LEWISTON — Theirs is a sweet, unconventional love story and from it has been born a sweet, unconventional burrito shop.

Tricia Tomlinson met Ben Scott at a Portland nightclub 20 years ago. They danced. She declared her crush. He said he was married and slipped out.

“He never came back, broke my heart,” said Tomlinson, 39. “And then we met online 20 years later.” 

It came to them during their second or third date: He was that guy; she was that girl. 

“I cried, it surprised me so much,” Tomlinson said. “The universe is strange. It was perfect, actually.”

The couple, together two years and now engaged, said they were each looking for a change of career.

For her, it was something that wasn’t social services. For him, it was something that wasn’t overseeing loads of mail. Both wanted to be their own boss.

For the past month, they’ve logged 12-hour days making the former Cupcakery on Lisbon Street into Ben’s Burritos with a family-friendly vibe, a serve-local philosophy and a “Pay It Forward” wall for customers to anonymously buy others’ burritos.

“I go between elated and scared out of my mind,” said Scott, 45. “It’s so exciting to be able to do this.”

Ahead of the Dec. 19 opening, there have been walls to paint, a bench to build, art to hang, appliances to install. 

“I’ve worn a groove in the planet between here and Home Depot,” he said.

Tomlinson said she and her sisters had wanted to open a restaurant for years. As she and Scott talked, a Mexican restaurant made sense for the area.

Meanwhile, she left her job, deciding she didn’t like its direction.

“I needed something new and I needed something new for the rest of my life,” Tomlinson said.

Scott felt the same way. “You can only go so far in mail before you’re bored to death,” he said.

“He came on board (to the restaurant idea),” Tomlinson said. “‘Hey, I don’t feel like working for anyone else’s dream anymore, and what do you want to do? Let’s do this.'”

The couple, who live in a Lewiston housing co-op, scouted downtown, knowing they wanted to be in that general area. They signed the lease for the space beside Rainbow Bicycle on Nov. 1.

They’re trying to buy meat and vegetables locally, as much as possible, while being mindful of the price point. On the still-being-firmed-up menu: spicy barbacoa-style beef with chipotle peppers and roasted tomatoes, sweet carnitas-style pork, mild salsa verde chicken and a vegetarian sweet potatoes in sauce option. There will also be rice and spinach bowls, chips and desserts.

All of the meat will be slow-cooked, marinated overnight.

“We don’t want to be too fussy with it, but we really want the flavor to be there,” Tomlinson said. “Ben’s going to make one of his own hot sauces, then we’ll just have a variety so people can play with that.”

A basic burrito with beans, rice, salsa and sour cream will start at between $6 and $7. They’ll also come in two sizes, 10-inch and 12-inch.

There won’t be teas or coffees, but potentially down the road, there might be wine and beer and events at night, Tomlinson said.

They’ve affixed a “Pay It Forward” board with little paper burritos on the wall by the entrance. A customer can opt to pay for an extra burrito from the “I Buy” side of the board, which moves it to the “I Eat” side, making it available to anyone to grab and redeem. 

For someone hungry for a meal that day, “they have an opportunity to eat without a lot of shame, without a lot of worry,” she said. “It’s leaving it up to the community. I think people are really willing to show up for something positive and giving and contributing in a way that’s not too showy.”

Tomlinson and Scott, who plan to get married in May if, he joked, time allows, both plan to work at Ben’s Burritos full time. They’ve hired two staffers. She said her family has been a huge help in getting everything ready for the 19th.

“Obviously, there’s stressors, but when you’re working for your own dream, everything’s a cakewalk,” she said. “We are able to really sit down and focus on what our ideals will be, what our goals will be, instead of filtering it through someone else’s mission. It’s kind of quaint to be able to wake up every day and this is what we get to do.”

kskelton@sunjournal.com