Today at the Blaine House in Augusta, the Maine Lobster Promotion Council and sponsor Maine Food and Lifestyle magazine held the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year event. Inventive lobster recipes with exciting twists were prepared by some of Maine’s stellar chefs, and were sampled and rated by a panel of judges.

Margaret Salt McLellan was crowned the 2008 winner. Her prize winning dish was "Maine Lobster Purse with Wild Maine Complements and Pea Shoot Salad." McLellan is Corporate Chef at Native Maine Produce, and Shucks Lobster in Richmond.

The first runner up award went to Zeph Belanger, Sous-Chef at The Hartstone Inn in Camden, for his Maine Lobster Salad with Ginger, Kaikon, Bacon, and a warm Ponzu Dressing.

Zeph Belanger, Maine’s First Lady Karen Baldacci, Margaret Salt McLellan.

First Lady Karen Baldacci presided over the event, where five finalists
vied for the coveted title. Among them were: McLellan; Belanger;
Executive Chef Pete Murphy of
the Historic Russell House Restaurant and Tavern in Boothbay Harbor;
Lawrence Klang, Chef de Cuisine at Natalie’s Camden Harbour Inn; and
Joshua Clark, Chef de Cuisine, Atlantica Restaurant, Camden.

For full coverage of the event and for Margaret McLellan’s award-winning recipe, the next issue of Maine Food and Lifestyle will have it all!

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.