Oregon’s Fine Cuisine Featured at Food Fete

January 30, 2007


Californians love Oregon. And we Oregonians are loving you back.

The romance was evident at San Francisco’s Food Fete last Monday, an invitation-only media event held in conjunction with the Fancy Food Show, which featured 80,000 new products exhibited by 1,100 vendors and attended by thousands of consumers, chefs, and foodies worldwide. The Fete, though, was limited to 62 journalists from such media outlets as the Wall Street Journal and Sunset magazine.

Why would Oregon’s Tourism Commission go to a food show? To showcase Oregon as a culinary tourism destination. We know that’s a relatively new idea: to travel for the sake of food. But it’s not so strange, really. Most people – yay, dare I say all people? – like to eat when they travel. It’s a big part of what makes a great vacation. And as travelers become more conscious of how much they eat and drink for best health, it seems they are also more conscious of what they eat and drink. It’s about quality versus quantity, about finding the best products available and savoring every last sip or bite. For foodies, the search for the most unique preparation, the rarest ingredient, the most excellent pairing is a veritable quest. And that quest is becoming reason enough for a road trip, even a globe trot. We found these culinary fanatics in force at the Fete.

Oregon didn’t disappoint their discriminating palates. We brought Chef Jason Stoller-Smith from the Dundee Bistro to prepare a selection of morsels representing Oregon’s culinary regions. He brought tender Dungeness Crab from the Oregon coast, savory roasted lamb loin from Eastern Oregon, and award-winning bleu cheese from Rogue Creamery in Southern Oregon. Each tasty tidbit sat atop a pear-hazelnut slaw, prepared by Jason with fresh Anjou pears from Hood River and hazelnuts from the Willamette Valley (Did you know that Oregon grows nearly 99 percent of the country’s pears and hazelenuts? California isn’t the only state of fruits and nuts, to be sure). All of that was paired with samples of 2004 Pinot noir from Ponzi Vineyard and Deschutes Brewery’s best-selling microbrew, Black Butte Porter. Jason’s portable kitchen suitcase weighed more than 75 pounds on the flight down, but his load was considerably lighter for the return trip.

Mere days before the event, Food Fete organizers asked us if we might be willing to sponsor the wine bar, as their original sponsor backed out at the last minute. With a few phone calls, we got Ponzi to send more samples of Pinot noir and Pinot gris. Willamette Valley Vineyards chipped in two cases of their own vintages, and they sold out in two hours. If Californians know their wine, and we think they do, they know that Oregon’s Pinot sets the standard.

(Our friends at Grey Goose sponsored the martini bar, and we promised not to tell, but the bartender snuck over to our table and quietly asked if we could spare a Black Butte Porter. We took care of him…but you didn’t hear that from us).

The response from the food and lifestyle journalists was phenomenal. Some had visited Oregon recently, some hadn’t seen us for years, and some had never once ventured to our state. But all had itineraries in mind by the time they left our table. Because, as we suspected, to taste Oregon is to love Oregon. When that sweet crab hits your palate, with a crunch of hazelnut and a splash of pear, all singing with a note of Pinot noir, it’s foodie nirvana.

So as Jason chatted up the tasters, we simply let the food do the talking. Love the crab? Wait’ll you see the Oregon coast. Spend the day combing a stretch of Oregon’s 363 miles of public beach. Tour historic lighthouses, browse quaint seaside towns, fish in the ocean, fly a kite. Then wrap it all up with a feast of this divine Dungeness crab.
More information: Visit our Oregon Coast section.

Lamb loin melting in your mouth? Wait’ll you see the wide open spaces of Eastern Oregon. Stay at a dude ranch, tour historic Pendleton and the awesome wonder of Hell’s Canyon, and you’ll soon learn the delicious meaning of “free range.”
More information: Visit our Eastern Oregon section.

Rogue Blue sparkling on your tongue? Visit Southern Oregon and see what sublime products are made possible by the region’s hill-and-valley microclimates, pure mountain streams, 300 days of sunshine and food artisans’ commitment to old-world traditions with new-world sensibility for sustainability.
More information: Visit our Southern Oregon section.

Bottom line: You can taste it, and experience it, all in Oregon.

The message stuck. We made some new friends and ignited some old flames. By evening’s close, the foodies were flush with familiarity of Oregon. I think they were grateful that we validated their secret quest, saying, you no longer have to be bashful about traveling for the pure sake of delicious and rare culinary delights. We love them too. Come experience the fresh cuisine Oregon has to offer, then stay for the adventure in Oregon’s seven regions. Count yourself among our friends. Because when you find a love this good, you just want to share it with the world.

Your table is ready….

-Michelle Godfrey


Editor's Note: Interested in Oregon cuisine? If so, be sure to visit our Places to Dine section.


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Comments (1)

Christy Barber:

Inviting all food, music and beverage enthusiasts in Oregon! The Taste of Tillamook County is holding their annual event which will include black box cooking competition, local celebrity judges, music, food vendors and fun for the whole family. Be sure to mark March 16,17 and 18 out on your calendar and plan to attend. For more information please visit www.tasteoftillamookcounty.com.

Posted by Christy Barber | February 2, 2007 10:07 AM

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