Are you looking for the comfort of a warm winter meal without having to cook? Are you a true chowder lover who delights in the pursuit of the perfect chowder?

In the cool winter months nothing soothes and satisfies the pallet more than a bowl of robust and steaming chowder. Whether baked, cooked at a slow simmer or assembled quickly, chowders are full of nourishing vitamins and minerals. After the overindulgences of the holiday season, they are palliatives for an overworked digestive system.

How can you chase away the winter's chill without having to spend the day in the kitchen? It's deliciously simple. Order your Chowder Dinner to Go by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, January 23 for pick-up on Friday, January 25 at 3 p.m. at Spectrum Generations Coastal Community Center, 521 Main Street in Damariscotta.

The Center's Chowder Dinner to Go is being prepared by Chef Jim Brown, owner of the Upper Deck Café in Boothbay Harbor. Chef Brown's rich and creamy chowder has been designated as the Best Chowder in the Boothbay Region. Each dinner includes: rolls, oyster crackers, and a sweet snack. Dinner for one is $14.95 a pint. Dinner for two is $19.95 a quart. Dinner's to Go are a CCC Audio Visual/ Renovation Fundraiser. Don't be left out in the cold. Order your warm winter dinner to go today by calling 563-1363.

A simple dish of chowder, in the past considered to be "poor man's food," has a history that is centuries old. Vegetables or fish stewed in a cauldron thus became known as chowder in English-speaking nations, a corruption of the name of the pot or kettle in which they were cooked. Different�kinds of fish stews and chowders exist in almost every sea-bound country in the world.

Don't delay. Remember to order your Chowder Dinner to Go today by calling 563-1363 and experience a winter sensation in the comfort of your own home without having to worry about when you will have time to gather the ingredients together, prepare them the old Maine way and let them simmer on your stove.

Senior Generations, formerly Senior Spectrum, has a Web site, www. spectrumgenerations.org ., and is a non-profit agency with community centers throughout central Maine. The organization is the leader in innovative programs, services, and options that enrich the lives of all we serve. Our organization envisions healthy, successful and positive aging in current and future generations. Spectrum Generations promotes life-long learning, health, wellness, nutrition, community engagement and the social well-being of older adults.

For more information about this topic, to schedule an interview with Chef Brown or a Spectrum Generations representative please contact Marianne Pinkham at (207) 563-1363 or e-mail Marianne at mpin k ham@seniorspectrum.com. The public is invited to call the Agency's Consumer Helpline at 1-800-639-1553 for more details; or to join the Spectrum Generations Volunteer Corps.