At Chauncey Creek, lobster is the family business

KITTERY POINT, Maine -- The tide pours in and out of the cove and comes right up under the slats of the deck. Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier sits on heavy wooden pilings over Chauncey Creek. On an especially hot afternoon recently, Zach Spinney , the fourth generation manager and a future owner, is sitting at one of the colorful picnic tables. He wears a lobster pendant around his neck and Sailor Jerry -style ink all over his arms -- lobsters and anchors and nautical stars. Bibbed tourists sit shoulder to shoulder digging into feasts of fish and lobster rolls, but Spinney won't go near a crustacean. "When I look at lobsters I see dollar signs, not food," he says. "They pay the bills and every one I eat is one that someone else can't."

The taste and texture of lobster meat change with the seasons. Summertime lobsters have soft, new shells that reveal sweet and juicy meat that isn't as full or flavorful as hard-shell meat is later in the fall. Eaten in the rough, summer lobsters can be disappointing, but the tender meat is perfect for lobster rolls. Chauncey Creek is one of the few places in Maine that puts lobster on a hamburger bun. "Hot dog rolls are for hot dogs," says Spinney. The open-air spot, which has some indoor seating, too, doesn't toast the bun. "The meat gets tossed with Miracle Whip and spices, that's all," he says. The recipe comes from Claire Spinney, Zach's grandmother. "She's made about a million lobster rolls," he says.

Spinney buys lobsters from local wholesalers, who offer them live, packed in plastic crates, and stored in big green tanks. "Thousands of pounds in a weekend," he says. "No fishermen or single co-op could keep up with that." For the rolls he uses one-armed cull lobsters or buys tail and claw meat from local companies who pick their own. "We go through so much meat, we could never pick it all ourselves."

The restaurateur isn't too fussy about cooking lobsters. "The lobsters on the bottom boil and the ones on the top steam," he says. "But they all come out just right." Heavy-duty swimming pool pumps pull water right out of the creek and into the cauldrons. Lobsters are salty and the seawater is just as salty. "I've tried boiling lobsters in plain tap water with sea salt added and it just isn't the same," he says.

Chauncey Creek has been in his family since the late '30s. Spinney's great-grandfather, Herb Witham , built the pier to stack traps and sell gas and oil to fishermen; then he started selling lobster meat to the locals. He passed the business to Zach's grandfather, George Spinney. Zach's father, Ron, had been a fisherman and took over in 1984. Now 60, Ron owns hunting land in Colorado and is ready to let Zach take over. Zach plans to teach the business to his 18-month - old son, Clayton. "My boy would be fifth generation," he says. This sort of thing matters on the coast of Maine.

Zach grew up on Gerrish Island, across the creek from the restaurant. He hauled traps with a local man for a few years but prefers the restaurant business. "This is way better than fishing," he says. "More waitresses."

In the height of the season, Chauncey Creek sells 100 to 150 lobster rolls a day. The roll has five ounces of meat, and a side of ruffled potato chips and pickles. The cost is $16, less than at many places, but lobster is never cheap.

This spring lobsters were $14 a pound right off the boat, the highest prices ever. "This year it got so cold so quick and stayed cold for a long time," says Spinney. "[The lobsters] moved right out and stayed offshore for a long time. But now they're coming back in."

The seafood spot offers customers an unusual service. You can bring your own beer, or anything else, for that matter. "Bring a keg down," says the generous host. "We'll keep it cold for you."

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier, 16 Chauncey Creek Road, Kittery Point, Maine, 207-439-1030, chaunceycreek.com.