About
Building Community through Food
In Chinese, Zao 早 means good morning, and
ZaoZe 早 则 loosely translates to
morning place. ZaoZe is most easily
described as an Asian market and café, but it is intended to be much more than
that. We want to be a connection point,
connecting people, product and places through food. Located behind Tao Yuan Restaurant, sandwiched between Canopy Farms (an aquaponics farm with the greenhouse above and the fish tanks
below), and in front of a commercial production food kitchen, we are part
bakery, part Asian deli, part café, part Asian grocery store, part food
processor – a literal farm-to-table microcosm in a single building. We offer cooking classes in our kitchen, host
a lecture series from aquaculture farmers (think mussels, oysters, scallops, kelp,
eels…), encourage usage from local students and clubs as a gathering and
hang-out space, in a comfortable homey setting.
Our food and beverages have a uniquely Asian slant, with lots of snack
like items, as well as an a la carte lunch service daily. Our market includes a carefully curated
selection of items we make and sell with an wide variety of fermented products –
kimchi, sambals, pickles made from locally sourced farms and fisheries.
About Local
The reason everyone talks about locally
sourced ingredients is because they taste so much more delicious than what is
shipped in from large food processing purveyors. And Maine has some of
the best! Moreover, making and buying
food locally supports local farms and fisheries, is sustainable, and builds
community. For us, food is more than basic nutrition, it is a
source of happy memories of shared meals with family and friends. Come
celebrate the joys of food at ZaoZe Cafe and Market, providing Asian inspired
ingredients and prepared foods to nourish both your body and soul.
A Note from the Owners
We would like to re-introduce Emily Topaz, who has been part of our team since 2019, starting as a pastry chef, then running the entire kitchen, and now running all of ZaoZe as an owner. ZaoZe would not exist without her, and she is not only an amazing chef, but has a standard of excellence she applies to everything she does, and is just a wonderful person.
Stay safe. Eat well. Be kind.
Cecile & Cara Stadler
Emily Topaz