Tasting " Tastings " MOFGA's second annual spotlight on local chefs and food BY ANDY KING

On Sunday, July 17, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) held "Tastings," a culinary event at the New Leaf Farm in Durham. If you fancy yourself a gourmand of any kind, and you are the least bit interested in local foods prepared by local chefs, these events are a must-go: at the least to rub plates with some of the heralded — and unheralded — stars of Maine cooking, at the most to experience what regional organic cooking can be at its height.

First off, a word about MOFGA, for those of you who are familiar with the acronym but not fully familiar with the mission: the association of farmers, gardeners, food-service businesses, and countless volunteers from all over the state and all over the professional map, was founded in 1971. It currently has more than 4000 members, making it the largest and oldest state-wide organic organization in the country. Its mission is one of promotion: of organic and chemical-free food, sustainable agriculture, and rural communities. MOFGA also oversees the annual Common Ground Country Fair on its 230-acre plot in Unity, which draws about 40,000 visitors each year. Again, if you haven’t gone to the fair, go.

The event two weeks past was the second-annual tasting event of its kind. True to MOFGA’s philosophy, it resulted from a lot of generosity from many different sources. Underwritten by the College of the Atlantic and Grandy Oats, it involved volunteer efforts from folks helping park cars, working the ticket tables, setting up, taking down, and not least of all the donation by the New Leaf Farm, whose beautiful grounds were available for both tours and between-plate wandering.

On to the main event. Eight chefs represented eight different restaurants, each one serving a tasting-portion of a signature dish to queued attendees. The first table — that is, the one located right after the ticket table (tickets were $50 for MOFGA members, $60 for non-members) — was, coincidentally, the subject of last week’s review: Chef Stephanie Brown of the SeaGrass Bistro. And she was serving, coincidentally, one of the appetizers I ate while I was there: the Grilled Romaine Salad. It was still quite tasty.

Next was Chef Josh DeGroot, from the Newcastle Inn, who offered quite a few items: Damariscotta Oysters with Lemon Herb Mignonette ("I’d never kick an oyster out of bed," commented author Michael Sanders as he downed his allotment), Blackstrap Pork Loin with Fresh Mozzarella (pulled to order), Tomato Relish with House Foccacia, Picked Fiddleheads, and Rhubarb Lemonade. I tended toward the sandwich method of eating: After tasting each item separately, all was piled on the focaccia, popped in the ol’ pie hole and washed down . . . an early favorite? It would be hard to top.

The Brooklin Inn’s Kyla Angell dished up Chicken Under a Brick and White Truffle Oil on White Bean Stew with Nantes Carrots, and (next to her) Bob Magda, from the Back Street Bistro, grilled house-made Blueberry Sausage on a black smoker, served with chilled coleslaw. There seemed to be a roaring grill at almost every station, and the blazing summer heat simulated the chef’s natural environment of the 100-degree kitchen. One of the exceptions was a wonderful offering from the Harraseeket Inn’s Chef Nate Beriau who manned a simple hot plate and sauté pan and served portions of Butterscotch Glazed Pork Belly. Everything melted upon introduction to the mouth, pork fat, glaze, meat . . . almost no chewing necessary. That’s pork belly, right there.

Matt Stewart, Chef at the Public Market’s Scales, served up a nice Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Asian Rice Noodles with greens dressed with Southwestern Chili Soy Sauce Vinaigrette. Across the tent, another Fore Street alum, Jeff Savage of Tides Inn By the Sea in Kennebunkport, was serving Braised Short Rib with Wild Mushroom Ragout. Another beautifully cooked meat; another favorite. Noticing a trend?

Slightly lighter fare topped off the day’s tasting: a sweet Roasted Beet Gazpacho, garnished with cubes of Lemon Cured Salmon and a Goat Cheese Crouton. It was the only cold item of the day (excepting the ice cream that made up dessert), and by the looks of the non-sweaty Chef Jesse Sousa, it was a wise choice by him.

This wasn’t an event that was to be judged or scored, only enjoyed by the attendees.

And enjoyed it was. But, in any space involving multiple talented chefs and multiple tasting plates, well, it’s hard not to find something that agrees with you more than the others. My personal favorite: Nate Beriau’s pork belly. Almost perfect. But every one of these chefs is worth checking out, at their respective restaurants, or perhaps at next year’s tasting as well.

Pick ’em: The chefs attending MOFGA’s Tastings were chosen not only for their obvious technical skill, but their dedication to using local ingredients. In fact, some of the chefs even had their growers prepare special product just for the event.

Andy King can be reached at dinnerwithandy@yahoo.com