Portland, Maine – February 8, 2011 – Calendar Islands Maine Lobster will introduce eight new gourmet Maine lobster dishes this month, significantly expanding the specialty seafood options available to lobster lovers around the world. The company’s innovative approach to bringing fresh Maine lobster to homes and specialty retailers throughout the country and across the globe is made possible through the partnership of 38 Maine lobster fishermen and celebrity foodies Jonathan King and Jim Stott of Stonewall Kitchen fame.
King and Stott, world-renowned for their gourmet cooking school, popular gourmet cookbooks and as the owners of Stonewall Kitchen, are accustomed to partnering with other celebrity foodies, but found the opportunity to work directly with Maine lobster fishermen to develop gourmet seafood products too enticing to pass up. No strangers to building a specialty food business from the ground up, King and Stott bring a fresh perspective and vast knowledge of gourmet foods and recipes to Calendar Islands Maine Lobster. The new partners currently offer a variety of specialty food products, including their Maine Lobster Pizza, Maine Lobster Cakes, Maine Lobster Corn Chowder, Maine Lobster Mac & Cheese, Maine Raw Lobster Tails, Maine Lobster Bisque, Maine Lobster Pot Pie and Maine Lobster Stew. With the help of King and Stott, these Maine lobster fishermen will continue to expand the gourmet seafood selections available on the web, and in specialty retail for worldwide delivery.
The partnership between the group of Maine lobster fishermen and these famed foodies resulted from the lobstermen’s desire to shift from primarily selling their catches wholesale to creating a gourmet seafood company specializing in delivering local lobster dishes directly to consumer markets. According to John Jordan, a Casco Bay lobsterman and President of Calendar Islands Maine Lobster, “We certainly knew a lot about lobstering, but we didn’t really know a lot about specialty food.”
Their search for partners who understand and appreciate gourmet seafood, Maine’s coastal communities, and how to bring an idea to fruition ended when they found King and Stott right in their home state.
“We were very lucky to find Jonathan King and Jim Stott, who are the owners of Stonewall Kitchen here in Maine and who turn out some wonderful products,” states Jordan, “Working with them we have developed a number of recipes where we feel we can bring our customers lobster in really delicious, interesting and creative ways.”
When it comes to seafood, the Calendar Islands are among the most coveted regions for harvesting fresh, delicious Maine lobster sold to consumers across North America and around the world. The local lobstering community has shaped the culture and economy of this beautiful area, where fishing knowledge, boats, and territories are handed down from one generation to the next. This has brought together the lobstermen of the Calendar Islands to form a tight-knit community with a deeply ingrained love and respect for the sea. "The lobstermen at Calendar Islands Maine Lobster take great pride and care in the natural resource that supports our lives. Our focus will continue to be on sustainability, conservation, quality and tradition." states Jordan.
First functioning much like a co-op and selling their catch wholesale to dealers, the initial group of nine Maine lobstermen were determined to bring their harvest directly to market by telling their story, which includes the rich history of lobster fishing in the Calendar Islands and Maine. Just a few years later, this handful of lobstermen has expanded to over three dozen working with celebrity foodies like King and Stott to take the lobstering industry in a new direction that honors Maine lobstering traditions, while introducing the world to local gourmet dishes.
Source: Calendar Islands Maine Lobster