NARRATOR: Today on Weekends with Yankee, Amy heads to The Alna Store in Maine to meet the people who transformed a former gas station into a destination restaurant.

- What's most important for me always to have on the menu and cooking for Mainers is food that's harvested, foraged, grown, raised here in Maine.

AMY TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR: Later, Amy checks into a floating houseboat called the Roam.

- When I say immersive, I want people to, like, feel being on the water.

NARRATOR: Richard joins vegan chef Chrissy Tracey in Connecticut to forage for produce and cook with their harvest at the Madison Beach Hotel.

RICHARD WIESE: I have to tell you, the smell is so fantastic right now.

- (laughs) NARRATOR: Finally, Amy returns to the Roam to share a favorite soup recipe.

TRAVERSO: Oh, that looks so good, and it smells amazing.

I have the coziest houseboat in the world.

NARRATOR: So come along with us for a once-in-a-lifetime journey through New England as you've never experienced it before, a true insider's guide from the editors of Yankee magazine.

Join explorer and adventurer Richard Wiese and Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso for behind-the-scenes access to the unique attractions that define this region.

It's the ultimate travel guide from the people who know it best.

Weekends with Yankee.

- Major funding provided by: ♪ ♪ - Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts.

The first public park in America.

The first fried clams.

The first university in America.

The first basketball game.

What's first for you?

♪ ♪ - Grady-White-- crafting offshore sport fishing boats for over 60 years.

- Country Carpenters-- handcrafted barns and homes for over 50 years.

- On an American Cruise Lines journey, you can explore historic New England.

- New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

17 miles of sandy beach and so much more.

Relax already.

♪ ♪ TRAVERSO: Today, I want to give you an ultimate mid-coast Maine itinerary.

I'm starting out at The Alna Store in Alna, Maine.

Now, this once served as a gas station and general store before being transformed into a dining destination for customers from around the world.

And then for lodging, we're heading over to Pemaquid Pond, where two beautiful houseboats are yours for the renting.

NARRATOR: The small town of Alna, Maine, has a population of around 750.

Jasper Ludwig grew up here and transformed a local sundry store into an award-winning restaurant.

- When we bought it in 2022, it was kind of this iconic general store with this dusty red exterior and green-and-white-striped awnings.

You could get live bait, sandwiches, that sort of thing.

NARRATOR: Today, The Alna Store has been honored as a James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, and named as one of The New York Times' top 50 restaurants.

TRAVERSO: And how does being from Maine influence the type of food you serve here?

- What's most important for me always to have on the menu and cooking for Mainers is food that's harvested, foraged, grown, raised here in Maine.

TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

- The Alna Store is a place where you can have a really beautiful and thoughtful brunch, or you can come in for a candlelit dinner and have elevated and really inspired food with natural wines.

And I wanted people to be able to access the magic that I knew can, can happen when we work with local farms and when we have so much talent in one place.

NARRATOR: Amy will learn the secret of The Alna Store's famous banana bread.

But first, she provisions for her stay aboard a houseboat on Pemaquid Pond.

TRAVERSO: So, a houseboat isn't a home without a good loaf of bread, and I know this one will be good.

They actually have one of my favorite cheeses.

This is called Rockweed, and it's made by Lakin's Gorges and it's just delicious.

I love sausage with fennel.

Now, I already have some wine with me that I got from a local winery called Oyster River Winegrowers.

So, I think that's everything.

NARRATOR: Amy heads north to Bremen where her houseboat adventure is about to begin.

Rheanna Sinnett is a former helicopter pilot and retired member of the U.S. Navy.

She's also the owner of the Nomad and Roam, houseboats that offer guests a one-of-a-kind getaway through the floating Nomad.

TRAVERSO: I gotta tell you, I have dreamed of houseboats for so long.

I've researched, like, going on trips.

This is like a dream come true for me.

- Aw, thank you.

Thanks for... thanks for choosing to come and have us be your first houseboat experience.

So this is Nomad.

TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

- The first, the first of my two houseboats.

TRAVERSO: Oh!

- So he's a 1968 Thunderbird Drift-R-Cruz, so an oldie but a goodie.

Comfortably sleeps four.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- So it's great for families or groups of friends who want to come.

When I got out of the Navy, I was looking to start my own business, and I wanted to do tiny houses and some sort of rental, vacation rental with that.

I was in the Navy for 21 years.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

- I just retired in June.

TRAVERSO: And now you're in paradise.

- Yeah, now I get to continue my life afloat.

TRAVERSO: Yes.

