Cocinas (Underground) opens in Damariscotta
Christine Schweighauser welcomes people to her new restaurant in Damariscotta, Cocinas. SUZI THAYER/Boothbay Register
Christine Schweighauser at her food stand in Damariscotta, The Cook’s Corner. SUZI THAYER/Boothbay Register
Christine Schweighauser welcomes people to her new restaurant in Damariscotta, Cocinas. SUZI THAYER/Boothbay Register
Christine Schweighauser at her food stand in Damariscotta, The Cook’s Corner. SUZI THAYER/Boothbay Register
“Welcome to my table.” That’s what Christine Schweighauser will greet you with when you go to her new restaurant at 1 Taco Alley in Damariscotta. That’s because the main table in the dining area is the one she grew up eating on.
If you've been to the The Cook's Corner takeout food stand in Damariscotta, you've had a preview of what the food will be like in the newly opened Cocinas.
In the space that was Paco's Tacos for 16 years, Cocinas will be serving a lot of the same dishes people have come to love at The Cook's Corner. That’s because both places are owned by Schweighauser.
Cocina is Spanish for kitchen. Schweighauser made it plural to represent the many different kitchens that will be featured at the restaurant: Spanish, Mexican, Cuban, and some Asian. The menu board will read Cocinas Cultural Fusion, “because I'm colliding cultures here,” she said.
The Cook's Corner has outside picnic tables with umbrellas, but Schweighauser said she's thrilled to have a place where people can sit and enjoy her food regardless of the weather.
The menu at the food stand is delightfully eclectic, featuring a varied selection of tacos and other Mexican and Spanish foods. The menu at Cocinas will be similar to the one at Cook's Corner, but more extensive.
“I’ll have my fish and other tacos, but I'm also going to do arroz con pollo, a combination of chicken and rice with peppers and beer,” Schweighauser said. “It's not like a specialty item, it's a staple in Cuban cooking.
She’s also adding chimichangas and nachos, and dim sum, small, bite-sized Chinese hors d’oeuvres.
Schweighauser said she began cooking at a very early age. “I cooked for my brothers and sisters from the age of seven,” she said. “We grew up on a farm in central/western Mass. We had gardens, and if we wanted chicken, I went out and killed a chicken.”
Her son, Joshua Parmenter, who will be managing the restaurant and cooking alongside his mother, came up with the idea of a breakfast Mexican style nacho with poached eggs on the top. Janelle Townsend, who is cooking at Cook's Corner now, will be co-manager. “They're both fabulous, amazing cooks,” Schweighauser said.
The restaurant will also be serving fresh, hot donuts. “When you’re seated, you'll get your drink, and we'll serve you some complimentary donut holes,” Schweighauser said. “I'm becoming known as the donut queen in the area.” She said she's in the process of developing a chocolate donut. Imagine that: A fresh-made, hot chocolate donut. “We'll serve it empanada style. The donut will be wrapped around ice cream and deep-fried, and served with a chocolate or Kahlua.
Schweighauser will serve pitchers of margaritas and sangria, and she is in the process of developing a chocolate Mexican spice cappuccino. “Everything that's here is not going to be something that you'll find anywhere else in town. Everything is going to be unique.”
Terry and Amanda Hosmer, from Caldwell, New Jersey, stopped by Cocinas on Aug. 1 to ask when it would be open. They had eaten at Cook's Corner the day before. “I had the steak fajitas and they were fabulous,” Terry said. “If this place is anywhere near as good as that one it's going to be bursting at the seams.”
Schweighauser said she cooks from her heart. “I cook to smell and taste, and I never measure.
She was glowing with excitement as she talked about her new restaurant. “This is going to be fun.”
Cocinas, at 1 Taco Alley, will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Event Date
Address
1 Taco Alley
Damariscotta, ME 04543
United States
