SMCC students win Maine Restaurant Week breakfast cook-off

SMCC for the win! Chef and Southern Maine Community College culinary instructor Bo Byrne, along with several of his students, took the top prize at The Incredible Breakfast cook-off Thursday morning. Their winning dish was the “Pico Suavé” Egg.

The annual event, in which 10 local chefs competed for best breakfast entrée, drew some 250 people to Sea Dog Brewing in South Portland and raised $8,000 for the social service agency Preble Street.

The “Pico Suave” Egg was an elevated breakfast sandwich of sorts: Scrambled egg on a butter bun with cheddar, smoked bacon, Sriracha aioli, pico de gallo, cilantro, crunchy tortilla threads and queso fresco.

“It really was a delicious dish. It hit all the right notes,” said Gillian Britt, of gBritt PR, who organizes the cook-off, which marks the start of Maine Restaurant Week. “It was fresh and savory and spicy.”

Second place went to chef David Brown from Sea Glass restaurant at Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth for his lobster kolaches. “They were very cute,” Britt said. “There was a lot of visual appeal to all of these dishes.”

Union’s ndjua grits with cured salmon. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

And coming in third was Union Executive Chef Christian Bassett, who made ndjua grits with cured salmon, sauce choron and sea lettuce; Union is the restaurant at the Press Hotel in Portland. “Fabulous! The grits were really delicious,” Britt said, adding that this year’s attendees “really went for savory.”

Everybody who attends the event also serves as judge, voting on their favorite items, which are then tallied to determine the winners. Maine Restaurant Week includes several more special events, such as a specialty coffee blending class and a dumpling cooking class. Also, throughout the week, Maine diners can enjoy special prices on special meals at participating restaurants around the state.