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E N T E R TA I N I N G 202 2 culturecheesemag.com 37 C H E F ' S D I S H C hef Lex Godin can pinpoint when they fell in love with Maine cheese. It was 2017, and they were working as the executive chef at 45 North, a ski resort restaurant in western Maine, which served Kennebec Cheesery's Sugarloaf, an aged, Alpine-style goat's milk cheese. Due to a delivery hiccup, Lex needed to pick up the cheese at the creamery, so they made the hour-long drive southeast to the 100-acre goat farm. They remember meeting cheesemaker Jean Koons, taking in the pastoral scene as baby goats frolicked around them, and most of all, the cheese: "I couldn't get over the Maine cheese. This is some of the best cheese I've ever had, and it comes from this little tiny creamery," they said. That visit eventually inspired Lex to make Maine cheeses the centerpiece of their own restaurant's menu. A year after their creamery visit, Lex and their wife Laura opened Alice and Lulu's, a 26-seat wine and cheese bar in Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel. This fall, on the second weekend of October, the couple is celebrating their restaurant's fourth anniversary. This particular weekend is known as Homecoming and is one of Carrabassett Valley's busiest as it marks the kickoff to ski season. Skiers and snowboarders from all over New England and Canada visit to ready their homes and gear for another season on Maine's tallest ski mountain, situated in the northwest corner of the state near the New Hampshire and Canadian borders. Laura, who was born and raised in a suburb of Paris, met Lex in Boston, where they were working as the sous-chef at Oak Long Bar in the swanky Fairmont Hotel. The two moved to Los Angeles seeking a break from New England winters and gained considerable experience in the food and wine industry. After a few years of beach weather, the allure of New England's seasonality called Laura and Lex back to the East Coast. They landed in Maine, burnt out and looking to recharge at Lex's parents' cabin, about 30 minutes from Sugarloaf. The two married, Laura learned to ski, and despite the vow to take a break from food service, they both began working on the mountain— Lex as the executive chef at 45 North, and Laura as the beverage director at another restaurant on the mountain. Ideas for their own eatery began to percolate. They envisioned opening a small, intimate wine bar in Portland— Maine's largest city—to take advantage of its renowned restaurant scene. Laura yearned for the Alpine cuisine she enjoyed with her French grandmother Lulu every Sunday, and Lex was eager to implement their culinary vision under their own direction. When a deli at the base of the mountain went up for sale, including some of its equipment, the couple decided to take the plunge and open their own restaurant at Sugarloaf. Alice and Lulu's, named for their grandmothers, features French classics such as escargot, niçoise salad, and sweet and savory crêpes. Lex showcases their Italian roots with handmade pasta dishes, such as orecchiette with local pork sausage, broccolini, and a Maine- made, beer-washed cow's milk cheese called Terzetto. But the real stars of the I couldn't get over the Maine cheese. This is some of the best cheese I've ever had, and it comes from this tiny creamery. Collinsbrook, an aged raw cow's milk cheese from Winter Hill Farm in Freeport, Maine, is a good domestic substitute for raclette