Business Spotlight: Two Mums Kitchen

If you’re searching for a perfect grab-and-go spot to enjoy delicious home-made cooking nearby, look no further than Two Mums Kitchen.

Eliza Watson, left, and her mother Cindy Langley own and 
operate Two Mums Kitchen in Gray, a convenient spot
to grab-and-go delicious homemade cooking.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

Located at 7 Main St. in Gray, Two Mums Kitchen offers convenient hot and cold meals to eat in or carry out, casseroles to take home and bake, pre-made wraps, salads, soups, sweets, sourdough bread, catering orders and custom baking. Parking is easy with space on the street right in front of the shop and the town municipal lot right across the street.

Operated by the mother and daughter team of Cindy Langley and Eliza Watson, who share a love of cooking and for the community, Two Mums Kitchen creates family favorite meals using exceptional local and sustainably sourced ingredients. All their food is made from scratch at their shop and available to take home, including breads and sauces. The menu varies by the season.

“We use only whole ingredients, including making our own spice blends, and every item we serve is made from our own special recipes,” Eliza said. “We have curated a selection of Maine-made products to offer as market items including FoX Family Chips, Carrabassett Coffee, Lost Woods Hot Sauce, and Maine Root sodas. We won’t use any fillers in our foods and so many of our selections are Gluten Friendly and we also have Dairy Free, Vegetarian or Vegan options daily. We consider our food to be ‘inclusive’ meaning, we can generally accommodate any dietary restriction. We are not aware of any other eating establishment with this model for food to-go.”

As first-time restauranteurs, the goal of Two Mums Kitchen is to feed the community the way that Langley and Watson have fed their own families.

“Quality and delicious food takes time to prepare, and we so enjoy bringing our family recipes to a broader audience,” Cindy said. “We are passionate about flavor and inspired by cuisines from around the world. Our guiding principle has been to provide family-oriented meals at an affordable price and to accommodate any dietary need. We’ve now been doing that for over a year.”

According to Eliza, Two Mums Kitchen tries very hard to keep its overhead low so they can pass any savings along to our customers.

“That said, all our food is made by hand, hand-chopped, hand-rolled, hand-assembled, and our ingredients are of the highest quality,” she said. “Our competitors are other specialty prepared food markets and there aren’t many in the area. Our customers love our rotating selection of dishes, which change each day of the week, and our seasonal menus. There are always a variety of meals, salads and desserts to choose from and we offer our food in a variety of ways: hot, cold, take and bake, frozen and customer orders with notice. Our customers comment on how fresh our food tastes, the wide variety of choices, and the convenience of purchasing pre-made meals for their families.”

The mother-and-daughter entrepreneurs first came up with the idea of a home-cooking cafe and bookstore when Eliza was home from college in the early 2000s. Now 20 years later, Cindy retired from teaching and Eliza was ready for a job change, so the timing was good to make this dream come true. Two Mums Kitchen opened April 7, 2023 and business has grown steadily since.

Social media reviews are spectacular.

“I am a big fan of lemon squares, and Two Mums make the best. I plan to sample more of their sweet and savory items. If you're in Gray, definitely check them out. I will make pilgrimages from my location just to taste these glorious lemon squares.” Elizabeth J.

“Every single thing I have tried has been so delicious and flavorful. Makes mealtime easy on busy nights, just throw in the oven! I brought their cranberry sauce to Thanksgiving this year and it was phenomenal. They offer single servings and full meals depending what you need. Meals also store well in freezer if you don't want to cook it all at once. Highly recommend checking them out!” Meagan P.

“Absolutely amazing food! Sooo good. We had a brownie, lemon square, meat lasagna, and butternut squash lasagna. Love the creative menu with a variety of foods for anyone with dietary restrictions (vegan options as well as gluten free). The Two Mums are clearly in their element and loving what they are doing. Definitely would recommend you stop in and give them a try. You won’t regret it.” Eryn B.

