Christian Gordon -- 2009 Maine Chef of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Dick Grotton, Maine Restaurant Association
TEL: 207-623-2178 -- dick@mainerestaurant.com

AUGUSTA, MAINE (February 24, 2009) -- Christian Gordon, executive chef at The Inn on Peaks Island, has been named 2009 Chef of the Year by the Maine Restaurant Association (MeRA). The award will be presented to Gordon at MeRA’s Annual Awards Banquet on March 31st at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

“Our Board of Directors at MeRA is pleased to present Chef Gordon with this prestigious award,” said Dick Grotton, President and CEO of the Augusta-based association. “Receiving the Chef of the Year award is viewed as a hallmark of demonstrated ingenuity in the kitchen. When you combine Christian’s track record of over twenty years spent honing his craft, the outstanding creativity shown in his food presentation and his genuine commitment to mentoring others for the betterment of our food industry, Chef Gordon is a great choice to receive this year’s award.”

Gordon is a Maine native who began his taste for culinary cuisine in the 1980s at Tobie’s Drive-in in his hometown of Saco before attending the culinary arts program at SMCC. He has served as executive chef at The Inn on Peaks Island since 2007. Prior to joining the Inn, he was executive chef at Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub in Kennebunk for ten years. Before coming on board Federal Jack’s he was at The White Barn Inn

“We set the bar high at MeRA in terms of our standards of excellence, and Chef Gordon has more than passed the test,” Grotton added. “Both through the Inn on Peaks Island and his enjoyment of working with other culinary talents to raise their capabilities, Chef Gordon’s talent and hard work help keep Maine’s food scene front and center on the national map.”

Read full press release HERE.

Pictured: Fred Forsley, Christian Gordon, Richard Grotton.

View more photos HERE.