Gianni Abate | Morgan Winery
Gianni started working in the wine industry in the San Joaquin Valley where he was raised by a wine drinking Italian family. Working for companies such as Bronco, Delicato, and Woodbridge he laid a good foundation for his winemaking career. In 2002 Gianni moved to the Central Coast to work for Robert Mondavi. His experience on the Central Coast taught him to balance the science and the art of winemaking.
Gianni’s love for Burgundian wines brought him to Morgan Winery in 2005. With access to premier fruit, Gianni crafts world class wines which elegantly express the terroir from Morgan’s organically grown Double L Vineyard and select vineyards throughout the Santa Lucia Highlands and northern Monterey appellations.
Erica Archer | Wine Wise
Erica Archer is a native of Portland, Maine. In 2010 she received her Certified Wine Professional award from the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California. In 2009, she was awarded the Wine Spirit and Education Trust Level Two Certification (with distinction) and is currently in the advanced program which she will complete in June. Erica is the principal of Wine Wise, a wine education and events service that takes us beyond a typical wine tasting by leading us in discussions about a series of wines, what makes them unique and representative of their region, and further, then teaming the wines with delicious local foods and a pairing discussion.
Chris Bassett | Azure Cafe
Executive Chef, Chris Bassett Chef Chris has an extensive 20 years of restaurant experience. He is a 1996 Graduate of New England Culinary Institute and has performed as Sous Chef for the Black Point Inn, Successor of Sam Hayward (Fore Street, Portland, Maine) at the Harraseeket Inn’s Broad Arrow Tavern, and Executive Chef of the Old Port Sea Grille and Raw Bar. Married to a strict vegetarian, he has developed a passion creating vegetarian cuisine. Even the pets at Chef Bassett’s home are treated to a mixed diet which includes such goodies as yogurt, pumpkin, and carrots. He has been with Azure Café for 5 years.
Under Chef Bassett’s direction, Azure Café was recently awarded an Editor’s Choice Award from Yankee Magazine and an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine.
Jonathan M. Cartwright | The White Barn Inn
Jonathan M. Cartwright has been in the kitchen at The White Barn Inn Restaurant since 1994. He began as a sous chef and became executive chef in 1996. His talents were quickly recognized, and in the spring of 1999 Cartwright was invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York City, an honor accorded only to the country’s greatest chefs. The White Barn Inn Restaurant has had its share of honors, too, receiving the AAA’s Five Diamond Award consecutively since 1992 — a record in New England. The restaurant is also a Relais Gourmand, one of only 15 in the United States.
Gary Caron | Stripers
Chef Gary Caron has been developing his craft and reputation in Maine and New England since he began cooking in Kennebunkport thirty years ago. Craftsmanship and care are the forces behind the refined New England cuisine that he brought to Stripers in the spring of 2009. Gary’s focus on superb local ingredients and seasonality bring a fresh flavor to all of Stripers dishes, both the familiar and the innovative.
Paul Douglas Carr | Steele “Rats Reserve”
After graduating Boston College, Paul started year-round at The Port House Inn in Kennebunkport from 1976-1983, prior to purchasing Forefather’s Tavern with partner Charles Reid, until March of 1990, when he embarked on his wine sales career at Nappi Distributors. Paul has been in charge of wine sales at Nappi since 1995, and he’s been able to meet and make friends with winemakers and winery owners and learn winemaking first-hand with some of the world’s greatest, most notably Jed Steele. Jed Steele has been Paul’s mentor and allowed him to work “crush” in 2006 for a week, to see all aspects of winemaking. He creates the blend for Steele “Rat’s Reserve” Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. With two vintages of each under his belt Paul is the only person Jed has ever let make wine on his label. The wines are sold through Paul’s real day job at Nappi Distributors.
Eileen Crane | Domaine Carneros
It is no mere coincidence that Eileen Crane, Managing Director and Winemaker of Domaine Carneros, is equally at home in the separate yet entwined worlds of wine and food.
