Category: Events

Congratulations to the 6 Maine food producers won awards last night at the 2016 Good Food Awards ceremony:

• Beer – Daymark from Rising Tide Brewing
• Confections – Nutty for You from Bixby & Co. and Maine Mint Truffle from Black Dinah Chocolatiers
• Honey – from Gold Star Honeybees and from Posto Bello Apiaries
• Pantry – Garlic Scape Relish from Turtle Rock Farm

Here’s some background on the Good Food Awards program,

The Good Food Awards were created to redefine ‘good food’ as being tasty, authentic and responsible. We aim to set criteria for entry that are realistic and inclusive of food and drink producers who have demonstrated a commitment to be part of building a tasty, authentic and responsible food system, going far above and beyond the status quo for their industry, while not making them so strict that eligible participants are limited to a small handful of products.

The Abitare Project(website, facebook, twitter, instagram) is putting together a series of performances for their 2016 calendar. Each will be a collaboration between project musicians Tracey Jasas-Hardel and Ben Noyes and a local chef, pairing food, wine and music into single experience. Chefs who are interested in participating in the series can get in touch with them at tracey@theabitareproject.com.

Monday — Vena’s Fizz House is teaching a Mixology class.

Tuesday — it the opening day of the 75th Annual Maine Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta.

Wednesday — The Thirty Pig is holding a launch party Fore River Brewing.

Thursday — Fore River Brewing is opening their tasting room in South Portland, and The Great Lost Bear is hosting the 7th Annual Brewpub Cup.

Friday — Rising Tide is having a bottle release for Mockingfish. The Good  Food Awards Gala is taking place in San Francisco, 8 Maine food producers are in contention for an award.

Saturday — Rosemont is featuring Urban Farm Fermentory at their monthly Meet Your Maker event, and the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday — Duckfat is holding an Allagash beer dinner, and Tiqa is teaching a cooking class.

Kurosawa‬ Film Series — Oxbow and the Mami food truck have kicked off a weekly Kurosawa‬ film series. It starts this week with a showing of Drunken Angel. Visit the Oxbow website for a full list of upcoming screenings.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

The Velveteen Habit is scheduled to serve a dinner at the James Beard House this spring on April 25th.

Tuesday — Vena’s Fizz House will be teaching a bitter’s workshop.

Thursday — Rising Tide is hosting a Good Food Awards tasting event, Evo is serving a 5-course lobster dinner, and the American Sommelier discovery series kick’s off with a program on sparkling wine.

Saturday — LeRoux Kitchen is holding a wine tasting, Rosemont is holding their monthly pizza night, and the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

O’Maine Studios along with a group of Maine food industry professional is organizing a Chef Summit which will take place on January 29-30 at Sunday River.

The agenda features a day of “panel presentations on strategies to grow and prosper our food and beverage industry” for industry staff on January 29th.

On Saturday January 30th the Chef Summit will  open to the general public:

• Meet the Farmer — sample products from local farmers and food producer
• Chef Chat — a chance to meet and speak with chefs and other industry professionals
• Chef Summit Tasting Event — chefs from Hugo’s/Eventide/The Honey Paw, Cafe Miranda, Evo, David’s KPT, The Library and the Prostart Culinary Team.

More details on the food industry program will be released early next year. Tickets for the tasting event will go on sale soon.

New Year’s Eve

• Abilene – serving a prix fixe dinner
• Artemisia Cafe – 4-course, $75.
• Back Bay Grill – 4-course dinner, $105.
• BiBo’s Madd Apple Cafe – 3-course, $55.
• Boone’s – 5-course dinner, $85.
• Central Provisions – 14-course tasting menu, $220 per couple (including tax and gratuity) with optional pairings $55 per person.
• Crooners & Cocktails – 7-course dinner paired with a split of Moët champagne for $85 per person.
• East Ender – snack buffet and glass of sparkling wine, $25.
• Evo – 5-course dinner in collaboration with Veuve Clicquot, $75 per person with optional wine pairings.
• Five Fifty-Five – 4-course, $85, with optional wine pairings.
• Honey Paw/Eventide – passed apps and champagne toast, $53.74.
• Isa – 3-course dinner, $45.
• King’s Head – 4-course and glass of prosecco, $30.
• Lolita – over-the-top tapas party including 30 of the most popular items from their 2015 menus
• MK Kitchen – 4-course dinner, $75.
• Pepperell Mill – party in the Biddeford, $20 per person.
• Petite Jacqueline – 3-course tasting menu with champagne, $75.
• Piccolo – 9-course dinner and glass of prosecco, $115.
• Sur Lie – tasting menu, $75.
• Tempo Dulu – 8-course dinner with cocktail and champagne toast, $195.
• Terlingua – 5-course and glass of bubbly, $75.
• Tiqa – 4-course dinner, $55.
• Twenty Milk Street – a la carte menu.
• Union – 5-course dinner, $99.
• Vinland – 5-course dinner and sparkling wine toast, $108.
• Grace, Ebb & Flow and several other restaurants will also be open serving their regular menu.

