Since Steve and Kate Shaffer launched Black Dinah Chocolatiers from Isle au Haut in 2007, their hand-crafted truffles and gourmet confections have earned a raft of national awards for their flavor and artistry, as well as their sustainable and socially-responsible sourcing.

The company, named for a rocky outcropping near their island home, has been featured in magazines like "Martha Stewart Living and Gourmet." Kate Shaffer has been named one of the nation’s top chocolatiers.

The idea of making gourmet truffles on a wind-swept island off the coast of Maine was just random enough to be appealing in 2007, when Kate started studying chocolate. The idea of opening a funky, slightly urbane café in which to sell them at the edge of a quiet island forest was even more random—and therefore even more appealing. With Steve’s talent at business and creative problem solving and Kate’s gift with food and presentation, it sounded like just the business for them.

Two decades in kitchens from California to Maine has taught Kate lots about food and farms and the power of locally supported agriculture and small business. Mostly it’s taught her that things just taste better when they’re fresher....and Steve has learned that he’s happiest working and thinking in smaller communities.

In June of 2015, the Shaffers moved chocolate production from a 500-square-foot barn on Isle au Haut into a 4,255-square-foot space in Westbrook. While still connected to Isle au Haut, the move to Westbrook has brought 'Black Dinah' truffles, and other goodies, right to the doorstep of greater Portland.  

So “close your eyes, take a bite, and share a taste that’s sweet as Maine.”
 

During his introduction of Erin Bishop Cadigan, Peter Goffin quoted, “We cannot escape history.”

(Photo: PP Peter Goffin, Erin Bishop Cadigan and President Laura Young.)

Erin Bishop Cadigan, PhD is a Museum Consultant with nearly 20 years of experience. From 2005-2009 she served as the Director of Education for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Her current projects include coordinating the Town of Falmouth’s Tercentennial Commemoration taking place in 2018. She obtained her MA in history as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar at University College Dublin, Ireland, where she went on to receive her PhD.  Erin’s wealth of information gave us a fascinating look at President Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln was a self-made man and portrayed himself that way. He came from a place where only the three Rs were taught, being self-taught. He lost his mother at a young age. He was a common man, who pulled himself up to each level he achieved. He had extraordinary charisma and women loved him.
 
Lincoln came from subsistence farming where the self-reliant family unit was crucial to stability and survival. Six generations of Lincolns were in America before Abraham, all with very strong family ties. It was common to have a son work to pay off a father’s debts and the big blended families did that to pay off family debts.

Lincoln lived in a time of change, during a market revolution. With the advent of the factory and improved transportation, it made the country smaller. Families would think beyond survival and raise extra cash crops. At 19 years old, he got a job to take a boat to New Orleans, where he had his first view of slavery.

Lincoln migrated from Kentucky to Indiana, then later to Illinois....ending up in New Salem, a transitional place for him....from backwoods to urban, from old to new, and from agricultural to urban. He embraced the idea that any man could raise his status in life through his own work. 

Erin told us some interesting stories about how Abraham Lincoln dealt with his ne'er-do-well half-brother, John D. Johnson and "walked" us through a reading of the Gettysburg Address, asking us to read the parts with her that we held near and dear to our own beliefs today. It was a thought-provoking exercise.

For more on Abraham Lincoln, go to: www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540#synopsis 
 

On March 30, representatives of both the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund and of the Alzheimer’s Dementia Rotarian Action Group [ADRAG] will be here in Portland, Maine to make presentations on their efforts to support Alzheimer’s research. MemoryWorks of Portland is hosting it’s all day 'Aging and Memory Conference “The Costs of Growing Old in Maine” at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay in Portland. In addition to the Rotary, a JAX researcher will describe her research; two economists will discuss the impact of the Silver Tsunami on your business; and you can get a refresher on age and disability discrimination.

Information and registration can be found at http://memoryworks.org/2017/conference/Registration.html