Raised with a keen appreciation for rare wines and haute cuisine, Eileen prepared for a culinary career prior to entering the wine industry. A master’s degree in nutrition coupled with professional training at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America form the foundation of her intimate understanding of the interplay of wine and food.
In her position as Managing Director of Domaine Carneros, Eileen oversaw the planning and development of, and now directs the operation of, a beautiful $17 million sparkling wine facility. A joint venture of Champagne Taittinger and the Kobrand Corporation, Domaine Carneros is located in the heart of the Carneros region.
Carneros is famous for production of chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. An area blessed with a long, cool, growing season, Carneros produces grapes which are particularly fine for sparkling wine and still pinot noir as they have greater fruit maturity and produce wines with superb balance and a long finish.
Eileen Crane is one of a handful of women who are now in the forefront of the wine industry in California.
Greg Crone | Croney Estates
In 2003 Greg formed Liquid Brands. Liquid Brands is the parent company of Croney Estates… a small boutique vineyard and winery in Marlborough New Zealand. Greg’s winemaking philosophy at Croney Estates is quality 1st, quality 2nd and quality 3rd. Each wine is handcrafted and represents the commitment to boutique wine making practices. Greg’s zest for life is matched only by his zest for Cindy Crawford!
Joshua Davis and Bruno Tropeano | The Gelato Fiasco
Joshua Davis and Bruno Tropeano are the co-founders of The Gelato Fiasco in Brunswick. Following unsuccessful attempts to find high-quality gelato in the United States while students at Bentley College, they decided to learn the art of gelato and start their own company. They opened The Gelato Fiasco in 2007. The company, which has created more than 400 flavors of gelato from scratch, sells its products at its Brunswick Flagship Store and more than three dozen partner locations in Maine and northern New Hampshire. The Gelato Fiasco was named one of fifty finalists nationwide in the Intuit Small Business United Contest and an editor’s choice by Down East magazine.
Bettina Doulton| Cellardoor Winery
After a 21 year career at Fidelity Investments managing mutual funds and people, Bettina made a dramatic change in her life in 2007 to become the owner of Cellardoor Winery. Her dream had always been to run a small business withher father; more reflective after finishing treatment for breast cancer in 2006, she decided it was time to pursue that dream. With the support and partnership of a best friend who knew the winery was for sale, she came for her visit to the farm in December 2006 and quickly fell in love with the 200 year old farmhouse, post and beam barn, and spectacular 68 acre farm. Retiring from Fidelity, she has immersed herself in learning about winemaking and growing a small company on the Mid-coast of Maine. On any given day, you may find her greeting guests in the tasting rooms, driving the tractors and forklifts, or punching down grapes (wearing grown up clothes from her prior life) during harvest.
Bettina has found complete joy in the people she works with and the guests who visit. She wishes everyone to have a highlight every day and hopes a visit to the winery will provide guests with a wonderful break from the rat-race she knows too well.
Andrea Englisis | Athenee Importers
Andrea is the daughter of Athenee Importers founders, Anthony and Giota Englisis. She was exposed to the business since birth. As an only child, her parents took here everywhere with them, including winery and vineyard visits in Greece. In 1997 after graduation from The George Washington University in Washington DC, Andrea joined the company as a full time employee where she worked in the office to learn the intricate details of an import and distribution company. Around that time as well, Andrea began taking classes in Wine & Spirits through the UK-based WSET. In 1999, Athenee’s foundation was shaken when Anthony Englisis passed away while on summer vacation in Greece. It was at that time that Andrea was put to the forefront of the company in order to manage its day-to-day operations as well as begin interacting on a higher level with the company’s suppliers in Greece and Cyprus. In 2005, Andrea completed her Diploma in Wines & Spirits, a prerequisite to enter the Masters of Wine program.
