PORTLAND, Maine — Now in its seventh year, Harvest on the Harbor, a celebration of food and wine in downtown Portland scheduled for Oct. 22 to 25, is turning up the flavor.
At a press conference Thursday, the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau, which runs the fall festival, announced two new venues, an expanded cooking competition and a lineup of all-star chefs and judges that would make the Food Network salivate.
The rolling feast kicks off with a high-end harvest dinner for 100 at the Merrill Auditorium. A dream team of chefs, including Cara Stadler of Tao Yuan in Brunswick, David Turin of David’s in Portland and Harding Lee Smith of The Rooms, will execute seven locally sourced courses.
Stadler, who was recently named best new chef in the country by Food and Wine magazine, is participating for the first time.
“I like to do things that support Maine,” said the 26-year-old, who is preparing a special ceviche dish with a spicy aioli topped with shrimp chips.
Speaking of supporting Maine, the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year competition, the festival’s crowning event which will happen on Friday, Oct. 24, grew from a handful of contestants to 10. The new format will feature chefs cooking at stations, allowing ticketed guests to mingle as they indulge in innovative renditions of the state’s culinary jewel.
“It will be more like a cocktail party — much more interactive,” said Lynn Tillotson, president of the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“It’s like having your own private cooking show,” said Chef Kerry Altiero, a two-time Harvest on the Harbor winner, who will be emceeing this year’s competition at Ocean Gateway.
Last year’s champion, Chris Long from Natalie’s at The Camden Harbour Inn, returns to the ring as does chef Brandon Blethen of Robert’s Maine Grill in Kittery. Blethen has been preparing all year for another shot at lobster supremacy.
“I am driven to win,” said the Kittery native, who is no slouch in the lobster department. His lobster roll took top honors at the Lobster Rumble in New York City this summer.
He is working on turning a traditional New England johnnycake into an luscious lobster bite. “If I was to win it would really mean something to me,” Blethen said.
Last year, the judges sat at long tables with the public while the four chefs took turns cooking on stage. This year, a team of high-wattage judges, such as Shannon Bard, chef and owner of Zapoteca in Portland, and Harding Lee Smith, chef of Boone’s Fish House and Oyster Room in Portland, will conduct a blind taste test of all 10 entrees in private.
“It’s so much more dynamic,” said Altiero, owner of Cafe Miranda in Rockland, who won last year’s Top of the Crop competition — which was scrapped this year — and Lobster Chef of the Year in 2012.
Besides attracting visitors from across the country and abroad, the Maine lobster chef competition gives the famed crustacean a boost as the summer fades.
“It’s a reason to publicize lobster in the fall when most people don’t think of eating it, but it’s when lobster is actually at its peak,” said Marianne LaCroix of Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, who introduced the chefs.
The four-day event that usually attracts 4,000 people also includes a culinary gala, wine tasting and a barbecue, blues and booze event. The Big Eat, held at the Portland Company Complex on Saturday, Oct. 25, will showcase 120 food, wine and beer vendors in this new location. The moveable feast packs a lot into one weekend, but the state is ready to go big.
“The food scene in Maine can hold a candle to anyone,” said Altiero. “What we are doing is showcasing a very local product. That’s good for the tourism industry and that’s good for all.”
Tickets to Harvest on the Harbor, held in various Portland locations, are on sale now at harvestontheharbor.com.
Chefs competing for this year’s lobster chef of the year include: Dwayne Whitelocke of Rocktide Inn and Restaurant in Boothbay Harbor; Steve Richards of The World is Mine Oyster in Boothbay Harbor; Chris Long of Natalie’s at Camden Harbour Inn in Camden; Brandon Blethen of Robert’s Maine Grill in Kittery; Iaac Aldrich of Sebasco Harbor Resort in Phippsburg; Abby Freethy of Northwoods Gourmet Girl in Moosehead Lake; Margaret McLellan of Sheepscot Harbour Village and Resort in Edgecomb; Brandon Hicks of the Prentice Hospitality Group of Portland; Luke Cordes of The Porthole Restaurant and Pub in Portland; and Lindsay Bradeen of the Phat Boys Cafe in Cornish.
