About this episode
This episode explores the seafood culture of Maine, highlighting local culinary experts and their contributions to the food scene.
Located at the opposite ends of the country, the states of Louisiana and Maine appear to share little in common at first glance. But take a closer look, and you'll see two places that share a passion for their distinct seafood culture – each home to a galaxy of culinary rockstars who elevate their local cuisine. On this week's show, Louisiana Eats takes you with us as we travel to Maine to explore the food scene in the Pine Tree State. We begin with Lady Oyster Tours and Tastings in Phippsburg, on the Casco Bay Peninsula. Owner and operator Virginia Shaffer is Maine's first "oyster sommelier," or certified oyster expert under the Oyster Master Guild. Throughout the year, Virginia and her company educate tourists on the local oyster industry, offering tastings and boat tours of oyster farming operations. She tells us about Maine's rapidly growing oyster industry, before Captain Joe Jerome steers us to get a first-hand look at an oyster farm. Then, we travel up the coast to meet Melissa Kelly, the first two-time recipient of the James Beard award for Best Chef Northeast. Melissa tells us about her Rockland farm-to-table restaurant, Primo and her remarkable life in food. We also…
People in this episode
Host: Poppy Tooker
Guests: Virginia Shaffer, Melissa Kelly, Abigail Gallagher, Sadia Crosby, Lauren Crosby
Topics covered
- seafood culture
- oyster farming
- culinary tourism
- Maine cuisine
- farm-to-table
- James Beard award
Keywords
- Maine
- oysters
- seafood
- culinary rockstars
- farm-to-table
- James Beard
- oyster sommelier
- oyster farming
- restaurant
- tourism
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Oyster Master Guild, Primo, OystHERS Raw Bar and Bubby
Places: Bath
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