Taste of the Nation Maine

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Taste of the Nation Maine

Join Taste of the Nation Maine on June 23, 2013 for an unforgettable afternoon and evening of food, drink, entertainment and live and silent auction.

The 2012 Taste of the Nation Maine was a sold-out event, featuring 2 dozen of the state's top chefs on Great Diamond Island in Casco Bay. With the support of our chefs and restaurants, sponsors, donors, and attendees, we raised a record amount of money and granted more than $150,000 to local beneficiaries. In 2013, our event will be hosted by Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport, Maine.

Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation^® is the nation’s premier culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no kid grows up hungry. Each spring and summer, the nation's hottest chefs and mixologists donate their time, talent and passion at nearly 40 events across the United States and Canada, with one goal in mind: to raise the critical funds needed to support Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry^® campaign to end childhood hunger. Taste of the Nation is nationally sponsored by American Express, Sysco, Food Network and S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $86 million.

Wolfe’s Neck Farm is a nonprofit organization in Freeport, Maine dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture, education, and outdoor recreation while preserving its 626 acres of open space and historic buildings. This working saltwater farm includes hundreds of acres of forest, saltwater marsh, pasture lands, over four miles of Casco Bay coastline and an award-winning oceanfront campground. Wolfe’s Neck Farm offers programs including a summer day camp, Teen Ag Program, and other community events to educate both children and adults about sustainable agriculture and connect them to the natural world. Open free to the public year-round, the Farm encourages visitors to explore its miles of hiking trails, meet the animals in the barn, explore the organic gardens, picnic along the shoreline and enjoy the open space. Learn more at www.wolfesneckfarm.org

Visit the Lodging tab for more information on hotels in the Freeport area.

We are excited to announce the 2013 participating restaurants! The VIP reception will be presented by CVC Catering.

Back Bay Grill	Black Birch
Chebeague Inn	Cinque Terre/Vignola
David’s Restaurant	DiMillos
East End Cupcakes and Gelato Fiasco	Five Fifty-Five
Five-O	Fore Street
Harraseeket Inn	Hugo’s/Eventide Oyster Bar
Nonantum	Petite Jacqueline
Salt Exchange	Sea Glass Restaurant and Lounge
Shepherd’s Pie	Spread
The Farmer’s Table	The Front Room/The Grill Room/ The Corner Room
Walter’s Restaurant	When Pigs Fly
White Barn Inn	Zapoteca

Representing Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters Program:

Kennebunk Inn

Frog & Turtle

Fish Bones

Browne Trading Company

Mixologists:

Thank you to everyone who attended Taste of the Nation Portland, ME 2012.

Committee Members

John Woods

State Committee Chair

Whitney Bruce

Taste of the Nation Chair

Ralph Debay

Ticket Chair

Susan Axelrod

PR Chair

Margaret Snyder

Volunteer Chair

Jeff Kingman

Social Media Chair

Annie Kiladjian

Auction Chair

Laura Kelley

Auction Chair

Mollie Sanders

Restaurant Chair

John Rogers

Beverage Chair

Walt Craven

Graphic Design

Christine Parish

Marketing Chair

Carmen Allen

Webmaster

Tom Bard - Zapoteca

Restaurant Chair

Diane Woods

Finance Chair

Michele Zajkowski

Sponsorship Chair

Honorary Chef Chairs

Steve Corry - Five Fifty-Five

Larry Matthews - Back Bay Grill

Lee Skawinski - Cinqueterra/Vignola

Sam Hayward - Fore Street

Jeff Landry - The Farmer's Table

Beneficiaries

Proceeds from our events will support these organizations which are dedicated to fighting hunger in Maine:

Cultivating Community

Cultivating Community teaches organic and sustainable farming practices to grow food in school gardens, community spaces, and partnering farms to feed the most vulnerable in Maine.

Opportunity Alliance

Opportunity Alliance’s East End Kids Katering Summer Food Program collaborates with numerous community partners and volunteers to provide nutritious and accessible meals to children during the summer months when school is out. We are now providing over 1,200 lunches daily to children in our community at 20 locations. Through 50 integrated programs and services, The Opportunity Alliance envisions contributing meaningfully to a community in which families and individuals are thriving and supported as they pursue their aspirations for a better life. Within The Opportunity Alliance, there is a shared belief that positive change is possible.

Good Shepherd Food Bank

Good Shepherd Food Bank's mission is to provide food for those experiencing food insecurity by soliciting surplus food and serving as an umbrella organization for food distribution to non-profit programs and food pantries throughout Maine.

Preble Street Teen Center

Preble Street Teen Center is the hub of services for homeless and runaway youth, providing immediate access and an acclaimed service coordination model. The Center helps to meet immediate needs by providing warmth and safety, nutritious meals, clothing, and crisis intervention.

No Kid Hungry Program

Share our Strength's umbrella program to create partnerships, educate families about nutrition, feed children, and build national awareness regarding the barriers that prevent kids from accessing the food they need.

Global Organizations

In addition to supporting Share Our Strength's work to end childhood hunger in America, a percentage of Taste of the Nation events support advocacy and sustainable community development in Haiti, Mexico, El Salvador, and Ethiopia through ACCION International, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, Bread for the World, Global Food Banking Network, Grassroots International, International Development Exchange, Los NiÃ±os, Oxfam America, SHARE Foundation: Building a New El Salvador Today, The Lambi Fund of Haiti, and Save the Children.

Buy Tickets

June 23, 2013

Wolfe's Neck Farm