It’s Feast Portland week!
If you haven’t heard of Feast Portland, it’s an incredible food and drink festival here in Portland. And it features some of the country’s best chefs and tastemakers. Check out more about it and my experience here!
I wanted to hop on share events that still have tickets available, as well as what I’m planning on attending this year.
But first, let’s break down how the events work.
Feast Portland: Main Events
There are the Main Events. These are the biggest events that have the most variety of food and drink options throughout.
For the wine lover, go for the “Big Feast.” I’d call this their signature event and is great for a Feast first-timer. It features loads of different types of wine and spirits with small bites sprinkled throughout.
For the food lover, try “East Coast vs. West Coast.” This is a brand new event that I’m incredibly excited to check out. It’s essentially a showdown of top chefs cooking up the food that defines them. Think city-defining dishes from Portland, New Orleans, New England and others.
Tickets are still available here.
Feast Portland: Drink Tank Events
The Drink Tank events are smaller and more focused events and classes on some really interesting trends and topics in the beverage world. Tickets for these also tend to be cheaper as well.
Ever wondered how to take a top notch cocktail photo? (Don’t pretend you don’t take them!). Try the “Shake, Shoot and Sip” event, where you’ll learn how to really up your Insta game with a workshop on the technique and process of drink photography. It takes place at Westward Whiskey, and there will be plenty of time to imbibe as well.
Also, as more states legalize marijuana, there’s a plethora of ways to infuse food and drinks with cannabis. The “Cannabis and Cocktails: Best Buds” class take a look at this new frontier.
I’m excited to check out “The New Tropical: Tiki is Just the Beginning” and “Wine? Cocktails? Let’s Have Both” events on Sunday.
The Tiki event is dedicated to exploring just where tropical bars are heading. Meanwhile, the Wine, Cocktails event will show you how to whip up tasty party punches. And if you can’t attend these events, I’ll be doing some write-ups here on the blog after Feast!
Feast Portland: Fun Size Events
The Feast Portland Fun Size events are also a great way to explore some out-of-the-box trends in food.
They’re more intimate than the marquee events like Big Feast or Night Market. They’re also not as difficult (or expensive) to get into as some of the Dinner Series events.
“Melty Fest” is where it’s at for parents who want to attend an event with their kids. They’re deeming it “the ultimate chef + food + daytime party,” where there’s plenty to enjoy for both adults and children.
Think ice cream, floats, delicious melty grilled cheese plus crafts and outdoor games. And adult beverages.
As someone who was a vegetarian for a long time, “Vegetables: A Love Story” is another event that sounds really cool and still has tickets available. Eight of the country’s best chefs show you how to “put vegetables on a pedestal” and as the centerpiece of your meal.
If you’ve been to Ava Gene’s, Tusk or Mediterranean Exploration Co., you’ve experienced just how incredible and versatile vegetables can be. And all three of those restaurants’ chefs will be leading this event.
Here’s What’s Still Available for Feast Portland
*Descriptions courtesy of Feast Portland. All tickets can be purchased for the events here.
Thursday, September 12
East Coast vs. West Coast, 6:00pm to 9:00pm, $125
It’s a bi-coastal Battle Royale when two teams of renowned chefs represent their home turf and the classic flavors that define them at Feast Portland’s main event kick off. Which side of the Mississippi rules when it comes to amazing eats? Forget the regional food stereotypes – East Coast vs West Coast will focus on dishes that tell a story as rich as what’s being served, featuring iconic and city-defining restaurants from Portland, New Orleans, New England and more and inspired regional beer, wine and spirits.
Does West Coast Dungeness crab have a leg up on Maine lobster? Does a Kentucky Old Fashioned have a worthy western rival? The winning team will be selected by an esteemed panel of food and beverage writers and influencers. We won’t hazard a guess as to the outcome. But we do know this much: winners get a raucous victory celebration and bragging rights for their side of the map.
Late, Late Show: Noodles, 7:30pm to 10:00 pm, $125
The Late, Late Show is back at Feast! (APPLAUSE). Introducing the night’s stars: Mr. Andy Ricker of Pok Pok! (WILD APPLAUSE). And special guest, chef Tony Tien of Pho Kim (MORE WILD APPLAUSE). The main attraction is noodles. After all, Andy wrote a book on the subject. They’ll be joined by legends David Thompson of Aaharn in Hong Kong, Ivan Orkin of New York’s Ivan Ramen and Kyo Koo of Danwei Canting. And, of course, you can expect a surprise or two.
Saturday, September 14
Shake, Shoot, Sip: Take the Best Cocktail Photo with Westward Whiskey, 1:00pm to 3:00pm, $60,
Join industry pioneers, Westward American Single Malt Whiskey and Apartment Bartender, in a guide to drink photography workshop with Elliott Clark. Dive into the story, process, and technique of drink photography with an emphasis on creating compelling social imagery. This workshop includes a tour of award-winning Westward Whiskey Distillery, samples of various production elements, including limited release bottlings, and a delicious cocktail, of course! Attendees should bring their own cameras to participate.
The Big Feast, 1:00pm to 5:00pm, $95
It’s Feast’s first event at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, but that’s not the only thing that makes this event big. It’s actually the biggest Feast event to date, with more fine wines from the Northwest and around the globe. More artisans—from cheesemakers and chocolatiers to bakers and brewers. Cocktails, panel discussions and a live podcast lounge? Sure! There’s more to see, do, sip and sink your teeth into. It’s a Big Feast for your eyes, too, plopped down in the quintessential Portland location – with the Willamette River and snow-capped peaks in one direction and Portland’s photogenic skyline in the other. It’s gonna be Big, we say. Big with a capital B.
