Maine Chef Competition Spotlights Farm-to-Table

Harvest on the Harbor, the annual food and wine event that takes place right smack on the harbor in Portland, Maine, is putting the farm-to-table movement in the spotlight by searching out the best farm-to-table chef in this fall’s aptly named “Top of the Crop” competition.

An extraordinary crop of local chefs have been chosen for their best practices in adopting the farm-to-table concept, and they’ll put their talents on the line for a panel of judges that will make the call of who best represents the farm-to-table movement.

The Top of the Crop competition will sound familiar to any cooking show aficionado: chefs on the chopping block will use fresh, organic ingredients and will be required to use one predetermined ingredient, just to make it interesting. The final three competitors will be chosen by the judges from a list of fourteen, and a fourth will be chosen through a “people’s choice” competition being conducted online. (Voting opened August 19 and will close September 12 – get involved by voting for your favorite.)

Farm-to-Table: Connecting Consumers with Growers

Top of the Crop is a perfect culinary show-down in a state that always gets a mention when the farm-to-table movement is part of the conversation. Farm-to-table, now recognized as a true movement in the world of chefs and home cooks, gets local food providers and small farmers involved in the process of creating food and delivering it to consumers. The movement is meant to support the sustainable, local food community, and farm-to-table chefs use seasonal, local food as much as possible at their restaurants.

Delivering locally-sourced meals means connecting people to what they eat and to the people who grow what they eat, in addition to supporting local communities, and, very often, health. Local food is fresh, making it nutrient-rich, and it is chosen on the basis of being free of harmful chemicals. And, this food movement is about more than just fruits and vegetables. Locally, naturally raised cattle, lamb, pig and chicken, artisan cheese, bread, and other foods such as mushrooms and eggs, all collude to make farm-to-table meals.

Farm-to-table eating has become a recent trend, but it’s Alice Waters who is credited as an originator with Chez Panisse, her farm-to-table business in California. Since then, the number of farm-to-table restaurants has grown, and today, restaurateurs pride themselves on their ability to offer consumers food from a kitchen with farm-to-table ideals. Now, many establishments offer entire meals sourced locally including making bread in-house, and freshly picking vegetables daily – even the mayonnaise that goes on the sandwiches can be made in-house with local ingredients.

Maine Moves Farm-to-Table Forward

In Maine, the movement is growing, thanks to the opportunities the state offers: great seafood, naturally raised meats, small farms that offer poultry, cheeses, eggs and produce, and plenty of indigenous offerings like wild blueberries. The movement received a push from early adopters such as local James Beard Award winners Mark Gairer and Clark Frasier from Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit – the two will host the Top of the Crop event – and the number of restaurants committed to using locally-sourced foods has grown.

While some restaurants use local foods exclusively and even have their own gardens, many put local fish meat and produce straight from area fisherman and farmers on the menu as often as they deem possible. Cinque Terre in Portland, for example, has received national attention as a Maine restaurant known for its farm-to-table practices. The restaurant’s own garden supplies it, and 80% of its ingredients are grown on-premises. (They even make their own cheese and smoke meats.)

For those who love competitive cooking, Harvest on the Harbor will also host the Lobster Chef of the Year Competition where chefs show off the ultimate in lobster creativity. Attendees can also enjoy events such as The Ultimate Seafood Splash! where Maine’s top chefs and fishermen prepare seafood from coastal Maine. On top of it all, attendees take part in tastings and sample a profusion of locally grown foods, food artisans, wines and brews, and Maine-made products – it’s truly a foodie wonderland.

Harvest on the Harbor is being held October 20-22, 2011 in Portland, Maine.

Comforted by Cobbler

When a delicious comfort food comes together with an ingredient that is a powerhouse of nutrition and disease prevention, well, it’s food nirvana.

Chef Jeff Buerhaus from (Maine’s own) Walter’s in Portland points to Blueberry Cobbler as one of those foods that are in the heavenly pocket. He joined radio host and culinary maven Chef Jamie Gwen recently on her radio show “Food & Wine with Chef Jamie Gwen” and disclosed that it was his all-time favorite comfort food. He makes it with dried Maine wild blueberries that are rehydrated to bring them back to their original taste, texture and nutrition (though frozen can be used, too). Buerhaus’ love for blueberries doesn’t stop there: he also puts Duck Breast with Blueberry Demiglaze on his list of favorites that feature the region’s most nutritiously delicious fruit.

Buerhaus also shares dishes that fit in perfectly at game time when the importance of noshing rivals that of touchdowns – it’s football season, after all, and if there is no jalapeño in your food then you just aren’t a sports fan. He has a uniquely tasty take on Asian-influenced foods, and he talks about how to bring that flair into half-time by making recipes such as Tuna Tataki Nachos ad Cracklin’ Calamari.

A Taste of Maine

Cheers to Chef Buerhaus for always making good use of blueberries at Walter’s, a destination if you find yourself in Portland Maine. He and an all-star lineup of chefs will be at Harvest on the Harbor in the city this weekend as well. Harvest on the Harbor is a food and wine festival that features three days of food samples, chef demos, culinary wonders and wine tastings. Many foodies will be extolling wild blueberries’ many virtues including their versatility – how could they not? – but to be honest, it will be their taste that is mostly on display and this flavor-focused culinary event.

Chow Chat

You can hear Chef Jamie Gwen’s California-based radio show online where she shares recipes and culinary wisdom. She brings restaurant news, wine 101 and interviews with the country’s leading chefs, cookbook authors and restaurateurs to her listeners with a signature gregariousness. And, her food and wine website is a fun resource for recipes and tips.

Celebrate the Cobbler!

Allrecipe claims the Very Best Cobbler.

Eating Well offers Peach Blueberry Cobbler.


WildBlueberries.com has Cobbler’s lesser-known cousin, Grunt.

They also offer a showcase of palate-pleasing blueberry-centered dishes including dessert recipes and a slew of snacks and sides that will serve discerning sports fans during pigskin season.

Go Blue!