TURNOUT-Maine Fare-Nov/Dec 2009

Photography Jonathan Laurence

A celebration of Maine’s local fare

During September 11 through 13, Camden and Rockport were transformed into culinary showcases for Maine Fare, a celebration of Maine’s local food and drink, from farm to table. The weekend-long event honored the state’s natural culinary resources by putting farmers, artisans, chefs, food writers, and culinary experts alongside the products themselves to educate and excite attendees. The event kicked off Friday night when fifteen chefs teamed up to create a “Gala Tasting under the Stars” on the water at the Camden Yacht Club. The chefs paired Maine’s locally sourced foods with Maine wines, spirits, and beers to create fifteen different tasting courses. The rest of the weekend involved panel discussions such as “Can Maine Feed Itself?”; artisan food makers and suppliers filling the Marketplace at Knox Mill; cooking classes; guided taste seminars; an old-fashioned Maine bean hole supper; and a demonstration on the art of butchering a whole hog.