PORTLAND, MAINE- The search for the next ‘Top Lobster Chef’ has started! The Maine Lobster Promotion Council is calling for Maine chefs, sous-chefs and other culinary enthusiasts to be part of one of the most high profile culinary events in the state. Original lobster recipes are now being accepted for the chance to become a key part of a showcase event at Portland’s Harvest on the Harbor, one of the nation’s top 10 culinary events, and to be crowned ‘Maine Lobster Chef of the Year.’
"The publicity generated by winning the ‘Maine Lobster Chef of the Year’ title is certainly worthwhile for aspiring and established Maine chefs and the restaurants in which they work,” says Dane Somers, Executive Director of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council. "The competition also celebrates a variety of imaginative ways to prepare, and enjoy Maine lobster.”
Once the recipes are submitted an impartial panel of culinary professionals will review the written recipes, along with a photo of the completed dish, score them according to pre-set criteria and choose three finalists. On Friday, October 21, 2011 the three finalists will present their dish to a live audience as part of the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Harvest on the Harbor event. The audience will sample each dish, cast their votes, and the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year will be crowned.
The Maine Lobster Chef of the Year contest was created by the Maine Lobster Promotion Council as a part of its larger campaign to promote and increase demand for lobster in the fall at the peak of Maine’s lobster harvest season.
"The Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Competition has been a boon to our business, invigorating for our staff, and an exciting experience for our chef,” said Jonas Werner, owner of Azure Café in Freeport and manager of the 2010 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year winner Kelly Patrick Farrin. "There has been an increased interest in Azure since the announcement of the finalists and the fervor continues today.”
The deadline for recipe submissions is midnight, June 30, but chefs are encouraged to notify the council of their intent to submit as soon as possible by sending an email to info@lobsterfrommaine.com, or by calling (207) 541-9310.
Candidates will be judged, and awarded up to 25 points, for originality; professionalism of written recipe; use of Maine Lobster as a primary ingredient; plate presentation (photo required) and finally by taste (voted on by audience at cook-off.)
The Maine Lobster Promotion Council is a non-profit organization founded by the Maine lobster industry and funded by lobster license holders. The Council promotes the sale of Maine lobster to customers worldwide and supports and enhances the Maine Lobster brand. The Council encourages the education and training of all customers in handling, preparing, serving, promoting and selling Maine Lobster.
The Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Harvest on the Harbor takes place October 20-22, 2011 and is a tribute to Maine’s culinary arts. The entire Harvest on the Harbor event offers three days to experience the flavors of Maine on the coast during the fall harvest season.
For more information regarding the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year competition, please visit the Maine Lobster Promotion Council’s website: www.LobsterFromMaine.com
Recipes, recipe photos, chef names and contact information should be emailed to info@lobsterfrommaine.com.
Contacts:
Angie Helton, Northeast Media Associates
(207) 653-0365, nema@maine.rr.com
Lisa Santiago, Maine Lobster Promotion Council
(207) 541- 9310, Lsantiago@lobsterfrommaine.com
Source: The Maine Lobster Promotion Council