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By ANN S. KIM, Staff Writer January 21, 2008

A stretch of Portland's Middle Street provided the inspiration for Rabelais, a book shop specializing in food and wine.

There was Hugo's at the intersection of Franklin Arterial, the Pepper Club a few steps away, Norm's East End Grill, Duckfat and Ribollita just down the road. Just around the corner, the food establishments include Two Fat Cats, Foodworks and Micucci's.

Samantha Hoyt Lindgren and Don Lindgren felt the area was crying out for a bookstore that would cater to food lovers, both amateur and professional.

Rabelais has been selling new, used and rare books since last April. It has also become a kind of clearinghouse for the region's thriving food scene, a place that hosts events, as well as a place where people drop by to inquire about restaurants. Some have even made reservations from the shop.

The couple relocated from New York to Maine about three years ago. Each had worked in the corporate world -- Samantha was a photo editor at major magazines before going to pastry school and Don worked in rare books and as associate director of artist development at Sony Music International -- and they were looking for a change.

They felt their business plan, which hinged on specialization and the ability to offer a deep inventory, would help their shop buck the trend of independent booksellers losing out to large chain stores. Their specialization also allows them to showcase great books that might get lost in a larger store.

"In some sense we can curate our selection," Samantha said.

The selection at Rabelais is informed by the couple's research as well as conversations in the shop. Those discussions have helped increase the number of titles at the store by about 50 percent, including new offerings on mushrooming it hadn't carried before.

Don believes it's now a particularly interesting time in the food business. Food is connected to so many issues, including ethics and environmentalism. It's also an area where people can regularly experience someone's handiwork.

"Food is still somewhere where you can see craft on a daily basis," he said.

Some of the couple's favorite Web sites help them stay on top of happenings in the food community. Others are just for fun.

Portland Food Map: "There's usually something opening or closing or changing a chef," Don said.

Portland Psst!: A daily read for Samantha, who wonders how this blog keeps up with all the gossip in the food scene. "Portland Psst! is either 25 people all over town or one person who's incredibly industrious." Don adds that the "somewhat ironic, snarky tone" appeals to them too.

eGullet: "It's a bulletin board that has every possible food topic you could think of," Samantha said.

Michael Ruhlman's blog: The food writer's down-to-earth voice is part of the appeal, Samantha said. "He also seems plugged into what's going on in the food world."

The Ethicurian: "It talks about a lot of issues like local and organic and whatnot," Don said.

Yarn Harlot: "She's wicked funny and she knits like crazy," said Samantha, the knitter of the pair. Don benefits by getting to wear the results.

Robert Gibbons: "He's one of the best observers of Portland and Portland life," Don said of the poet.