day details…