Meet the Team Behind One of America's Best New Restaurants

[serene music]

We're in Portland, Maine

to meet the team behind Drifters Wife,

one of the Bon Appétit Hot 10 best new restaurants.

I'm sittin' down and I have no idea about you guys.

[Peter] We'll keep it that way.

[laughter]

So, you're the chef.

So you do all back of house, right?

Yeah, I do all of the ordering.

I do all of the menu planning.

I spend a lot of time alone

and I spend a lot of time cooking for a community of people,

and I just discovered that I had

this passion for simplicity.

[Orenda] Peter and I are obviously

both front of house during service.

For the wine shop, Maine & Loire,

it's really a collaborative effort,

and then over at Drifter's

all the accounting, and all the HR, and all the paperwork.

So how has it been for you guys

since ya'll landed in the Hot 10?

Feels really nice to have that recognition

that you have something special.

Here's what we do, we hope you like it.

We've done the best we can with it,

and we're really excited about it,

and it's incumbent upon us at that moment, to like,

Seize the opportunity. Nail it.

What was it like for you?

I think in the kitchen it just inspired us

to just focus on what we're doing,

try and take each day as a new opportunity

to continue to perfect our craft,

and just every day bring a new, fresh attitude.

All right, man, so tell me where we're at.

Well, it's the Deering Oaks farmer's market.

[Joe] This is beautiful.

[Ben] I do this every Saturday, I'd come to the market

and check out what's around, you know,

kinda go from there.

For tonight, I think it might be fun

if we kinda do like a play on a succotash,

but not really.

Maybe, we'll be able to find like some okra

or something like that.

[Ben] We should definitely get some of the maitakes.

Do you want me to carry something for you?

I'm good, man.

You do all the work later, I'll chill then.

[guitar music]

[Peter] What'd originally became the original

Drifter's Wife was an avenue for us

to elevate our station with the shop

to kinda help the shop out.

To get people to come and try these wines

in real time in a relaxed space.

To sort of see other people enjoying it.

And a place that we would want to do that.

The majority of people who come

as a direct result of something like the Hot 10 are excited.

[upbeat music]

We're talking about okra, as we were walking

into the farmers market today,

and we totally bought them out.

[Joe] When we were cooking in that all clad pan,

I mean I just love the like transfer of heat,

you get that golden brown and delicious caramelization

on the okra and the mushrooms.

I thought it was great.

[Ben] Yeah, it reminds me of the plancha a little bit.

We were talking about that.

[Joe] Yeah.

[Ben] It's like the perfect heat for that.

Roasted sweet corn tossed with the wild mushrooms.

Parsley, dill, Parsley, dill,

[Joe] shallots, a little citrus.

[Ben] Underneath all of this,

you're gonna find local local bluefin tuna tonnato.

[Peter] Everyone should work in a restaurant

once in their life.

I really, Totally.

Ya. I completely agree with you.

And the testament to a great restaurant

is when everything works together so well.

You guys nailed it.

Here at Drifters Wife, passion is converged

into being an adventure every day.

Bon Appétit!

[laughing]