Feast Portland: The Best of the Northwest

Carrie Welch, co-founder of Feast Portland, is giving thousands of foodies a reason to come to the Rose City. Upwards of 12,000 foodies will descend upon Portland for the fourth annual Feast Portland (September 17-20) to indulge in the Pacific Northwest's culinary offerings.

"It is unlike any other festival that you might have been to," says Welch about the nearly sold out event. "I just hope that everyone comes and has a phenomenal time."

Welch, along with co-founder Mike Thelin, launched Feast Portland as an intimate culinary event where attendees actually get to meet the chefs - including culinary stars Amanda Cohen, Elizabeth Faulkner ("Top Chef Masters," "Next Iron Chef"), Gregory Gourdet ("Top Chef"), and dozens of other food influencers. The weekend itinerary will also welcome 40 wineries, 15 breweries and cider houses, 15 distilleries, along with 15 Oregon artisans showing off what Portland and Oregon have to offer.

This year also marks the first time Feast Portland is going international with British chefs James Knappett and Ollie Dabbous, Canadian chefs Angus An and Jackie Ellis, and Norwegian chef Christopher Haatuft.

"It is unlike any other festival that you might have been to. Its smaller, it's more intimate. The chefs talk to you, they want to shake your hand, the wineries want to pour their wine for you," says Welch. "When you talk to them, you are usually talking to the person who crushed the grapes and made that wine."

It's this intimate atmosphere that really excites Welch, a former Food Network executive, about the festivals two main events, the Sandwich Invitational (September 17, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.), and the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting (September 18 and 19) that features Portland's chefs and Oregon's artisans and wineries.

A United Culinary Community

It was Portland's exciting culinary scene and wealth of fresh food and accompanying beverages that drew her wife, Jannie Huang, who was also an executive at the Food Network, and her to the Pacific Northwest. Huang is the creative director at Feast Portland and is co-owner of the couple's restaurant public relations agency, the Little Green Pickle.

Gourdet and Schafer, who have both participated from the first festival, agree with Welch that Feast Portland is a reason to come to Portland. "It does a really good job of showcasing the chef in Portland," says Schafer, pointing out that her chef friends "get super excited about it."

"It's an amazing opportunity to see the best of Oregon," agrees Gourdet. "It's just really a fantastic showcase of our best chefs, our best restaurants, our best artisans - just everything that we offer from wine to spirits to beer." Gourdet will be serving up a Chinese style crepe filled with pork butt and pastrami-flavored with Chinese barbeque rubs and stuffed with assorted pickles and a fermented ginger sauce, at the Sandwich Invitational in Portland's Director Park.

Welch says the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting is a not-to-miss afternoon feast. "Once you go to it you are like, 'Oh my God! This is really a great amalgamation of food and drink," she says, considering it a "one stop shop" to experience the best of Oregon.

Portland's native son pioneer food personality James Beard would be proud and excited about his hometown's culinary scene today. It's more vibrant than ever and adhering to practices he treasured, local, sustainable, and American as well as welcoming the flavors of the world to the Rose City.

For more information, visit Feast Portland.

Where Do Portland Chefs Eat?

EDGE asked two of Portland's hottest gay chefs, "Where do you go when you're hungry?"

Gregory Gourdet, "Top Chef" finalist and executive chef at Departure Restaurant + Lounge
525 Southwest Morrison Street
503-802-5370

Pok Pok
3226 Southeast Division Street
"It's the closest experience to a most authentic Thai meal that you can get in Oregon,"

Langbaan
6 Southeast 28th Avenue
971-344-2564
"One of the hottest new pop up restaurants, it's a Thai spot that resides behind another Thai restaurant PaaDee, that serves up "very traditional Thai cuisine in a tasting format."

Imperial
410 Southwest Broadway
503-228-7222
"The depth of flavor that chef Doug Adams gets out of vegetables is amazing."

Sarah Schafer, executive chef at Irving Street Kitchen
701 Northwest 13th Avenue
503-343-9440

Nak Won
4600 Southwest Watson Avenue, Beaverton
503-646-9382
"It's totally a family-run Korean place - super authentic and I love that it's everything it's supposed to be. You can almost feel that someone's grandmother is in the back cooking."

Santa Cruz Taqueria
13046 Southeast Stark Street (located behind Paneria y Tienda)
503-253-5494
"An amazing roasted salsa."

The Fishwife Seafood Restaurant
5328 North Lombard Street
503-285-7150
"It's the closest to New England chowder that I can get out here that I actually like."