NORTH HAVEN

Bon Appetit’s May issue showcases Nebo Lodge

Andrew Knowlton, a well-known columnist at Bon Appetit, took his family to Nebo Lodge on North Haven Island last summer.

They enjoyed a rustic dinner that included “fried green tomatoes; a pickle plate starring sweet beets, Korean celery and Sriracha cabbage; fish Reuben tacos; and a grass-fed burger.”

He left the staff a pretty great tip: Knowlton writes about Nebo Lodge in the May issue of Bon Appetit, placing it on the magazine’s list of the “10 Best U.S. Hotels for Food Lovers in America.”

The lodge clocks in at No. 5, sandwiched between Dunton Hot Springs in Dolores, Colo., and Los Poblanos in Albuquerque. The top spot went to Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn., in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

The restaurant at Nebo Lodge, managed by chef Amanda Hallowell, is known for its reliance on seasonal local foods. Hallowell works closely with the lodge’s partner business, Turner Farm, to source meats, poultry, vegetables, cheeses and other locally grown food for the restaurant’s menu.

Both businesses are owned by U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree and her husband, Donald Sussman, who is the majority share owner of MaineToday Media, which owns the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.

In addition to preparing meals for locals and overnight guests, Nebo Lodge offers round-trip dinner cruises out of Rockland from July through September and family-style meals called Barn Suppers at Turner Farm.

Nebo Lodge will open for the season in May. In May and June, dinner will be served on Friday and Saturday only. The schedule expands in July and August to six days a week.

SKOWHEGAN

Kneading Conference plans tandoor oven workshop

The organizers of the annual Kneading Conference in Skowhegan have announced that this year’s conference will include a hands-on tandoor oven workshop taught by flatbread expert Naomi Duguid.

Duguid is the author of “Flatbreads and Flavors: A Baker’s Atlas,” which won a James Beard award.

Participants will work with leavened wheat flour doughs, and shape and bake tandoor breads, using a top-of-the-line tandoor oven provided by the Wood Stone Corp.

The hands-on experience will be available only to the first 20 people who sign up for the workshop, but anyone who is registered for the July 25-26 conference can attend and observe.

To participate in the flatbreads workshop, register and pay for the overall conference, which costs $300, then send an email to Wendy Hebb at wendy@kneadingconference.com indicating interest in the workshop.

To learn more about the conference, go to mainegrainalliance.com.

FREEPORT

Spring Gala & Auction set for Saturday night

The Wolfe’s Neck Farm Foundation will host its ninth annual Spring Gala & Auction at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday .

This annual fundraiser benefits the nonprofit organization’s efforts to promote sustainable agriculture and education, including its new Teen Ag Program.

This program offers local teens an opportunity to cultivate a foundation of skills vital to any small-scale sustainable farming operation.

In its pilot year, the teens grew nearly 4,000 pounds of produce that was donated to local food banks.

Sustainable Soiree: Raising Farmers Feeding Maine, will begin with hors d’oeuvres and desserts and feature live and silent auctions with a focus on healthy, local and sustainable products and services.

Tickets are $50 and are available online at www.wolfesneckfarm.org/gala or by calling 865-4469.

PORTLAND

Gelato Fiasco will donate Wednesday sales to charity

The Gelato Fiasco’s Old Port location has teamed up with Preble Street Resource Center for Scooping for Community Day on Wednesday .

Mention Preble Street when you order your gelato or sorbetto, and the store will donate 100 percent of the sale to the nonprofit agency that helps the poor in Portland.

The Old Port location of The Gelato Fiasco is 425 Fore St.

For more information, go to preblestreet.org/events.

MAINE

UMaine seeking gardeners to plant a row for hungry

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Maine Harvest for Hunger program is looking for gardeners willing to plant an extra row of fruit and/or vegetables this year to donate to local soup kitchens and food pantries.

Produce most needed by the program includes fruit of all types, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, winter squash, onions and potatoes.

For more information or to sign up, visit the website umaine.edu/cumberland/programs/maine-harvest-for-hunger or call the UMaine Extension office at (800) 287-1471.

— Compiled by Meredith Goad and Wendy Almeida