Travel
Living Local Is the Only Way
.ÝÚ $ÚìÚá äÖèé Þã 'ÖÞãÚ STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER L. RUBENSTEIN
Photograph courtesy of the Inn by the Sea
W
andering up the coast of Maine from Portland to Camden is like stepping back in time. Small villages stand still from ages of the past— roadside organic stands, natural food stores on every corner, meat markets with only the freshest local meats and handwritten signs on the side of the road directing drive by traffic to pull in for $5.99 live lobsters. A locavore’s dream … and a daily reality for many Mainers. When talking to the famed Chef Sam Talbot, of Bravo’s “Top Chef ” and author of the Sweet Life and the upcoming book 100% Real, he explained this is simply a way of life for Mainers. Sam, a New Yorker, has opened the quaint farm-to-fork restaurant Pig + Poet in the historic Whitehall lodge in Camden. Sam is passionate about fresh ingredients, saying “Everything we use as ingredients are a skateboard ride away.” This is not easy in Maine, where over 90% of the land is covered in forest and 100% experience harsh winters. That forces people to hunker down, preserving food. Local, fresh food is a age-old survival mechanism, not a trendy urban hipster movement. edibleIndy.com
39
