2016 Visitor's Guide

Gastronomic MAGIC! With its farmers, fishermen, and five-star chefs, cutting-edge culinary artistry is now Maine’s calling card. If food is the way to your heart, then you need to make your way to Maine this year. Photo from left: courtesy Zapoteca, Harvest on the Harbor/Focus Photography

With five James Beard Award-winning chefs, and more in contention for the prestigious award this year, it’s partly the culinary scene awaiting you that makes this part of Maine such a unique experience. It’s also the freshest of ingredients, including lobster and fish right off the boat. And farm fresh vegetables and herbs, bursting with natural flavor. Farm-to-table, sustainable seafood, community-supported agriculture—in Maine these aren’t trends, they’re traditions. The New York Times named Maine “one of the best places to eat in the Northeast” and The Huffington Post dubbed Portland one of the “13 Greatest Destination Food Towns in America.” From the bounty of our locally grown and harvested foods, to our high-quality specialty products, to our creative chefs, the time is ripe to taste how much Maine has to offer. You can’t walk down the street in Portland without bumping into several

ways to treat your taste buds, which is why Maine Foodie Tours now offers culinary walking tours, so you can sample delectable foods while getting a behind-the-scenes look at the craft makers and their industry. Maine Beer Tours and the Maine Brew Bus will drive you to drink samples of Maine’s local breweries, distilleries and wineries, and you can join Sommelier Erica Archer on an educational Wine Wise walk, sail, or harbor cruise featuring world-class wines and delicious scenery. Of course Maine is legendary for lobster, and you can have it any way you like—steamed with butter and corn, in rich chowder or bisque, or packed into a toasted roll. Certainly indulge in the succulent crustacean but also experience the new tastes of Maine seafood. In affiliation with organizations such as the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and the Maine Aquaculture Association, our chefs have the luxury of working directly with local harvesters to provide the freshest

products while knowing they are featuring abundant, under-utilized, and responsibly harvested seafood. This partnership has provided new seafood products for our menus, opportunities for diners to learn new ways to prepare delicious dishes, and needed resources for our fishermen, all the while jointly working to create a more sustainable fisheries industry. Food festivals are a particularly tasty way to experience the flavors of Maine. Traditional lobster and clam fests have been augmented by Portland’s annual Harvest on the Harbor, several days of food and beverage tastings, dinners, and events that showcase the sophistication and talent that set the state’s culinary scene apart. Join us on the Portland waterfront October 19-23, 2016 to see what all the fuss is about. Whether you come to Maine primarily for the beautiful scenery or for the fabulous food, you’ll enjoy both once you arrive, often at the same time!

CONVENTION + VISITORS BUREAU / 51