History Bites, 2:00pm to 5:00pm, $70
Everyone knows Portland is a great place to eat, but have you ever wanted the back story on how the city became an eater’s paradise? Join culinary historian Heather Arndt Anderson and Pedal Bike Tours for a casual ride through the City of Roses. Take little bites of Portland’s food history with a break for wine and snacks midway, and see Stumptown through hungrier eyes.
Cannabis and Cocktails: Best Buds?, 2:15pm to 3:15pm, $45
As more and more states and countries legalize marijuana, there’s an ever-growing array of ways to combine cannabis with food and drinks—not to mention an ever-growing array of laws and regulations about doing so. This panel will explore this new frontier, with experts from the worlds of both booze and cannabis taking on some tough questions while serving up the facts and some tasty beverages.
Melty Fest, 4:00pm to 7:00pm, $35 (kid) to $65 (adult)
Kids these days are every bit as fanatical about great food as their parents. So we teamed up with some of our favorite chefs to put together the ultimate chef + food + daytime party that felt like the Feast events we all know and love, but envisioned with the entire family in mind. That means food from Portland chefs like Peter Cho, Gabriel Rucker, Tommy Habetz, John Gorham and Maya Lovelace, plus incoming friends like Howard and Anita Hsu (Sweet Auburn Barbecue, Atlanta), Joe and Katy Kindred (Kindred, Davidson), Michael Scelfo (The Longfellow Bar, Cambridge) and more.
There will be ice cream, floats, melted and grilled cheese galore – don’t forget cheffy food envisioned by cheffy parents and a few close friends. Plus activities for kids and grown ups including a crazy craft corner by our friends from the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts who will be bringing all the creative goodness you could dream of, a hair-style salon by our pals at Sit Still Kid’s Hair Salon (think glitter spray and crazy hair colors), face painting by the lovely Kim Millen, outdoor games and live music from local kiddo favorite Micah and Me. Plus bubbles, squirt guns and even some old-fashion parachute fun. Oh, and there will be adult beverages – don’t worry parents, we’ve got you.
Please note: $65 Adult (21 and over) ticket includes food and adult beverages. $35 Youth (under 21) ticket includes food and non-alcoholic beverages. Children under three years-old (3) are free and do not require a ticket.
Vegetables: A Love Story, 5:30pm-8:00pm, $125
Here, in one of America’s most prolific produce-growing regions, our local bounty is a source of endless inspiration for chefs near and far. See it on full display as eight top-flight chefs put vegetables on a pedestal – and on your plate – at the return of this popular Feast event. Michael Solomonov (Zahav, Philadelphia) and Reem Kassis (The Palestinian Table) join Portland’s own Joshua McFadden (Ava Gene’s), Sam Smith (Tusk), Justin Woodward (OK Omens), Karl Holl (Spatzle and Speck at Park Avenue Wines), Erik Van Kley (Arden Wine Bar + Kitchen), and Kasey Mills (Mediterranean Exploration Co.) to create a vegetable-focused celebration of fresh ingredients and unexpected flavor combinations. You’ll never think of vegetables as a side dish ever, ever again.
Sunday, September 15
Yes to New Friends: Introducing Oregon’s Other White Wines, 12:30pm to 1:30pm, $55
We love Oregon Pinot as much as the next casual enthusiast, but there’s a world of Oregon white wines perfect for summer, your cellar, whenever, wherever. And we’re not talking Chardonnay or Pinot Gris. In this session we’ll say yes to new friends and get to know Oregon’s other white wines – from Auxerrois to Viognier, Gewürztraminer to Riesling, and many, many more. Snacks provided by Elephants Catering & Events.
The Big Feast, 1:00pm to 5:00pm, $95
The New Tropical: Tiki is Just the Beginning, 2:15pm to 3:15pm, $55
Tiki’s roots stretch back nearly a century, and today, a fresh wave of bar owners and drinkers are both appreciating tiki’s traditions while also taking the model in fresh directions. We’ll taste some of the drinks from this fresh wave of tropical adventure, and talk through some of the directions the new tropical bars are headed. Snacks provided by Elephants Catering & Events.
Wine? Cocktails? Let’s Have Both, 4:00pm to 5:00pm, $55
Our favorite reds and whites are fantastic on their own, but wine is a social drink—it mixes well with others. Join this panel as we taste and talk through the use of wine in cocktails and punches, delving into details like special considerations for mixing with wine, the flavors and ingredients that have special love for the grape, and how to use wine to make party punches more sessionable. Snacks provided by Elephants Catering & Events.
Vaguely Spanish, 5:00pm to 7:30pm, $125
When you think of Spanish fare, what pops into your head? Tapas and a pitcher of sangria, maybe? Well, forget your preconceptions for one night. From big Basque ribeye steaks to seafood from Galicia to Valencian paella, Spanish cuisine is intensely regional, varied and beyond definition. Add seven boundary-pushing chefs, and you have a spectacular, Sunday evening finale to four days of Feast festivities. Chef Aaron Crowder (Cervo’s, New York City) joins local luminaries José Chesa (Ataula), John Gorham (Toro Bravo), Javier Canteras (Urdaneta), Scott Ketterman (Crown Paella), Althea Grey Potter (Oui! Wine Bar and Restaurant), and Maylin Chavez (Olympia Oyster Bar) for this can’t miss event. On the menu: both classic and border-blurring cuisine, accompanied by a collection of fine wines from the Iberian Peninsula and points beyond.
Make sure to follow me on Instagram to join in on all the fun this week!