Nicholas Krunkkala of The Thistle Inn has won the Judges’ Choice Award in the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce’s Claw Down Chef of the Year blind judging competition held Sept. 17.

Krunkkala was also voted as the People's Choice Award winner of the Claw Down competition, the first time a chef has won both honors at the event, which was held this year in East Boothbay. 

Krunkkala’s winning lobster bite was poached Maine lobster, crispy chicken skin, pickled turnip, sweet corn shoots, smoked tomato aioli, house-made potato roll and charcoal butter.

Krunkkala will now represent the region in the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year competition in October, a signature event at Harvest on the Harbor, Maine’s premier food and wine festival together with reigning Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Chef Steve Richards who will defend his title.

Brittney Meservier, Chef of Cod’s Head Fish House & BBQ, won First Runner-up Judges’ Choice. Her lobster bite: Cod’s Head Fish House & BBQ jalapeño cornbread, stuffed with marinated lobster, smoked Maine lobster tail and house-made lobster-base cheese sauce.

Karin Guerin, Executive Chef of The Boathouse Bistro & Tapas Bar, won Second Runner-up Judges’ Choice with an Asian style-lobster pot pie, lobster curry, Asian mushrooms, wonton crust and lobster shell bite. Ed Yarmosh, Boothbay Harbor Country Club chef, also won First Runner-up People's Choice. 

Executive Chef Dwayne Whitelocke of the Rocktide Inn also won Second Runner-up People's Choice.

All 17 participating Claw Down chefs had the opportunity to vote for their favorite bite. The Chefs’ Choice award went to Meservier.

The more than 400 attendees from 16 states and as far away as Kenya enjoyed savory lobster bites from 17 local chefs while sipping on wines and beers from Central Distributors, 90 + Cellars and Cisco Brewers. 

Each chef's lobster bite was in a blind judging contest and the attendees also voted on their choice for the Claw Down People’s Choice Award for best lobster bite.  

Kerry Altiero owner of Café Miranda in Rockland, Maine, Downeast Magazine’s Chef of the Year, co-host of NOSH—VStv, 2013 Harvest on the Harbor Best Farm-To-Table Chef and Lobster Chef of 2012, author of “Adventures in Comfort Food,” hosted this year's festivities. 

Judges for the event included: Ben Conniff, Vice President of Luke's Lobster; Shannon Bard, owner and Executive Chef at Zapoteca Restaurante y Tequileria, Portland; and Malcolm Bedell of  'Wich, Please, food-truck fame in Rockland.

Mark your calendar for the fifth annual Claw Down lobster bite competition on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016.

Also competing at Claw Down were: Boothbay Harbor Country Club - Chef Ed Yarmosh; Boothbay Harbor Inn - Chef Luis Alvarez; Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club - Chef Rob Tetrault; Boothbay Lobster Wharf - Chef Todd Simmons; Brown’s Wharf Inn - Chef Donovan Haye; Cod’s Head Fish House & BBQ - Chef Brittney Meservier; Fisherman’s Wharf Inn - Chef Keith Stafford; Fleur De Sel Catering - Chef Margaret McLellan; Little Village Bistro - Chef Tony Bickford; Oliver’s at Cozy Harbor Wharf - Chef John Reed; Ports of Italy - Chef Fabrizio Ventricini; Robinson's Wharf & Tugs Pub - Chef Eric Garringer; Spruce Point Inn Resort & Spa - Chef Brooks Roberts; The Boathouse Bistro & Tapas Bar - Chef Karin Guerin; The Rocktide Inn & Restaurant - Chef Dwayne Whitelocke; The Thistle Inn - Chef Nicholas Krunkkala; Topside Inn – The Inn on the Hill - Chef Mark Osborn.

For the fourth consecutive year, the chamber has partnered with the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. Proceeds from the event helped to underwrite the cost of Claw Down with a stipend to each participating restaurant to help cover the cost of lobster and it will help the chamber in its efforts to bolster local businesses; serve as guardians of the region’s economic well-being; advocate on behalf of area businesses; and promote avenues of tourism for the communities of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, East Boothbay, Edgecomb, Monhegan Island, Newcastle, Southport, Westport, Wiscasset and Woolwich.

The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce would like to thank presenting sponsors Maine Magazine, The Brand Company, BDN Maine, Boothbay Region Greenhouses, Central Distributors, Marshall Tent and Event Rental and Ocean Point Marina along with Boothbay Region Community Television, Northeast Media Associates, The First, N.A., Stone Cove Catering, The Inns at Greenleaf Inn, Ames True Value Supply, Café Miranda, Five Gables Inn, Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, Organic Valley, Seacoast Coffee, Starlight Custom Cakes, Ted Axelrod Photography, Tindal and Callahan Real Estate, Washburn & Doughty, Inc., Chef Stephen Richards, Baldwin Realty, Hodgdon Yacht Services, J. Edward Knight Insurance, Osman Page, Dan's Auto Repair Services, Boothbay Harbor Embroidery, Southport Silver, Ellis Commercial Development Leasing and Management, Downeast Energy, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Country Coach Charters, Greg Powers Agency, Sweet Bay, Martin Page and the Lincoln Arts Festival.