Salt, Cream, Seafood, Heat

Temps are dropping, leaves are changing, days are getting shorter. It can only mean one thing: chowder season has arrived. We asked three Maine chowder aficionados — chefs Matt Spector and Christian Hayes and Governor Janet Mills — to share their favorite takes on the classic New England dish.

By Alexandra Hall
Styled and photographed by Derek Bissonnette
From our October 2022 issue

Matt Spector’s Lobster Chowder Recipe

The Harbor Cafe chef adds mirepoix and dashi for a full-flavored chowder.

Erin French's clam chowder is Governor Janet Mills's favorite

Governor Janet Mills’s Favorite Clam Chowder Recipe

Erin French’s sweet clam chowder is “a quintessentially Maine recipe,” Mills says.

Chef Christian Hayes's fish chowder with bacon

Chef Christian Hayes’s Fish Chowder Recipe

The Chopped champion pairs classic techniques with flavor-bomb ingredients to create his fish chowder.

April 2025 cover of Down East magazine: A bouquet of poppies and beets.