We are excited to have you join us for this incredible collaborative virtual wine dinner as we gather online from the comforts of home—with two wine glasses in hand, three Chefs, and a Sommelier on the screen—to discuss the featured wines and the delicious Maine Seafood Dishes + a dessert from Chefs Shanna and Brian O’Hea of Academe at the Kennebunk Inn and Chef Jef Wright of Sur Lie … all while creating community, and supporting local restaurants, farmers, fishermen, and purveyors.
Join with Sommelier, Erica Archer + three incredible chefs for an epic virtual wine dinner centered around fresh-out-of-the-water Maine Seafood. It’s seafood season in Maine and we can’t think of a better way to dive into it than with three incredible chefs elevating it to perfection. And it’s all paired with two really great bottles of wine—delivered to your door in Greater Portland and the Kennebunks and all those places in between.*
That’s right, hours before logging-on to join everyone for wine and dinner you’ll receive your dinner-for-two package containing 4 courses, 3 savory courses (one from each chef), a dessert course, and the two featured bottles of wines. And we’ll enjoy them all together, with the chefs and they’ll walk us through and quick and easy details we need to plate.
Featured Wines
2019 Adegas Moure, A Fuga, Ribeira Sacra, Spain
2018 DAOU, Chardonnay, Reserve, Paso Robles Willow Creek District, California
Featured Chefs and Menu
First Course
Chef/Co-Owner Shanna O’Hea of Academe at The Kennebunk Inn: Red Claw Crab Croquettes with Panko-crusted crab and corn Havarti cream, over roasted red pepper & edamame relish
Second Course
Chef Jef Wright of Sur Lie: Zarzuela: Smoky tomato broth with local scallops, haddock, and smoked mussels, chorizo and Marcona almonds
Third Course
Chef/Co-Owner Brian O’Hea of Academe at the Kennebunk Inn: Lobster Lemoncello Pasta with Fresh Maine lobster, homemade Maccheroni Pasta with Brian’s Myer lemoncello butter sauce, pomegranate seeds, snow peas & fresh thyme
Dessert Course
Chef Jef Wright of Sur Lie: Bittersweet chocolate tart, pretzel crust, sea salt bourbon caramel
Due to the nature of this event, we regret that we cannot accommodate food substitutions.
The dinner-for-two ticket price is all-inclusive of a 4-course dinner-for-two with these 3 incredible chefs, 2 bottles of wine, tax, service, download materials, event experience, and delivery.* “Seating” is limited to 15 deliveries of wine-dinner-for-two.
Your Chefs
Chef Jef Wright is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy, he has worked in a wide array of cuisines and restaurants both large and intimate. For many years he worked in Atlanta GA, with Richard Blais, former Top Chef winner, and focused on molecular gastronomy as a means to reimagine and refine traditional southern dishes. His passion for continued learning has taken him to Philadelphia and New York where he worked in both a 2 Michelin star restaurant and for a large and well-known upscale restaurant group. His style is best described as heavily influenced by traditional French and Spanish cuisine with a love for upscale Southern always focusing on refined techniques. He was the opening sous chef at The Garrison in Yarmouth, where he helped the restaurant attain a 4-½ star review from the Press Herald. Jef is thrilled to be stepping back into the role of Executive Chef and leading the kitchen at Sur Lie. He looks forward to sharing his excitement and passion for delicious, sophisticated cuisine with Portland.
Chefs Shanna and Brian O’Hea, who met as students at the Culinary Institute of America, are Chef-Owners since 2003 of Academe Brasserie and The Kennebunk Inn in Kennebunk, Maine. Built in 1799 and featuring 23 guest rooms/suites and a 100-seat restaurant, the Inn anchors Main Street in one of Maine’s most popular tourist destinations. In 2019, Food Network listed The Kennebunk Inn #3 among the Best Hotels for Foodies in the U.S.
The O'Heas have gained widespread recognition through numerous appearances as Guest Chefs on Holland America Cruise Line and in culinary events across the U.S. and internationally, including Walt Disney World Epcot International Food and Wine Festival since 2011. Shanna competed on Food Network's "Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay” and won "Rewrapped."
Academe’s signature Lobster Pot Pie has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine as a Gayle King favorite, the Travel and Leisure Holiday Gift Guide, Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” and Travel Channel’s “Food Paradise”; its Lobster White Truffle Pizza on the “O List” in O, The Oprah Magazine and Travel Channel’s “Food Paradise.” Both Academe products and a recent creation, Lobster Lo’Maine, as well as lobster rolls are available at Goldbelly.com shipping fresh overnight across the U.S.
Sommelier Erica Archer is a Maine native and a true oenophile, having obtained high levels of certification in her field. In 2010, she was awarded the Wine Spirit and Education Trust Level Three Advanced Certification in Wines and Spirits (with merit), became a Sommelier in the American Court of Master Sommeliers, and received her Certified Wine Professional award from the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California. Erica is the principal of Wine Wise, a wine education and events service, and is skilled at creating truly creative and memorable wine experiences that take guests beyond a typical tasting with her intimate understanding of what makes each wine unique. And she’ll do it with her trademark down-to-earth style and sense of humor.
Tell us about delivery.
We’ll deliver your box of goodies between 2:00-5:30 pm on the day of the event. For delivery and curbside, you can rest assured that we are exceeding all requirements for your safety and the safety of our teams in preparing, pick-up, and delivering. Our expanded delivery area (for this event only) includes Arundel, Biddeford, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland Foreside, Falmouth, Gorham, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Portland, Saco, Scarborough, South Portland, and Westbrook. Live outside our delivery area? Let us know in the Special Instructions section at checkout that you’ll meet us for curbside pick-up at 2 pm at the Kennebunk Inn. Sending this to a different address than you billing address? Please include the name, email, phone, and address of the recipients in the Special Instructions section.
Where do we meet?
On your computer screen at 6 pm on the day of the event. You’ll download the Zoom app and access our event through a link that we will send you.
What do we need?
Set your dinner table with a fork, knife, spoon, napkin, water, and a wine glass per person. You’ll also need a corkscrew, an ice bucket if you’d like to keep your wine chilled, the downloaded materials for this event, and a computer with internet access, sound, and video capability. Be sure to download the ZOOM app before this event as that is the platform we will be using so that we can all see and hear each other.
Cancellations/Reschedules/No Shows
Because of our size, and the need to purchase the wine and food to accommodate the number of tickets sold, we will be able to refund you only if we can re-sell your tickets (minus the $25.00 credit card transactions we have to pay) OR reschedule you to a different event (there is no credit card transaction fee in this case). There are no refunds or reschedules for no-shows or if we are not able to resell your tickets. Makes sense, right?
