Two Celebrity Chefs Come Home for Harvest on the Harbor, Maine's Premier Food and Wine Festival

PORTLAND, Maine, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Harvest on the Harbor will be a delicious homecoming for two featured celebrity chefs, Michael Ruoss, originally from Old Orchard Beach, and Zac Young, from Falmouth. The renowned chefs will bring their expertise to Maine's premier food and wine experience, October 21-23, at Ocean Gateway, on Portland's waterfront.  The event is sponsored by the Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau.

After working locally at The Seaman's Club and the Snow Squall, Ruoss was a star student at Emeril Lagasse's flagship New Orleans restaurant, NOLA, for eleven years, where he quickly became chef-de-cuisine.  Ruoss opened his own restaurant, Salu (formerly known as Camilla Grille), in New Orleans in 2000, and will soon open a second restaurant in the city's French Quarter. While he is committed to his adoptive state and rebuilding its economy, Ruoss is forever a Mainer.  He relates his passion for Maine clams, lobster and Moxie in a profile of him in Portland Magazine's Summer Guide 2010. (http://www.portlandmonthly.com/portmag/2010/06/acadias-cajuns/)  

"I am thrilled to be returning to my home state, to its great people -- and its great cuisine," says Ruoss. "We will put on a show that will please even the most discerning gourmands, and I'm honored to have a part in it!"

Ruoss will be the guest chef for the festival's kick-off event, The Ultimate Seafood Splash. Beforehand, he will return to his alma mater, Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), and demonstrate the preparation of his Cajun-style lobster stew for the students. This dish, similar to a seafood gumbo, will be served at The Ultimate Seafood Splash from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on October. 21.

Zac Young will be a contestant on Bravo's upcoming new TV series, "Top Chef Just Desserts," (http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-just-desserts), which premieres in mid-September, and will be airing during Harvest on the Harbor. At the festival, Young will be the emcee of the Sweet Stage at Savory Samplings at The Marketplace from noon to 2:30 p.m., and from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23.

Young is an honors graduate of the Baking and Pastry Arts Program at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. He also studied under Sebastian Rouxel and Richard Capizzi at Bouchon Bakery, and worked as Pastry Chef at the New York City hot-spot, Butter Restaurant, where he developed his signature style using classic French technique, bold flavors and fun, to put a creative twist on American desserts. He trained in France as well, with such renowned chefs as Philippe Givre and Philippe Parc. In 2009, he accepted the position of Executive Pastry Chef at Flex Mussels in New York City.

"Coming back to Maine, for me, is very sweet, but I can promise you even sweeter delights at the Sweet Stage," says Young. "You won't find pastries any more delicious than those we'll have to offer!"

For a detailed schedule of Harvest on the Harbor events and to purchase tickets, visit  www.HarvestontheHarbor.com.

This event is produced by the Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau and sponsored, in part, by the Maine Office of Tourism, Down East Magazine, 94.9 WHOM FM, Ameritrade and Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.

SOURCE Harvest on the Harbor