PORTLAND, Maine — Fried, cheesy, and covered in gravy: poutine may be the ultimate, simple comfort food.

Yet chefs from around southern Maine gathered at Thompson Point to see if their own takes on the French-Canadian classic win the top spot for the second annual Maine PoutineFest .

The event has been occurring solely in New Hampshire for the past decade, founder Timothy Beaulieu said, before expanding to Maine last year.

“There is really Acadian and French-Canadian tradition in Maine," Beaulieu said. "It just felt like the right environment for a poutine fest."

Poutine is a relatively new invention, according to Patrick Lacroix, director of the Acadian Archives in Fort Kent. He said most records show it was created in the 1950s and 60s, but where exactly it came from or who was the

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