The Blind Pig #ThinkGardinerFirst
BRANDI: I always wanted my own restaurant and I didn’t want to be like anyone else in the area. Gardiner is a historic town and we wanted a name that fit in with that theme. The term Blind Pig comes from the prohibition era when cops would turn a blind eye to speakeasies and places that were open as nightlife. I think the community has been really accepting of all the unique things we do here with our food and drinks.
TREVOR: We make practically everything in-house and right from our own minds. I create a lot of the dishes but everyone in the kitchen comes up with their own specials. So many things can inspire what I create whether it be something I see on TV or even have at another restaurant that I want to put my own spin on. I really enjoy making various soups and sauces or anything that I can tweak as I go along. Fresh pastas and breads are fun to make too. I’m hoping to expand our homemade bread selection. Currently, we are making our Bahn Mi burger buns on the regular menu, as well as English muffins and biscuits for Sunday brunch.
BRANDI: I design the cocktails but it’s a similar situation to the food where the rest of the staff gets creative on their own as well. We use all fresh juices and we make all of our syrups
TREVOR: I hope that the people that come in recognize the amount of effort and work put into their meal. With everything being scratch-made, I think you can taste the difference.
BRANDI: It’s really about creating a full dining experience for customers. It’s fresh food, not fast food and we are looking to provide a place for people to come enjoy their time with friends and family. We also have weekly events like trivia, a ladies night, and in the Summer we do open mic nights outside.
Success to me is a happy staff and smiles on people’s faces when they’re eating and drinking, and I think we have had a lot of success that has allowed us to grow and progress as much as we have in the past year. I never thought we would grow so fast especially since my initial vision was so much smaller. There’s a lot of potential to keep progressing too because if you’re not from the area, you probably don’t know we are here – So really in a way I feel like we have yet to be discovered by the larger surrounding areas.
Owner Brandi and her Head Chef Trevor have made The Blind Pig Gardiner’s destination for handcrafted cocktails and upscale dining. #ThinkGardinerFirst Visit the tavern at 266 Water Street in Gardiner or call 207-592-0776 for takeout. You can find daily specials on their Facebook and Instagram (@Theblindpigtavern).