Maine's Capital Area

Competing Chefs in this year’s Spectrum Generations Meals on Wheels Celebrity Chef Challenge are Chef Anthony St. Peter of Stirling & Mull Gastropub in Freeport, Chef Dave French of the Kennebec Tavern in Bath, Chef Troy Mains of the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport and Chef Chris Toole of The Highlands in Topsham.

Top chefs from mid-coast and central Maine will compete in Spectrum Generations third annual Meals on Wheels Celebrity Chef Challenge on September 16, 2015. Reception starts at 5:15pm with dinner beginning at 6:00pm at the scenic Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. Each chef will prepare a main dish using Meals on Wheels guidelines and ingredients while celebrating local food and Maine growers.

Taking on the challenge this year are Chef Chris Toole of The Highlands in Topsham, Chef David French of the Kennebec Tavern in Bath, Chef Anthony St. Peter of Stirling & Mull Gastro Pub in Freeport, and Troy Mains of the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport.

The difficult, but delicious, task of judging dishes will be in the skilled palettes of three celebrity judges; Chef Chris Bassett, 2014 Celebrity Chef Challenge Judges’ Choice winner and the Maine Restaurant Association’s 2015 Maine Chef of the Year award winner. Meredith Goad, Food Writer for the Portland Press Herald who has been nominated and won many awards, and Kristin Fuhrman-Simmons, Food and Travel writer and owner of the Kennebunk Resort Collection.

Jana Barnello, News Team TV 13 Anchor and host of Good Day Maine, will be returning as the Emcee for the evening and fielding audience questions for the chefs. Linda Sanborn, State Representative, who is a major advocate for older adults in Maine, will be the evenings key note speaker. Executive Chef Andrew Omo of Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine will be returning this year as our Culinary Consultant to lend his expertise in the kitchen to assist the four celebrity chefs as they prepare their meals to be sent out to guests and judges.

Guests will be served a random Chef’s entrée and will see behind-the-scenes action through a live kitchen video feed projected in the dining room during cocktail hour with passed hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.

Local celebrities from the community will be delivering meals to guests. The Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice winner, chosen by diners in attendance, will receive awards and have their dish incorporated in Spectrum Generations’ Meals on Wheels menu.

Tickets are $75 per person or $550 for a table of eight. There will also be a silent auction and cash bar. Tickets can be reserved online at http://www.spectrumgenerations.org/celebrity, at your local community centers and at participating restaurants. You can also reserve your tickets by calling Nick Cloutier at (207) 620.1655.

Proceeds from the evening will benefit Spectrum Generations’ Meals on Wheels program and the We Sustain Maine senior nutrition initiative, which incorporates Maine food products in its Meals on Wheels and community dining programs. By bringing food from the fields of Maine farms to the plates of Maine’s seniors, We Sustain Maine reduces senior hunger, supports Maine farmers, and ultimately helps Maine’s economy by reinvesting local dollars back into our communities. 

For more information about attending the event, sponsorship opportunities or to donate an item for the silent auction, contact Nick Cloutier at 620-1655 or  

Spectrum Generations is central Maine’s Area Agency on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Center with seven community centers spread across central Maine. Spectrum Generations prepares and delivers over 205,000 meals to more than 1,600 home bound seniors in central and mid-coast Maine who depend on Meals on Wheels for their nutrition. 

You can make a difference by joining Spectrum Generations at the Meals on Wheels Celebrity Chef Challenge. Reserve your seat at the table today to make sure no senior goes hungry.