If you love a good cause and want to attend one of the tastiest culinary events in the country, then clear your weekend calendar when Cochon555 heads to Seattle on April 10 when five chefs compete with five heritage breed pigs in a friendly competition for a cause. The food is hyper-local and eating for a cause has never tasted so good. The weekend begins with back to back charity dinners followed by the head-to-toe, nationally celebrated Cochon555 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel on Sunday afternoon. Guests buying an all-inclusive Cochon555 ticket sample forty of the best bites prepared by top chefs paired with artisan wines selected by celebrated winemakers and sommeliers alongside an endless culinary cocktail program from notable barkeeps. The events benefit Piggy Bank, a genetic sanctuary that will provide free heritage breed pigs and business plans to emerging family farms. Guests are united with the who’s who of the good food movement helping to raise monies to support the first open-source platform for family farming. For an in-depth look at the Cochon555 movement, a series of stunning videos or to purchase tickets to these must-do culinary experiences, please visit www.Cochon555.com.
On Friday, April 8th, Chef John Sundstrom of Lark will host a guest chef Late Night Asian Speakeasy featuring an all-star lineup of five chefs including, PK and Wiley Frank of Little Uncle, Scott Emerick of Seven Beek, Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi of Trove, Joule, and Revel and Junko Mine of Café Juanita with the support of Sun Noodle, Williams-Sonoma and Breckenridge. The family-style feast paying homage to Chinese, Sichuan, Korean, Thai and Japanese restaurants begins with a reception of hand-crafted punches with The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley. Guests will also enjoy DRY Sparkling alongside a special tasting of Martínez Lacuesta reserve vermouths before five courses paired with Wines of Germany. Watch the dinner sneak preview video here: www.AsianSpeakeasy.com.
On Saturday, April 9th, Brady Lowe of Cochon555 and Melinda Lucas of Bainbridge Island Museum of Art will host a Chef’s Course Dinner, a refined three-hour culinary experience featuring five chefs including Brendan McGill of Hitchcock, Chef Ryan Healy cooking five-courses paired with stunning wines from Leah Jorgensen Cellars, Alysian Wines and Azzurro Wine Company. The all-inclusive dinner begins with a reception of passed hors d’oeuvres from each chef alongside a special tasting of Martínez Lacuesta Vermouths and DRY Sparkling followed by a seated dinner with support from Williams-Sonoma and Niman Ranch. The charity dinners are limited to 40 seats and 100% of the proceeds will benefit Piggy Bank and the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. Reservations are currently are online for purchase at www.Piggy-Bank.org.
On Sunday, April 10th, Cochon555 will be held at Fairmont Olympic Hotel. This year’s competing chefs include Paul Shewchuk of Fairmont Olympic – Official Host & Hotel, Josh Henderson of Vestal, Bobby Palmquist of The Walrus and the Carpenter, Brendan McGill of Hitchcock and Tyler Palagi and Charlie Garrison of Radiator Whiskey. The five chefs will prepare a maximum of six dishes from one whole hog and their utilization will help them win votes from a crowd of hungry gourmands and celebrated judges. The winner of the regional event will be announced as the “Prince of Porc” and go on to compete for the national title of “King or Queen of Porc” at Grand Cochon, the tour finale, held at the Viceroy in Snowmass / Aspen on June 18th. Judges this year include Jay Friedman of Gastronaut, Holly Smith of Cafe Juanita, Susan Neel of McCrea Cellars, John Sundstrom of Lark, Tracy Smaciarz of Heritage Meats, Jason Stratton of Spinasse, Christopher Chan of Coral Wines, Chris Nishiwaki, Bob Kramer of Kramer Knives, and new this year, the five Sommeliers in the Somm Smackdown including; Nelson Daquip of Canlis, Jeff Lindsey-Thornton of RN74, Sennen David of Ethan Stowell Restaurants, Kristen Young of Bastille and Cortney Lease of Martine’s Wines will also help find the winner.
Additional Culinary Programming beyond the 36 competition dishes prepared from locally-raised pigs will include the TarTare Bar with Creekstone Farms featuring Chris Chapman of RN74, “Luxe Butter Bar” premium butter experience featuring the wines of Antica Napa Valley and La Brea Bakery. All guests will enjoy The Artisan Cheese Bar featuring Cypress Grove Chevre, Coach Farm, Parrano and 34º Crisps, and special bites from Creminelli Fine Meats, California Olive Ranch and the new Seafood Shelf featuring Elliott’s Oyster House and Rappahannock River Oysters plus a reserve tasting of Prosciutto di Parma. Everyone casting a vote for the best bite of the day at the voting table gets a ticket to “Taste the New” Ramen Bar prepared by Brian O’Connor of Same Same Noodle Bar paired with the stunning Wines of Germany and featuring Sun Noodle followed by the Pop-Up Pie Shop with Yippee-Pie-Yay right before the Awards Ceremony. All guests will have the opportunity to take home delicious heritage breed pork from the Pop-Up Butcher Shop, a butchering demonstration with Tracy Smaciarz of Heritage Meats. The Butcher Shop is a retail experience raising money for the charity Piggy Bank and will be hosted by celebrated emcee Billy Harris of Hanging with Harris with the support of Niman Ranch, Williams-Sonoma and our friends at Hedley & Bennett. Get a preview of the event by watching the flavor-packed video http://j.mp/Cochon555-Trailer.
