This New Portland Restaurant Is a Love Letter to Local Food
You’d think news of a splashy restaurant opening mid-July in the foodie capital of Portland, Maine would begin with the cuisine. But, taking a cue from executive chef Colin Wyatt, let’s focus on the backstory of the brick stunner that houses the new eatery, Twelve, as he likes to. “I feel like the restaurant needs to live up to the building’s name,” Wyatt says, “and we need to honor the history of it.”
And what a history. Originally built 127 years ago as part of the Portland Company train manufactory, the structure was known as “Building 12: Pattern Storehouse,” where employees built train gears and cogs. Folks around town still call it the “Twelve.” Turns out the only way to rehab the old manufactory was to literally disassemble the building brick-by-brick, and rebuild it at its new waterfront home.