Here are a few highlights of next Thursday’s pairing of Slow Food Portland with the Portland Museum of Art:- Chef Sebastian Carosi of New England Farm 2 Fork Project paired with Edward Weston’s ‘Pepper’
- Cellardoor Winery paired with Walt Kuhn’s ‘Dancing Pears’
- Aurora Provisions and guest artist Lisa Pixley paired w…ith Biltius’s ‘The Hague’
- Stacy Glassman of Swan’s Way Catering and Dolcelinos paired with Therman Statom’s ‘The Chair’
- Maine Cheese Guild & Margaret Hathaway Schatz paired with Marc Chagall’s ‘Anniversary Flowers’
- Stephanie Pilk of Flora Home paired with Max Beckmann’s ‘Still LIfe with Blue Iris’
- Dean’s Sweets paired with Christiaen Striep’s ‘Still Life with Peeled Lemon and an Apricot’
other participants include Maine Mead Works and Fiachre, Maine Beer Company, Hugo’s, and more …. Hope to see you there!

This Tuesday at 9 am I’ll be hosting a forum on children’s nutrition in schools. I’ll be joined by Kevin Concannon, United States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumers (and a Mainer, I might add). I’m taking questions and comments from the public — that’s you! I’ll also be live-streaming the event on my website, and I’m hoping you’ll tune in to watch.

To watch the live stream, go to http://pingree.house.gov/live at 9 am on Tuesday, June 1st.

The Child Nutrition Re-authorization Act — which is responsible for school lunches and many other important programs — will be coming up for a vote in Congress this year. This program started in 1966 and has played a vital role in helping to make sure all children are fed and healthy.

The forum will be held at Bonny Eagle Middle School, from 9:00 - 10:30 am, and will include leaders in Maine’s education and nutrition efforts — from teachers and daycare providers to state agencies and advocates. The panel will be testifying to Under Secretary Concannon about what they would like to see in the next version of this program. This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight Maine’s effective children’s nutrition programs and identify the changes to the federal program that would benefit Maine.

I would love to hear from you. If you have a comment or question you’d like to add to the testimony to Under Secretary Concannon, please email it to me at pingree.questions@mail.house.gov! I will be selecting a handful of questions and will present them to him at the forum and the rest will be answered individually. Be sure to include your full name, address and best contact number in case we have questions for you, and please send your question by noon on Monday, May 31st.

I also hope you’ll tune in to watch the forum online. It will be live from 9:00 to 10:30 am on my website, or you can replay it later at your convenience.

Best,

Chellie
–
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
1st Congressional District, Maine

There are still a few places available for this weekend’s home cheese making workshops at Ten Apple Farm in Gray. Join Karl and Margaret and the goats!  Click here for more info.

Thursday, June 3rd (6:30-8:30pm), join the Portland Museum of Art and Slow Food Portland for this evening of beautiful art and bountiful delectables. Take a long, slow look at the exquisite still-life paintings in Objects of Wonder, and savor samples of the best Maine has to offer in locally grown food. Guest speaker Nancy Harmon Jenkins is a nationally known food writer and historian who resides in Italy and Maine. She is an expert in sustainable agriculture and farm-to-market connections and will talk about Maine’s bounty. Enjoy an evening with friends and meet new people who share your interest in promoting Maine-grown food.Tickets are $25 / $20 for Museum Members, and are available from the Museum.