Mark McBrine

Mark McBrine is the perfect combination of visionary, gifted scratch cook, organic farmer, and collaborator. He is passionate about serving healthy, nutritious meals that are locally grown and internally produced. Mark has expertly managed three kitchens, a five-acre organic garden, and a Food Service and Market Farm and Garden Vocational Program.

The superior quality of the food that has been prepared and served by Mark and his team have led all other facilities in the State of Maine. His scratch cooking approach includes a bakery program where residents produce 100 percent of their bread (rolls, hamburger and hot dog buns, sub rolls, bagels), and all their dessert items using Maine grown flour.

Mark is in his 15th year as a Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC) employee, working the past 9 years developing a “Farm to Table” Food Service Program at Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, Maine. He and his team created an Intensive Organic Fruit and Vegetable Production Program while serving as the Food Service Manager of Mountain View’s Minimum and Medium Security Kitchens and Dining Rooms, as well as the Kitchen and Dining operations at the newly constructed Downeast Correctional Facility in Bucks Harbor, Maine. He and his team use a scratch cooking approach in their kitchens to allow for the incorporation of more locally sourced food products, which has reached an annual percentage of 38% of his budget.  He started a bakery apprenticeship program where the residents learn to produce 100% of all the bread and dessert products using Maine Grains Flour.  This program eventually became part of a Department of Labor approved Institutional Kitchen Apprenticeship.

Mark McBrine has been selected as the Association of Correctional Food Services Affiliates, 2022 Operator of the Year Award winner. This is one of the most prestigious awards given by ACFSA and Mark joins an elite list of past recipients. Executive Director Charles Wenker indicated during Marks notification that “The dedication and enthusiasm you have shown for both ACFSA and the Correctional Food Service Industry make you the perfect recipient for this national award.”

In the spring of 2025 Mark was selected for a new role as the Director of Farm to Table for the MDOC.  His leadership in these areas have earned his team national recognition from organizations like Impact Justice and The Vera Institute, as well as positive coverage in the Portland Press Herald, and the New York Times. 

The story of how these changes came about and the impact they’ve had was also told in the recent award winning documentary, Seeds of Change – Breaking Free from the Prison Food Machine.                     
In his new position, Mark will coordinate local purchasing, manage food processing efforts, assist with scratch cooking opportunities and lead the agricultural efforts at all MDOC Facilities.

Mark has served as a team member with the Maine Farm to Institution and the Farm to Institution New England Correctional Advisory Group. He is always quick to lend a helping hand at all MDOC facilities and with community partners. He is a true team player and has gained national recognition as an industry leader and a person that makes great things happen. He has been foundational in the significant enhancement of the nutritional offerings of the MDOC.

Mark has been involved with both sides of the Farm to Institution supply chain, as a producer and as a purchaser. He and his wife own a 47-acre diversified farm and have been farming organically for more than 30 years and were active producers for schools and other institutions, farmers markets, CSA’s, Senior Farm Shares and Food Cooperatives.