Home > Blogs > 11 Things To Do In Midcoast Maine

The Camden Classics Cup is back for the 5th year. One of the most beautiful regattas, as it takes place where the “mountains meet the sea”; there is fun both on and off-shore for all to be had and it benefits Lifeflight of Maine. The event is held over three days, and there’s a youth regatta, cocktail party, and more. Our favorite event is the Parade of Sails on Saturday, July 31st at 10am. Watching the beautiful boats sail by, while there’s music, and announcers is a wonderful way to get a taste of the coastal Maine life. The Camden Classics is included in the Classic Yachts Challenge Series that goes from New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut all the way up to Maine.

Tori has loved cooking since she was a very young, for as long as she can remember. Her mother insisted she needed to get a college degree, no matter what. Seeing a commercial on TV about culinary school, she was intrigued and didn’t know she could get a degree in cooking. Immediately, a light bulb was shining bright, this was the direction she wanted to go. Completing three years of schooling, achieving an AA in Culinary Arts, along with an AS in Restaurant Management, she was well on her way to greatness. During her college days, she was hired on at the iconic Playboy Mansion in the Holmby Hills, outside of Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. Working her tail off to learn as much as possible, especially enjoying the challenges of cooking for big parties. During her tenure at the mansion, she also acquired an internship with Albion River Inn, sparking the beginning of her friendship and connection with our wonderful new Executive Chef. Starting as a dishwasher and prep cook, she worked her way steadily up the line to earn the title of Sous Chef. Hailing from Southern California, she officially moved here to the Mendocino Coast in 2014, after graduating from Bakersfield College and landing a more secure position at Albion River Inn. After a few years, she went on to assist in opening one of Fort Bragg’s first food trucks, American Eats. Now, after ten years of professional cooking experience, Tori has joined our happy BGI family, and we couldn’t be happier!

Being here at the Inn, she’s gained more confidence. She says it’s a great feeling being able to pull off an intimate dinner for our guests by herself. She’s also been honing in on improving skills she hasn’t quite practiced enough, and she’s right on track. She loves cooking for special events, as well, finding that passion with the larger groups at the Playboy Mansion. She hopes to steer her career towards becoming a private chef in the future.

Marlene has been generous enough to share her passion for photography with us, recently taking these fantastic photos of Tori, hard at work in the BGI kitchen, creating a delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup for our guests last week. She arrived on the Mendocino Coast years ago, her family moved here from Lancaster when she was still very young. She’s well rooted and has no plans to leave our beloved hamlet by the sea. Receiving her first camera at the tender age of seven, it’s been firmly glued to her hands ever since. She started up her own business, Fallen Moon Photography, a little over a year ago. She has many exciting opportunities coming down the pike. Scoop her up for your own project quick before she’s all booked up!

Mostly self-taught, Marlene took photography classes in high school to get down the basics, also contributing to the yearbook. Feeling inspired, she created a photography portfolio as her senior project, explaining all about the different settings on the camera to all who would listen. Moving forward after high school, she learned a lot from various videos on YouTube about lenses, lights, and editing software. Advancing her experience to a higher level and blazing a path into the future with her vision.

A brand-new fancy Canon EOS R6 Body has her all a twitter about her next special project. This refreshing update is a mirrorless camera, with a swivel-touch screen monitor and WiFi to connect to a phone or a computer. It’s seriously mind-blowing how much difference the little differences make. She’ll be heading off to San Francisco to do a ribbon cutting shoot for a friend at Park Central Hotel. She hopes to focus on and grow her business, catapulting her success in this venture she loves so much.

Both Tori and Marlene highly recommend taking a hike to the waterfall at Russian Gulch State Park. It being an all-time favorite, it’s worth the hike. Skyscraper redwoods, all different kinds of mushrooms, and the mesmerizing flow of the waterfall itself, of course!