CAPE ELIZABETH — Two local chefs will join forces to raise money for Haiti relief efforts.

Chef Mitchell Kaldrovich of the Inn by the Sea and chef/owner Larry Matthews Jr. of Back Bay Grill in Portland will create a five-course meal with wine pairings for $90 per person. The benefit dinner starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11, and will be held at the Inn by the Sea, 40 Bowery Beach Road (Route 77).

Net proceeds will benefit Share Our Strength for Haiti relief. Share our Strength is an organization that helps fight to end childhood hunger. 

Kaldrovich said he has not worked with Matthews before, but is looking forward to the opportunity. He said Matthews is a consistent and strong chef with a laid-back demeanor.

“He is a very talented chef and well-known in the area,” Kaldrovich said. “Our personalities mesh and I think our cooking styles are similar.”

Kaldrovich said he will prepare the first two courses, a lobster fritter and a parsnip soup, and the rack of lamb main course. Matthews will prepare a crispy sweetbreads appetizer and coconut rice pudding dessert. The full menu is available on the Inn by the Sea Web site under Sea Glass Dining and special events.

“I hope we can bring in a lot of people to enjoy the dinner,” Kaldrovich said.

In addition to his benefit dinner, Kaldrovich has been invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York on Feb. 27.

“It is so exciting to be asked to cook (at the Beard House),” he said. “I never thought this would happen to me. It is a great challenge and an honor.”

He said the menu – New England with a twist – is his vision of the best seafood Maine has to offer. He said his style is simple, but polished. He will use local cheeses, honeymead, fruit and seafood to showcase his signature dishes – pan-seared jumbo scallops with a parsnip puree and a rich cod and lobster chowder with leeks, potatoes and bacon.

He will share his Argentinian food background on Feb. 18 with a wine dinner in Cape Elizabeth and then will leave for New York City, where he will spend five days doing a demonstration at Macy’s as the guest chef at the Mae Mae Cafe.

Kaldrovich said he has lived in Maine since 2008, and is approaching his two-year anniversary at the Inn by the Sea.

“So much has happened at once,” he said. “Marriage, a baby, wine dinners, benefits, a trip to New York. It has been so busy, but I love this so much.”

For reservations for the benefit dinner, call 799-3134.

Amy Anderson can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 110 or aanderson@theforecaster.net

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Chef Mitchell Kaldrovich of the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth has been selected by the James Beard Foundation to cook at the Foundation House in New York City. He is also doing a benefit with the Back Bay Grill on Feb. 11 to benefit Haiti relief.

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