Mariah and Sam Calagione met at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, Massachusetts. Mariah, who grew up in Milford, was a boarding school student. Sam, who lived nearby, was a day student.
The high school sweethearts married and raised two children and Dogfish Head, named for the Maine point where the Calagiones vacation. Today, the business encompasses a brewery, distillery, inn and two restaurants.
The company began in Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in downtown Rehoboth Beach. But in many respects, Chesapeake & Maine is where the couple tell their story and share their passions.
“The school is in western Massachusetts, which is kind of equidistant from Dogfish Head, Maine, our spiritual home, and Dogfish Head in Delaware, our physical location,” Sam told a group of hospitality insiders during a recent dinner. “So, Mariah grew up in the Chesapeake region, and I grew up in New England.”
The thread between all the businesses is a devotion to “off-centered goodness for off-centered people.” Expect the unexpected, including hops in the gin and local honey in the rum. However, C&M’s menu is equally innovative, and the restaurant, which opened in 2016, deserves to share more of the spotlight with the neighboring brewpub.
C&M only sources seafood from northern Maine to the southern Chesapeake basin. “Over 85% of seafood sold in American restaurants does not come from American fishermen,” Sam explained. “It’s usually frozen, mostly from Asia, so it has both carbon footprint implications and freshness implications.”
Mariah agreed. “It’s a really big deal in Maine that many restaurants there are selling Canadian lobsters,” she said. “I love that we get our lobsters only from Maine. The same is true of our crabs – we have this amazing fishery in the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. I’m proud of our commitment to getting local food.”
That’s no easy task. “Every single week, we have to figure out what’s fresh,” Sam continued.
Plus, the kitchen must be creative, and dishes must complement the award-winning cocktail program. (Dogfish Head beer is also available.)
At the event, attendees sampled some recent additions. Fried sugar toads were perhaps the most intriguing. Also known as puffer fish – without the poison! – the tasty bites are finger food designed for dipping in house aioli. There are delicate bones, so use caution. Another warning: Sugar toads are addictive.
Maine mussels in white wine, garlic and butter arrive in a gleaming steam pot, accompanied by grilled sourdough on the side. The Maryland crab dip lives up to the name. J.M. Clayton Seafood Co. in Cambridge supplies the crabmeat.
The group also sampled a tray of oysters on the half-shell, served Cologne-style, with four 8-ounce pours of crisp Eddy & Maud house Kölsch beer. The identity of Eddy and Maud remains a mystery.
As for the entrées, the whole Maine lobster at $26 is a bargain. (It’s discounted even more on Sundays.) J.M. Clayton also supplies the crabmeat for the crab cakes. Smith Island cake for dessert is another no-brainer.
Don’t forget to try one of the creative cocktails. Sam and Mariah both sipped the Salt & Pepper Cup, made with Dogfish Head Whole Leaf Gin, fresh lime juice and cucumber simple syrup.
As they say: When in Rome, do as the …