(both laugh) So you have a seating area here... - Mm-hmm.

TRAVERSO: And even a little library down there, which I love.

And then here's your way to drive your house around.

- Exactly.

TRAVERSO: That's so cool.

The beautiful loft, oh.

- Just for the most beautiful sleeping space, up and away.

TRAVERSO: Oh my gosh, amazing.

And look at this kitchen.

I mean, this is-- this is bigger than a lot of kitchens in New York City.

(laughs) - Yes, absolutely.

TRAVERSO: And what a cozy spot to eat a meal and look out at the water.

- Yep, absolutely.

I also say, if people have to work, this is one of the best places to work.

TRAVERSO: Oh my gosh.

(laughing): Yeah.

- It's a beautiful view out.

NARRATOR: Amy's floating home for the next few nights is aboard Nomad's little sister, Roam.

TRAVERSO: Aw!

- So, this was a custom-built boat.

- This is Roam, my baby.

TRAVERSO: Oh... - She was kind of built for my... for me and my specifications.

Come on aboard.

TRAVERSO: Oh, it's so pretty.

Oh, I love this.

- Yeah.

She's a little bit more cozy, definitely warm and wonderful, whether it's a single person or a couple... TRAVERSO: Ah.

- Or if someone just wants to get a quiet... have a quiet getaway.

(motor rumbling) TRAVERSO: Goodbye, mainland.

- (chuckles) (Traverso chuckles) (motor hums) Did you grow up on boats?

- I did, yeah.

Very lucky.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- Being in a Navy family, we were never far from water.

So, my dad was always stationed somewhere near, somewhere near water.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- And we always had boats, yep, growing up.

TRAVERSO: Well, I'm going to go check out the view from the front, maybe?

- I know if you like it back here, you're going to love it up there.

TRAVERSO (laughing): Oh, okay.

- It's a beautiful view from the bow.

NARRATOR: Pemaquid Pond in Bremen is a secret gem, just three miles from the ocean.

The peninsula offers hiking and water sports in addition to restaurants and activities in nearby Damariscotta.

The pond's calm, protected waters are the perfect place to enjoy nature and solitude.

TRAVERSO: I think I see some eagles over there, and it looks like one of them has some prey.

- It's meant to be and typically is a very tranquil, relaxing time.

So, when people come to stay on our houseboats here and just enjoy the art of just being, and really just truly unplugging, being able to really feel when I say immersive, I want people to, like, feel being on the water.

We're so lucky to be in this special spot in Maine.

TRAVERSO: So this wine is from Oyster River Winegrowers, which is right up the road in Warren.

- Oh, yeah.

TRAVERSO: And then I got some snacks and things from The Alna Store.

So wonderful, yeah.

- Mm, great choice.

BOTH: Cheers.

(glasses clinking) ♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Amy returns to The Alna Store for a baking lesson with Kristen LaMontagne.

TRAVERSO: So Kristen, what are we making today?

- We are making our sourdough banana bread that we serve on our brunch menu.

TRAVERSO (gasping): That sounds so good!

I mean, I love banana bread, and I love sourdough bread, and that sounds like the combination of two wonderful things.

- It's also dairy-free.

It's an olive oil-based cake, which is really nice for people that choose not to eat dairy.

You can use overripe bananas then maybe puree them with a little bit of espresso or espresso powder.

TRAVERSO: Ooh, I never thought to do that, combine espresso and bananas.

I love that.

- And then you're going to make a caramel.

We're going to do a dry caramel today.

TRAVERSO: So, a dry caramel means you're not adding water.

- Exactly.

We want it to be kind of like a honey color.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- And so now... we're going to go in very slowly with our banana and espresso puree.

(sizzling) Okay, so we have our banana caramel in here.

It's all cooled, and we're ready to mix.

The most difficult thing to combine is the sourdough starter.

So we're going to add all of our sugar... TRAVERSO: So, that's brown sugar and... - Brown sugar and white sugar.

TRAVERSO: Okay.

- We're going to add our olive oil.

Which is going to be our fat in the bread.

And I have vanilla extract and sherry vinegar right here.

TRAVERSO: Ooh, sherry vinegar.

That's unusual.

- I love to use it in baking.

And I have my eggs.

(stick blender whirring) NARRATOR: Amy adds in the flour, salt, and baking soda and whisks in the spices.

- We have ground cinnamon, cloves, and ground cardamom.

TRAVERSO: Ooh, that's a nice combination.

- Mm-hmm.

TRAVERSO: I feel like cardamom is one of those under-appreciated spices that can go in more things than we use it for.

