HomeFiddlehead Focus Where THE WORLD finds out about THE VALLEY Click here for more info! News Police BLOGGERS Editorial Obituaries Funpage Calendar Jobs/Classifieds About Archive Dow carves out a ‘Cool’-inary career News Business Local News Send by emailSend by email Ben Murphy 25 June 2013 by Ben Murphy FORT KENT/MAINE - If you know Erin Dow, her facebook status, “Will trade maple crème brûlée for six for the use of a belt or orbital sander. Fee negotiable,” is far from surprising. In one sentence it summarizes her culinary awesomeness and a do it yourself spirit that is no doubt rooted in the St. John Valley. dowDow, a Fort Kent native and 1995 graduate of Community High School runs her own business named simply Eatswell. Dow is a regular contributor to the Morning Report on WCSH in Portland, a working mom and a pretty good shot with a nine millimeter. Dow chose the name of her business because, “I figured a name like that would cover just about any angle of the food industry I ended up dabbling in.” Over seventeen years, and without formal training, she has dabbled in just about every aspect of the food industry. Dow says she has a “persistent need to learn and master new skills at all times.” That need serves her well as her typical day is far from the regular 9 to 5. “It’s never the same from day to day, which is how I like it. One day I’m catering a wedding for 200 and the next day I’m doing a photoshoot for a new recipe I’ve created or an article I’ve written. I might spend a day as a guest chef at a school and spend that afternoon helping rewire convection ovens,” said Dow. To do all this, Dow says a few Valley and County traits serve her well on daily basis. “Anyone who has worked on a potato harvester knows the meaning of hard work. Period. Knowing French has come in handy in the usual ways, but most amusingly during those times I’ve had the pleasure of working with other Fort Kenters in the same kitchen. It allows us to swear up a storm without offending the clients,” she said. Dow has cooked for Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as well as countless musicians. But amongst her favorite famous folks was Anthony Bourdain, a renowned chef and television personality. “It was simply a dream come true. There’s no other way to describe it. I cooked a meal for him with no guarantee that he would eat it; in fact, the tour manager for the event he was at assured me that, ‘Mr. Bourdain never eats backstage catering.’ So to not only have my food praised but for him to sit down with me and my friend in the kitchen and chat for half an hour, well, that was the best. I saw him at an event almost two years later and he said he still remembered my boudins blanc.” Despite this Dow still stresses about whether or not her kids are going to like what she made for dinner. In fact, her work with kids, parents and school systems has garnered her a lot of attention. Erin works as the Expert Chef for Guiding Stars. According to their website Guiding Stars is “a nutrition guidance program that rates the nutritional quality of food using information from the Nutrition Facts Panel and the ingredients list. Foods are rated and receive a score based on the assignment of credits and debits. Rated foods are marked with easy-to-follow tags indicating 0, 1, 2, or 3 stars. The more nutritional value a food has, the more Guiding Stars it receives.” Guiding Stars sent Dow to Windham schools as a guest chef day. “They were so impressed with the effect that my work there had on their staff, meal sales, and enthusiasm about healthy food among the students and staff that they contracted with me to visit each of the other five schools in their district. This year the Cumberland-North Yarmouth district hired me to work with all four of their kitchen crews. It’s really satisfying work, and I hope to do a ton more work with school lunch programs in the future.” Her work in schools has gotten attention outside of Maine’s borders. Jamie Oliver, a culinary hall of famer and television personality took notice of Dow’s skills. They then featured her in several videos and her work in Windham was a top contender for Oliver’s ‘Best School Lunch’ contest. When she is not cooking for the stars, or revolutionizing school lunches, Dow can sometimes be found at the Winthrop Hot Meals Kitchen, cooking up food for those in need. “We believe that the needy are just as deserving of a quality meal as everyone else. Do they get lobsters and filet mignon? No. But their meals are healthy and tasty and always prepared with the same respect and care that my $100 a plate customers receive.” Erin Dow is also a juggler. Not in the literal sense, but combine the aforementioned culinary efforts along with her weekly segment on WCSH, and a liking for competitive air pistol, and you rarely get a day that isn’t busy. “It’s a juggling act, and I’m not always great at it. I spent a long time as a stay-at-home mother, and it was the right choice for our family. But I also believe that personal successes in my professional life have brought more balance to the table, which makes me more appreciative of how rich a life I’m so blessed to have. It requires constant assessment of my surroundings and adjustment of my sights, but it’s worth it,” she said.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 01:07:05 +0000
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