Dozens of Maine's top chefs will gather on June 24th at Diamond's Edge Restaurant on Great Diamond Island to raise money for childhood hunger charities through Share Our Strength Maine's 7th Annual Taste of the Nation event. Last year the event raised over $150,000 for local anti-hunger groups. Attendees will sample food from well-known Maine restaurants while enjoying music and drinks. Proceeds will benefit Opportunity Alliance, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Cultivating Community and Preble Street Teen Center to help the 1 in 4 Maine children facing food insecurity.

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2012
Contact:Susan Axelrod 207-712-1488, susan@axelrodphotography.com
MAINE’S BEST CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS
SLATED FOR7TH ANNUAL TASTE OF THE NATION®
State’s largest gathering of Maine culinary talent to raise money to fight childhood hunger
Portland, 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 7th Annual Taste of the Nation® benefit on June 24 at
Diamond’s Edge Restaurant and Marina on Great Diamond Island.
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 raisedmore 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 in historic Diamond Cove, at the Diamond’s Edge Restaurant & Marina on
Great Diamond Island in Portland Harbor on Sunday, June 24. General Admission tickets are $125 each; the
boat leaves Portland at 3:45 p.m. The VIP boat will leave Portland at 2:30 for a private reception; VIP tickets
are $200 each. The event ends at 8 p.m. All tickets may be purchased at tasteofthenation.org/maine.
Taste of the Nation® Maine is the state’s largest gathering of culinary talent, led by top-tier and nationally
respected chefs from around the state, including James Beard Award-winners 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 Cinque Terre and Vignola; Jeff Landry of The Farmer’s Table; and chefs from the
following outstanding restaurants:
Bresca Hugo’s
Diamond’s Edge Restaurant/Chebeague Inn Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea
Cleonice/The Maine Grind The Corner Room/The Front Room/The Grill
CVC Catering Room
David’s/David’s 388 The Salt Exchange
El Camino When Pig’s Fly
Francine Bistro/Shepherd’s Pie Zapoteca
Grace
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2. 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, Hugo’s, Old Port Sea Grill, Zapoteca and Vignola.
Live music will be provided by “Now is Now,” hailed as “one of Maine’s finest rock bands,” by Good Times
magazine.
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 PowerPay
Hannaford Stonewall Kitchen
Maine Magazine WGME Channel 13
Maine Restaurant Association
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.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. Since 1988, Taste of the
Nation has raised more than $80 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®. VisitStrength.org/portlandmeand
facebook.com/SOSMaine to learn more.
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