Dara Bistro, formerly named the Cumberland Food Company, opened its doors on January 1’, 2017. Led by Chef Bryan Dame and partner Kelsey Pettengill, the restaurant runs as a casual neighborhood coffee shop by day, and a more formal dinner space at night. No matter the format, we aim to serve as a welcoming community meeting space for those in the Cumberland, Maine area.

Located at 371 Tuttle Rd, the building itself dates back to the late 1800’s and was originally utilized as a jersey cow dairy farm.  It has gone through a handful of transitions over the years and was ultimately remodeled into a restaurant space for the popular Doc’s Cafe which preceded Dara.

Chef Bryan Dame has been working in restaurants since he was 15 years old and has worked at his fair share of iconic locations over his 30 years in the business.  He will tell you his passion for food started young when he learned about growing vegetables with his grandfather in his garden and watching Julia Child’s cooking program on his grandmother’s television when he was just 4 or 5 years old. His love for fresh, local food is now on full display with the creative cuisine he enjoys serving up at Dara.