A portrait of an old sea captain leans against the wall in Panacea, at 100 Main St. in Wiscasset, on Thursday, Jan. 16. The portrait served as inspiration for the restaurants logo, which is printed on upcycled merchandise. (Johnathan Riley photo)
Main Street Wiscasset is getting a new addition to its list of eateries at the end of the month.
Chauncey Erskine, of Edgecomb, is opening his new restaurant Panacea on Saturday, Feb. 1. The ocean-inspired comfort food eatery will serve grilled cheeses, chowders, and soups and focus on creating a space where community members can find nourishment in their food, and each other.
“(Comfort food) is food that nourishes the soul, not necessarily just through nutrition, but through nostalgia, sense of place and community and relationship with that food,” Erskine said.
Erskine had been planning to start a food truck last summer with a similar approach but the opportunity to establish a brick-and-mortar eatery arose when the owners of the former sandwich shop Yonder, Jonathan Turcotte and Kelsey Grossmann, decided to close the business.
“I am very grateful to the owners of Yonder, who welcomed me into the town of Wiscasset by inviting me to continue in some way, shape, or form the legacy they created in town,” Erkine said.
Erskine signed a lease for 100 Main St. earlier this month and got to work curating the space.
Originally from South Bristol, Erksine said the sea-faring themes of the restaurant harkens back to his upbringing on Rutherford Island.
While his definition of ocean-inspired menu means there will be ingredients sourced from the sea, the influence runs deeper and into a more historic vein. Erksine said chowder has a long history as a staple in the seafarer’s diet and originated in The Maritimes, the region of Canada northeast of Maine consisting of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
Chauncey Erskine stands in his new restaurant, Panacea, at 100 Main St. in Wiscasset, on Thursday, Jan. 16. The restaurant will feature comfort food including grilled cheeses, chowders, and soups. (Johnathan Riley photo)
“Chowder originated in The Maritimes, but it was in everyman’s food, and it really was an opportunity to make more of little,” he said. “So when fishermen would come back, they’d be able to amalgamate different ingredients and create something that was hearty and soulful to feed their family and community.”
Nautical charts, a collection of sea captain figurines, and playfully titled menu items may point to the direction of the sea, but Erskine said navigation for the business is to transcend its food and operate in nourishment.
The business’s name, Panacea – the definition of which is a cure-all or universal remedy – embodies that communal and nourishing vision for the restaurant, Erskine said.
“A panacea is a place where others can find meaning and nourishment, it’s a notion of what ails you, the ocean can be a panacea, food can be panacea, community can be a panacea,” he said.
The menu will consist of grilled cheese sandwiches, chowders with locally sourced ingredients when possible, vegan chowder options, and rotating soup specials that will reflect seasonal availability and different flavor possibilities, according to Erskine.
For now, Erskine said he will be the only one at the helm in the restaurant, taking orders, cooking, and serving.
Erskine’s name may be familiar to a number of locals as the former proprietor of Maine Booch in Damariscotta, a fermented kombucha establishment that garnered popularity.
“I’m hoping to bring my experiences and lessons on community from Booch into this space,” he said.
Erskine is looking to host community events like poetry nights and game nights to provide an additional reason to congregate over a cup of his homemade chowder.
The business will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. On Mondays, Erskine said he will be hoping to open the business for an expanded breakfast options menu.
To keep up with menu changes, hours, and upcoming events at Panacea, go panaceamaine.com or follow the business on Instagram at @panaceamaine.
The home of Panacea, at 100 Main St. in Wiscasset. The space was formerly the home of the sandwich shop Yonder, which closed at the beginning of November. (Johnathan Riley photo)
