The Maine Lobster Chefs of 2012 were crowned after this year’s lobster cook-off competition, held October 25, at Portland’s 4-day food and wine event, Harvest on the Harbor. For the People's Choice, over 200 audience members voted for Chef Mackenzie Arrington of Boothbay Harbor.  And new this year, a panel of judges also voted Chef Kerry Altiero of Rockland as their Lobster Chef of the Year 2012.

Both Arrington and Altiero were awarded $1,000 and a display plaque identifying each as the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year.

For the audience and judges Chef Mackenzie Arrington prepared Ricotta Gnudi, Maine lobster with truffle, chanterelle and chervil.  Chef Kerry Altiero prepared Maine harvest pasta aalad with Maine lobster, corn, tomatoes and parsley.

The judges included Steve Cory, Executive Chef at the Portland Restaurant, 555; Kathleen Fleury, Assistant Editor at DownEast magazine, and Sharon Rose, WCSH 6's Morning Report Anchor. Tom Martin, owner and captain of Lucky Catch Lobster Cruises, hosted the event and kept the audience entertained.

The All-Star Challenge included three chefs who participated in the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year competition in the past: Kerry Altiero of Cafe Miranda in Rockland, Mackenzie Arrington of The Dutch in New York City, and Melissa Bouchard of DiMillo's on the Water in Portland.

“All three chefs did an exceptional job representing Maine lobster during its peak harvest season and showcasing innovative new ways for people to enjoy Maine Lobster,” said Marianne LaCroix, Executive Director of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council.

“We are proud to host this annual competition and pleased to partner with Maine’s premier food and wine event, Harvest on the Harbor, which allows us to share this special event with people from all over the country.”

People's Choice Maine Lobster Chef of the Year, Mackenzie Arrington, grew up in Boothbay, and now lives and works in New York City. In 2009, Mackenzie graduated from The Culinary Institute of America and won the title of Maine Lobster Chef of the Year. He then served as chef ambassador for Maine in 2010, taking third place in the Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans. Most recently, Mackenzie has joined Chef Andrew Carmellini’s The Dutch in New York.

The Judges' pick for Maine Lobster Chef of the Year, Kerry Altiero, is the Chef and owner of Cafe Miranda in Rockland. In 1993, Altiero decided to open up a restaurant that was fueled by his passion for great food, multi-cultural cuisines, his Italian heritage and Rockland.

He and his family renovated the historic Owl Benevolent and Fraternal Club located at 15 Oak Street in the heart of downtown Rockland. The result was an edgy-yet-intimate multi-cultural cuisine restaurant that has become a ritual for residents and visitors alike.

Presented by the Maine Lobster Promotion Council, the annual Maine Lobster Chef of the Year cook-off competition helps celebrate and showcase Maine's peak lobster harvest season by giving esteemed Maine chefs the opportunity to vie for the prestigious title.

Copies of the recipes by all three contestants can be found at www.lobsterfrommaine.com.

The Lobster Chef of the Year competition is a part of the larger Convention & Visitors Bureau's culinary event Harvest on the Harbor held annually at Ocean Gateway in Portland, Maine.

Harvest on the Harbor, presented by the Convention & Visitors Bureau, brings nationally recognized chefs using Maine products and blends them with our own award winning local chefs in celebrating Maine as a culinary travel destination. Last fall more than 4,000 foodies from Maine and around the country attended Harvest on the Harbor.