It was one of the culinary pleasures of childhood before paranoia about food poisoning took over our every bite: Raw chocolate chip cookie dough. We waited until mom’s back was turned before dipping a finger into the mixing bowl for a swipe of creamy cookie dough heaven. Well, you don’t have to sneak around anymore. […]
Meredith Goad
Many people tell Meredith Goad that she has the best job in Maine, and most of the time she agrees.
Maine has a crazy appetite for food stories, and it’s Meredith’s job to satisfy those cravings with juicy tales from chefs, food producers, local farms, and the state’s fast-growing restaurant scene. Her work appears in Wednesday’s Business section and the Sunday Food & Dining section, and occasionally, but not as often as she’d like, on the front page.
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Meredith shamelessly flaunts her knowledge of good barbecue in front of her Yankee friends. She earned a bachelor of science degree in wildlife biology from Colorado State University, then studied science writing at the University of Missouri, where she received a master’s degree in journalism. She spent the first 20 years of her career covering science and environmental news, then switched to features in 2004, just as Portland’s food scene was taking off.
Her own most memorable meal? Back in the 1980s, on assignment in Finland, she shared a dinner of reindeer and Russian vodka with Maryland’s governor and a bunch of hungry scientists.
Meredith lives in Portland, but spends much of her time off back in Tennessee - either visiting family, or in online archives, researching her family’s history.
Posted inFood, Life & Culture
Soup to Nuts: Let’s give it upfor … redfish!
Restaurateurs and fishermen are touting a new program to promote the use of under-appreciated species in seafood menus. First up, the much-maligned ‘lobster bait.’
advertisement
Posted inLife & Culture
Go with the flow
Water gardens are pure refreshment in a landscape. Get ideas for these and other gardens on tours around Maine this summer.
Posted inLife & Culture, News
Maine Literary Awards name 19 recipients
Among the winners is Sarah Braunstein, whose debut novel “The Sweet Relief of Missing Children” tells the intertwining stories of three young people who go missing.
Posted inFood, Life & Culture
Cookbook Corner: “The Naked Foods Cookbook”
No, cooking and eating “naked” doesn’t mean you have to worry about getting splattered with hot oil in your, um, most sensitive spots. Eating naked refers to eating healthy, whole foods that are good for you. Boring, right? Not according to Margaret Floyd and James Barry, authors of “The Naked Foods Cookbook: The Whole-Foods, Healthy […]
Posted inFood, Life & Culture
Food & Dining Dispatches, May 30, 2012
Lesser known – but tasty! – fish on menu About 20 Maine restaurants, the great majority of them in Portland, will announce a new program today that’s designed to bring more attention to delicious but little-known species of seafood. The weeklong promotion, called “Out of the Blue,” is being organized by scientists at the Gulf […]
Posted inFood, Life & Culture
Soup to Nuts: Lovers of jelly confections giving it their best shot
Two Maine women are hoping to use their mad skills with gelatin to mold a new career. Says a fellow artiste of the genre: ‘These aren’t your frat brothers’ Jell-O shots.’
Posted inFood, Life & Culture
If there’s such a thing as a gelatin genius, he might be it
Matthew Micari, owner of Gelology Specialty Creations in the Boston area, calls himself a “gelologist” who works in a “gelaboratory” creating “gelicacies.” During the past four years, Micari, who views jelly shots as a fusion of art and molecular gastronomy, has created about 80 recipes. He says his most unusual creation is a mix of […]
Posted inFood, Life & Culture
Going for jelly-shot gold in the Big Apple
Just as people who are really serious about their triple axels dream of going to the Olympics, people who are really serious about their jelly shots shoot for the Gowanus Studio Space Jell-O Mold Competition in Brooklyn, N.Y. The competition is a blend of art and gastronomy, where design and taste go hand in hand. […]
Posted inLife & Culture
Carving his niche
A true craftsman, Ashraf Eldeknawey makes furniture with natural woods, old-fashioned joinery and intricate, hand-cut custom inlays.