Maine Eats: the food revolution starts here

Food Revolution

There's a food revolution happening in Maine. People want to be informed about where their food comes from and how it is grown. Around the state, restaurants present extensive local food choices as specific as the spot on the river or the bay where an oyster was harvested. Mainers are experimenting with locavore activities, from raising backyard chickens to growing heritage vegetable gardens.

A "foodie" culture has evolved in Maine with Portland as one of the top food destination cities in the nation. Chefs in Maine consistently top the James Beard Award lists, and restaurateurs from New York are moving to Maine and opening eateries.

Social Food

Morning call, Vermont, ca. 1910

Item Contributed by
Stanley Museum on deposit at Maine Historical Society

Kitchens are the universal gathering spot. A place where we prepare food, enjoy good company, welcome family, and have meaningful conversations. Kitchens are the hub of activity in our homes.

For many people, the kitchen is synonymous with family time and real conversations. As you enter the Maine Eats Kitchen, we invite you to talk with other visitors, to record your passions about food, to read and listen to the stories of others, or to share a recipe.

Eating together crosses the divides of class, language, culture, gender, age, and religion. As we consume food, we discover interconnectedness, and sometimes division.

Eating at bean suppers, fish fries, clam bakes, festivals, and grange hall potlucks is a Maine institution. After those meals, people socialized, played music, and told stories.

Religious observances often involve ritual foods—whether feasting, fasting, or abstaining from them. Sharing meals is an important part of Jewish family and community life, such as the Passover Seder, where special foods recount the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.