About Me

Caroline Paras grew up in Southern California as the daughter of immigrants from Argentina, whose own families escaped religious persecution in the Old World. A first generation American, Caroline has been proud to call Maine her “home” since 1993.

Over the last three decades, she has pursued two distinct careers: first as an educator who helped teachers create service-learning opportunities for K-12 students; and second, as a planner who engaged residents in economic and community development.

Her third career was born on a trip to Italy, where she traveled with strangers to Bologna to learn how the distinct products of Denominazione d'Origine Protetta (DOP) Parma are made.

At the first stop, they donned white spacesuits to tour a manufacturing facility where workers stirred enormous vats of boiling milk to make parmesan cheese.

At the second stop, they met the owner of a vineyard who explained how a barrel of balsamic vinegar is created when a child is born and how, at 20 years, the aged product becomes a dowry that lasts for the eternity of a marriage.

Over a bountiful lunch, the strangers became friends, and were transformed into lifelong customers of DOP Parma.

Years later, all it takes is one glass of Lambrusco to bring Caroline back to the Italian countryside.

Through an Interdisciplinary PhD at the University of Maine, she is researching whether agritourism experiences like these on culinary trails can facilitate consumer loyalty, brand experience, and regional economic development, thus keeping working farms and waterfronts in production while transforming consumers into lifelong customers of Maine farm and fishery products.