in season now
FOOD & DRINK
DINER EDITION BY SARAH WALKER CARON
“SLIDE IT!” That was the chorus inside the Deluxe Diner in Rumford on a snowy January day a few winters ago when I tried to open the heavy wooden door. I’d just arrived, intent on checking out the classic Worcester Dining Car Company diner. And it was clear to all the folks inside the tiny diner — there are just 16 seats at the counter — that I was a newcomer. Over the course of the next hour, we ate, chatted and took in the atmosphere. A few days later, I interviewed one of the owners. At the time, I was deep into the writing phase of my book “Classic Diners of Maine,” which was released in June this year. For the book, I’d spent hours and hours making lists of Maine
diners, checking their pedigrees and deciding on the ones to feature. Then I spent months visiting them on weekends and vacation days, sampling corned beef hash wherever I went. The Deluxe Diner hadn’t been on my list. It didn’t have much of a web presence and hadn’t received the notoriety of other dining car diners in Maine like the A-1 in Gardiner and the Palace Diner in Biddeford. I stumbled on it while writing about another diner. Learning it was still open and operating, I made a plan to visit it that weekend. It didn’t matter that my deadline was looming. I wanted this classic diner to have its spot in my book. I am so glad I went. Owners Jodi Campbell and her sister Julie Kiley were
delightful — and so was the classic diner they ran. Unfortunately, over the summer Campbell and Kiley announced their intention to sell the diner. But the Deluxe Diner is a resilient piece of Rumford that has had many owners since it was brought by rail to Maine in the early 20th century to feed hungry mill workers. I have faith that it will go on. This edition of In Season Now is dedicated to the many diners that have warmed our hearts and bellies throughout the years. The recipes are a few of my favorites — and remind me of dishes I’ve enjoyed at Nicky’s Cruisin Diner in Bangor (now closed), the Miss Portland Diner in Portland and elsewhere. I hope you enjoy them too.
CHOCOLATE CHIP PIE Yields 1 pie 2 large eggs ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup butter, melted ¼ cup olive oil 2 cups chocolate chips 1 unbaked 9-inch graham or shortbread pie shell
INSTRUCTIONS In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs by hand until light yellow and foamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar to the mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Pour in the olive oil and whisk to fully combine, and then add the melted butter and whisk again. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into the pie shell, set on a baking sheet. Tap gently to even out. Bake for 50-60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any batter on it (chocolate is to be expected). Cool for 30 minutes before serving.
14 / BANGOR METRO October 2020
PHOTOS: (PIE) SARAH WALKER CARON; (PANCAKES) ©VALERIE/ADOBE STOCK
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.