Today, Athenee Importers is jointly owned & operated by Giota and Andrea Englisis and is located on Long Island NY. Andrea currently oversees distributor relations, & development, compliance and marketing aspects of the company. Andrea is frequently out of the office visiting distributor partners in various markets in addition to conducting education and tastings for industry professionals and customers alike.
Mike Farrell | Old Vines Wine Bar
Mike Farrell has over 7 years of experience in the food and hospitality industry. He received a culinary degree from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. He then spent time in some of New York’s top restaurants, including The Four Seasons, Eleven Madison Park and Five Points. In 2006, Mike and his wife decided to relocate to Maine. The move was a lifestyle change. In Maine, he worked as a line cook at Pier 77 in Cape Porpoise. After two seasons at Pier 77, Mike took a position as Sous Chef at the Wells Beach Steakhouse. After spending a full season there he decided to fulfill his ambition to open Old Vines.
Scot Hudson | DaVine Wine Selections
Sixteen years in the restaurant business has prepared Scot Hudson for his current position with DaVine Wine Selections. Taking an interest in wine at an early age Scot began to read and study wine on his own time while volunteering and taking on responsibilities for wine lists in the restaurants he worked in. Scot returned to Maine in 2000 from travels and has been based in Portland since. For the past ten years Scot has been manager and wine buyer in several Portland restaurants while attending Southern Maine Community College for Culinary Arts and University of Southern Maine for Business. Scot found DaVine Wine Selections fitting due to the emphases on small production hand crafted wines by famed producers as well as up and coming stars.
Jacob Jasinski | The Salt Exchange
Chef Jacob was born in Attleboro, MA and grew up in a traditional Polish family. From a young age he had a passion for food and wine, helping his parents cook holiday and nightly dinners for the family. During high school Jasinski moved to Kalispell, MO and began learning to cook North-western cuisne, working with game and freshwater fish in the resorts of the Rockies near Glacier Park,
Wanting to return to New England, he enrolled in the International Institute of Culinary Arts in Fall River, MA where he graduated valedictorian with honors. Following graduation he was the Sous-Chef at the White Horse Tavern where helped them receive the Wine Spectator Award.
Deciding to expand his classical culinary knowledge and technique, Jasinski moved to Chonas L’Amballan France to stage at Domaine de Claire Fontaine under Chef Phillipe Giradon (MOF). While he was in France, he cooked at Monsieur Guigalle castle and winery with renowned chocolatier, Frederic Beau of Valrhona.
After returning to the States and working at several prestigious restaurants and traveling the country Chef Jasinski decided to return to New England to work with Chef Jonathan Cartwright at the White Barn Inn.
Charles and Martha Bryon presented a fantastic opportunity to be Chef de Cuisine at their new restaurant and the Salt Exchange was born.
Lawrence Klang | Natalie’s
Lawrence Klang is the Executive Chef at Natalie’s restaurant at the Camden Harbour Inn in Camden, Maine. He received his formal culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu L’Art Culinaire, London. Prior to his arrival at Natalie’s he worked at London’s Capital Hotel and Claridge’s Hotel; Restaurant Jacques Maximin, Vence, France; Criolla’s Restaurant, Grayton Beach, Florida; Restaurant Saint Emillion, Fort Worth, Texas and Fish out of Water, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
Klang presented “A Maine Noël” at the James Beard House in New York City in December 2008 and in 2009 he spent a week in the Michelin two star Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam, where he worked with renowned chef Onno Kokmeijer.
In the fall of 2009, Chef Klang was invited to prepare a course for a dinner in Maine featuring top chefs from around the country, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Scott Galbiati & Jessica Jewell | Twenty2 Vodka
The Northern Maine Distilling Company is the result of 5 years of research, entrepreneurship, and experimentation by founding husband and wife team Scott Galbiati and Jessica Jewell. Twenty 2 Vodka is built from “the molecule up”, using equipment designed by Scott and Jessica, and constructed in Maine and Washington State. True micro distillation of grain in 50 gallon batches permits uncompromising control over the process. Blended with pristine Northern Maine water and chill filtered up to 10 times results in an exceptionally smooth and neutral spirit made for mixing. Twenty 2 Vodka has received international praise from the World Beverage Competition, taking the 2010 Bronze for vodka. It’s the way vodka should be.
