Harvest on the Harbor
Maine’s culinary arts are saluted during the second “Harvest on the Harbor” held at Ocean Gateway in Portland, Maine. Three days are set aside to experience the flavors of Maine and the talents of its chefs: October 22-24, 2009. Cooking demonstrations and culinary tours take place throughout the town, and many of Portland’s 250 eateries have special menus for the weekend. The Grand Tasting on the Harbor is already sold out — alas! — as is Maine’s Lobster Chef of the Year Competition.
Best bet for Road Trips Foodies heading toward Maine is October 24’s Food and Wine Marketplace. For $35, you can wander among more than one hundred wineries, breweries and distilleries, food artisans and epicurean purveyors and watch wine, cooking and grilling experts at work. (Yeah, this is an over-21 event.) Perhaps most intriguing is this: from 3:15 to 3:45 p.m., there’s a session on “Cooking What You Grow” with Justin Nichols (pictured), Horticulturist and keeper of the Burpee Kitchen Garden, and Barbara Cary, Chef and Manager, Kitchen Garden Café, both of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.The event is sponsored by the Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau, which would be delighted to help you figure out lodging during the fest as well as any other time of year.