Today’s Press Herald includes an article about the 25th Annual Chocolate Lover’s Fling which is taking place on Sunday.
Local chocolatiers bring in their most decadent creations, vying for one of several prizes bestowed by both the public and a panel of judges. For $20 in advance ($25 at the door; free for kids with adults), chocolate lovers can wander the room and sample anything they want, happily embracing their inner 5-year-old.
Today’s Press Herald includes a report on Maine Maple Sunday,
This year’s sap is also unusually high in sugar content, consistently averaging 4 percent instead of the normal 2 percent or 3 percent. At that level, Harris said he can produce a gallon of maple syrup with only 21½ gallons of sap instead of the usual 40. Last year’s warm winter and low sugar content required an average of 47 gallons.
anda Maine at Work column where reporter Ray Routhier works with Mariagrazia Zanardi from Gorgeous Gelato,
Zanardi’s talk of the gelato’s “molecular structure” struck me. When eating ice cream, or gelato, or other similarly sweet treats, I had never thought much about molecular structure.
But Zanardi does, almost constantly. She studied gelato-making at a university in Italy, then moved to Portland and opened Gorgeous Gelato on Fore Street in December, with her husband, Donato Giovine. Giovine had a packaging business in Milan, and Zanardi had been a Spanish teacher before deciding upon gelato-making as a second career.
For some additional photos of Maine Maple Sunday go to Sweeter Salt.
Wednesday — Black Tie Bistro is teaching a cooking class.
Thursday — Bard Coffee is hosting a Latte Art Throwdown, The Cheese Iron is teaching an Intro to Cheese Making class, Cinque Terre is serving a 5-course Italian dinner at The Portland Company, there will be a wine and cheese tasting at the Public Market House, The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Switchback Brewing.
Friday — West End Deli is holding a wine tasting. This Friday is also First Friday Art Walk and restaurants will be busy so make your reservations early.
Saturday — Congregation Bet Ha’am in South Portland will be hosting Eli Rogosa from the Heritage Wheat Conservancy for a lunch and pair of discussions about grain celebrations and growing heritage grains, the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center and there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen.
Sunday — the 25th Annual Chocolate Lovers Fling will take place at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, and Eli Rogosa from the Heritage Wheat Conservancy will be teaching a baking class using Emmer and Einkorn flour.
For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.
Staff from Wicked Whoopies were at the Maine Mall today assembling a 1067 lbs whoopie pie. As you can see from the photos the event attracted quite a crowd. According to organizers the largest whoopie pie ever baked Pennsylvania topped out at about 250 lbs.
For additional reporting see: WMTW, a video report on WGME, and an article in the Maine Sunday Telegram.
Monday — The final nominees for this year’s James Beard Awards will be announced today. 8 Maine-based semi-finalists were announced back in February. A wine charity event to benefit the Cancer Community Center is taking place at Grace and BiBo’s is hosting a wine dinner.
Tuesday — Blue is holding their monthly wine and cheese event and The Salt Exchange is serving a 6-course Italian wine dinner.
Wednesday — the 6th Annual Dine Around the World is taking place at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.
Thursday — Aurora Provisions is holding a wine tasting.
Friday — the 7th Annual Celesoiree is being held at The Portland Company on Fore Street, and it’s the opening day of the Flavors of Freeport food festival.
Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center, Wine Wise is teaching a class on Big Red wines at The Wine Bar, and the Flavors of Freeport festival continues. Whicked Whoopies will be assembling the World’s Biggest Whoopie Pie at the Maine Mall and in the afternoon there will be a wine tasting at the Rosemont Market on Congress Street.
Sunday — Maine Maple Sunday is taking place at sugar houses all throughout the state, and it is the last day of Flavors of Freeport.
For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.
Tuesday — Bar Lola is holding a wine dinner and the Maine Restaurant Association’s annual awards banquet is taking place.
Wednesday — the Maine Restaurant and Lodging Expo is taking place, the Portland Symphony is holding their annual wine dinner and auction, Black Tie is teaching a cooking class and Havana South is hosting their monthly wine club.
Thursday — it’s Saint Patrick’s Day, Brian Boru and Bull Feeney’s will be serving an Irish Breakfast starting at 6 am.
Friday — a Russian cooking demonstration and dinner is taking place at Saint Pius Church.
Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center, and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont Market on Brighton.
Sunday — Sebago Brewing is holding their Full Moon Cask Beer Night.
WSET Wine Class — The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, will be offering their Intermediate Level 2 certificate class in Portland March 26-27. The class is being taught by Adam Chase from Grape Experience. The program is aimed at anyone “who works in wine, wants a career in the wine industry or has a serious interest in the subject”. See the WSET website for a more detailed explanation of what the course covers. For more information contact Adam Chase at adam@grapeexperience.com or Marc Doiron the bar manager at Street & Co.
For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.
Silly’s won first place at today’s 16th Annual Cajun Cookin’ Challenge. This is the third year that Silly’s has taken first place at the event—last year they shared that honor with Bayou kitchen.
Monday — The 3rd Annual Maine Restaurant Week continues through the rest of the week.
Tuesday — WMPG is hosting the 16th Annual Fat Tuesday Cajun Cookin’ Challenge; last year’s competition resulted in a tie between Silly’s and Bayou Kitchen. Old Port Wine Merchants is holding a (wine tasting and) Etouffee-Off between OPWM owner Jacques de Villier and Doug Watts from SoPo Wine. Here’s the latest from the OPWM Facebook wall, “Make sure you come by and watch the debacle as Doug from SoPO learns that like his ponytail his Ettouffe is old and long gone and while talk is cheap it takes money to buy land and he’s broke.”
Wednesday — there will be a wine tasting at RSVP.
Thursday — The 6th Annual Slow Food Portland Writers Night is taking place at SPACE Gallery. Speakers include Melissa Coleman, author of This Life Is In Your Hands, One Dream, Sixty Acres and a Family Undone; John Mariani, author of How Italian Food Conquered the World; and Manny Howard, author of My Empire of Dirt. There will be a cupcake baking demonstration at LeRoux Kitchen and Th Great Lost Bear is showcasing beers from Victory Brewing.
Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center.
WSET Wine Class — The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, will be offering their Intermediate Level 2 certificate class in Portland March 26-27. The class is being taught by Adam Chase from Grape Experience. The program is aimed at anyone “who works in wine, wants a career in the wine industry or has a serious interest in the subject”. See the WSET website for a more detailed explanation of what the course covers. For more information contact Adam Chase at adam@grapeexperience.com or Marc Doiron the bar manager at Street & Co.
For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.
Nosh beat out 158 Pickett Street Cafe, District, Duckfat, East Ender, El Rayo, Havana South, Sonny’s, and The Cheese Iron to win the Cuban Sandwich Smackdown held Sunday afternoon. This is the first of what Cheese Iron co-owner and Smackdown organizer Vincent Maniaci (shown above) hopes to be a regular monthly event. Next month the Smackdown participants will convene at Nosh to determine who can gets to take home the trophy for the best Taco.
The Good Table won Maine Restaurant Week’s The Incredible Breakfast Cook-off for the second year in a row with their entry of Creme Brulee French Toast. PortlandTown was there taking photos (including the one you see above), and the Press Herald has posted a short video as part of their coverage of the event.
Photo Credit: Michael Barriault