Talking Food in Maine returns to The Lincoln Theater for its fourth season, Monday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. A free series, open to all, Talking Food in Maine is a series of one-on-one conversations between host Cherie Scott of Mumbai to Maine and notable culinary pioneers who have made a substantial contribution to the culinary arts in the state of Maine. For our very first guest of 2024, we are pleased to welcome James Beard award winner Marilou Ranta.

Marilou Ranta, otherwise known as Chef Lulu, was born in the Philippines in 1966. She came to the United States in 1987 where she then spent a few years in North Carolina, but she ended up settling in Monson, Maine in 1997. Lulu always had a love for food and feeding others, and guests who came over would always leave with leftovers. Lulu would then head to Eastern Maine Community College to get her culinary degree. She earned her degree the same year she turned 50. In 2017, The Libra Foundation launched the Monson Arts Program where artists come from all over the world to create their art right in Monson. Lulu was asked to cook meals for the resident artists twice a day. Apart from feeding the artists, The Quarry was born, a Fine Dining restaurant with a prix-fixe menu with five-courses.  Lulu creates classic dishes with small twists to make them like never before. Since then, Lulu has claimed a James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality in 2023.

Talking Food in Maine’s host, Mumbai-native Cherie Scott, left India at the age of 16 and moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. After a few stops in New York City and New Jersey, Cherie has been anchored in Boothbay for over a decade. Cherie is now a guest chef instructor at the Milk Street with Christopher Kimball Online Cooking School, Boston. 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.

This is a free event - no reservations or tickets required. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Lincoln Theater is located at 2 Theater St. in downtown Damariscotta. For more information about this, and other events, visit LincolnTheater.net, call 207-563-3424 or email info@lincolntheater.net.