Harvest on the Harbor Part II

A week ago Saturday was the HOH Culinary Marketplace, a full day event at the beautiful Ocean Gateway terminal in Portland. Instead of being merely an observer/taster like I had been before (see my previous HOH post), this day I had an official badge that read "Exhibitor". That's because I was working with Jackie Dennis, who owns a store in Portland called J'Accents. Jackie is a lovely British woman with flawless taste. The store is brimming with color and filled with "inspirational tablescapes". I work there, very part-time, simply because I enjoy being around such beautiful things. It's fun to arrange and re-arrange them, and help people find ways to update their tables.
We had an area at HOH where we could show off some of our merchandise and our display skills. We spent days choosing the right place settings and linen to take, then wrapping fragile items in bubble wrap. We trucked it all to the terminal, carried it up a long ramp, unpacked it all and began to set up. When we finished several hours later, we had 6 tables full of color and texture.

 

  

                                                                    

 We used nuts, bread and candy corn to fill bowls. We put aged Gouda and crackers under the Simon Pearce cheese dome. Empty spaces were filled in with dried gourds, leaves and candles. With the light flowing in from the terminal's huge windows, the displays looked gorgeous. I stayed there most of the day, talking with both old and new customers. It was fun to meet others who are as obsessed with tableware as we are.

Downstairs, on the pier, was where most of the food vendors had their booths set up. No need for a real lunch when there were so many samples to be had. I followed the irresistible scent of barbecue to DennyMike's, where they were serving up pulled pork with a couple of their sauces.The Hot 'n Nasty was truly hot with habeneros. The vinegary Carolina-style tasted just like the sauce my friend Joni used to bring back from her visits home to North Carolina. But the Sweet 'n Spicy was definitely the winner. I can't wait to try it at home. Moving on, there was crab bisque, seafood chowder, biscuits and bread, more barbecue, and more seafood to be tasted. And that was before I even got to the sweet stuff.

I was glad to see my favorite whoopie pie makers, Cranberry Island Kitchen. More refined than your average Maine convenience store whoopie pie, these delicious treats are shaped like mussels, scallops and at this time of year, mini pumpkins. I tried them with maple creme filling and espresso creme, along with the traditional vanilla. OMG. Really, I could do without the pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and just order a bunch of these (if only my husband would let me get away with it!). I wish I had a picture, but I was too busy eating, so you'll just have to check out their website.

Later in the afternoon I met the delightful Brass Sisters,  Marilynn and Sheila. They were signing copies of their new cookbook, Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters. These ladies call themselves the "queens of comfort food", and if you take a look at their book, it'll be obvious why. They have collected recipes from the treasured notebooks of home cooks, called manuscript cookbooks. Many come from their own mother, including the quintessential Mama's Chicken Soup and Romanian Stuffed Cabbage. The recipes are culturally diverse, hearty and full of nostalgia for simpler times.They suggested I try "Aunt Ruth's Dilly Casserole Bread" and I plan to one day soon. I'll let you know how it goes.

PS - I have not been paid or compensated in any way by any of the companies mentioned here, in exchange for those mentions.  However, as stated, I do work part-time at J'Accents.