Harvest On The Harbor Returning To Maine

From Oct. 23 to 26, Maine's premier food and wine festival Harvest on the Harbor is returning to the city for the sixth year. The festival, arranged by Portland's Convention + Visitors Bureau, will showcase food and drinks from Maine's top local chefs and producers, with an emphasis on ingredients and produce that are locally grown and responsibly harvested, according to the festival website.

The highlights of the four-day festival include the signature event — the Grand Tasting on the Harbor — where guests have an opportunity to sample fare from Maine's best restaurants and meet the chefs personally. This year, guests will also get to complement the tasting experience with beers, wines, and spirits. Another favorite from past years — the Lobster Chef of the Year — is a lunchtime event where chefs prepare succulent lobster dishes and compete for the title of Maine Lobster Chef of the Year. The final four chefs selected to compete for the 2013 title are Brandon Blethen from Robert's Maine Grill, Shanna O'Hea from Academe, and Jon Gaboric and Chris Long from Natalie's.

New at this year's festival is "International Maine: Taste the World," where samples of international cuisine, from French to Thai, are given to guests in a celebration to the diverse food scene in Maine.

Other events include cooking demos, live music, and several additional tastings of food, wine, and spirits. Additionally, two intimate, educational tasting sessions will allow a limited number of attendees to participate in a blending session featuring the great grapes of Bordeaux and/or the brewers of New England's specialty craft beers.