Taste Maine Market Maker Awards
The Taste Maine Market Maker Awards were handed out at the 5th Annual Chef Summit.
This year’s Taste Maine Market Maker Awards recipients include entrepreneur Oliver Perkins, owner of A Small Good Charcuterie in Rockport, Maine and Chef David Seigal of NYC’s Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar and The Lobster Place Market in NYC.
From Left to Right: Oliver Perkins, David Seigal
The award recipients have demonstrated a passion for the food business and a commitment to collaborating with Maine companies. Their dedication to their craft has resulted in not only their personal success, but they have contributed to the growth and success of Maine-based food enterprises. Rockland and Damariscotta were two Maine communities that saw local economic impact as result of the innovations and collaborations from Oliver and Chef David.
From Left to Right: Sarah Xiao/Glidden Point Oyster Farms, Sarah Taylor Wieluns/Chef Summit, Award Winners Chef Dave Seigal/Cull Pistol, NYC & Oliver Perkins/A Small Good Charcuterie, Rory Strunk/Chef Summit, Nancy McBrady/Bureau Director, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bill Mook, Mook Sea Farms
Recipient of the Maine Market Producer Award
Oliver Perkins
Oliver Perkins has grown A Small Good Charcuterie 300% a year since opening. Oliver Perkins has tapped the rapidly growing charcuterie category with innovation using Maine products to gain wide-spread distribution through restaurants and specialty stores throughout New England into New York State.
Recipient of the Market Maker Chef and Buyer Award
Chef David Siegal
Chef David Seigal has expanded his menu of Maine Oysters and aquaculture products to include 30 different Maine Farms that reached $1 million in sales at Lobster Place, Cull & Pistol at the famed Chelsea Market in NYC. Chef David Siegal was introduced to Maine’s Oyster Farmers at the Damariscotta Oyster Celebration in Spring of 2018. During the DOC event Chef Siegal was runner in the 2018 International Oyster Chef Competition.
More about Oliver Perkins, A Smallgood
Oliver Perkins is the owner of A Smallgood. Oliver is a former historian from Australia living in Maine making Italian style dry cured meats. He got his start in charcuterie in 2014 training as a whole animal butcher at the former Meat Market in Great Barrington, MA and was lucky enough to work under several people trained in french style charcuterie and seam butchery. Soon Oliver was given free reign over its burgeoning dry cured program. He moved to the Mid Coast in 2017 and set about building A Smallgood. Two years on and they are going strong producing whole animal salami under USDA inspection.
More about Chef David Seigal, Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar
Growing up on the South Shore of Long Island, David Seigal always had a deep-rooted appreciation for all things fish, buying fresh flounder, scallops, and cod straight off the boats with his mother.
David’s fine dining experience spans almost two decades and comprises some of the top kitchens in NYC including working under acclaimed Chefs, Charlie Palmer, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Gray Kunz, and David Bouley. Professional stages abroad at the three-Michelin star Martin Berasategui and El Raco D’en Freixa in Spain, and Hotel Lenkerhof in Switzerland round out David’s unqiue culinary background.
David returned to his roots in 2013 and joined forces with the Lobster Place to open Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar in the heart of New York City. The accessibility to pristine fish that Lobster Place provides and David’s culinary ingenuity benefit the thousands of people who visit Chelsea Market each day. The ever-changing, globally-inspired seafood menu at Cull & Pistol has been recognized each year by the Michelin Guide, as well as local critics and seafood lovers alike.