Friday — the Blue Spoon is serving an Italian New Year’s Day dinner.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

Eight Maine food producers earned a place as Finalists for the 2016 Good Food Award in early November.

Rising Tide is hosting a GFA Maine tasting event January 7th 4-7 pm along with 6 of their fellow finalists where you’ll be able to sample and buy the products that have earned this recognition:

• Coffee – Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Hafursa from Speckled Ax
• Beer – Daymark from Rising Tide Brewing
• Cheese – Tide Line from Winter Hill Farm
• Chocolate – Nutty for You from Bixby & Co. and Maine Mint Truffle from Black Dinah Chocolatiers
• Pantry – Garlic Scape Relish from Turtle Rock Farm
• Honey – Posto Bello Apiaries

The final winners of this national competition will be announced on January 15 in San Francisco.

Sur Lie and the Maine chapter of the American Sommelier Association are holding a Food & Wine Discovery Series early next year. Each session will consist of  a guided tasting through 8 wines (4 flights of two each) with a dish created by Chef Emile Rivera for each flight.

Three sessions are scheduled so far:

• January 7 – Sparkling Wines of the World
• February 11 – The World of Sherry
• March 10 – Organic, Biodynamic & Sustainable Wines

Tickets are $45 and are on sale at Sur Lie.

The draft wine list for January session include:

• Castellroig Brut Nature Reserva Cava, Catalonia, Spain
• Villa Di Corlo “Corleto” Lambrusco, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
• Caneva Da Nani “Col Fondo” Prosecco, Veneto, Italy
• Avinyo Blanc Vi d’ Agulla-Petillant, Penedes, Spain
• Domaine Des Terres Blanches Ancestral Rouge, Loire, France
• Chateau De Lavernette Reserve De Lavernette Granit Brut Nature, Burgundy, France
• Pierre Moncuit Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France
• Corte Bianca Extra Brut, Franciacorta DOCG, Italy
• Steininger Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, Kamptal, Austria

Monday — Sur Lie is holding a tiki cocktail infused neighborhood welcome party for Rhum.

Thursday — Five Fifty-Five is serving a Christmas Eve dinner.

Friday — it’s Christmas Day. Congress Squared, Eve’s at the Garden, the Harraseeket Inn, the Inn by the Sea, Twenty Milk Street, and Union are serving Christmas dinners. See OpenTable for a list of other restaurants open on Christmas day.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

New Year’s Eve – restaurants have started announcing NYE specials. Let me know if you know of one that’s missing.

• Abilene – serving a prix fixe dinner
• Artemisia Cafe – 4-course, $75.
• Back Bay Grill – 4-course dinner, $105.
• BiBo’s Madd Apple Cafe – 3-course, $55.
• Boone’s – 5-course dinner, $85.
• Central Provisions – 14-course tasting menu, $220 per couple (including tax and gratuity) with optional pairings $55 per person.
• East Ender – snack buffet and glass of sparkling wine, $25.
• Evo – 5-course dinner in collaboration with Veuve Clicquot, $75 per person with optional wine pairings.
• Five Fifty-Five – 4-course, $85, with optional wine pairings.
• Honey Paw/Eventide – passed apps and champagne toast, $53.74.
• Isa – 3-course dinner, $45.
• King’s Head – 4-course and glass of prosecco, $30.
• Lolita – over-the-top tapas party including 30 of the most popular items from their 2015 menus
• MK Kitchen – 4-course dinner, $75.
• Pepperell Mill – party in the Biddeford, $20 per person.
• Petite Jacqueline – 3-course tasting menu with champagne, $75.
• Piccolo – 9-course dinner and glass of prosecco, $115.
• Sur Lie – tasting menu, $75.
• Tempo Dulu – 8-course dinner with cocktail and champagne toast, $195.
• Terlingua – 5-course and glass of bubbly, $75.
• Tiqa – 4-course dinner, $55.
• Twenty Milk Street – a la carte menu.
• Union – 5-course dinner, $99.
• Vinland – 5-course dinner and sparkling wine toast, $108.
• Grace, Ebb & Flow and several other restaurants will also be open serving their regular menu.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.