Come and Get ‘Em

Heather Beaupre and Keith Patterson

By Lawrence Furbish and Barbara Sutcliffe, Past Presidents, Sanford-Springvale Rotary Club

What superfood can boost your immune system, fight stress, support fertility and improve your eyesight? You guessed it – chicken livers!

The Sanford-Springvale Rotary Club will be back at the 2023 Acton Fair cooking their world-famous chicken livers. Hundreds of liver fans will line up to get a dish. Most of them are heard to say, “This is the only reason I come to the Fair.” People are so happy and grateful to get their yearly “fix” that the Rotary club almost considers this a community service project.

It all begins when butter is melted on the grill and a bucket of chopped Vidalia onions added. While the onions are cooking, a container of chicken livers is sorted, rinsed, mixed with flour containing several secret ingredients, and shaken up. When the onions are translucent, the coated livers are dumped upon the grill and sautéed, all the while being cut up into perfect bite-sized pieces. The aroma that wafts around the fairgrounds is terrific and often results in the uninitiated stopping to ask what we are cooking. Upon being told, “chicken livers” some turn up their noses and walk away. (Too bad for them.) When the livers are ready, they are served into containers, hot off the grill. Some aficionados prefer their livers unadorned while others like to garnish with ketchup or hot sauce.

Customers usually start showing up early in the morning, asking when the first batch will be ready. There is frequently a line of devotees waiting. During peak times, it is almost impossible for the cooks to keep up with the demand. Groups of fans place their orders and then patiently wait. Many people purchase extra orders to bring home to family and friends. Others bring their own containers to fill up, take home and freeze so they can indulge later in the fall or winter.

The Acton Fair is a once-a-year event, so this is your only opportunity to savor this fabulous delicacy. The booth is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, August 24 through Saturday, August 26 and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 27. Hope to see you there.

FMI – 10 Health Benefits of Chicken Liver

Nutrient data source: USDA