A Conscious Feast by Nicole Aloni

I just returned from a week of such wonderful food camaraderie at the IACP conference in Portland, Ore., I had to share. I know this isn’t the focus of my blog, but sometimes real life intervenes.  And if we were to take a vote on the the most sustainably-minded part of America, Portland would surely get the green ribbon (with Seattle right behind). So, I guess there is a through line.

Chefs and participants went to great lengths to make this unique. I went to a “Salt Dinner” with Mark Bitterman, organized by the remarkable Lisa Ekus and Amnesia Brewing, for which nearly all of our delicous meal was cooked on slabs of Himalayan salt over live coals.

Fiddlehead ferns and stuffed pork loin cooked on salt

Mark Bitterman with a slab of Himalayan Salt

We also ultimately went across the street to visit their quirky little store, The Meadow, which focuses on what appear to be foraged (and gorgeous) flowers, salt, chocolate…and salt.  Salt cellars, slabs of salt, exotic salts. You get the picture.

I also went on a day tour through the Willamette Valley, entitled Pork & Pinot.  We stopped first at the bio-dynamic and quintessentially Oregonian Brick House Winery.

Brick House Winery

Doug Tunnell, owner Brick House

We learned about their  sustainable approach to growing grapes and around 10 am began to taste elegant pinots syphoned directly from their aging casks with a “thief” by owner Doug Tunnell. We also sampled their delicious chardonnay and got a thought provoking look into the challenges of creating a sustainable vineyard.

Ou next winery stop was at Penner-Ash Wine cellars, about as abrupt a contrast to the rustic charm of Brick House as you could imagine.  This modern, ergonomically elegant facility was built to the exacting standards of the seasoned wine-making team of Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash (husband and wife). This impressive team has focused their experience and passion to elicit the beauty of the terroir of the northern Willamette Valley in their Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Viognier.

Penner-Ash main processing floor

NOTE: There were countless other unique, memorable, and very Portlandian occasions. But I’ve decided to limit myself here to the ones for which I have decent images.

Kim Severson & Ruth Reichl

Another moment I’ll cherish, was the hilarious, honest  conversation between the NY Times’ Kim Severson and the iconic Ruth Reichl during which Kim posed every question fans were dying to ask. “So what are you doing now that “Gourmet” is gone? How do you stay so thin?  Why do you really think the magazine closed?” It was a funny, intimate, trusting conversation we were all privileged to share.

I’ll close with an unposed, unselfconscious snap of the revered Shirley Corriher taken at the Pork & Pinot outing. I admire Shirley’s knowledge, her charm, her kindness and her joie de vivre. Always.

Shirley Corriher, IACP Grand Dame

There was lots more and I’m sure I’ve left out something wonderful. Forgive me. I’m still exhausted from all that fun. Next year you’ll have to come and see for yourself (it’s in Austin).