Live Well Farm, an enchanting Harpswell Neck celebration and wedding venue treasured by scores of brides and grooms, has new owners. And they’re no strangers to Harpswell.
Nicholas E. Charboneau and Jennifer Dube Charboneau, who bought Cook’s Lobster & Ale House on Bailey Island 10 years ago, have added Live Well Farm to their hospitality portfolio.
The property at 1583 Harpswell Neck Road includes a white, two-story house built around 1835; a rustic, century-old barn; and nearly 5 acres of lush landscaping. It’s a stone’s throw from the former Harpswell Coastal Academy.
“We’re in our 10th year at Cook’s,” said Jennifer, who goes by Jen. “Over time we’ve expanded our off-site catering, and we’re always looking for new adventures.”
And it’s quite the adventure. The couple bought the historic farm on May 27 for $1.4 million from Cassandra Stearns and Ignacio Garcerón, who had owned it for five years.
The picturesque site was built for a clipper ship captain, but its most famous owner was Lewiston native Patrick Dempsey, known for his role as Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd on the TV medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” The actor maintains strong ties to Maine, where he raises money to help cancer patients.
“For what we have — 5 beautiful acres — it’s certainly not cheap but well worth it,” Jen said. “We fell in love with the place.”
One stifling hot June morning, Jen sat in the farmhouse’s rustic dining room with large paintings of a rabbit and a cow on the wall behind her.
“We’re still learning the ropes,” she said, laughing easily. Her blonde hair was pulled back, showing off bright blue eyes and a face full of freckles.
The Charboneaus’ careers have revolved around the hospitality business. Jen, 52, was an event planner for 15 years in Burlington, Vermont. Nick, 53, owned the Mexicali Grill & Cantina in Williston, Vermont, for nearly 17 years.
“I’m a Mainer through and through,” said Jen, who grew up in Lewiston. “I love Vermont, but I really wanted to be back home.”
Nick told Jen he’d find a restaurant to buy, then Jen’s mother found Cook’s. Nick sold the cantina.
Taking over Live Well Farm was a piece of cake compared to the muscle required in 2015 to put Cook’s in shape. The couple bought the restaurant out of bankruptcy and spent more than $1 million to renovate it “from the ground up.”
The Charboneaus will continue to own and operate the popular year-round restaurant and bar on the southeast side of the Cribstone Bridge.
Jen and Nick, who have been married for 23 years, have two adult daughters, Emma and Ava, who work at the restaurant. The couple will go back and forth between the two businesses.
“We’re a great team,” Jen said. “We’re both really hard workers.”
Live Well Farm is not going to be a backbreaking business, said Jen, likening it to an Airbnb. It came fully furnished and guests are responsible for “all their needs,” including catering, tents and music, whether for a wedding, rehearsal dinner, brunch or other celebration.
Friends told Jen it was crazy to buy the farm when Cook’s is so busy in the summer. “Hospitality is what we do,” she told them. “It’s what we love. We saw a really good opportunity and were able to make it work.”
Once those friends saw the property, which has the look and feeling of an elegant British manor house, with manicured lawns and gardens, she said they understood.
Various packages are available to rent the five-bedroom house that sleeps 11. The kitchen is modern, while antiques throughout the house honor its past. The post-and-beam barn, with an unusual driftwood chandelier, is ideal for dancing. An outdoor space adjacent to the house can accommodate the large tents most wedding planners rent in case of bad weather.
Adirondack chairs and benches are scattered throughout the lawns, as well as a fire pit for use after the sun sets. Best are a romantic garden gazebo and a storybook trellis for a bride and groom’s nuptials that look out at two rows of benches for guests. The lawns are dotted with flowers, an apple orchard, dappled willows, and various trees and shrubberies.
Contracts for weddings and vendors that were on the books before the sale will be honored until the end of the year.
Next year? The couple wants to host reunions, corporate and community events, and, of course, more weddings. They’re also planning to offer bar catering with “small-scale” foods like lobster bakes and barbecues.
Those looking for something unusual for any special occasion can check out the Charboneaus’ unique Tap Truck 207. Nicknamed Clyde, the red-and-white 1957 panel truck is outfitted with craft beer, wine and cocktails.
Jen is resolved to continue giving back to the community at the farm through various fundraisers, as the couple has done at Cook’s.
“The (Harpswell) community was so wonderful and welcoming to us,” Jen said, reflecting on the reception when they bought Cook’s. “My parents were always firm believers in giving back to the people who gave to you.”
Jen hopes she can recruit Dempsey to be part of an eponymous benefit to raise money for cancer care and support.
Dempsey is well known for his efforts on behalf of cancer patients. The Dempsey Center, with locations in Lewiston and Westbrook, as well as the virtual Dempsey Connects, offers free counseling, classes, workshops and support for patients at all stages of the disease. The annual Dempsey Challenge has raised millions for the centers. This year’s run, walk or ride will be Sept. 20, starting in Lewiston.
Dempsey’s mother had ovarian cancer for 17 years, according to the Dempsey Center. She died in 2014.
Jen is equally zealous about supporting cancer patients, for much the same reason. Her mother died this past April of metastatic breast cancer that had spread to her bones.
Live Well Farm “reminds me of her,” Jen said wistfully, especially seeing and sniffing the lilacs on the property, her mother’s favorite blooming flower. “She was always my biggest supporter for taking chances and living life.”
Her one regret is that her mother won’t get to see Live Well Farm. “She would have loved it.”