- It's so lovely, I agree.

So now it's time to add the wets.

TRAVERSO: Mmm.

- And then we can add our pecans and chocolate.

We have a little Pullman pan ready to go.

This is an eight-inch pan.

TRAVERSO: All right, let's get this in the oven because I'm getting hungry.

(laughs) - So we're going to add it into our pan now.

I'm going to put this in for an hour and start checking it around the 50-minute mark.

NARRATOR: This batter will be wetter and more dense than most.

So Kristen uses a thermometer and bakes it to 190 degrees.

TRAVERSO: Mmm.

It's extremely moist, and like the chocolate and the spices, it's so warm and cozy and just delicious.

I can't imagine it getting any better than this.

- Well, I think it's even better grilled, so, do you want to try it... TRAVERSO: Oh.

- ...the way we serve it at the restaurant?

TRAVERSO: Absolutely.

(chuckles) Ooh, boy.

- And there you are, Amy.

TRAVERSO: Oh, lovely.

It's just like that little bit of crispness that you get from the grilling.

- Yeah, the, the toasting and the little bit of additional caramelization and that local Maine honey and Maine sea salt really sets it off, makes it special.

TRAVERSO: I really can see that Maine ethos running through everything you do, and it's just a delight.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you so much for coming.

It's been really wonderful to, like, share this with you and just know this is absolutely one of the more basic things we do here, so... TRAVERSO: Yeah, yeah.

- There's, there's a lot more to enjoy next you return.

♪ ♪ WIESE: One of the many things I love about living in Connecticut is you can actually go foraging for food.

And if you think about it, foraging is sustainable, there's a seasonal abundance, the food you find is generally pretty good for you, but best of all, it's a culinary adventure.

NARRATOR: Meet Chrissy Tracey, professional vegan chef and forager.

Chrissy is a first-generation Jamaican American who learned to forage in her grandmother's backyard.

She's passionate about sustainability and plant-based foods.

Her debut cookbook, Forage & Feast, is a journey to discover the bounty of the natural world.

WIESE: What does your grandmother think of your foraging?

- Oh, she loves it.

I got to give her a copy of my book in Jamaica this summer, it was so special.

WIESE: Ooh, how great is that?

How great is that?

- It was so, so special.

I always knew that, you know, I wanted to cook.

You know, no one in my family really went off the track and did anything super creative.

Everyone's really like, doctor, lawyer... teacher, scientist, you know.

And so everyone was kind of like, "What do you mean you want to be a chef?"

I was like, "Don't worry, I have the tech degree if I need it."

We're going to go over to this area here.

And in that area, I found quite a few chanterelle mushrooms, which are a delicious, edible mushroom that grows abundantly here in Connecticut.

Maybe some oyster mushrooms.

You know, who knows what nature will provide after all the rain we just got.

So I've been watching my feet this whole time, and...

I think I see some crown-tipped coral mushrooms over here.

WIESE: And they're called crown-tipped coral mushrooms because, you know, these actually do look like coral.

- Oh, yeah.

Yeah, if you get in here close-- I mean, as long as they're not bug-ridden, they're good to eat.

Um, so these are really cool, because it's an edible mushroom that, that grows very abundantly in Connecticut.

It's not necessarily my top choice edible, but it still is quite delicious.

Like, I would say it's probably best in, like, a fried application, but it's very tender, very delicate.

They come in a variety of colors, but this is going to be-- this cream color is gonna be the most common varietal.

WIESE: And I think this seems like it's a pretty obvious-- you know, not to be mistaken with anything else, right?

- Oh, absolutely.

(laughs) WIESE: All right, why don't we grab a few?

- Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

And just-- I try to kind of clean my mushrooms a little bit in the field, because, fun little fact, like, you're not really supposed to wash your mushrooms.

It kind of water logs them.

NARRATOR: Chrissy shows Richard that even certain trees have culinary uses.

The shagbark hickory nuts were a staple of Indigenous people.

- So if you grab some of those peeling pieces of the shagbark hickory, that's perfect.

WIESE: Okay.

- That's not really disrupting the tree.

Put it in the grill while you're cooking, whenever you're cooking, veggies.

The hickory flavor will infuse into your veg.

WIESE: Cool.

Okay, great.

- Yeah.

WIESE: Wow, I, I never knew that was edible.

- So these are cinnabar chanterelles... and they usually will pop up after a nice rain.

You'll notice there's some false gills on the back.

So it's got, like, forked ridges.

That's the real telltale.

