4 Maine meals retailers this week gained honors within the nationwide Specialty Meals Affiliation’s fiftieth annual Sofi Awards.
The Creme Brulee Bar gained each a Gold Award and a New Product Award from the Specialty Meals Affiliation this week. Photograph credit score: Elle Darcy
Bixby Chocolate of Rockland swept the class of chocolate, milk and white, as its Crème Brûlée Bar gained each a Gold Award and a New Product Award. Bixby’s Allagash White Beer Brittle additionally gained a New Product Award within the non-chocolate confectionery class. Equally, Hancock Connoisseur Lobster Co. of Topsham owned the entrees, lunch/dinner class, profitable a Gold Award for its Lobster Mushroom Ravioli Meal Package and a New Product Award for its Makhani Lobster Dinner.
Biddeford-based Ocean’s Steadiness gained a Gold Award within the seasonings and spice class for its Chili Lime Seaweed Seasoning, made with Maine seaweed. Watcharee’s of Yarmouth took the New Product Award within the sauces class for its Thai Peanut Sauce.
A panel of specialty meals specialists chosen the three Maine manufacturers from virtually 2,000 entrants nationwide. Judging standards included style, look, texture, aroma, ingredient high quality and innovation. General, 102 Sofi Awards went to merchandise in 47 classes.
Winners of the 2022 product of the 12 months and new product of the 12 months awards can be introduced on the Summer season Fancy Meals Present in New York Metropolis in June.
“We’re proud to be the primary bean-to-bar model in Maine to win three Sofi awards,” Kate McAleer stated in a ready assertion. “Our Crème Brûlée Bar is gaining widespread reputation because it gained one other nationwide award earlier this 12 months, and our Allagash White Beer Brittle is a model new product. Allagash is a superb associate in making this new product occur.”
Watcharee’s proprietor, Watcharee Limanon, stated she has submitted her merchandise for Sofi Award consideration a number of instances up to now, however that is the primary 12 months she’s gained. “It was such a shock and an honor,” she stated.
Misplaced Kitchen raises huge bucks for PFAS aid
The Maine Natural Farmers and Growers Affiliation (MOFGA) introduced this week that the Misplaced Kitchen in Freedom has helped increase almost $1 million for PFAS contamination aid for Maine farmers.
The Misplaced Kitchen had partnered within the fundraising effort with the affiliation and the Maine Farmland Belief, the 2 organizations that administer the aid funds. On the finish of March, Misplaced Kitchen chef-owner Erin French opened the restaurant’s 2022 reservation lottery on its web site, encouraging hopeful clients to donate to the fund.
Since then, greater than 25,000 folks have donated a complete of over $950,000, based on MOFGA. The funds immediately assist Maine farmers by way of earnings substitute, soil testing and psychological well being assist.
Over 13 farms in Maine have found regarding ranges of PFAS contamination of their water, soil or meals merchandise, based on MOFGA officers. The Maine Division of Environmental Safety is testing greater than 700 websites all through the state.
“This was such a pure partnership for The Misplaced Kitchen,” French stated. “So many of those impacted farms and farmers will not be solely our neighbors and colleagues, however our buddies.”
“The overwhelming response to The Misplaced Kitchen’s fundraiser not solely helps us ship well timed sources to impacted Maine farmers, however has helped increase the profile of the PFAS situation nationally,” stated Amy Fisher, president and CEO of the Maine Farmland Belief.
Uncooked bar to open in Freeport
The Freeport Oyster Bar, housed in a 150-year-old barn behind the native historic society, will open for enterprise in mid June, based on house owners. Photograph credit score: Thomas Henninger
The Freeport Oyster Bar, spotlighting Maine seafood with a uncooked bar, is anticipated to open at 45 Essential Road in mid-June, based on co-owner Thomas Henninger.
The oyster bar can be housed inside a 150-year-old barn behind the Freeport Historic Society museum constructing. Henninger and his associate, Ken Sparta, are leasing the barn from the historic society.
The roughly 750-square-foot oyster bar can have seating for about 40 inside, and an extra 40 bistro-style seats outdoors by the backyard, Henninger stated.
Henninger and Sparta are each oyster farm house owners, working Madeleine Level Oyster Farm and Spartan Sea Farms, respectively. The bar will function oysters from their very own farms, in addition to the merchandise of 4 farms additionally within the Maine Household Sea Farm Cooperative, which he and Sparta fashioned.
