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Talking Food in Maine: Intimate Conversations, with host Cherie Scott and guest Mary Allen Lindemann

Talking Food in Maine: Intimate Conversations, Season 3, is a free series of one on one conversations between host Cherie Scott of Boothbay and notable culinary pioneers who have made a substantial contribution to the culinary arts in the state of Maine.

Mary Allen Lindemann is the Co-founder/Community Builder of Coffee By Design (CBD); a Maine owned and operated specialty coffee roastery/retailer, which opened its doors in Portland, Maine in 1994.   Committed to changing the world, one cup of coffee at a time, CBD has four coffeehouses and state of the art roastery, which provides over 600 wholesale customers with sustainably sourced, craft roasted coffee. In addition to serving some of the world’s finest coffee, Coffee By Design is committed to running a sustainable business dedicated to progressive arts and social change – throughout Maine as well as around the world at origin where they buy their coffee.

Ms. Lindemann’s title of Community Builder illustrates the many hats she wears at the company.  Mary Allen is dedicated to ensuring that Coffee By Design stays true to its Maine roots and maintains its commitment to giving back to the local and international communities from which Coffee By Design is intimately connected.  Part of her job is to make sure the company continues to be a “good corporate citizen” while making social change happen in a unique and meaningful way.  With regards to coffee, Mary Allen believes “it is an honor to represent the many farmers we buy from by serving a great cup of coffee while sharing the story behind the bean.”  She hopes that the work she does on a daily basis at Coffee By Design and in the community makes a difference now and in the years to come. 

Mary Allen is actively involved in the community.  In addition to being co-founder of Coffee By Design, she has been a founding member of several organizations which include Portland Buy Local, Women Standing Together, the Olympia Snowe Leadership Institute.  Most recently, her focus is on asylum seekers and immigration rights for those new to the United States and settled in Maine. Recently, she stepped down as Chair of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center Board after stabilizing the organization after the unexpected passing of the Executive Director.  Currently, she is Board Chair of Portland Ovations working on increasing diversity in their audience and offerings.

Mary Allen is a member of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA), African Fine Coffee Association (AFCA) and 100 Women Who Care.  She has also founded her own company, MAL(function), which gives voice to the power and beauty of women as we age.

For her work, she has received the Edmund H. Muskie Access to Justice Award, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Imagine Portland Catalyst Award 2022, Mainebiz Women to Watch 2019, A Company of Girls Empow(h)erment Award, Spurwink’s Humanitarian Award, a Legislative Sentiment from the State of Maine for public service, Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community’s “Women Making a Difference Award, the Southern Region Champion, Maine Women’s Fund’s Tribute to Women in Industry Award and Portland Buy Local’s Essential Founder and Local Champion Awards.  In addition, Coffee By Design has received numerous honors including Roast Magazine’s 2020 Macro Roaster of the Year, SBA’s Small Business Persons of the Year for the State of Maine, Maine MEP’s Manufacturing Excellence Award, the Governor’s Award for Business Excellence and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project’s Business Community Partner Award. 

Mumbai-native Cherie Scott left India at the age of 16 and moved to Vancouver, BC. After a few stops in New York City and New Jersey, Cherie has been anchored in Boothbay, Maine now for over a decade.  In 2015, she launched her culinary blog, MumbaitoMaine.com to share her signature recipes and nostalgic anecdotes of her youth in Mumbai. In 2018, Cherie was invited to join a lineup of notable guest chef instructors at Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School where she curated an exclusive, regional Indian cooking series for 4 years. Cherie is now a guest chef instructor at the Milk Street with Christopher Kimball Online Cooking School, Boston. Cherie is the host of “Talking Food In Maine” a series of intimate one-on-one conversations with notable culinary pioneers who have made a substantial contribution to the culinary arts in the state of Maine. To celebrate Maine’s bicentennial and gastronomic talent, Cherie hosted and produced Mumbai to Maine’s podcast in 2020 showcasing some of Maine’s most accomplished culinary tastemakers. In the heart of the pandemic, Cherie launched her signature line of gourmet Indian simmer sauces: Makhani, Saag and Caldine. Inspired by her family’s heritage recipes, these simmer sauces are masterfully crafted in small batches and simmered for hours with an infusion of freshly roasted and ground spice blends. Mumbai to Maine is Maine’s first Indian-inspired and award-winning culinary brand, available nationwide on www.mumbaitomaine.com and across specialty stores in Maine.

 

Presented in partnership with King Eider’s Pub & Rising Tide Co-Op