Executive chef and owner of Aragosta at Goose Cove—a beloved Coastal Maine restaurant, tucked away on Deer Isle—publishes her first cookbook.
At the western reaches of Deer Isle, across a seafoam-green bridge that ties it to Downeast Maine, Aragosta at Goose Cove is destination dining at its far-flung finest.
Chef Devin Finigan’s beloved seasonal restaurant sits above a crescent of beach, clad in silvered cedar and surrounded by cottages and greenhouses. Before relocating to Goose Cove in 2019, Finigan launched Aragosta (“lobster” in Italian) in the nearby village of Stonington, the lobster capital of the world. From this quiet shore, Finigan’s creativity and reverence for local, seasonal ingredients rang loud enough to attract national attention.
By May, the sun will shake the thaw from Maine’s soil and send up successive bursts of life: unfurling fiddleheads, rhubarb, strawberries, late-summer spoils of tomatoes and corn. In the ocean, scores of halibut, squid, and bluefin tuna begin to run. Each bounty will be anticipated, gathered, and served by Finigan through the course of the season. In her debut cookbook, A Kitchen at Goose Cove: Recipes From the Heart of Maine, Finigan shares her vision for cooking in rhythm with the seasons, detailing accessible recipes that capture the taste of Maine.
Wildsam: You’ve poured yourself into Aragosta for almost 13 years. How long has the idea of a cookbook marinated?
Chef Devin Finigan: The idea came during my first year at Goose Cove. People had been asking me to write one for years, but I never seriously considered it until I felt the magic of this place. I wanted the recipes to be accessible, something people could cook at home. So I started thinking about how I cook for my daughters—seasonal, creative, but not overly technical.
Have you always been able to trust your gut to make big decisions, for example, opening a seasonal restaurant in an off-the-beaten-path location?
DF: I’ve always trusted my instincts. If you’re second-guessing, it’s best to walk away. In 2013, I was on my way to Mallorca to cook with Chef Macarena de Castra, when I started talking to a man with an Austrian accent in the Starbucks line at Logan Airport. He said he was going to Maine, specifically Stonington, to lease his restaurant space. Right there, we shook hands, and he agreed not to list it until my return. I came back 30 days later and opened Aragosta. I was terrified; I didn’t know if people would come. I just committed to giving it everything.
In my second year, I got pregnant with my first daughter and started looking for the next location. I remember walking the beach at Goose Cove before it was even real and getting goosebumps, feeling like it would be mine someday.
Aragosta is a destination dining experience. How much does Deer Isle—its landscape and community—shape what you do?
DF: It’s not just about the food: The fishermen, the farmers—they’re all part of the Aragosta ecosystem. My sourcing is deeply local. Each year begins with ordering pottery from local artisans. Then there are the fishermen, scallop farmers, lobstermen, and multiple local farms for produce. In August, when the squid start running, there’s a gentleman who will show up with a bucketful at the kitchen door. The community knows I’m willing to buy, and I get to be creative with what they bring.
We forage a lot from the surrounding landscape. The beach and the dunes are full of ingredients. I teach my staff and my daughters how to identify and gather them all. It’s a special part of what we do.
For the cookbook, I took the team everywhere: the farms, the foraging spots, the docks. Aragosta has its own oyster farm, beehives, and gardens. There are so many personal stories in the book. Community is everything, and I’m really grateful we captured that in the book.
Which recipes in the book are especially resonant of the Aragosta experience?
DF: The book features signature Aragosta dishes like the lobster pasta (Lobster Casconcelli, drenched with butter and lemon) in a more accessible, home-friendly version. Then there’s my signature fish caramel sauce and longstanding dumpling recipe. We also included classic Maine elements like whoopie pies. They might not be “highbrow,” but they’re part of the culture, and people love them. Maine has such a strong identity, and I want to celebrate that.
Can you pick your favorite time of year in Maine?
DF: Seasonally, I love spring and fall the most. Spring is especially magical: the smell of halibut, the first greens, fresh ramps. It’s the beginning of everything. Then it flows into rhubarb, strawberries, tuna, mackerel, and so on. Fall feels like home to me. All those apples, cider, and squash remind me of my childhood in Vermont.
Now the book is done, what is stoking your creativity?
DF: This season, we’re opening a beach bar called Bouchon Pétillant that will serve champagne and cocktails right from the sand. And recently, I’ve been going to Italy with friends to work on purchasing an olive farm. That’s a dream project: 600 trees over 12 acres. We’ll use the olive oil right here in the restaurant.
