Dole & Bailey offered free tastings, beer and spirits to Midcoast restaurateurs and the public

A sumptuous spread at this pop-up food hub event

Fri, 04/14/2017 - 7:30am

LINCOLNVILLE—With the sun still peeking through atop the summit at Point Lookout dozens of food companies from Texas to Maine were setting up tables overlooking Penobscot Bay with gourmet tastings, everything from endless array of cheeses to sriracha salami to white whiskey.

Dole & Bailey, based in Boston, is one of the nation's oldest family-owned and operated food businesses. They have been on a Northeast tour, setting up one-day events free to the public to provide a pop up food hub for local chefs, restaurateurs and any other interested foodies to sample the best and freshest produce, meats, charcuterie, cheese, pasta, seasonings, and seafood in the nation.

Kevin Edmonds, Director of Sales, said: “We’re a family-owned food distributor just north of Boston, but we have a very strong presence in Maine. We buy cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, produce and poultry from farms throughout the Northeast, and our sole lamb provider is North Star Sheep Farm out of Windham, Maine.”

“We invited some 300-400 local chefs and restaurateurs to come and enjoy free samples of high-end specialty foods,” he said. “It’s all about keeping it local and sustainable and it’s a fun social day for everyone.”

The event, unfortunately fell on the same day and times as the Business and Community Expo in Rockport at the Samoset, so it was probably more under-the-radar than it should have been.

Some of the Maine vendors included Ducktrap Seafood Co., offering samplings of fresh salmon, smoked mussels, scallops, trout bites and hors d’eovres. A beautiful display of mushrooms was put together by Mousam Valley Mushrooms out of Springvale, Maine. “These all come from our year round indoors mushroom grow house,” said President John Sharood, who identified the abundance of varieties as butter oyster, shiitaki, Lion’s Mane, and Katahdin Oysters.”

With spring still not quite here, it was a feast for the eyes to see the colorful offerings laid out in the round Summit room. Searsmont’s Threshers Brewing Co. were pouring the sample brews while Wiggly Bridge Distilleries out of York offered tastings of their most popular spirits including a white whiskey.

The half-day pop up event packed up was a one and done deal, so if you missed it, you’ll have to wait until they swing back around next spring.

Photos by Kay Stephens


Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com