Scott Lee | Bandaloop
W. Scott Lee owns and operates Kennebunkport’s popular “Bandaloop” restaurant. “Bandaloop” has become a local favorite for Scott’s use of organic and local foods, many vegetarian and vegan options, and an array of appetizers, entrees, and sauces to choose from. Scott is baker and pastry chef as well, creating everything in house, from the organic bread and sauces straight through to the desserts. Scott demands the highest quality organic ingredients, from flour and salt to free range chicken and all natural organic beef, for their flavors as well as their lessened impact on the environment.
Jason Leighton | Hurricane
Jason Leighton, Chef de Cuisine at Hurricane Restaurant since 2003, is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier VT. Before joining Hurricane as a sous chef in 2002, Chef Leighton did internships at American Seasons Restaurant on Nantucket and at Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, which were followed by his final internship at Hurricane Restaurant in 2001.
Matt Louis | Wentworth by the Sea
Matt Louis, a native of NH and a CIA graduate, set off for California with the express purpose of working at The French Laundry. He landed that job, and was on the opening team for Chef Keller’s return to Manhattan, Per Se. After a year, Matt returned to NH to the Wentworth by the Sea. Matt’s passion to make the experience of every guest exceed expectations has resulted in accolades for himself and the Hotel, including a 2006 Marriott Hotel of the Year award, participation in the 2007 “New Hampshire Holiday Dinner” at the James Beard House, and being named to the 2009 Conde Nast Traveler “Gold List of the World’s Best Places to Stay”.
Theda Lyden | Harraseeket Inn
Theda Lyden is a graduate of Ohio University with a BFA in Art Education. She has 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry; seven of those years were cooking and managing a vegetarian restaurant with an emphasis on global cuisines using locally produced foods. Theda is entering her nineteenth year at the Harraseeket Inn and is in the position of executive chef. In 1989 Theda established an organic farmer’s market business and still has close ties to MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) and supporting their efforts in utilizing organic foods in a commercial environment. Theda is a functional potter and maintains a pottery studio specializing in earthenware pottery.
Laurent Miquel | Laurent Miquel
Laurent and his team strive daily to achieve an upward spiral of quality on all wines. Their focus is concentrated at the beginning of the winemaking cycle i.e. on the vines themselves. Although Languedoc has achieved enormous quality advances, particularly over the last fifteen to twenty years, Laurent believes that the possibilities for further improvement lie firmly in the area of vineyard management. The use of Culture Raisonée (this term was recently described by Jancis Robinson as ‘verging on organic viticulture’) is applied to vine growing in all Laurent’s estates. Laurent also believes strongly in the benefits of intervention by local and international specialists in areas such as irrigation, soil analysis and canopy management. Laurent does not believe in heavy intervention by the winemaker. Noble grapes from low yielding vines on the appropriate terroir should require minimal intervention to produce a fine wine. While Laurent believes strongly that quality oak selection and the use of appropriate modern and traditional winemaking techniques can add an element of consistency and character, ultimately a truly fine wine is the result of a yearlong intervention at the vineyard.
Marybeth Munroe | Roly’s English Fudge
With years of successful sales and management experience, combined with her strong sense of community, Marybeth is now the proud and enthusiastic new owner of Roly’s English Fudge, Kennebunkport. Located just steps from Dock Square, the shop is most well known for the deliciously rich and uniquely textured fudge which Marybeth makes daily on the premises, and Gelato Fiasco which is made from scratch in Brunswick with only the freshest of ingredients. Since taking ownership in January, Marybeth has expanded the offerings to include other Made-in-Maine items, including jam, jelly, tea, and coffee, and sees the shop as a way to enrich, support, and give back to the residents and visitors of Maine.
