Time spent in Maine’s warm months generally includes some combination of The Four Summer Food Groups: red snapper hot dogs, Amato’s Italian sandwiches, whoopie pies, and Allen’s Coffee Brandy. We figured these foodstuffs were due for a bit of a makeover, so we called four chefs to try their hand at keeping the soul but adding a 2024 edge.
Meet the contenders:
Fresh from the launch of Windham’s Vintage Dogs food truck, Emily Eklund takes the humble red snapper and adds the most quintessential of Maine ingredients to uplevel each bite.
The basic Italian sandwich graduates into adulthood under the tutelage of Shef Mimi and Krista Cole, who move away from the traditional combo of boiled ham and unripe tomatoes to exotic meats and tapenade.
We fully understand there is a debate on what state can claim the whoopie pie as their own (looking at you, Pennsylvania). But we definitely claim Ilma Lopez’s fantastic Whoopie Pie Trocadero as pure Maine.
Allen’s Coffee Brandy might make you shudder with memories of waking up in a tent with the worst headache, but it is synonymous with the local spirits scene. Now Jacqueline Dole has created Allen’s Espresso Martini Ice Cream, and it will make you fall in love all over again.
Enjoy the updated culinary tour through these Maine summer favorites.
