MADAWASKA, Maine — Just how much poutine can one person eat in under an hour?
The world will find out Friday, during the inaugural Poutine Palooza taking place during Madawaska’s annual Acadian Festival.
An homage to all things poutine — the traditional Quebecois delicacy of french-fried potatoes covered in gravy and cheese curds — Poutine Palooza is taking place around town, with organizers hoping it boosts festival attendance.
“The whole original purpose behind this was to enhance the numbers at the Acadian Festival,” according to Brian Bouley, executive director of the Greater Madawaska Chamber of Commerce and sponsor of the event. “We figured we would create a whole different event that the chamber would own as its own thing.”
Variations of poutine have been popping up on menus around the country, Bouley said, and his organization hopes the popularity of the gooey dish will bring people into town.
To date, more than 5,000 people have clicked on the chamber’s Poutine Palooza social media page, with more than 300 indicating they are interested in attending.
“Everyone loves poutine,” he said. “We are hoping this could become the next big thing in town.”
Poutine Palooza kicked off last week, with judging among the town’s established restaurants on just who will hold bragging rights for “Best Poutine in Madawaska.” Five judges sampled 35 variations on poutine, and Bouley said the winner will be announced Friday. Among those participating was Samantha Berry, executive chef at the Voyageur Lounge at Inn of Acadia.
“I made a seafood Newburg, the breakfast poutine and the Thanksgiving poutine,” said Berry, who offers alternating poutines of the week. “Yes, I would say poutine is one of our signature dishes.”
Amateur cooks can get in on the action at 5:30 p.m. Friday with the Poutine Bake-off hosted by Chez Helen’s Restaurant, where folks can bring in their own, unique interpretations of the dish. At 7:30 p.m. the action moves to Big Rick’s Restaurant on Main Street for the poutine eating contest.
“We are going to give them 45 minutes to eat as much poutine as they can in 2-pound increments,” Bouley said. “At the end of 45 minutes, we will wait five minutes before announcing the winner to make sure everything stays down.”
Throughout the event, a traveling “Poutinemobile” operated by Dan and Rita Dionne of Mainely Meats and Potatoes in Grand Isle will be serving up to 12 different kinds of poutine — including lobster.
“Poutine is just something that seems to be growing in popularity around the country,” Bouley said. “It’s a regional food for us but is exploding everywhere else.”
Admitting he’s not a huge fan of poutine, Rick Nadeau, owner of Big Rick’s, said he’s seen that popularity in his travels and was happy to host the eating event.
“It’s a really a foodie trend right now,” Nadeau said. “It’s always been something that was big up here.”
As for explaining the popularity of the carb-loaded delicacy, Nadeau said it’s pretty simple.
“Cheese, fries and gravy,” he said. “Enough said.”
