Recognized throughout the community as a place for “good food, good drink and good times,” Byrnes’ Irish Pub in Bath, Maine, celebrated 11 successful years in business last St. Patrick’s Day. The pub has a second location in Brunswick, and both restaurants are known for Sunday Irish brunch, fantastic Reuben sandwiches, wild trivia Tuesdays and their famous “Shut up and drink your beer!” t-shirts.
A Northeast Regional Recipe Winner, Leslie Wyman has been a member of the team since she was 15, starting as a dishwasher and working her way up to cook: “My talents come from my grandmother, who was a ‘caker’ back in the day, and my nana, who was an artist. My mother says the talent skipped right over her and my father and came together in me.”
Wyman loves making specialty cheesecakes and always enjoys experimenting with something fresh and different: “And what’s more different than cereal in a cheesecake?” She thought that Lucky Charms™ would be a great homage to the pub as well as a nice complement to creamy cheesecake. The first two batches sold out in less than a day!
Lucky Charms™ Cheesecake marries Gold Medal™ Yellow Cake Mix and Lucky Charms™ Bulk Cereal; the colorful marshmallows add a little extra magic to this delicious dessert.
Her posting on the special cheesecake caught the eye of General Mills Foodservice employee Allison Marceau, who encouraged Wyman to enter the 2019 Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest. Byrnes’ Irish Pub uses General Mills’ biscuit mix for popular Sunday pancakes as well as other specials such as strawberry shortcake.
The pub provides a family-friendly, comfortable environment for everyone, supporting the local music scene, fundraising for a variety of causes and donating back to the community. In the words of Wyman, “Byrnes’ Irish Pub is a place enjoyed by people of all ages, where a 21-year-old and a 90-year-old can sit together and act like they’ve known each other forever!”
In the meantime, they can also enjoy some memorable – maybe even lucky – cheesecake.
As a Regional Recipe Winner in the Neighborhood to Nation contest, Wyman will receive $5,000 as well as $1,000 to share with a local nonprofit. She has chosen the Maine Cancer Foundation after losing her grandfather to esophageal cancer last year.
Notes Address: 38 Centre St., Bath, Maine Website: http://byrnesirishpub.com/ Facebook: @ByrnesIrishPub