local chef, national recognition 
Chef Mary Dumont, of the Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, has been named one of Food and Wine’s Best New Chefs for 2006. Each year, Food and Wine editors consult a network of nominators, including food critics, chefs and various contributors to the magazine. The editors then take to the road, spending countless hours eating at nominated restaurants across the country to identify the standouts.

Eventually they whittle the list down to just 10 chefs. To qualify, the chefs must have worked as executive chefs for less than five years. Past Food & Wine Best New Chefs include Thomas Keller, Nobu Matsuhisa and Daniel Boulud.

Dumont, 32 and a native of the Portsmouth, is the first New Hampshire chef to receive the award, and this year she is the only woman on the list. Dumont has helmed the kitchen since it opened in September 2005, though in her career she has worked with a handful of previous Best New Chef honorees, including Tracy Des Jardin, of Jardiniere in San Francisco. She also opened Sonoma Saveurs in Sonoma, Calif., as executive chef, and traveled with Laurent Manrique of Campton Place to the First Annual Davidoff Gourmet Festival in Berlin, Germany.

Dumont will appear on the “Today” show on Wednesday, April 12, and she’ll join her fellow nominees when the 10 Best New Chefs gather to cook together for an exclusive tasting dinner at the 2006 Food & Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen, June 16-18. Dunaway owner Jay McSharry is planning a special celebration for Dumont later this month.

The Dunaway (603-373-6112, www.dunawayrestaurant.com) starts new dinner hours on Sunday, April 30, serving seven nights a week. Lunch will be served Monday through Friday, May 15 through October.

Me & Ollie’s opens new location in Hampton
Me & Ollie’s owner Roger Elkus opened his fifth retail shop on March 8 at 61 High St. in Hampton (603-926-0036). This latest addition is a cafe and coffee shop similar to the store in Exeter, without the high-volume bread production that takes place at the main baking operation inside Philbrick’s Fresh Market on Lafayette Road in Portsmouth. A fourth Me and Ollie’s Cafe is located on Pleasant Street in Portsmouth, and Elkus co-owns the eatery Fowles (formerly a Me & Ollie’s Cafe) on State Street in Newburyport. Hours for the Hampton cafe are Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

expanded hours at Rochester cafe
Kathy’s Busy Bean Internet Cafe in Rochester (603-335-5444) is now open Sundays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cafe has been open since September 2004, and in addition to Internet and WiFi capabilities, the restaurant offers a variety of events, including a weekly storytime for children, monthly poetry hoot nights, and “chick flick” movie nights. Owner Kathy Sweeney encourages and supports partnerships with other businesses and worthy causes and pays tribute to the history of Rochester by displaying many historical artifacts and antiques around the cafe.

cooking classes
Thai, with a twist: Local caterer and personal chef Patrice Gerard will teach a Thai cooking class on Saturday, April 22 at  Attrezzi in Portsmouth. Gerard will teach Thai essentials, including pad Thai, which he says is one of his specialties, but he’ll also include Hawaiian, West Indian and other Pan Asian fair, including spring rolls and yucca cakes. To sign up, call 603-427-5119.

bake with a master: Master Baker Stephen James is conducting a series of pastry workshops on Saturdays at French cooking school Chez Boucher in Greenland. The four-hour workshops offer hands-on experience. Upcoming workshops include Strawberry Desserts on May 20 and Strudel Making on June 3. Chef James is the former executive pastry chef of The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch and is one of only 110 master bakers in the United States. To sign up, call 603-964-9909.