Blaine House Executive Chef to Represent Maine at Great American Seafood Cook-off

 

Chef Chris Hart (Courtesy Photo)


AUGUSTA – Blaine House Executive Chef Chris Hart will represent Maine in the Great American Seafood Cook-Off on Saturday, August 8 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
The competition, hosted by Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, will be streamed live at GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com. Chef Hart is one of 12 chefs from around the country competing for the highly coveted title of America’s Best Seafood Chef.
“I’m extremely honored to be able to represent Maine and am looking forward to the competition,” Hart said. “It’s a great opportunity to really showcase Maine lobster, which has become a culinary icon that symbolizes the very essence of Maine – cold, pristine waters, a rugged coast, premium products, independent, hard-working fishermen and a legacy of sustainable harvesting practices that reaches back more than 400 years.”
Chef Hart came to the Blaine House from the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport, where he was the banquet chef for two years before his promotion to executive chef and food and beverage manager. In September 2011, he was recruited by Maine’s First Family to be executive chef at the Blaine House.
“In addition to being an excellent chef, Chris is a terrific guy,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “Whether he is making a sandwich or preparing a formal dinner for dozens, his culinary talent really comes through. I had the privilege of tasting the dish he will prepare at the Seafood Cook-off, and I’m sure it will be a winner. In fact, I was hoping for a final tasting before he takes off for New Orleans.”
Judges for this year’s contest include Brooke Bell, editor of “Taste of the South” and editorial director of “Louisiana Cookin’”; Steve Green, founder and CEO of #Foodiechats; Anne E. McBride, culinary program and editorial director for strategic initiatives at The Culinary Institute of America; Barton Seaver, director of the Healthy and Sustainable Food program at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Chef Rick Tramonto, executive chef and founding partner of Tru in Chicago; and Chef Wesley True, returning to the Cook-Off after winning second place in 2010.
Each chef will have one hour to create and plate his dish. America’s Best Seafood Chef 2015 will be announced at 4:50 p.m.
The Cook-Off is dedicated to promoting sustainable and domestic fisheries and is produced in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Whole Foods Market, Southwest Cargo, Taste of the South and Tabasco.