General Info

Melissa Kelly is the Executive Chef and proprietor of Primo, a restaurant located in mid-coast Maine. She is the 2013 James Beard Foundation Award winner of the American Express Best Chef: Northeast Award. She also received this award in 1999, making her the first 2-time winner of the same award. What started out as one chef and two cooks in the kitchen, one greenhouse and one acre of vegetables has now become a full staff of 60 with 2 greenhouses, over 200 laying chickens, 150 broiler chickens, 5 ducks, 15 pigs and 3 acres of vegetables continuously rotating throughout the season. We have an endless pursuit to accomplish a more sustainable ecosystem filled with love, creativity, and respect for the food. Nothing is wasted — everything has its place. Any waste from the restaurant feeds the pigs, the chickens, or is burned to fuel our wood burning oven. We consistently rotate gardens to keep the soil as healthy as possible. We give back as much as we take.Melissa Kelly is the Executive Chef and proprietor of Primo, a restaurant located in mid-coast Maine. She is the 2013 James Beard Foundation Award winner of the American Express Best Chef: Northeast Award. She also received this award in 1999, making her the first 2-time winner of the same award. What started out as one chef and two cooks in the kitchen, one greenhouse and one acre of vegetables has now become a full staff of 60 with 2 greenhouses, over 200 laying chickens, 150 broiler chickens, 5 ducks, 15 pigs and 3 acres of vegetables continuously rotating throughout the season. We have an endless pursuit to accomplish a more sustainable ecosystem filled with love, creativity, and respect for the food. Nothing is wasted — everything has its place. Any waste from the restaurant feeds the pigs, the chickens, or is burned to fuel our wood burning oven. We consistently rotate gardens to keep the soil as healthy as possible. We give back as much as we take.