Talking Food in Maine: Intimate Conversations, Season 4, is a free series of one on one conversations between host Cherie Scott of Mumbai to Maine (Boothbay) and notable culinary pioneers who have made a substantial contribution to the culinary arts in the state of Maine. We are pleased to welcome our second guest for this season, Ilm Lopez!

A native of Venezuela, Ilma Lopez grew up in the kitchen alongside her grandmother. After getting her start at Malabar in Caracas, she was accepted to the pastry program at Stratford University in Virginia. Today, Lopez is the Pastry Chef and co-owner of Ugly Duckling, Chaval, and Piccolo here in Portland, Maine. She is a veteran of some of the most demanding and rewarding kitchens in the industry, such as DB Bistro, Corton, Tailor, El Bulli, Café Boulud, and Le Bernardin. With a mastery of colors, flavors, textures, and spices—and a seasoned ability to work under pressure—Lopez makes classic dishes her own, with attention to micro-detail and thoughtful twists. For her work, Lopez earned a 2014 StarChefs Coastal New England Rising Star Pastry Chef Award. In 2018, she was chosen as a James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef semi-finalist for the second year in a row. Recently, she has been featured in the children’s book Kalamata’s Kitchen and the Bon Appetite article as “one of the most talented pastry chefs in town.”

Event photo copyright Zack Bowen

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, & Your Maine Concierge

     

 

This is a FREE event. No tickets or reservations are required to attend.
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