Thursday Tours: Feast Founders

Hello and happy Thursday! I’m coming ‘atcha today from the absurdly hot Phoenix, AZ. Don’t worry, it’s only a mild 113 today. Eeks. This Oregonian is not cut out for that, thankfully everything here obviously has AC.

In this week’s edition of #ThursdayToursPDX, Meredith and I are bringing you the co-founders of Feast Portland! Feast is one of my all-time favorite weeks of the year. Screw my birthday, just bring me Feast. With some of the best chefs from Portland, around the country and some even as far as Norway coming in for the event, Feast is four days of food, drinks and celebration. Between educational hands-on classes, panel discussions on culinary topics, fancy multi-course dinners, and large marquee events where you can sample all the best cuisine, Feast is seriously a food lover’s heaven.

As there are so many events on the calendar, and a lot happening simultaneously, it can be difficult to choose what to go to. I always love Night Market and hitting up at least one class or panel to get some education in.

But enough about me, especially since we’ve got co-founders Carrie Welch on Martha Chartreuse and Mike Thelin right here sharing their favorite Feast events.

What would be your favorite part of a food festival? And if you’ve been to Feast before, what was your favorite event?

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What makes Feast so special?

 Feast is both intimate and expansive–it’s probably the only food festival in America where you can learn how to butcher a pig or shuck oysters at one of our hands-on classes–and eat Franklin BBQ brisket on the same day. But what makes Feast most special is its setting: Portland is a lively and spirited place with a food community where passion and individuality run deep. This is the end of the Oregon Trail after all!

Because of that passion, there are restaurants, bars, food carts and all sorts of creative establishments here that you won’t find anywhere else, and Team Feast is fortunate to be able to celebrate these talented women and men every year for 4 fun days during the most bountiful season of the year–where summer and fall intersect.

Oh–and you can’t talk about Portland without mentioning Oregon, our wonderful state that’s home to some of the best beef, wines, hops, beer, fruit, fish coffee, tea and much much more that you will find anywhere on the planet. We truly have it all here and Feast is a celebration of that.

What are your favorite Feast events and why do you like them?

As for events–we just added a few new ones! Our panel Bon Appetit Shaken Stirred and Buzzed: Why We Really Like Booze is a once in a lifetime chance to sit and have drinks with Bon Appétit magazines top editorial brass and learn about their favorite ways to drink.

And speaking of great drinks, the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting is one of the best collections of Pacific Northwest wines and craft beers you’ll find anywhere in one place–plus a whole lot of good food by Oregon’s top chefs and artisan purveyors and producers. There’s truly something for everyone at Feast.

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#ThursdayToursPDX is a collaborative series between Portland, OR bloggers {Erin} Bakery Bingo + {Meredith} Martha Chartreuse. In a city filled with amazing restaurants, artisan experiences, and fantastic tastemakers the inside scoop is a must. We will be asking our friends and fellow bloggers for their recommendations and tips for all the City of Roses has to offer.