Tourists and Portland's food-loving community alike now have something else to look forward to next year - the 2nd annual Harvest on the Harbor. The Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland is responsible for this year's premiere, which was held October 23rd through the 25th, and the event was a huge success. From what I've heard and read so far, this celebration of Maine culinary talent was extremely successful in showcasing that talent and helping to establish Portland as a culinary destination. My only regret is that I attended only one of the many events held over the 3 day "Maine Culinary Experience", but there's always next year.

The official website displays this bold message: "3 days - More than 100 chefs, food artisans, wineries, restaurants, and more. One amazing destination. A Maine culinary experience." The opening event, the Grand Tasting at the Gateway, was the best event of the three days. (Of course I am only saying this to console myself, since this was the only event I attended, and I have heard great things about the other events…) The full schedule of events was a well-rounded mix of informative fun. Read some of these words aloud - they are from the names of some of the events - "rediscovering", "artisanal", "understanding", "selecting", "enjoying", "tasting", "joy","demonstrations", "lifestyle", "discovering", "gala". As you can see, and perhaps hear, if you tried that little exercise, Harvest on the Harbor was far more than a social grazing event. It was inspiring, educational, and, depending on your interest in food and wine, a very worthwhile investment of your time. (Speaking of wine, the selections at the Grand Tasting were myriad. The wine representatives pouring the wines were very knowledgeable, and their generous pours were accompanied by a wealth of information about the wine in hand.)

The other events over the course of 3 days included:

• Smoking Seafood: "Rediscovering a Lost Art"
• Discovering America's Artisanal Cheeses
• Caviar Lunch
• Wine Sense: Understanding, Selecting and Enjoying Wine
• Maine Oyster Tasting
• The Joy of Mixology
• Several live tapings of "The Chef's Kitchen"
• Meet the Cookbook Authors in the Lifestyle Lounge

The roster of culinary talent that was assembled for this food celebration was phenomenal. Seeing members of Southern Maine's "A-List" at the Grand Tasting was a big deal for me. 15 top chefs crafted a wide variety of signature appetizers, all under one roof:

• Christopher Bassett - Azure Café
• Bill Boutwell - Bibo's Madd Apple Café
• Jeff Buerhaus - Walter's
• Jonathan Cartwright - The White Barn Inn
• Alan Cook - 20 Milk Street
• Rob Evans - Hugo's and Duckfat
• Michael Gagné (no relation) and Troy Mains - Robinhood Free Meetinghouse
• Sam Hayward - Fore Street
• Mitchell Kaldrovich - Inn by the Sea
• Jeff Landry - Eve's at the Garden
• Larry Matthews, Jr. - Back Bay Grill
• Gallit Sammon - The Harraseeket Inn
• Michael Semancik - The Cliff House
• Lee Skawinski - Cinque Terre
• Harding Lee Smith - The Grill Room

Check out their bios on the Harvest on the Harbor website.

In my grade-book, Harvest on the Harbor gets an A+ for the following accomplishments: 1. provide top local chefs the opportunity to entertain attendees with their innovative, flavor-packed concoctions, 2. provide attendees a wide variety of events to attend and learn from, and 3. provide food-tourists even more reasons to travel to Maine in the fall shoulder season.

Except for 2 years in Florida and California, I have been a Portland-area native for the last 35 years. As a teenager, I watched the Old Port district refine itself from streets of boarded-up buildings and only a few businesses (like a head shop and a candle shop - I still remember seeing plywood and a padlock on their front doorway when they were closed) into an explosion of restaurants and other food businesses. These businesses were not there just to feed tourists lobster rolls and fried clams. Since that time, and even before then, Portland palates have demanded excellence and adventure, which has spawned new restaurants, new bakeries, new food shops, new food publications, and new web sites (like my own Tasting in Tongues and Tasting in Tongues Maine). People traveling to Portland can take advantage of the fruit of all these changes - the latest being Harvest on the Harbor.

Kudos to the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland, who produced Harvest on the Harbor. Frankly, I was expecting at least a little chaos since this was the first event of its kind. Prior to attending the Grand Tasting at the Gateway I wondered about the logistics. "Did I pay $50 to wait in long lines for tiny portions that are sure to run out shortly after the event begins?" "Would attendees completely ignore queue management (and politeness) and simply push and shove their way to the limited grub?" I was thrilled that the answer was "No". Even though the event was well attended, there was a bounty of food and wine, and there were plenty of access points and open spaces to help dining "traffic" flow. A number of the events were held at Portland's Ocean Gateway, a poignant selection. To me, the Ocean Gateway seemed to echo the seafood that was highlighted throughout the event. Both the Ocean Gateway and the Harvest on the Harbor may very well play big roles in contributing to growth in food-related tourism for Portland. I relish and celebrate the thought. I also highly recommend Harvest on the Harbor to anyone looking for a Maine adventure in food and wine next fall.