The Cochon555 Culinary Cocktail programming starts during VIP hour with Cochon555’s Punch Kings featuring Breckenridge Bourbon, a regional competition featuring five notable barkeeps including Mike McNett of Lark, Marley Tomic-Beard of Walrus and the Carpenter and Andy McClellan of Westward all hoping to win passage for a chance at the national title. During registration, everyone enjoys “The Welcome Punch” reception featuring Buffalo Trace, DRY Sparkling and The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley who will be offering a chance to win two round-trip tickets to Heritage Fire in Napa. Wine is back in a big way in 2016 with the ““Five Winemakers” including sought-after wines from Paul Draper (Ridge Wines), Rajat Parr (Sandhi Wines), Abe Schoener (Scholium Project), Jeff Pisoni (Pisoni Vineyards), Pax Mahle (Pax Wine Cellars) and special guest Matt Courtney of Arista Vineyards, a spotlight Sommelier Smackdown featuring Azzurro Wine Company. The “World of Wines” table will have the crowds watching and sampling as five of the city’s top sommeliers tell us what they think pairs best with heritage breed pork and the best wine across-the-board will be selected the winner of the event. Tequila enthusiasts will love “The Perfect Margarita Experience” and the opportunity to discover hand-crafted luxury tequilas including Don Julio Blanco, Reposado, Añejo, 70th Anniversary and Don Julio 1942. Going mobile is the “Heritage Rum Cart” that will travel through the crowds featuring Rhum Clément and Plantation, premium brands with an educational approach to showcasing styles and the regional influences of rum including Spanish, French and British. The “Chupito” Mezcal Experience will feature Don Amado Mezcal, Fidencio Mezcal, Mezcales de Leyenda, Koch el Mezcal, La Niña del Mezcal, La Venenosa and Mezcal Derrumbes. Bourbon and whiskey lovers rejoice with the return of the “Perfect Manhattan” an experience featuring Eagle Rare and Buffalo Trace finished with Luxardo cherries in a hand-prepared classic topped with a special treat from Creminelli Fine Meats. The amazing “TIKI BAR” features tiki-inspired libations featuring The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley and Breckenridge Distillery. Classic cocktail enthusiasts will enjoy the Smoked Old Fashioned presented by Breckenridge Bourbon with support from Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao. Fans of low-proof cocktails will love the reserve beauties at Martinez Lacuesta’s Vermut Bar. Friends in need of non-alcoholic options will experience the culinary soda lineup from DRY Sparkling and right before the awards, everyone is invited to “The Last Word” a cocktail experience featuring Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and Junipero Gin right before the announcement of the 2016 Prince of Porc Seattle. The one-of-a-kind experience will take place at Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Don’t miss the chance to buy tickets to this fairy-tale heritage pork event as tickets are expected to sell-out to this an all-inclusive stand up reception.
“I’m excited about all the new partners in 2016 who support family farming and independent business. The Cochon555 Tour is now a movement, from hosting celebrated culinary events and dinners all over North America to reaching a global audience with the news of the first open-source agricultural model. The tour is dedicated to helping family farmers succeed, period,” stated founder Brady Lowe. “This doesn’t exist anywhere in the world, together, with some of the best chefs and partners in hospitality, we amplify the conservation of heritage pork once again, which for many is a ‘gateway’ to a larger appreciation of where our food comes from and the people that raise it, leading to more mindful eating and safer food choices for our youth. We can’t wait to return for an amazing weekend in Seattle with two dinners raising money for Piggy Bank, a 501(c)(3) project of the Giving Back Fund.”
Where:
Fairmont Olympic Hotel – Official Host & Hotel
411 University Street,
Seattle, WA 98101
When:
Sunday, Apr. 10, 2016
VIP Admission: 4PM
General Admission: 5PM
Tickets:
$125 General Admission
$200 VIP
Purchase tickets at www.cochon555.com
About Cochon555 US Tour
The Cochon555 U.S. Tour, executes a variety of authentic, hyper-local food events focused on raising awareness for heritage breed pigs with the world’s first nose-to-tail pig competition. Created in response to the lack of consumer education around heritage breed pigs, this epic pork feast visits 20 major cities in North America annually with over 60 events. The tour also features a multitude of live-event expressions including Heritage BBQ (global cultures), Heritage Fire (live-fire event), EPIC Cochon (hyper-premium), All-Star Cochon (fan favorites) and Cochon Island (agri-tourism). All Cochon555 events cultivate a long-term impact for heritage species raised by family farms, reaching the top culinary markets in North America while promoting our sponsors’ messages to 16,000 guests by drawing from the biggest names in the hospitality industry, including 2,200+ chefs, 150+ family farms and 16 culinary schools. Since 2009, 50,000+ consumers have experienced heritage pork for the first time, more than $500,000 has been donated to charities and over $750,000 has been paid directly to our farmers. Together with winemakers, brewers, distillers and craft food makers they create authentic culinary events celebrating champions in the good food movement. For more details about the events and to see videos referencing all the events in the Cochon555 family, visit www.cochon555.com or follow @cochon555 on Twitter and Instagram.
About Piggy Bank
Launched in 2015 by Brady Lowe, founder of the Cochon555 U.S. Tour and Taste Network, Piggy Bank’s mission is to create a heritage breed pig sanctuary that provides free genetics and business plans to emerging family farms. The sanctuary will change the future of food by uniting a community working together for safer, responsible farming practices and sharing of genetics, livestock and the sharing of information. Piggy Bank is dedicated to creating the first Open Source agriculture platform through the responsible farming of heritage species. The Piggy Bank farm, located in Missouri, will raise pigs to be gifted only to communities dedicated to elevating the cause and expanding the model of social and agricultural transparency. Piggy Bank is a project of The Giving Back Fund, Inc., a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation with federal tax exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3). Follow the Piggy Bank conversation on Twitter @PiggyBankOrg. For more information about Piggy Bank or The Giving Back Fund, please contact Kerith@piggy-bank.org, watch the video http://j.mp/PIGGY_BANK or visit www.piggy-bank.org.
