With the new year, we are making some changes in the Press Herald’s Food & Dining coverage. We’re sad to see three longtime columnists go. But we’re pleased to announce that another veteran columnist will be rejoining us later this month. Also, The Wrap column, which summarizes the week in food news, will move from Wednesdays to the Sunday Food & Dining section.

Restaurant critic Andrew Ross began writing for the paper in May 2016. I have been his lucky editor from his first column to his last, and as both editor and eater, I’ll deeply miss his confident, lively storytelling and expert, even-handed critiques.

Andrew started on a high note — the first restaurant he reviewed, the now defunct Roustabout in Portland, got 4 stars — and is ending on a high note this week with Mr. Tuna, which has earned 4.5 stars. The good news is that Andrew, who leaves us to work on a book, will make a return appearance later this year with his annual Best 75 column. Meanwhile, we wish him luck and many delicious meals.

We’re still finalizing our plans for future restaurant criticism, but we anticipate reviews will resume a little later this winter. Stay tuned for details.

Vegan Kitchen columnist Avery Yale Kamila has long been ahead of the curve. She became a vegan at Syracuse University way back in 1991, when most of us had never even heard the word. Kamila, who grew up in Litchfield, started at a subsidiary of the Portland Press Herald in 2004, before moving to this paper several years later. She initiated her column in 2009, as the Natural Foodie, and continued to write it after 2013, when she left the paper to be a freelance writer (and a mom).

Since then, it’s had several iterations and names, but over my more than a decade editing her, every column has confirmed Avery’s righteous passion for animal welfare, her deep connection to Maine’s vegan community and the profound responsibility she feels to promote veganism. Avery’s research and columns on the history of Maine’s vegetarian community culminated in an exhibit, on now through May 2025 at the Maine Historical Society in Portland. We’re eager to see what she does next.

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Maine Gardener columnist Tom Atwell began at the Portland Press Herald as a part-time copy editor in 1973. Six months later, he was hired for a full-time post, and he spent the next 37 years doing just about every job in the newsroom. In 2004, he began writing the Maine Gardener column, although in the 10 + years I’ve edited him, he’s always insisted that his wife Nancy — who makes frequent appearances in his columns — is the better gardener.

“I wasn’t an expert when I started,” Tom, who grew up in Farmington, said with his trademark modesty when we talked about the gig. “I just had more knowledge than anyone else Linda (Fullerton, features editor at the time) could find.”

When Tom retired from the Press Herald in 2011, he continued writing the Maine Gardener. His last column ran in print on Dec. 29. We will miss his practical advice and instructions for the home gardener, and this spring, we will be thinking about him planting peas, tending asparagus and planning new garden projects.

Finally, we welcome back Green Plate Special columnist Christine Burns Rudalevige. If you’re an avid reader of the Press Herald food section, we’d bet money you’ve missed her personable, accessible columns about local food, local farms and seasonality. Christine has been on sabbatical in the past year, with just an occasional column. She’ll return to a biweekly schedule in January, and we can’t wait to cook some of her ever-terrific recipes.

Although we are saying goodbye to dedicated columns on gardening and vegan eating, we are by no means saying goodbye to our coverage of those issues. Expect to find feature stories exploring these topics in the new year. Readers, gardeners, cooks and eaters, in 2025 we look forward to continuing to engage with you on all aspects of Maine’s vibrant food and gardening scenes.

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