BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine — What began as a way to keep lobstermen flush in a down season has become a highly anticipated culinary event. Claw Down, which will be held Thursday in Boothbay Harbor, is a celebration of Maine’s signature crustacean, the people who harvest it and the chefs that make it scrumptious.
The fourth annual cooking competition showcases 17 chefs from Wiscasset to Boothbay to Southport, who unveil their tastiest lobster creations. Guests and a panel of celebrity judges pick their favorite bite in this moveable feast held in a transformed boatyard.
A fundraiser for the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, the lobster fest highlights the growing culinary scene in this picturesque province.
“This put us on the culinary map,” said the chamber’s event manager, Cherie Scott, who expects 400 people from 17 states to attend this year’s sold out fiesta. “We’ve had a fantastic season this year. Our restaurants have been incredibly busy.”
Considered a prelude to October’s Harvest on the Harbor’s lobster chef of the year competition, Claw Down has extra excitement this year. Stephen Richards, top toque at Boothbay Harbor’s Mine Oyster, who won the state title last year, will be celebrated. Though not competing, he is preparing a lobster dish and will be featured in a video called “A Year in the Life of a Maine Lobster Chef of the Year!”
“We are making a big deal out of it,” said Scott. “It’s a great way to showcase what’s so fantastic about this region and show off our chef’s culinary prowess. There is so much talent here.”
Chef bites, from the likes of John Reed at Oliver’s at Cozy Harbor Wharf and Fleur De Sel Catering’s Margaret McLellan, are being kept under wraps until the event.
Judges Shannon Bard of Portland’s Zapoteca, writer and sandwich artist Malcolm Bedell of ‘Wich, Please and Ben Conniff of Luke’s Lobster will pick a winner. Dishes are judged on uniqueness, creativity and presentation. The judge’s pick will advance to compete at Harvest on the Harbor in October. The entertaining Kerry Altiero of Rockland’s Cafe Miranda interviews chefs during the event as Claw Down’s emcee.
“It’s going to be a great night,” said Scott, who is equally excited about the coffee and cake bar. “We have a cake sculptor who is making a 4-feet-wide-and-high frosted creation.”