If you flip it on its underside, those little forked ridges... WIESE: Okay.

- Are how you can tell a chanterelle is a chanterelle.

NARRATOR: If you are not an expert or have not consulted with experts, do not eat wild mushrooms.

- Pick a couple of these, these are actually really high in vitamin D and antioxidants.

So they're not only delicious, but they're good for you.

NARRATOR: Richard and Chrissy arrive at the Madison Beach Hotel.

It's a place steeped in history for over 150 years.

What started as a boarding house for shipbuilders has evolved into a luxury hotel known for its spectacular setting.

- You're in the best-kept secret in Connecticut, maybe in New England.

The Madison Beach Hotel is the jewel of the shoreline.

It's the, it's the most unique address in Connecticut.

We have the most unbelievable views.

We're just two hours from New York, and you feel like you're a million miles away.

It started out as a boarding house for shipbuilders right here on this site.

Shipbuilding was the industry in Madison.

And when rail came along, it took away the shipbuilding need, and, and the Madison Beach Hotel became a boarding house for out-of-town visitors.

It evolved over the years into a beautiful hotel.

This is a rate card from back in the day.

You can see you could rent a room here at the Madison Beach Hotel for $65 a week with a private bath.

WIESE: Yeah, gone are those days.

- (chuckles) This is the owner's grandfather.

He was the first postmaster here in Madison, and he's receiving the first air mail from the pilot.

WIESE: In 1938.

- Isn't that great?

These are some of my favorite photographs.

This is Ric Duques, who owns the hotel, posed with his sister and his grandfather in front of the hotel 60 years ago.

He's 81 years old now.

WIESE: When I'm here, I feel like I'm in an era gone by.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

So, our guests typically come here to get away from it all, to sit on the beach, to read a book, to relax.

But they're always surprised by the quality of food in the restaurant.

We really take pride in our culinary program.

We also do a series of Epicurean events, we call them, where we have visiting chefs come in, and it gives them and our staff a chance to show off.

So Chrissy hosted a vegan dinner with us, and everything she served was, was foraged and sourced from Connecticut.

It was fab... fantastic.

And we just loved the fact that she's so authentic, and we feel it fits right into the authenticity we try to share with people about who we are here in the Connecticut shoreline.

♪ ♪ WIESE: So Chrissy, we, we've brought back the mushrooms that we've foraged.

- Yes, what a lovely... WIESE: What are we going to make?

- So, today we're going to make a really simple, delicious, and bright pasta dish, just kind of inspired by mixing summer produce and also wild produce that you can find in the woods.

NARRATOR: Fresh local ingredients are the secret to Chrissy's vegan dish, from a variety of mixed mushrooms and sungold tomatoes to orecchiette and corn.

- So the first thing we're going to do is we're going to have to shuck that corn over there, if you can help me out.

WIESE: Okay.

Okay.

And then you need it sliced a little?

- Yep, just a little-- few of those kernels... WIESE: That enough?

- Just to make the dish pop a little bit more.

WIESE: Okay.

- And that's perfect.

The next thing we can do is kind of prep those mushrooms that we got.

WIESE: Okay.

- So, we have this crown-tipped coral.

So, typically with mushrooms, you don't want to clean them in a traditional way, using a lot of water, because what that does is it kind of takes away a lot of the natural flavors that the mushrooms actually have.

WIESE: And this is really a simple dish.

- It is really simple, and it comes together very quickly.

We're also going to throw in those orange chanterelle mushrooms there.

You'll be surprised to see how much they cook down, because the one thing about mushrooms, especially when you're dealing with wild mushrooms, is that most of them are not edible raw.

So they have to have their proper cook time for you to digest it.

Certain nature preserves have special laws around mushroom foraging or foraging in general.

So, it's always good to just check your local laws before you pick at, at your leisure.

Now we can add the rest of our tomatoes, or just another handful.

And I like the tomatoes to really just like blister, and then I can kind of press them down.

WIESE: It's very intuitive, the way you're cooking them.

- Yeah.

I cook like my mother and my grandmother.

Just kind of go with the flow.

See how things smell, see how they taste as you go and adjust, because that's really how you're going to get a really great meal.

And I... personally, I really like a, a sauce like this, that's just very light.

We're going to add some orecchiette.

WIESE: Yeah, I always like the texture it has in your mouth.

- Oh, it's got a nice chew to it.

WIESE: Yeah.

I have to tell you, the smell is so fantastic right now.

- (chuckles) So this is just about-- this is done.

WIESE: Oh!

