BROOKLYN, N.Y.

Susan Povich knows all about the world’s best lobster.

Povich, who summered in Bath as a child and maintains a home there, has tasted plenty of this sumptuous seafood.

She also knows something about preparing Maine lobster. Indeed, she makes it into a treat that has earned her business, Brooklyn-based Red Hook Lobster Pound, accolades as the No. 1 food truck in the country by The Daily Meal website.

Povich, daughter of talk show host Maury Povich, talked about the award during the “Today” show Monday morning in Rockefeller Plaza.

“Today” said Red Hook Lobster Pound has reached “the top of the food (truck) chain.” Povich learned of the award from The Daily Meal on June 13.

“It was so exciting,” said Povich, who owns the food truck with her husband, Ralph Gorham. “It doesn’t get any better than the ‘Today’ show, right? We work very hard and it’s nice to see all that hard work and our attention pay off.”

Red Hook emerged over 449 food trucks from more than 400 cities to win the award. Not only the meat, but the rolls, as well, come from Maine.

“Lobster rolls are really all about the lobster,” Povich said. “We spend a lot of time up in Maine sourcing the best, freshest lobster. It’s also about the bun, and believe it or not, we also bring our buns down from Maine, too.”

These would be Country Kitchen buns — sliced on top instead of on the side, as most are outside of Maine.

Red Hook serves up lobster rolls made from a quarter pound of fresh Maine lobster — 300 to 400 a day at $16 apiece when the truck stops at the intersection of 50th Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. Other days, the truck is open in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn.

The Daily Meal isn’t the only publication that’s noticed the Red Hook lobster roll. The New York Times, Zagat, Bloomberg, Yummy in the City and Great Eats with Petes have served up praise for Povich’s creation.

From a Yummy in the City reporter: “I can’t believe that I actually waited for 2 hours! … But … actually it was totally worth the wait! Red Hook’s lobster rolls are in my book definitely the best ones in the city. Maybe even in the state of Maine! They are that good.”

Povich gets her lobster from Shucks Maine Lobster of Richmond and from Cozy Harbor of Portland.

In April, Shucks Maine Lobster exhibited at the European Seafood Show, held in Brussels, Belgium. It is the largest seafood show in the world and brings more than 25,000 seafood professionals together under one roof.

“We were excited to attend the show this year, and present our MSC Maine Lobster to the global market,” owner John Hathaway said. “We won two firsts.”

Hathaway sells cooked knuckle meat to Red Hook.

“Their product is a premium product,” he said. “It’s top of the line. It’s fresh, and never been frozen.”

Hathaway praised Povich and Gorham for their innovation in getting this Maine delicacy to people in the big city.

“They’ve got a great concept,” he said, “and they promote Maine lobster. They brought Maine lobster rolls to food trucks, and promoted it and marketed it. People want Maine lobster — it’s just been hard getting it to the people.”

Shucks employs 70 to 80 people at its Richmond plant.

“It really helps when you have Maine lobster,” Hathaway said. “We have a good crew. We work hard.”

Povich became connected to Bath through her grandfather, Shirley Povich. Another relative ran Povich’s Men’s Shop in the city. Cousin Janice Povich has a home in Bath, and another cousin, Lon Povich, lives in Georgetown.

“We still have family in Bath and we will spend some time up there this summer,” she said.

Povich, who grew up in Washington, D.C., studied law in Boston, then met her husband in New York. The two have been running Red Hook Lobster Pound for five years.

The seasonal business is open six days a week.

lgrard@timesrecord.com

¦ TIMESRECORD.COM POLL: Who has the best lobster roll in the
Mid-coast? (Results as of 8 a.m. today)
Libby’s Market, Brunswick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30%
Sylvesters Fish-Chips, Brunswick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
Red’s Eats, Wiscasset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%
Five Islands Lobster Co., Georgetown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12%
Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster, Freeport . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%
Fat Boy, Brunswick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%
Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Co., South Freeport . . . . . . . 5%
Cameron’s Lobster House, Brunswick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4%
Cook’s Lobster House, Harpswell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3%
Ye Olde English Fish and Chips, Richmond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1%
Total votes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
You can still vote at http://www.timesrecord.com/node/513846