AUGUSTA

Food for Maine’s Future to discuss legislative agenda

Food for Maine’s Future holds its annual membership meeting, potluck lunch and informal discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 9. The gathering takes place at the Maine State Grange.

The meeting will focus on the bills likely to be taken up in the current legislative session. Bills of interest to the organization include ones dealing with raw milk sales, on-farm poultry slaughter, food sovereignty, genetically engineered food labeling and other small-farm issues.

Those who attend will learn how they can be involved in advocating for bills supported by Food for Maine’s Future.

Interested people can join the organization at the door by making a donation. Everyone who attends should be bring a dish to share, a plate, a bowl and utensils.

The Maine State Grange is located at 146 State St.

For more information about the meeting, email Bob St. Peter at bobstpeter@gmail.com.

BLUE HILL

Local Food Rules to air food self-governance ordinance

The group Local Food Rules hosts a finger-food potluck on Saturday to discuss an ordinance adopted by eight Maine towns. The ordinance governs the rights of local farmers to sell food directly to consumers.

Sedgwick, Penobscot, Blue Hill, Trenton, Hope, Plymouth, Appleton and Livermore have all enacted the Local Food & Community Self-Governance Ordinance.
The meeting, which takes place from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Town Hall, 18 Union St., will include updates on the status of the ordinance in towns that have passed it, and details about other towns that are considering it.

Organizers will also discuss the state’s lawsuit against Blue Hill farmer Dan Brown, accused of selling raw milk to two customers without a state license.

State law requires that raw milk sold commercially be tested four times within a six-month period.

Also on the agenda is a report on some of the bills proposed for the current legislative session.
State representatives Ralph Champman (D-Brooksville) and Walter Kumiega III (D-Deer Isle) will both speak at the potluck.

Local Food Rules is the Hancock County chapter of Food for Maine’s Future. For more information about the potluck, call Bonnie Preston at 374-3636.

PORTLAND

‘Crazy Sexy Kitchen’ author to tell and show

Chef Chad Sarno, who co-authored the “Crazy Sexy Kitchen” cookbook with Kris Carr, comes to Portland at 5:30 p.m. March 4 to offer a talk and cooking demonstration.

Sarno is a culinary educator and the research-and-development chef for Whole Foods Market in Austin, Texas. In his latest endeavor, he teamed up with Carr, a cancer survivor and author of The New York Times best-selling “Crazy Sexy” series, to help create the 150 recipes in this latest book.

Sarno will show how to make some of the plant-based, vegan recipes in the cookbook and talk about healthy eating during the event at Whole Foods Market.

Each participant will leave with an autographed copy of the book and a Whole Foods goody bag.

Space is limited at this event, which is expected to sell out. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the customer service counter at the store’s 2 Somerset St. location, or by calling 774-7711.

Pizza party at Flatbread supports anti-hunger efforts

Three top Maine chefs will be throwing a family-style pizza party on Feb. 10 to raise money to fight childhood hunger.

The event will be hosted by Flatbread Company, 72 Commercial St.

Chefs Rob Evans of Duckfat in Portland, Sam Hayward of Fore Street in Portland and Chad Conley of Gather in Yarmouth will be making the all-you-can-eat pizza for the party. Rosemont Bakery will provide salads, and East End Cupcakes will bring dessert.

Drinks are not included, but will be available for purchase.

This special dinner, which starts at 5 p.m., will be much more casual than other  “No Kid Hungry” dinners organized by Share Our Strength Maine, and families are encouraged to attend. Children eat free with the purchase of a $30 adult ticket ($35 at the door).

One in four Maine children are uncertain where they will get their next meal. Share Our Strength Maine has raised thousands of dollars since 2006 to help feed those children. The proceeds from the pizza party dinner will go to Good Shepherd Food Bank, Preble Street Teen Center, The Opportunity Alliance and Cultivating Community.

The evening at Flatbread also includes a silent auction and live band.

No reservations will be taken.  Tickets are available on Eventbrite: sos-flatbread.evenbrite.com.

Dine & Donate discounts to help Maine charities

A website is selling discounted restaurant gift certificates that also benefit local charities.

The Dine & Donate program offered by the website gr8portlandme.com includes coupons to restaurants such as Binga’s Stadium, Local 188, Mesa Verde Mexican Restaurant, Nosh Kitchen Bar and Zapoteca.

Like other online coupon programs, the site allows users to buy gift certificates at a discount. For example, the site currently offers a $25 gift certificate to Sonny’s for $20.

Ten percent of each purchase price will be split between four charities: Good Shepherd Food Bank, the Greater New England Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Center for Grieving Children and Portland Trails. The website intends to offer the Dine & Donate gift certificates year-round. There is no expiration date on the certificates.

For next Sonnet Pop-Up,  chef will do as Romans did

Damian Sansonetti, former executive chef at Bar Boulud in New York and a relatively new Portland resident, is holding his next Sonnet Pop-Up dinner on Monday.

The six-course dinner will be based on ancient Roman recipes, the chef said, some of which were interpreted from Apicius, the first known cookbook. The chef will use local foods as much as possible.

The cost is $65. Reservations can be made by emailing sonnetpopup@gmail.com. The location of the event is still do be determined and will be sent to guests, along with directions, in advance of the dinner.

At Eve’s, dinner series turns to ‘Aphrodisiacs’ theme

Tim Labonte, executive chef at Eve’s at the Garden in the Portland Harbor Hotel, will feature “Aphrodisiacs of Italy and Greece” at his next International Dinner Series event on Feb. 8.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $70 per person and includes the dinner, wines selected by Erica Archer from Wine Wise, tax, tip and indoor valet parking. Tickets are available online at brownpapertickets.com/event/321499.

The next dinner will be March 22 and focus on South American cuisine.

Two Fat Cats rolls out Sunday classes with ‘Pie Dough 101’

Over the next few months Two Fat Cats Bakery, 47 India St., will be holding classes on Sunday afternoons.

This Sunday, the topic will be “Pie Dough 101: Making & Rolling” from 3:30 to 5 p.m. In this $35, hands-on class taught by Evan Daigle, you’ll learn how to make pie dough, roll it and crimp it. Each participant will leave with two pie dough recipes, two crimps for use at home and two disks of dough for practice at home.

Other upcoming topics include “Cupcake Decorating for Kids” from 4 to 5 p.m. Feb. 10 for $25; “How Did You Decorate That Cake?” from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Feb. 24 for $35; and “Take the Fear Out of Baking” on March 3 (3:30 to 4:30 p.m.) and March 10 (3:30 to 5 p.m.) for $60. The cost for “Take the Fear Out of Baking” includes both classes.

YARMOUTH

Local Farm Dinner Feb. 9 at First Universalist Church

The First Universalist Church hosts a Local Farm Dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 9 to highlight the importance of supporting Maine agriculture.

The menu includes shepherd’s pie, roasted vegetables, slaw salad, Maine flour biscuits, baked beans, blueberry crisp and ice cream. A vegetarian menu will also be available.

The dinner highlights the fact that Maine imports more than 85 percent of its food. Dinner organizers would like to see Mainers purchase an additional 20 percent of their food from local sources, which would translate into nearly $500 million in economic growth, reduced carbon dioxide emissions and a stronger agricultural sector.

Tickets to the dinner cost $12 for adults and $8 for kids under 8. For more information, call 846-4148.

– Compiled by Meredith Goad and Avery Yale Kamila,
Staff Writers