For more details about Two Mums Kitchen or to request an order, call 207-657-1092 or visit them online at www.twomumskitchen.com. Find them on Facebook and Instagram under Two Mums Kitchen. <

Business Spotlight: Eagle Japanese Sushi & Steak House

Windham may be a world away from Japan, but for anyone looking to put their taste buds to the test, the new owner of Eagle Japanese Sushi & Steak House promises a dining experience second to none no matter if you’re dining in or taking out. 

Tao Zheng recently purchased the popular restaurant at 818 Roosevelt Trail and immediately set out to win the hearts and minds of diners by upgrading quality of the authentic Japanese sushi and hibachi dishes served at Eagle Japanese Sushi & Steak House, but also by focusing on providing attentive and courteous customer service to everyone who visits the restaurant.

“We pay more attention to the freshness of the food, the quality of the food, and the taste of the food itself, and strive to bring good food to everyone,” Zheng said. “We also focus on service.”

Open for two months under Zheng’s direction, Eagle Japanese Sushi & Steak House has six employees and has upgraded many meals offered on the menu by using higher quality products and fish.

“I can bring you food that I think is better,” Zheng said. “When I first took over this restaurant, I made a lot of changes compared to the previous owner, such as the menu, the quality of the food, and canceled some of the previous food, which caused many people to not accept it.”

He said that currently patrons have identified Crab Rangoons, Vegetable Spring Rolls, Ayoza, Rock Shrimp, Sushi and Sashimi, and Japanese Teriyaki as among some of the most popular meals that the restaurant prepares.

“We have made a lot of changes whether it was the food itself or the environment at the restaurant, we are all different,” Zheng said. “I will often hear people say that the food in our restaurant is better than before. It will be a little more expensive than before, but everyone thinks it is worth it because we use the best fish to do sushi.”

Customers that have visited recently have nothing but positive things to say. One customer wrote a google review which said, “Amazing staff, delicious food! The quality of the food is second to none. Extremely friendly service, and fast preparation of items. The ingredients are fresh and made to order. Would absolutely recommend this place. A hidden gem!”

Another patron raved about the food and service saying, “This fried rice is perfect, this ice cream is also beautiful, what’s more, the service is awesome. I will be back!”

According to Zheng, the restaurant’s menu features classic rolls which include six pieces per order and mouth-watering delicacies such as Super White Tuna; Spicy Crunchy Crab; Yellowtail Scallion; Eel Avocado; Shrimp Cucumber and many more.

Sushi Bar starters offer Blackened Tuna; Spicy Tartar Tower; Beef Tataki; Fugi Mountain; Yellowtail Jalapeno; Seafood Ceviche; Crunchy White Tuna; Sunomono; Star Wishes; Sushi Appetizer; Sasimi Appetizer; and Crazy Buffet with four pieces of jalapeno, cheese tuna or salmon deep fried with tobiko, scallions or crunchy.

Classic Japanese Teriyaki dishes are also available at Eagle Japanese Sushi & Steak House served in chicken; shrimp; salmon; scallop; steak; filet mignon; and twin lobster tail meals or in 20 different teriyaki combinations.

All Hibachi dishes at Eagle Japanese Sushi & Steak House are served with hibachi fried rice with vegetable and two pieces of hibachi shrimp, green salad, and clear soup. Hibachi single-item meals are available in Vegetable; Tofu; Chicken; Calamari; Shrimp; Swordfish; Salmon; Scallop; Steak; Filet Mignon; and Twin Lobster Tail and in 26 different types of combinations. Hibachi portions for children under 12 are also served.

Eagle Japanese Sushi & Steak House is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.

Lunch specials are available and online or phone ordering for pick-up is offered.

“We are doing a discount now and we welcome everyone to come in and try it,” Zheng said. “We will be changing our name in two months to let everyone know we have a new owner. Everyone is welcome to participate  in helping us come up with a new name and there will be rich rewards for winning. We have improved the quality of our food and want to bring the best to everyone.” 

Visit Eagle Japanese Sushi & Steak House online at www.eaglesushi.com or call to place an order at 207-893-8081 or 207-893-8658. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with specials and events and to submit your ideas for a new restaurant name. <