Fiddlehead Focus, Mainebiz report Bangor restaurants to use UMaine’s Caribou Russet

Fiddlehead Focus and Mainebiz reported two Bangor restaurants will begin to use the popular Caribou Russet potato variety developed at the University of Maine during high school basketball tournament week. Geaghan’s Pub and Craft Brewery will use the potato in a variety of dishes, and Hops House 99, located inside Hollywood Casino, will use it to make hand-cut fries. Both restaurants are across the street from the Cross Insurance Center, which also serves the Caribou Russet at its concessions stands, the articles state. Both restaurants plan to continue using the variety while the supply lasts, which is projected to be through mid-spring. The Caribou Russet was developed in the breeding program overseen by Gregory Porter, chairman of the UMaine Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences, and appeared in store shelves in 2016 with a limited supply. Hannaford began stocking the variety in 2017, and this year more stores are carrying the potato, making it widely available throughout New England. Bangor Daily News and The County carried the Fiddlehead Focus article.