On Wednesday, October 23, the Maine Seafood Promotional Council (MSPC) hosted “On the (Seafood) Menu in Maine,” an exclusive event that brought together prominent chefs from across the country to celebrate the state’s rich seafood offerings. The event showcased the freshest products sourced from the Gulf of Maine, including wild-caught scallops, sustainably harvested seaweed, lobster, and unique species such as unagi (eel).

The evening kicked-off at Mr. Tuna’s commercial kitchen in South Portland, where Chef Jordan Rubin (AKA Mr. Tuna) demonstrated the art of cutting and preparing fresh tuna. Guests then moved next door to SoPo Seafood Market to indulge in a variety of exquisite seafood dishes, all designed to inform and inspire creativity in seafood preparation.

Among the featured dishes were monkfish stew from the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, oysters from Mere Point Oyster Company, mussels from Bangs Island Mussels, unagi from American Unagi, scallops from Downeast Dayboat, seaweed from Atlantic Sea Farms and lobster bánh mì rolls prepared by Fishermen’s Net. This culinary event was designed to foster collaboration and conversation among chefs from various regions, including New Orleans and Boston, and to provide opportunities for KriKMaine seafood producers to expand into out-of-state markets. 

The chefs that attended this event included: 

• Nicole Cabrera Mills, Chef, Peche, New Orleans, 2024 F&W Best New Chef.
• Ana Castro, Chef, ACAMAYA, New Orleans, New York Times list of best restaurants in 2024.
• Alex Kemp, Executive Chef at My Loup in Philadelphia, Bon Appetit’s best new restaurant class of 2024.
• Katarina Petonito, Executive Chef, Eastern Point Collective out of DC
• Will Riezel, Executive Chef at Giusto, Newport, RI, In 2022, he was a James Beard Award semifinalist in the “Best Chef in the Northeast” category.
• Amanda Shulman, Executive Chef at Her Place Supper Club and co-owner of Libbie Loup Hospitality.

Leo Waterston, Program Director at  FocusMaine, expressed his enthusiasm about the event’s success, stating, “Bringing together such a talented group of chefs to experience Maine’s incredible seafood is a testament to the quality and diversity of our local products. Events like this not only celebrate Maine’s culinary heritage but also strengthen the connections between producers and chefs, ultimately benefiting our entire seafood industry.”

The event also included educational tours for the chefs, allowing them to learn more about the seafood industry in Maine, including visits to Atlantic Sea Farms and Bangs Island Mussels. This initiative aligns with the MSPC’s mission to promote Maine’s seafood brand and strengthen market development and expansion for Maine seafood products.

This project was funded by a grant to FocusMaine through the Department of Economic and Community Development’s Domestic Trade Grant Program funded by Governor Mill’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan and the American Rescue Plan Act.

About the Maine Seafood Promotional Council:

The Maine Seafood Promotional Council (MSPC) is an industry-led initiative to strengthen the Maine seafood brand and Maine’s growing seafood industry. MSPC is dedicated to showcasing the state’s rich seafood offerings from its 3,478-mile coastline along the North Atlantic. Home to diverse wild-caught and farmed species, Maine’s fishermen and sea farmers are committed to quality products and responsible harvesting, cultivation, and handling practices. This project was funded by a grant through the Department of Economic and Community Development’s Domestic Trade Grant Program funded by Governor Mill’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan and the American Rescue Plan Act. https://www.seamaine.org/maine-seafood-promotional-council/

About FocusMaine:

FocusMaine is a dynamic, data-driven, private sector-led initiative collaborating with influential leaders to accelerate the growth of high-potential industries, creating quality jobs and shaping a future-ready economy. Over the past six years, the growth of FocusMaine sectors, the Food Economy and Bioeconomy, outpaced Maine’s overall growth. FocusMaine catalyzed over 1,200 jobs, including 577 jobs in companies participating in their programs which created an additional 618 indirect jobs, generating $261.7 million in sales revenue and $71 million in earnings. Over the past year, job growth in food companies participating in FocusMaine programs was twice as high as job growth in Maine’s overall food sector, and six times as high as job growth in Maine’s overall economy. www.focusmaine.org

A Media Kit for the event is available HERE.

Media Contacts:

Angie Helton
Northeast Media Associates
angie@nemediaassociates.com or 207-653-0365

Or

Kristen Levesque
Kristen Levesque PR
kristen@kristenlevesquepr.com or 207-329-3090