PORTLAND

Five Maine semifinalists to compete in dairy cook-off

HP Hood has announced the five semifinalists from Maine who will compete in the company’s third annual New England Dairy Cook-off Nov. 6.

Thirty amateur cooks from six New England states will compete for the $10,000 grand prize at Ocean Gateway Terminal in Portland. The five Maine semifinalists are:

Lisa Caruso of South Portland, who will make noggy berry-buckle; Mary Lou Dahle of Durham, who will compete with her creamy fresh tomato-arugula soup with cheese and basil crostini; Mary K. Blenk, who will make pan-roasted bacon salmon cakes with creamy velvet cheese sauce; Jessie Grearson of Falmouth, who will make tandoori express chicken naanwiches with sour cream raita and buttermilk mango lassi; and Kimberly Parsons of Hampden, who will make rhubarb spiced baby cakes.

Judges for the event will include chef Tom Pizzica, host of Food Network’s “Outrageous Food,” and Lee Farrington, chef/owner of the Portland restaurant Figa.

Tuscan Mammas of Italy giving class at restaurant

The Tuscan Mammas of the Tutti-a-Tavola cooking school in Italy will be in Portland Saturday for a cooking class at Cinque Terre, 36 Wharf St., from noon to 4:30 p.m.

The very popular mammas have already sold out several classes at the Stonewall Kitchen cooking school, but there are still a few spots left at Cinque Terre, according to general manager Michael Kusuma. The class costs $100, which includes lunch.

The mammas will be making risotto arancini, spaghetti carbonara, chicken with lemon and rosemary, a side dish of cabbage, and a dessert of poached pears in red wine with sabayon sauce.
To register, call 347-6154.

Nutritionist will discuss battling stress with food

Peggy Kotsopoulos, author of “Must Have Been Something I Ate,” will discuss which foods help battle stress at Whole Foods Market on Saturday.

Kotsopoulos, a registered holistic nutritionist, will talk about how certain foods can help increase the “happy hormones,” make people feel more balanced and help them get a better night’s sleep.

The class will be held twice, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 to 4 p.m. It’s free, but preregistration is required. To register, call customer service at 774-7711.

WELLS

Chowder contest to aid wounded vets program

The third annual Chowder Challenge will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Wells Corner Shopping Center, 1517 Post Road.

The event is a benefit for the nonprofit Wounded Heroes of Maine program, which provides assistance to wounded service members.

More than 20 Maine restaurants and caterers will be participating.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. A family of four or more can get a family ticket for $27.50. All ticketholders will be able to vote for their favorite chowder.

Two classes of chowder will be judged. In addition to traditional New England-style clam chowder, chefs may also enter in an open class that includes other kinds of seafood chowder or vegetarian chowders such as corn or mushroom.

Tickets are available at Wells Super Food Market, Me & D’s Diner and Wells Super Wash, or online at http://bit.ly/oNNKks

NORTHPORT

Benefit tasting party will include art sale

The third annual Art of Local Food, a tasting party and art sale that benefits the Natural Resources Council of Maine, will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Point Lookout.
More than 20 midcoast Maine restaurants, farms, bakers, cheese makers and others will be providing the food. A cash bar will feature local wines, beers and cocktails.

This year’s event also includes an art sale featuring the work of 50 Maine artists. Seventy 10-inch-by-10-inch pieces of Maine-inspired art will be for sale starting at 5 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. An online preview is available at nrcm.org/artoflocalfood_slideshow.asp

Tickets are $40. To view a list of participating restaurants and the artwork, or to register online, go to nrcm.org/artoflocalfood.asp.