OUR STORY
“It’s going to be a New England, come-and-we’ll-feed-you, and that’s how we show you we love you, type of show.”
Next came the team: local connections and friends brought about our sponsorship specialist, Chef, musician, and production crew.
When Katie and Maggie pitched the TV show to local networks and got the feedback regarding “Grown & Gathered,” they returned to the drawing board. And by drawing board, we mean whiteboard. And so began, Plate the State.
In the beginning…
Here’s a little-known fact about Plate the State. The original name was Grown & Gathered, but creators Katie Brunelle and Maggie Knowles were prompted to consider changing it to avoid being mistaken for a show about the cannabis industry. It was barely 2021, Katie and Maggie were largely working from the office setup in Katie’s bedroom. They had a whiteboard covered with scribbles outlining a new idea for a TV show - Grown & Gathered - telling the stories of small farms, educating the importance of the local food economy and Maine’s unique, collaborative food scene. They nailed out episode ideas, branding, and a logo in one sitting.
Next, they needed funding to get production rolling. They applied for the March 2021 Women’s Net Amber Grant, pouring all their passion for this project into the application… and were awarded the Distinguished Business award and the Meritorious Business grant for $10,000 to kick off the project.