Chef Jordan Jackson, is From Fort Fairfleld, But Has Been in Portland for the Past 8 Years.

Eggs Benefict with Ham from Sunset Acre Farms, a/k/a Farmer Bob.  A Whiskey Sour Added to the Great Brunch.

Server Jerry Copas and Toni Methot, Hostess at The Front Room on Easter Sunday 2023.

Easter Sunday and The Front Room was packed as it always is for Sunday brunch.  The 17 year old restaurant’s owner, Harding Lee Smith,  has survived serious controversy in the past, but all that’s history.  Restaurants have come and gone during these years, but  Smith’s restaurant at 73 Congress Street on Munjoy Hill seems to get more popular every year.

Wonderful food, a great bar and a friendly staff are key to The Front Room’s success.  Chef Jordan Jackson,  a recent addition to the staff, is from Ft. Fairfield, a small town on the Canadian border.  Eight years ago he relocated to the area to study business at the Southern Maine Community College, (SMCC). To help with his education expenses, Jackson worked part-time at The Front Room washing dishes.

In time, Jackson realized that he’d rather be a chef than attend SMCC.  He worked at several restaurants in Portland to get the cooking experience he needed.  Those included David’s Restaurant and Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room.  Last October he worked as the chef at the Frog & Turtle, Westbrook..”I know Harding.  We’ve been through a lot and gotten through a lot together,” said Jackson this afternoon.  “Harding has been really good to me over the years.”  Harding once sold Jackson a really good car and at a really low price – that was below its value.

“It’s sustainable cooking.  Everything is made from scratch here.  I can be creative.  It’s simple food and there is nothing to hide behind,” said Chef Jackson of his work at The Front Room.

“Jordan prepares good food, doesn’t get upset, is creative and is always calm,” said Jerry Copas, a server at The Front Room.  “That’s why I like him.” Copas has worked in several of Smith’s other restaurants including Boone’s and The Corner Room in the Old Port of Portland before coming to work on Munjoy Hill.

Other restaurants come and go, but here’s hoping that this neighborhood favorite will weather those storms and be around for many years to come.