Four Maine companies won a total of six Good Food Awards in San Francisco on Friday night.
The awards, given annually to independent food producers who meet certain environmental and agricultural sustainability standards, were presented at a 1,000-person gala at the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center. Famed American chef and restaurateur Alice Waters, founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, hosted the ceremony.
A Small Good in Rockport, which cures meat from pasture-raised hogs, won in the charcuterie category for its brined coppa.
David Buchanan, owner of Portersfield Orchards in Pownal, was recognized in the cider category for his artisan cider made from American heritage apples.
Bard Coffee in Portland won for its Organic Costa Rica La Mirella in the coffee category.
Liquid Riot, a Portland brewery and distillery, was the biggest winner, bringing home three awards. Two were from the spirit category: Liquid Riot Old Port Straight Bourbon Whiskey is aged a minimum of three years in new charred American White Oak barrels and crafted using Maine-grown corn, rye and buckwheat. Fernet Michaud, a drinking bitter, is infused with a proprietary blend of 22 botanicals, roots and herbs, then rested in used red wine barrels for five months. The third award went to Liquid Riot’s limited-release Blushing Star Barrel Aged Lager, an American pilsner aged in neutral oak barrels with Maine-grown Blushing Star peaches.
Every finalist from Maine received an award. The Maine finalists were selected from among 2,035 entries in 16 categories, including cheese, confections, honey, pickles and preserves. In all, 401 products from 40 states were chosen by the nonprofit Good Food Foundation through a blind tasting.
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