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-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 Cinque Terre and Vignola; Jeff Landry of The Farmer’s Table; and chefs from the

following outstanding restaurants:

Bresca

Chebeague Inn

Cleonice

CVC Catering

David’s

David’s 388

Diamond’s Edge Restaurant

El Camino

Francine Bistro

Grace

Hugo’s

Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea

Shepherd’s Pie

The Corner Room

The Front Room

The Grill Room

The Maine Grind

The Salt Exchange

When Pig’s Fly

Zapoteca

- more -

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, Zapotea 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

Hannaford

Maine Magazine

Maine Restaurant Association

PowerPay

Stonewall Kitchen

WGME Channel 13

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/SOSMaineto learn more.

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