Tuesday night was Share our Strength’s annual Taste of the Nation event, a giant culinary tasting fundraiser to end child hunger.  I helped out my favorite cupcake shop, handing out tons and tons of treats at Saint Cupcake‘s booth.  It was such a fun night filled with lots of delicious food and drink and mingling with so many great people in the culinary industry.

There were over 75 restaurants, bakeries, chocolatiers, wineries, breweries and even distilleries.  Almost all of my favorite restaurants like Genoa and Oven + Shaker were there, and also some of the newer restaurants I’ve been dying to try like Double Dragon serving amazing tiny bahn mi sandwiches and Jamison, the restaurant opening up in the old Fenouil space in the Pearl.  Plus anytime I got thirsty, just about every brewery and winery in the NW was there! 

The event started with the VIPs arriving around 5:30pm and by 6:30pm, the place was PACKED!  It was kind of a weird set up putting the booths in the halls of JELD-WEN field where the concessions stands are, rather than the field (which I understand would probably be frowned upon by the Timbers, but that would have been way better). Nonetheless people pushed their way through and were still able to get lots and lots of samples. Continue Reading...