8TH ANNUAL TASTE OF THE NATION®

MAINE’S BEST CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS

SLATED FOR 8^TH ANNUAL TASTE OF THE NATION^®

State’s largest-ever gathering of culinary talent will raise funds to help end childhood hunger

Freeport, ME – Dozens of Maine’s leading chefs from Maine’s best restaurants will come together to fight childhood hunger at Share Our Strength Maine’s 8^th Annual Taste of the Nation® benefit on Sunday, June 23 at Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport.

The funds raised will go to four of the most effective anti-hunger organizations working to feed hungry children in Maine and beyond. Last year, Share Our Strength’s Maine presence raised more than $150,000. In a state where nearly 1 in 4 children is uncertain where her next meal will come from, donations make a profound impact. This year’s local grant recipients will be Opportunity Alliance, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Cultivating Community and Preble Street Teen Center – organizations that work year-round to end childhood hunger in Maine.

The seaside fundraiser will be held at the non-profit Wolfe’s Neck Farm, under a tent in a pristine field with stunning views over Casco Bay. General Admission tickets are $125 each. VIP tickets, which include a pre-event reception, are $200 each. All tickets may be purchased at tasteofthenation.org/maine.

This year’s Taste of the Nation® Maine will include the largest gathering of culinary talent to date, led by top-tier and nationally respected chefs from around the state, including James Beard Award-winner Sam Hayward of Fore Street; Food & Wine Best New Chef winner Steve Corry of five-fifty-five and Petite Jacqueline; Back Bay Grill’s Larry Matthews; Lee Skawinski of Vignola Cinque Terre; Jeff Landry of The Farmer’s Table; and chefs from the following outstanding restaurants and food businesses:

• Black Birch
• Browne Trading Co.
• Chebeague Inn
• CVC Catering
• DiMillo’s
• David’s/David’s 388/David’s Opus Ten
• East End Cupcakes
• Eventide Oyster Bar/Hugo’s
• Fish Bones
• Five-O
• Francine Bistro/ Shepherd’s Pie
• Frog & Turtle
• Harraseeket Inn
• Kennebunk Inn
• Nonantum
• Salt Exchange
• Sea Glass
• Spread
• The Corner Room/The Front Room/The Grill Room
• The Gelato Fiasco
• Walter’s
• When Pigs Fly
• Zapoteca

The food will be paired with fine wines, local beers and signature cocktails created from top-shelf spirits by Maine’s best mixologists from Bar Lola, Black Birch, David’s and Zapoteca.

This year’s setting provides the perfect opportunity for guests to combine Taste of the Nation with an overnight stay in Freeport. For the first time, members of the Maine Innkeepers Association are offering special rates for Sunday evening for those attending the event. Details are available at strength.org/portlandme.

Taste of the Nation® Maine is generously supported by the following local sponsors, who donate their time and resources to make the event a success:

• Bill Dodge Auto Group
• Hannaford
• Maine Magazine
• Maine Restaurant Association
• PowerPay
• Stonewall Kitchen

About Taste of the Nation®

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 end childhood hunger. Taste of the Nation is sponsored nationally by American Express, Sysco, Food Network and S. Pelligrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $86 million.

About Share Our Strength Maine

Share Our Strength is the leading national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. In Maine, where 1 in 4 children is unsure about where their next meal is coming from, our dedicated volunteers work with community groups and good local programs to catch these children and ensure they have nutritious food where they live, learn and play. Supported by our generous sponsors – Bill Dodge; Power Pay; Maine Magazine; Stonewall Kitchen; and Hannaford – and by Maine’s outstanding restaurants and chefs, we create engaging, pioneering programs like Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation®, Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale®, Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry: dinners®, Share Our Strength’s Dine Out®: No Kid Hungry, and Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters®. Visit Strength.org/portlandme and facebook.com/SOSMaine to learn more.