Shanna and Brian O’Hea | Academe
Brian and Shanna O’Hea met as classmates and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1998. Both gained early experience with Four Seasons Hotels (Shanna – Palm Beach Gardens, FL and Brian – New York City) and have served as private chefs in New York City (Brian – with a prominent French family and Shanna as assistant to Michel Boulard, former pastry chef to the King of Belgium and one of the City’s premier, private French chefs). Since 2003 Shanna and Brian have been the Chef ~ Owners of The Kennebunk Inn, recreating The Inn’s restaurant as Academe…a Maine Brasserie and Tavern.
Leonora Palaima | Grissini Italian Bistro
Leonora Palaima is the Head Chef of Grissini Italian Bistro, a fine casual dining restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine, and one of the stars of the hospitality collection of U.S. Hotels. A relative newcomer to the culinary profession, Palaima is responsible for all food and beverage operations at Grissini. After a two-year internship at the Mobil Five-Star White Barn Inn Restaurant, working under direction of renowned Executive Chef Jonathan Cartwright, she became Sous Chef of Grissini before being promoted to Head Chef in March 2008.
Jason Perkins | Allagash Brewing
Jason Perkins is the brewmaster of Allagash Brewing in Portland Maine He was one of the first employees in the company and he has been there for the past 12 years. Prior to that, Jason enjoyed opportunities to work at The Kettle House in Missoula Montanta and Gritty McDuff’s in Freeport Maine. He began his brewing career like so many craft brewers as a homebrewer during college and the early years thereafter. Outside of the Brewery, Jason enjoys drinking great beer, playing in the outdoors and hanging with his wife and two daughters.
Aaron Peet | Cellardoor Winery
Aaron Peet brings a strong winery background to Cellardoor. Originally from Maine, Peet received professional education and training in Washington state. After receiving a B.A. in English, Aaron, inspired by his passion for home winemaking, decided to make the journey west to further his education by studying professional winemaking at the Center for Enology and Viticulture in Walla Walla, Washington. During his time there he worked for Long Shadows Vintners in Walla Walla, which was rated the American “Winery of the Year” by Food & Wine magazine in 2007. He also gained experience at Tertulia Cellars and Woodward Canyon Winery both also located in Walla Walla. Given Maine’s challenging climate, Peet plans to supplement the newly planted vineyard with interesting varietals from California, Washington, and New York to round out the wine list. He is also excited about the possibilities of making a serious dry blueberry wine. Ultimately, Peet is thrilled to be back in his home state doing what he loves.
Cindy Richardson | Empson U.S.A.
Cindy Richardson, Vice President New England Region, Empson U.S.A., Inc. has been in the Fine Wine industry for over twenty years. Her intimate knowledge and perspective of the small family-owned Italian wineries she represents comes from her numerous visits to Italy as well as time spent working with the growers. Cindy is a popular industry speaker who brings passion and life to facts about Italian culture while sharing the interesting aspects of Fine wine-making and wine appreciation.
David Ross | 50 Local
David Ross brings two decades of back of the house experience to his new role as Executive Chef/Owner of 50 Local in Kennebunk, Maine. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He spent weekends apprenticing with top chefs in New York City and cites Gray Kunz, Patrick Clark and Jean-Louis Paladin as his primary influences. He relocated to Boston where he opened the acclaimed, Blu restaurant under chef Dante Di Magistris in the Ritz Carlton. He then made a name for himself in Boston’s culinary scene as executive chef at the North End eatery, Lucca, David specialized in bringing together fresh local ingredients with the classical techniques and discipline of Northern Italian cooking. After four years at Lucca, David opened Sasso in Boston’s Back Bay. It is here where he received a three star review from Alison Arnet. David served as executive chef overseeing the kitchen at both Lucca and Sasso.
