The third annual Maine PoutineFest will be at Thompson’s Point on Sept. 19. (Photo courtesy of PoutineFest)
PORTLAND — It may be one of the least elegant-looking dishes ever invented: a heap of french fries, fresh cheese curds and hot brown gravy.
But don’t underestimate poutine.
The gloriously gooey Québécois comfort food has traveled a long way from the roadside snack bars of rural Quebec, turning up everywhere from pubs and food trucks to upscale restaurants. And on Sept. 19, it gets its own celebration in Portland, when the third annual Maine PoutineFest returns to Thompson’s Point.
For festival founder Tim Beaulieu, poutine is about more than fries, curds and gravy. It’s also a connection to his Franco-American roots. Beaulieu grew up hearing stories from his grandfather about French-Canadian culture. He first tasted poutine on a trip to Montreal with friends in his 20s.
“Poutine was everywhere,” he recalled. “We sampled it all over town, especially at baseball games.”
Many years after that first trip to Montreal, Beaulieu — by then a regular at food festivals closer to home — decided poutine deserved an event of its own.
PoutineFest in Maine is now in its third year. (Photo courtesy of PoutineFest)
In 2016, he launched the inaugural PoutineFest in New Hampshire. Maine followed in 2024, Vermont in 2025, and this year Boston joins the circuit, with its first festival on Oct. 17.
A portion of festival profits supports Francophone cultural organizations and programs aimed at preserving French language and Franco-American heritage. Since 2024, for example, PoutineFest has sponsored the Alliance Française du Maine’s Festival Champlain, Maine’s only French-language film festival. Beaulieu said PoutineFest has increased its support of the Alliance this year.
Fittingly, Beaulieu uses the Québécois pronunciation, with a subtle “ts” sound closer to “poo-TSIN” than the more American “poo-TEEN.”
Either way one says it, there’s no denying poutine’s origins, dating to the late 1950s in rural Quebec — although exactly who invented the dish remains disputed. Once humble snack-bar fare, it eventually became an emblem of Québécois food and culture.
At Beaulieu’s festivals, tickets include about a dozen poutine samples — what Beaulieu calls “a healthy scoop” — from participating restaurants and food trucks. Attendees taste their way from one vendor to another, then vote for a People’s Choice winner. As poutine’s popularity has grown and word has spread about the festivals’ fun, convivial vibe – with music, giveaways and regulars reuniting year after year – tickets frequently sell out.
“I tend to blab when the topic of poutine comes up,” Beaulieu said with a laugh. “I love that poutine is appreciated by other cultures. Maine has an amazing poutine scene, a thriving Franco-American community, and the culinary flair there really shines. It’s inspired folks at other festivals to step up and get more creative.”
Some competitors stick close to the classic recipe of fries, cheese curds and gravy. Others draw on Maine ingredients or their own cultural backgrounds.
While some vendors stick to tradition, others have their own riffs on the classic. (Photo courtesy of PoutineFest)
Take Tais De Los Reyes, who owns Athena’s Cantina in Freeport with her husband, Adam. Last year, their first season competing, she created a birria poutine inspired by his Mexican heritage, with a nod to her Brazilian roots.
“I cooked the brisket for 24 hours so it was very tender, added Mexican chilies, both Brazilian and Mexican spices, sprinkled it with cilantro, and our daughter, Athena, placed a Mexican flag on each serving.”
Athena’s swept the People’s Choice award, winning at the Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont festivals.
“It was mind-blowing for us,” said De Los Reyes, whose adoptive father is Franco-Canadian. “The festivals provide a great way for me to honor my adopted dad.”
This year she’s turning to her own heritage. “It’s all about my Brazilian roots, so expect something very over the top!”
The Maine lineup also includes Iron Pollo, with a Caribbean-inspired entry; Eve’s Garden, introducing freeze-dried poutine; Pinky D’s Poutine Factory; Blaze’s Burgers; and other returning and new competitors.
“We’re a poutine truck with 130 different recipes,” said Randy Smith, owner of Pinky D’s. “Don’t ask me to choose a favorite!”
Pinky D’s will be among the food trucks serving up poutine. (Photo courtesy of PoutineFest)
Pinky D’s was the 2024 Maine PoutineFest champion, taking home the festival’s Ceinture de Championnat, or Championship Belt. At recent festivals, Smith said, his three-person crew has typically dished out a whopping 1,200 to 1,400 samples in just four hours.
Alex Stone, owner of Blaze’s Burgers in Westbrook, joined the competition more recently and said feedback from Franco-American customers is particularly meaningful.
“Maine’s Franco-American community is obviously very strong,” he said. “And I feel proud when they tell us we’ve passed their test for authentic and delicious poutine.”
Enthusiasm for poutine south of the border pleases Pierre Bouchard, the newly appointed Quebec Delegate in Boston, who represents Quebec throughout New England.
“Food is a superpower. It brings people together, and enthusiasm for poutine can be a powerful vehicle for historical reconnection,” Bouchard said. “The festivals provide an opportunity for families to teach children, for the older generation to tell their stories, not only about the dish but also perhaps about their heritage in Quebec.”
That’s particularly relevant in Maine, where people of French-Canadian and Acadian descent make up roughly a quarter of the population, according to the University of Maine’s Franco American Studies program. Generations of French Canadians migrated south and became an important part of the state’s cultural fabric.
And then there are those who appreciate the event’s roots but primarily show up for a good time.
Poutine fans have a chance to sample — and gorge on — multiple variations of the classic. (Photo courtesy of PoutineFest)
Shauna Bailey and her friends have been PoutineFest regulars — “poutiniacs,” as Beaulieu playfully calls them — since their first New Hampshire festival in 2017.
“We love the cultural aspect of it, and how the festival is bringing back something that’s been lost over the years. The French-Canadian heritage is part of the fabric of Maine,” Bailey said. “But most of all, we’re food people, and we keep going back because we have a great time, the poutine is delicious, and the energy is electric.”
Bailey and her friends don’t sample willy-nilly. Over the years, they’ve perfected what she calls “a plan of attack.” They buy Première tickets for early access, pick a starting point and sample entries as a group, comparing notes along the way. Then they take a break.
“We pop a squat, let our stomachs settle, and finally, we vote just before leaving,” Bailey said. “We’re professionals at this point.”
For Bailey, the best poutine starts with crispy fries and plenty of cheese curds (“shredded cheese need not apply”), topped with piping-hot, rich gravy that melts the curds just a little.
“If there’s meat, it needs to be so tender that I can cut it with a fork.” But even the professionals eventually reach their limit.
“We try every sample. We might not finish them all, though. It’s a lot of food,” Bailey admitted.
Afterward, she and her friends spend a couple of hours sipping lemonade, eating fresh fruit and enjoying each other’s company.
Then, Bailey said, “we all go home for naps.”
Jennifer Wolcott has been writing freelance articles on the arts, home design, food and travel for about 25 years. She lives in Portland with her husband, Bernard, who is French, and her dog, Coco.
Dining and Cooking