A former Damariscotta couple, after 16 years as the proprietors of a St. Croix restaurant, are back and serving “gourmet street eats” at Backstage Eatery.
Allan Cotter owns Backstage Eatery with his wife and business partner, Nancy Cotter. He said the couple designed the cart with the thought of taking the menu from their island restaurant and “trying to make it street-friendly, price-wise and portion-wise.”
“We’re able to offer people what they would get at a fine dining restaurant in the Caribbean” at a “very affordable” price, Cotter said, because they don’t have the overhead of a traditional restaurant.
“Our passion is Caribbean and Cajun,” Cotter said. “I like the spices and the way that Caribbean and Cajun food is prepared.”
“I like to think that New Orleans is my third home,” he said, and the influence shows on the daily menu.
Gumbo with shrimp and andouille sausage is available every day, as are a fresh haddock taco with pico de gallo, fresh cabbage and habanero mayo and a Cajun chicken salad.
The menu also includes gourmet twists on standard American fare, including a fresh lobster grilled cheese sandwich with provolone, Swiss and havarti cheese; a Caesar salad with fried oysters and a “morning burger,” a fried egg topped with fried green tomato.
Backstage Eatery offers specials, too. The chalkboard, on a recent weekday, advertised a crabmeat quesadilla and seafood Alfredo with lobster, haddock and shrimp.
Despite the upscale selection, the prices hold true to the “street eats” tag. The most expensive item above, the seafood Alfredo, costs $10.50. The other items above range from $6-$10.
Allan and Nancy Cotter lived on Pleasant Street in Damariscotta for 32 years. Allan Cotter was a chef at Bowdoin College; Nancy Cotter director of catering for MBNA in Camden when, in 1995, they made a dramatic career change.
The couple opened Blue Moon, a waterfront bistro and jazz club on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a move Cotter described as “totally out of our comfort zone” after years of working in Midcoast restaurants.
Any anxiety, it seems, was unwarranted. “We were there 16 years and loved every minute of it,” he said.
The restaurant garnered a number of awards. In 2010 Virgin Islands Daily News readers named the Blue Moon the best gourmet restaurant in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Allan Cotter the best chef and Nancy Cotter’s brunch the best brunch.
The couple sold the establishment in 2011 and moved to the Cape Coral area of southwest Florida.
“We still had the passion to be in the food industry,” Allan Cotter said, but they didn’t want the overhead and responsibilities of a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
“We decided to design a food truck and try our luck down in southwest Florida,” he said.
A year later, their daughter, a Damariscotta resident, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her parents wanted to be close to support her.
“We thought, ‘Well, let’s bring the food truck up, since we’re going to be there for the summer with her, and see how it goes back home,'” Cotter said.
The bright red food cart stands out at its location at 603 Main St., formerly home to Grill Zilla.
When the couple designed the cart, they had a flat-screen television installed next to the pick-up window. The television plays concert DVDs – the blues, jazz and zydeco complements the Cajun menu – and explains the business’ name.
“That’s the stage and I’m backstage, cooking,” Cotter said.
Backstage Eatery has received an enthusiastic reception since opening July 12. The Cotters have enjoyed running into old friends and acquaintances who stop in for lunch.
“They say you can’t come back home, but we found that not to be accurate,” Cotter said. “Coming back after all these years, it felt like we never left.”
“There’s no place like Midcoast Maine,” he said.
Now, although the couple plans to winter in Florida, they hope to be able to leave the cart in Damariscotta and return on a seasonal basis.
“Maine has a special place in our hearts,” Cotter said. “We’d really prefer to do it here than in Florida.”
The couple are already immersing themselves in the community. They buy local produce and seafood for the cart for two reasons – because it’s fresh and because it supports the local economy. They plan to donate a percentage of their August sales to local non-profit organizations, including those who offer aid to women with breast cancer.
Backstage Eatery is open Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wed.-Fri., from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
It will be closed Mon.-Wed., Aug. 6-8 as the owners attend a memorial service out of state.
For more information, friend Backstage Eatery on Facebook. To place a take-out order, call 350-9653.