David and his wife relocated to Maine to open 50 Local where he is the executive chef overseeing the day to day operations and has a strong commitment to supporting our local farms & fisheries. He draws inspiration from the bounties of resources surrounding us. “Cook them what they crave” is David’s mantra. While he appreciates chefs who experiment with cutting-edge methodology and trendy ingredients, he prefers to focus on perfecting the classics and preparing his dishes in a way that leaves guests savoring his creations long after their dining experience.
John Shaw | One Dock
Executive Chef John Shaw was born and raised in Maine. A graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, John began his career at the Kennebunkport Inn as an intern, rotating through a variety of positions before assuming the Sous Chef position and then becoming Executive Chef. Recently noted Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay named One Dock his favorite restaurant in Maine.
“As a native Mainer, my goal is to expose customers to the amazing array of foods from the region,” John says. “Everyone knows that Maine has the best lobster on the planet, but most people don’t realize that we also produce some of the world’s best vegetables, fruits, meats and wines right here. As I develop my menus I’m always thinking about the best way showcase the intrinsic flavors of those native ingredients, then enhancing them with unexpected spices or side dishes that complement those great flavors.”
Eric Simeon | Grace
Born and raised in Southern California, Chef Eric Simeon began his culinary Career in the California’s Bay Area working various culinary hot spots including Wolfgang Puck & Postrio where he mastered the basic skills of the kitchen. From San Francisco he moved to Maui learning the Asian influenced island cuisine at restaurants such as Roy’s and The Kapalua Bay Hotel. In 2000, Eric moved to New York and began cooking at Terrance Brennan’s Picholine, where he would eventually become Excecutive Sous Chef. In 2003 Eric was hired as the Sous Chef at the modern Scandainavian restaurant Aquavit. Over the years, he has participated in various projects with Marcus Samuelsson’s Townhouse Restaurant Group, including AQ Kafe in New York and Washington Square in Philadelphia.
Eric draws inspiration from all of the various influences in his life, including the Creole and Mexican dishes of his family, the fresher styles of Hawaii and California, and the Mediterrranean and Scandanavian cuisines of his New York Experience. With his recent relocation to Maine, Eric hopes to use all of his influences to bring a unique culinary experience to Grace.
Guillaume Suss CS | Maison Albert Bichot
After studying the art of winemaking in Beaune, Burgundy, Guillaume Suss moved to the USA to represent the prestigious family estate of Maison Albert Bichot.
Stephen Test | Stephen Test Wines
Stephen Test is a veteran of three decades of winemaking in Sonoma and Napa. Entering the business in 1980, in the early years of a north coast wine boom, Steve was one of many colleagues who came out of U.C. Davis and had to learn by trial and experimentation how to use traditional, old-world winemaking methods that have proven essential to many of the great wines of California today. From the vineyard, where site, clone and careful attention to viticultural details have produced huge advances in wine quality, to the cellar, where techniques like native yeast fermentation and bottling without filtration have elevated complexity and concentration, Steve has been learning and practicing his craft. He has explored the subtleties of the production of many wine types, not just table wines but sparkling and fortified wines also, and made countless lots of most of the main grape varieties and some of the obscure ones, too. Every new wine type and grape variety has been an opportunity to refine his skills. With the 2006 launch of Stephen Test Wines he is using his years of experience to make with his own hands small lots of wines from outstanding sites that will be the best he can do with those grapes in that year. Steve has always claimed to just make wines that taste good to him, and hope the wines then find an appreciative audience.
Stephen True | 95 Ocean at The Nonantum Resort
Stephen True, the proud Executive Chef at the Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, has been “cooking up” a creative spin on classic dishes at the historic, river front resort for the past five years. Steve has been fulfilling his life-long passion as a chef for more than 30 years while living up and down the east coast of the U.S. Among other publications, Steve was honored for his tantalizing cooking talents in the Miami Herald. He is well known for his strong ability to put a “Maine spin” on classic dishes such as his own Blueberry Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce while utilizing many luscious Maine ingredients.
