Justin and Danielle Walker
Executive chef and general manager at Earth at Hidden Pond
“It is no secret that Justin and I are passionate about food,” says Danielle Walker, general manager at Earth at Hidden Pond, where her husband, Justin, is executive chef. “We pride ourselves on our attention to detail, our ability to execute the food and create an experience for our guests at a high level.” Justin, who was named a Rising Star Chef by StarChefs in 2014, took over at Earth in 2013, after 15 years at the acclaimed Ogunquit restaurant Arrows. When Justin and Danielle aren’t running the Kennebunkport restaurant, they work on their 17-acre farm in Cape Neddick, which has two dozen dairy goats as well as horses, ducks, chickens, bees, and large gardens. The farm, and the farmhouse they’ve been restoring, has been in Danielle’s family for over a century. Their son, Jackson, is the sixth generation to live at the farm. “We are choosing to raise our son in Maine and on our farm, hoping we can instill in him the same values that were instilled in us, through working the land, raising animals, and knowing the value of your work,” says Danielle. The couple has taken part in events that support Share Our Strength and its related programs that work to end childhood hunger. This summer Justin is cycling 300 miles from Carmel to Santa Barbara, California, for a chefs’ ride that raises money and awareness for No Kid Hungry.