MacKenzie Arrington, Maine Lobster Chef of 2009, will be competing for the title of Maine Lobster Chef All Star 2012 on October 25 at the Harvest on the Harbor four-day culinary Event in Portland.

This competition has been won by Boothbay resident chefs, Margaret Salt McLellan in 2008, MacKenzie Arrington in 2009 and Kelly Farrin in 2010.

Arrington’s competition recipe will be ricotta gnudi with Maine lobster, black truffles, chanterelle mushrooms and chervil.

Arrington, who is the son of Noel Arrington and Margaret Salt McLellan, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in both the associate's and bachelor's programs. While a student there he assisted his mother in the 2008 competition.

When McLellan won the title of Maine Lobster Chef, he declared that next year he would steal the crown. And he did. Inheriting the culinary competitiveness from his mother, Arrington and his mother have competed as Team Maine in the Great American Seafood Cook Off in New Orleans 2008-2011. Team Maine won third place in 2010 with Arrington’s Atlantic Red Crabcake recipe.

In 2010 Arrington moved to New York City to pursue his culinary career. His goal has been to work under New York's best chefs and gain knowledge on his way up the culinary ladder. To date Arrington has trained under David Chang at Momofuko Restaurants, Daniel Humm at NoMad (James Beard's choice for best chef in the U.S. in 2011) and currently with Chef Andrew Carmellini at The Dutch.

Arrington also continues in a part-time role as a QVC (shopping channel) on-air spokesperson for his mother's company, Morrrison’s Maine Course in Portland. When not in the kitchen or in front of a camera, Arrington spends his time training, competing and teaching Brazilian jiu jitsu.