A restaurant with upscale, farm-to-table dining will return at 65 Gardiner Road, Wiscasset. Mathew and Corrinna Stum plan to open Back River Bistro before Thanksgiving in the building where Midcoast Provisions was. The Stums promise a modern menu featuring a variety of locally sourced meats, fish, produce and dairy products when seasonably available. They’ll also have a fully stocked bar, locally brewed beers, fine wines and spirits.

“We drove past the building one day and saw it was for sale and after seeing the inside Corrinna and I fell in love with it,” Stum told Wiscasset Newspaper Tuesday, Oct. 25. The Stums have many years’ experience in culinary arts. They also own Ruby’s West End, a breakfast and brunch restaurant at 64 Pine St., Portland which they opened in spring 2021.

Together they’ve worked over 30 years in pretty much all phases of the restaurant industry. Matt began his career in the food industry working in kitchens in Indianapolis, Indiana, and later Cincinnati, Ohio advancing from cook to sous chef to executive chef. Corrinna was project manager of Boca Restaurant Group based in Cincinnati. She oversaw the opening and management of three restaurants in Ohio and Indiana and later joined Cunningham Restaurant Group in Indianapolis.

The couple moved from Cincinnati to Portland in August 2020. Before opening Ruby’s West End, Matt worked at Fore Street Restaurant and Corrinna served as assistant general manager at Central Provisions, both of which are in the Old Port area of Portland.

Strum said Back River Bistro, at least through the winter, will only be open for dinner; Thursday through Monday from 5 to 9. The Stums plan to open for lunch too, but not until sometime next spring. Alison and Aaron Hansen will run Back River Bistro; Aaron serving as chef, with Alison tending to the day-to-day operations and management. The newly married couple had been residing on Westport Island but are moving to Brunswick. Chefs Stum and Hansen tutored under chefs or restaurants nominated for the prestigious James Beard award for culinary excellence.

Matt said he and Corrinna will continue running Ruby’s West End dividing their time between their two restaurants. They’ll soon be residing at Morris Farm in Wiscasset.

Stum will be advertising soon for wait staff, kitchen help and a bartender. He plans to offer catering in collaboration with Ruby’s West End restaurant. Back River Bistro will take orders to go. “We’ll be closing the restaurant during ... January to do some additional remodeling that will include reopening the dining area which was closed off by the previous owner,” added Stum. People can reach the Stums at Backriverbistro@gmail.com

Sherri Dunbar, real estate agent with Tim Dunham Realty, Wiscasset said the property owned by Tony Bickford of Bath sold after being listed for just a few weeks. Bickford who grew up in Wiscasset had operated the popular Little Village Bistro restaurant here which he opened in 2015 and later expanded. The restaurant became known for its dinner menu and creative desserts made from locally sourced foods. Bickford closed the business in 2022 launching Midcoast Provisions, a business preparing meals for other restaurants and offering takeout service. The building has housed a restaurant for at least 40 years opening originally as Bob and Kay Fairfield’s Village Café and then changing ownership a number of times since.