- I mean, we can plate this baby up.

WIESE: Mm!

- It's like we really got to use all of our senses here today.

We foraged the mushrooms, we smelled them, we really just kind of now have this whole dish that's come full circle, from forest to table.

WIESE: Thank you so much, this is great.

- (chuckling): Thank you.

I'm glad that you enjoy it.

WIESE: Mm!

So good.

NARRATOR: Richard and Chrissy had one last foraging opportunity along the hotel shoreline: an abundance of wild beach plums growing in the dunes.

The edible petals and rose hips can be used for everything from jam to potpourri and even cocktails.

WIESE: Chrissy made this simple syrup, and she said you have something special for me.

- Yeah, so I have a, I have a great rose hip fresh margarita, with a lime foam.

WIESE: Okay.

- So I'm going two ounces of my reposado tequila, one ounce of my rose hip syrup.

Then I put a little Peychaud aromatic bitters, and then I'm using fresh lime and agave.

The flavors that it gives, the vanilla, will pair well with the rosehip, which is very tart.

I'm gonna give it a nice shake.

(ice rattling) And then we'll finish it off with a lime foam.

♪ ♪ WIESE: Wow, all right.

- There you go, enjoy.

WIESE: Well, I thank you very much.

- My pleasure.

♪ ♪ WIESE: Chrissy, it's been an amazing day.

- Oh!

WIESE: And I think we're, we're sort of finishing it off with some... a drink inspired by the rosehips right in front of us.

- Yeah, it's pretty amazing.

I... you know, I always love these full-circle moments where you get to experience nature in every bite and every sip.

It's really a beautiful thing.

Cheers to that.

WIESE: Cheers to that.

Thank you very much.

- Thank you.

WIESE: To our state of Connecticut.

TRAVERSO: So, it's a rainy, chilly day on board Roam, which is the houseboat I'm staying on on Pemaquid Pond, in Maine, and I want to make something cozy.

I want to make one of my favorite soups.

This is a sausage soup with greens, and here's the secret trick.

It has gnocchi in it, which kind of act like dumplings.

It's a really easy soup to make, perfect for weeknights.

Let's get started.

The first thing I'm going to do, these are sweet Italian sausages, but you can always use spicy or whatever flavor you want.

(sizzling) And part of the trick to letting it brown is to not stir it too much.

I've broken the sausage up into smaller pieces, and I'm going to just let it sit for a minute.

And I am getting some really beautiful browning.

And that means that I can add my aromatics.

Onion, garlic, and then carrots and celery.

Pretty basic, like, foundational soup ingredients.

With kale, you don't really want to eat this tough stem at the end.

The thinner stem at the top is fine, but it won't be that tough ingredient in your soup.

So now I'm going to take my onions... and garlic, put those in... with the sausage.

Softening onions and carrots and celery takes about six minutes usually, over medium heat, but you can just kind of eyeball it and see when they just start to look soft and silky.

That's what you're looking for.

Oh, that looks so good, and it smells amazing.

I have the coziest houseboat in the world.

The rest is really fast.

We have a 28-ounce can of chopped tomatoes.

You want a little bit of texture.

So this is just going to go in.

So this is about five ounces of kale, and we want to let it cook down, because it will cook down a lot, but right now it's taking up a lot of space.

The kale is nice and cooked down, and it's time to add the gnocchi.

They are really comforting like dumplings, and, you know, who thought to use gnocchi this way?

This soup truly isn't finished until you grate some fresh parmesan or Romano cheese over the top.

This is such a nice kind of cool weather soup.

You can actually make it all year round, because if you have fresh vegetables from your garden, they'd be great in there.

But on a day like today, this is one of my favorite things to eat, and I hope you enjoy it, too.

NARRATOR: For exclusive videos, recipes, travel ideas, tips from the editors and access to the Weekends with Yankee digital magazine, go to weekendswithyankee.com, and follow us on social media, @yankeemagazine.

Yankee magazine, the inspiration for the television series, provides recipes, feature articles, and the best of New England from the people who know it best.

One year for $20.

Call 1-800-221-8154. Credit cards accepted.

- Major funding provided by: ♪ ♪ - Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts.

The first public park in America.

The first fried clams.

The first university in America.

The first basketball game.

What's first for you?

♪ ♪ - Grady-White-- crafting offshore sport fishing boats for over 60 years.

- Country Carpenters-- handcrafted barns and homes for over 50 years.

- On an American Cruise Lines journey, you can explore historic New England.

- New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Beaches, waterways, trails, and more.

Relax already.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