HARPSWELL

Ashley Griset and John Profenno are bringing years of experience in the food service industry to Holbrook’s Wharf + Grille and General Store.

Griset and Profenno currently manage food service operations at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland, serving as general manager and executive chef, respectively. The two oversee a 45-person team which covers the dining room as well as the Seawolves Cafe in South Portland and The Landing Cafe on the Brunswick campus.

While that experience has been positive and the two will continue to work there, they wanted to have something to call their own.

“With the companies that we’ve worked for before, it’s not your own thing. You’ve got to do what they want,” said Profenno.

“We have to follow their program, which isn’t a bad thing,” said Griset. “It serves its purpose.”

Three-year commitment

Now, the pair have signed a three-year commitment with the Holbrook Community Foundation to manage the Holbrook’s Wharf + Grille and the General Store.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Ashley and John as managers of Holbrook’s Wharf + Grille and the General Store, and we appreciate their multi-year commitment to its success,” said Greg Barmore, chairman of the Holbrook Community Foundation board, in a press release.

The Holbrook Community Foundation is a nonprofit launched more than a decade ago by Cundy’s Harbor residents to protect and manage the Holbrook Wharf. The foundation owns the wharf, which is kept open for commercial fishermen. The nonprofit also owns the grille, the general store and a historic house it leases out.

While the foundation owns the restaurant, Griset and Profenno have an opportunity to put their stamp on the place.

“It’s ours,” said Griset. “We can really put our vision into this.”

“We’d talked about owning our own — or running our own — and this was almost perfect because it was seasonal,” said Profenno, noting that their SMCC responsibilities are less pressing during the summer.

Attracted to the idea

Griset said they originally learned about the opportunity through Craigslist, and were attracted by the idea of having their own establishment as well as her own Harpswell roots. Griset’s family has been in Harpswell since the 1930s, and she spent time in the town growing up.

“That is part of it. It’s not just about the money. That’s what Ashley noticed right off when she saw it. We happened upon it — it’s almost like it’s meant to be. Her family’s from here, she has eaten here, her mother’s eaten here. We’ve already hired several people from the area and want to keep it as local as possible,” said Profenno.

With that history, Griset and Profenno say they want to stay true to the establishment’s history in Cundy’s Harbor.

“We’re trying to keep it authentic to what Holbrook’s is and what it always has been,” said Griset.

Own spin on food

Of course, not everything will be the same.

“We’re putting our spin on some of the dishes,” she added, pointing to salads, grilled asparagus, and non-seafood sandwiches that have been added to the menu, as well as specials.

They’ll also be moving the ice cream part of the business up to the General Store, to draw more customers there but also so that those who just want ice cream don’t have to wait in line with those looking for food.

“If it does well, we may very well keep (the store) open for a longer season,” said Profenno.

But so far, Cundy’s Harbor has been welcoming to the new managers.

“Everybody’s stopped by and said hi and gave us their input,” said Griset.

The grille is open for the regular season, which goes through to Labor Day. Summer hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

nstrout@timesrecord.com

The foundation at Holbrook

• THE HOLBROOK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION is a nonprofit launched more than a decade ago by Cundy’s Harbor residents to protect and manage the Holbrook Wharf. The foundation owns the wharf, which is kept open for commercial fishermen. The nonprofit also owns the grille, the general store and a historic house it leases out.