‘Never eat a dead lobster, and make sure to salt the water in the pot – it keeps the flavors in.”

So says Ted Johnson, the main supplier of Maine lobster to Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit. Johnson and the Arrows chefs, Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, are featured in a new cookbook that focuses on chefs and their farmers and artisan suppliers.

“Harvest to Heat: Cooking with America’s Best Chefs, Farmers and Artisans” by Darryl Estrine and Kelly Kochendorfer (Taunton Press, $40) includes 100 recipes created by the chef and local farmer/artisan together for the home cook. Gaier, Frasier and Johnson’s offering? Lobster Shortcakes with Vanilla Rum Sauce and Spicy Shallots.

The book also includes a profile of Rod Mitchell, founder of Browne Trading Co., who is the man who turned “peekytoe” crab meat and diver scallops into culinary obsessions in the nation’s restaurants. Mitchell and Chef Rob Evans of Hugo’s contributed their recipe for Maine Sea Scallop Ceviche to the book.

Kennebunk’s Sparrow Arc Farm is also featured, paired with Chef Jody Adams of Boston’s Rialto and a recipe for Clam and Steuben Bean Soup with Fennel and Lemon.

“Chefs are artists,” Matt Linehan, founder of Sparrow Arc, says in the book. “We create the palette for them to work with.”


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