Future-funk pioneers Lettuce are heading to Portland, Maine next Friday, and they’re serving up more than just music. On September 15th, Lettuce will host a very special concert at the Maine State Pier to benefit Full Plates Full Potential, an organization whose mission is to eliminate child hunger in Maine. Featuring special guest Chali 2na with support by Percy Hill and Armies, the night will certainly be one to remember. Lettuce and Full Plates Full Potential have teamed up to offer VIP packages that include access to a preferred viewing area during the concert, as well as a VIP after party with a menu curated by top Portland chefs and restaurants. The Super VIP option includes both the preferred viewing area and after party, plus a limited edition concert poster and a pre-show meet-and-greet with the band. Tickets for all can be purchased here.
The idea for the benefit concert stemmed from Lettuce saxophonist and Maine resident Ryan Zoidis, who first heard about Full Plates Full Potential on the radio when he recognized the voice of Chef Ilma Lopez (owner of Portland restaurants Piccolo and Chaval) discussing the astonishing statistics behind child hunger in Maine. As a local father, the message especially resonated, so Zoidis made the moves to get the band involved.
Full Plates Full Potential’s mission is to end child hunger in Maine where 87,000 kids struggle to access the reliable, nutritious meals they need to thrive. 15.8 percent of Maine households, or nearly 200,000 individuals, are food insecure. It’s estimated that about 1 in 5 kids in Maine don’t know when or where they will get their next meal. By removing barriers that keep these children from benefitting from the proven, effective, efficient nutrition programs for which they are eligible, Full Plates Full Potential connects Maine kids with existing nutrition programs and builds new ones when needed across the state. They support proven initiatives like the school lunch program and seek to expand lesser accessed programs like breakfast and summer meals programs.
“Food has a direct effect on performance, behavior, attitude, and long-term health,” Zoidis, who embarks on Lettuce tour today, explains about the importance of bringing food to classrooms. “The results of Full Plates Full Potential have already shown increase in attendance, better grades, and less behavioral outbreaks at the local schools. The numbers impressed me so much that I knew I had to get involved.”
Lettuce’s September 15th VIP after-party will take place at Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room restaurant on the water, where some of the best chefs in Portland will gather for the Full Plate Full Potential event. “The menu will be luxurious,” explains Zoidis, who is an international foodie himself, “with several James Beard Award winning chefs contributing their finest, most badass dishes to friends, family, and fans alike.” The lineup includes Chef Rob Evans of Duckfat, Chef Harding Lee Smith of The Rooms (Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room, Front Room, Corner Room, Grill Room, Mountain Room), and Chef Jason Loring of Nosh Kitchen Bar, Slab Sicilian Street Food, Rhum Food & Grog, Big J’s Chicken Shack.
Lettuce’s involvement comes as part of their continuous Lettuce Give charity initiatives. The band promises to donate $1 per concert ticket sold, and all proceeds from the VIP and Super VIP food experiences will go directly to the cause.
“Music and food bring people together. It’s a common denominator,” explains Zoidis about how he decided to connect Lettuce with Full Plates Full Potential. “Making music is a lot like making food. They both require skill and depend on creativity to deliver a tasteful/consumable product. When you consider what goes into making a band—creating good music together—it’s similar to making a dish with various elements to create a composition of food. Similar to how the elements of the lights, sound, and each instrumentalist’s flavor comes together in a concert experience, the same approach is made in creating the perfect dish—everything is better with the appropriate amount of herbs and spice.”
Known for their incendiary live shows, extensive touring, die-hard fans, and massive two-decade career, Lettuce brings forth a new vitality to classic funk music. Comprised of a stellar group musicians—drummer Adam Deitch, guitarists Adam Smirnoff and Eric Krasno, bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes, keyboardist and vocalist Nigel Hall, saxophonist Ryan Zoidis, and trumpet player Eric Bloom—the band continues to earn their name as a can’t-miss live act. Chali2na was a natural choice for a special guest, “because tuna and lettuce, come on.” Percy Hill and Armies are both choice picks for Zoidis too, who grew up with the players in the Northeast and urges all fans to check them out ahead of the show. Tickets for all can be purchased here.
Full Plates Full Potential has taken major steps to end child hunger in Maine. And yet, 1 out of every 5 kids in Maine struggles with hunger and aren’t getting the resources they need. That accounts for nearly 50% of all public-school-aged children in the state. Childhood hunger is a major problem in our country and in Maine – but it is solvable. Learn more about the organization here, and join Lettuce on their mission on September 15th.
“We really hope that by bringing our fans together to celebrate music, Lettuce will help make a difference in Portland, and beyond,” says Zoidis.