Currently, food and dining choices provide selections for every palate and budget, built on the region’s strong support for local foods and farms. Small, family-owned diners and pizza shops are situated next to diverse offerings from Africa, India, Vietnam, Italy, and France. It is recognized that opportunities in the local food system and farming to advance economic growth will help both new Americans achieve greater self-reliance and encourage more entrepreneurs to open restaurants and develop local food products.  This is linked to the Lewiston Auburn Community Market, where commercial test kitchens will provide incubation space to build food brands and sell through the attached grocery.  Additionally, the highly enrolled culinary program at the Lewiston Regional Technical Center provides local youth hands-on food service and restaurant experience at the LRTC’s Green Ladle Restaurant and the program has graduated national award-winning chefs  who have opened restaurants locally and regionally.  

Additionally, the number of local farms—including farms owned and operated by New Americans—are adding crops to Maine’s report to USDA Agricultural Statistics and providing locally grown products for restaurants and consumers across Maine that were not previously available in the State.

Annually, the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce hosts Taste the Harvest to bring the community together to celebrate our local food economy, showcasing the best of our region’s harvest and Lewiston’s culinary talent.  The one-night street festival highlights and promotes our local farm to table with tapas-style dishes in a multi-chef collaborative dining experience al fresco. Ingredients are selected from local farms and food producers to highlight the best tastes of harvest while boosting our local food economy. The one-evening event is followed by the Eat Local Challenge, which aims to bolster the local food economy, food producers, and restaurants, all while contributing to the region’s image as a food destination.

Combined, LFAP Leads will work to aggregate the impact of this work to elevate the community as a local food hub focused on growing food for sustenance as well as production for retail and food service.  Beyond “farm to table” this initiative seeks to provide local food across our community, within our schools and at the retail/restaurant level to exemplify how farming, food production, and municipal policy can coalesce to identify the Lewiston Auburn community as simultaneously food secure, food forward and welcoming of all who seek a culinary experience rooted in local culture.