I had been dreaming of this night for weeks. A plate, a wine glass and over 200 of the region’s finest food and wine creators together in one giant room is pretty close to my idea of heaven. The fact that 100 percent of the ticket sales go towards ending childhood hunger is equally as ideal. In late April, I was one of the very fortunate attendants of this year’s Taste of the Nation event and asked local wine-makers and chefs the hypothetical:
If you could cook for anyone, whom would you cook for?
Getting My Mind in the Game
I prepared by barely eating the day of and the day prior. I really need to plan my calorie consumption, which isn’t a complaint but more of a fact of life. My job requires me to remain seated for the majority of my 40 hour work week and my metabolism has always been on the low side (thanks mom!). I am perfectly fine with delayed gratification for such an evening of indulgence.
In fact, I prefer it. Being surrounded by bountiful displays of palate-exploding edible creations can definitely feed the guilt complex. I find that when I’m around really talented chefs and enjoying the fruits of their labor, it can almost get overwhelming.
I assume this complex comes from a mix of childhood experience and classism awareness. Our family went from having a lot of money to pretty much nothing when I was a little girl. I remember hiding boxes of cereal from my siblings under my bed when times were really bad. We were still living in an affluent area, so high-class cuisine was around me at all times but often out of reach. Taking any economics or modern sociology class will teach you that the world’s wealth is highly concentrated, meaning that luxuries such as food variety are exactly that: something to celebrate and be thankful for. On good days, this complex will just make me love food more instead of making me like a puddle of guilt. Taste of the Nation was on a “good” day.
Let the Carnivorous Games Begin
As I approached the Ballroom, I could hear the happiness echo off the walls. The giant hall was filled to the brim with lively conversations about our region’s culinary talent and the menu-pushing bite-sized plates that proved it. This was the night that chefs and wine-makers could really strut their stuff while we eaters melted in their hands. Overhearing things like, “Oh – wow… (long pause while chewing) you’ve got to try this,” and “it’s just so… good!” were commonplace. I could hardly wait to sink my teeth into it all.
Once I started, the excitement had a snowball effect. Everyone had something amazing to say about this table, that table, the chef here the plate there. I didn’t want to talk. I only wanted to taste.
Picking a favorite was a near impossible task, but when the question came up nods often went to Carafe’s braised pork cheeks over saucy lentils, or Roux’s puffed pastry shells stuffed with crawfish. The dessert showstopper was undeniably the three-story milk chocolate fountain from Salty’s on the Columbia. (Mark my words; we have not seen the end of those fountains. I’ve seen or heard of them making appearances four times in the past month.) A close second for me would have to be the Belgian waffles topped with orange-flower-water infused vanilla ice cream from the Bread & Ink.
The drink suppliers were also in great numbers. I knew I wanted to talk to people after ingesting all that I could, so I’ll admit that I didn’t try a lot of the wines. I did notice that the lines at Sokol Blosser and at Lucy Brennan’s Mint/820 table were jammed the entire time though (no surprises there).
After the evening’s rush died down a bit, but before everyone left; I got to making the rounds with my pen.
And the Winner Is…
Jane, a baker with Baker & Spice, said she’d bake a cake for Julia Child without even giving it a second thought.
Sean with Celilo also said he’d also show off his talent to Julia Child but added that he had actually already done that (show off no doubt). “Oh is that right?” I asked, giving him the opportunity to tell the story. He cooked a rack of lamb for her not too soon before she died as apart of a huge benefit. Ben, another chef with Celilo, said he’d cook for his father.
Family members were high on a lot of other chef’s top choices too (aww, everyone is so family oriented – that’s just great). Kim with Mother’s Bistro said her mom along with Paul from Higgins. Ethan with Andina chose his entire family as did Dale from Resort on the Mountain.
“If you could pour a glass of your wine for anyone, who would it be for?” I asked a member of the Sokol Blosser wine table. “Me… because if it doesn’t taste good, then I won’t want to pour it for anyone else.” Good answer.
-Catherine
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