The owner of Zapoteca says she’ll use the $25,000 jackpot from the Food Network TV show for a thank-you vacation for her family.
Meredith Goad
Many people tell Meredith Goad that she has the best job in Maine, and most of the time she agrees.
Maine has a crazy appetite for food stories, and it’s Meredith’s job to satisfy those cravings with juicy tales from chefs, food producers, local farms, and the state’s fast-growing restaurant scene. Her work appears in Wednesday’s Food & Dining section and the Sunday Source section, and occasionally, but not as often as she’d like, on the front page.
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Meredith shamelessly flaunts her knowledge of good barbecue in front of her Yankee friends. She earned a bachelor of science degree in wildlife biology from Colorado State University, then studied science writing at the University of Missouri, where she received a master’s degree in journalism. She spent the first 20 years of her career covering science and environmental news, then switched to features in 2004, just as Portland’s food scene was taking off.
Her own most memorable meal? Back in the 1980s, on assignment in Finland, she shared a dinner of reindeer and Russian vodka with Maryland’s governor and a bunch of hungry scientists.
Meredith lives in Portland, but spends much of her time off back in Tennessee - either visiting family, or in online archives, researching her family’s history.
How does our big, multicultural nation say grace nowadays?
Mainers share their traditions and inspirations for pausing before a meal to give thanks.
Signature Dish: A Scarborough family shares long-held secret sauce recipe
Bob Lynch makes a ‘Sunday sauce’ so loved by his kids, it has sometimes replaced the Thanksgiving turkey.
Portland bakers sell Monument Square business
Foley’s Bakery will retain its name and its variety of sugary delicacies under its new owner, Andrea Swanson.
Dresden pre-teen’s White House visit just her latest culinary conquest
At 12, Sienna Mazone has demonstrated repeatedly her flair for experimenting in the kitchen and getting others excited about good food.
A lavender farm in Appleton grows scents
Prized in cooking and laundering, and for its lovely, plummy scent, it’s the sole crop at Glendarragh, a 26-acre farm.
Salt Water Farm seeks full expression of farm-to-table
They grow food, serve it and teach people how to cook it.
The ultimate farm-to-table restaurants
Six in Maine you need to know about (and experience).
The ultimate farm-to-table restaurants
Six in Maine you need to know about (and experience).
Meet: Tammy Knight, the go-to gal for the state’s Maine Made program
High-quality yarns are big right now among the many Maine products she helps to market.