Henninger stated they’ve employed about six staffers thus far, together with normal supervisor Allie Sawyer, who beforehand labored at Luke’s Lobster and Union restaurant on the Press Lodge, each in Portland.
“We plan to promote what we develop,” Henninger stated, noting that along with oysters, the uncooked bar will provide scallops crudo and different native fish and shellfish in uncooked preparations.
“We additionally plan to lean onerous into charcuterie and cheeses, and have a strong cocktail and wine program. My spouse is fearful about how a lot enjoyable I’m going to have. And so far as we all know, we’re the one farmer-owned uncooked bar in Maine,” Henninger stated.
To that finish, he conceded that he and his associate “are oystermen, not restaurateurs.” However he stated they’ve been “blown away” by the outpouring of assist and useful consults from the community of Maine cooks who purchase oysters from their farms.
“All of the cooks we promote to have been extremely useful and gracious,” he stated.
Eat the Kennebunks this week
The fifth annual Eat the Kennebunks Week kicked off Monday, celebrating native foods and drinks at collaborating venues.
The occasion runs by way of Sunday. Fourteen native eating places are listed as members, and data on the particular menus, dishes and reductions every is providing this week is on the market on the Go Kennebunks web site.
Due to the pandemic, Eat the Kennebunks in 2020 was takeout solely, whereas final 12 months’s occasion was a hybrid of takeout and in-house eating. Laura Dolce, govt director of the Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber of Commerce, stated the weeklong occasion often options greater than 20 collaborating eating places.
“However I do know lots of companies this 12 months are reluctant to tackle one thing huge like this, particularly after they’re nonetheless fearful about kitchen staffing,” Dolce stated.
Nonetheless, she stated occasion organizers tried to diversify choices as a lot as attainable this 12 months past particular multi-course dinners, to incorporate breakfasts, lunches, drinks and appetizers, as an illustration. She stated whereas the opening day of the occasion was sluggish as a result of many native eating places are closed on Mondays, she expects turnout to extend because the week goes on.
“I believe individuals are able to get again out,” she stated.
Grape-Nuts helps one other Maine girl climb Kilimanjaro
Sylvia Guzman of Portland is a part of a four-woman crew planning to scale Mount Kilimanjaro in August. Guzman’s crew gained $12,500 from Grape-Nuts to pay for the expedition. Courtesy of Sylvia Guzman
A second Maine girl has gained a money award from Grape-Nuts to fund her climb Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro this August.
Sylvia Guzman, 27, of Portland, gained as a part of a four-woman crew known as Summit Squad 2022, which additionally consists of members from New York, New Jersey and Illinois. Grape-Nuts awarded the squad $12,500 this March, Guzman stated, exceeding the ladies’s aim of elevating $20,000 in eight weeks to cowl prices for his or her Kilimanjaro journey.
One other Maine girl, Tiffany Jones, gained a $12,500 award from Grape-Nuts for her personal Kilimanjaro climb in July. Grape-Nuts celebrates its one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary this 12 months, and wished to commemorate it by giving money awards to 9 girls climbers (or teams of climbers, as within the case of Summit Squad 2022) across the nation who had arrange GoFundMe pages to boost cash for his or her expeditions.
“We had been overjoyed,” Guzman stated of her squad’s response to the money award.
“Once we noticed the donation are available in, we had been actually blown away,” stated Heidi Jones, who organized the squad and helps practice them for the climb. She is founding father of the New York Metropolis-based exercise tribe, Sweat To Change.
“Along with the climb, these girls are going to share their tales of overcoming adversity in a robust documentary that may encourage everybody who sees it.” The squad is now elevating cash to pay for the documentary.
“None of us have ever executed something like this earlier than,” Guzman stated. To situation herself, she runs and does CrossFit a number of instances per week. “I’m additionally mountain climbing each weekend,” she stated, “and since I reside in Maine, it’s not onerous to do.”
Jones stated she organized the all-female expedition as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionally affected girls. She famous that the ladies collaborating in Summit Squad 2022 have overcome sexual and life-long emotional abuse, suicidal thought and homophobia.
“There are limits which can be set for ladies that don’t must be there,” Guzman stated. “It’s as much as us to redefine what these limits are.”
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