After 22 seasons, numerous awards, recognitions and two other locations, Primo — in Rockland Maine — has matured into what Chef Melissa Kelly calls a "full circle kitchen," the ultimate farm to table experience.
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, 6 ducks, 12 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, for if we don’t, you get less nutritious food and it doesn’t taste as good. It is a continuous cycle that occurs throughout the restaurant with the kitchen, the animals and the gardens to savor every little piece.
Seasonal to the moment, the farm and the garden make the incredible ever-changing menu.
Each day's harvest can include: honey, fruit, a variety of vegetables, eggs, edible flowers, micro-greens, fresh chicken, as well as house cured and smoked meats from seasons prior. What is not grown or produced at the restaurant comes from other local and sustainable farms in the community that Chef Kelly is proud to support.
We’re not just a farm to table restaurant. We’re a farm that has a restaurant at the edge of it - An experience that is truly special and unique.
Visit us at our other Location
Lead Staff
Melissa Kelly, Chef & Owner
Mel Legare, Pastry Chef
Dylan Rich, Farm Manager
Kellie Brooks, FOH Manager
Rob Roy, Bar Manager