Gulf of Maine Tastemakers Awards

The Gulf of Maine Tastemakers program is a community of retailers, restaurants, and institutions that have made a public commitment to source at least 35% of their seafood from the Gulf of Maine region.

Annually, we nominate businesses for the Gulf of Maine Tastemaker Awards to recognize their leadership in three areas:

• The Local Award recognizes businesses that are demonstrating sustained support for sourcing and serving a diversity of local seafood.
• The Innovation Award highlights efforts to creatively expand market opportunities for Gulf of Maine seafood.
• The Climate Award honors businesses adapting to a changing ocean and climate by modeling strategies that support long-term resilience.

Each year, we also announce the total spending on seafood harvested from regional waters by all Gulf of Maine Tastemaker partners in the previous year. Read more below to learn about our partners and their incredible achievements.

2025 Gulf of Maine Tastemaker Award Winners and Nominees

Local Award:

Sodexo’s Maine Course, for setting the bar high for institutional commitments by maintaining 100% Gulf of Maine sourcing for their fresh, flaky white fish purchases across 16 Maine institutions.

Innovation Award:

Mr. Tuna and Bar Futo, for demonstrating inventive methods for putting local bluefin on the menu year-round and showcasing true collaboration by sharing their practices with fellow industry members.

Climate Award:

Portland Lobster Company, for reimagining what a wharf and working waterfront can look like in a changing climate future in the Gulf of Maine.

The 2025 award winners stood out among a strong field of nominees, including Gulf of Maine, Inc. and Ready Seafood in the Climate award category, Red’s Best and SoPo Seafood in the Innovation category, and Fish & Whistle and Becky’s Diner for the Local category.

2024 Gulf of Maine Tastemaker Award Winners and Nominees

Local Award:

Hannaford, for sourcing an impressive 42% of their seafood department’s products locally and consistently prioritizing purchasing from local suppliers.

Innovation Award:

South Portland School Nutrition Department, for incorporating local fish onto menus twice a month in schools and serving culturally relevant seafood recipes to students.

Climate Award:

Atlantic Sea Farms and North Coast Seafoods, for their joint efforts to bring local farmed kelp to market, and particularly for the “seaweed-ish meatballs” making waves in institutional foodservice around the region.

The 2024 winners stood out among a strong field of nominees, including Sodexo’s Maine Course and Eventide Oyster Co. in the Local category, Mr. Tuna and Luke’s Lobster in the Innovation category, and Inn by the Sea and Portland Lobster Company in the Climate category.