Culinary Oregon Contest

Ever dreamt of being a vintner, a chef, a chocolatier or other culinary genius? Travel Oregon is calling all food and drink enthusiasts to fulfill their dreams by applying for a cuisine internship, or “Cuisinternship” (pronounced: quiz-een-turn-ship).

Seven winners will be selected to win all-expenses paid trips (airfare, lodging and $1,000 meal stipend) to spend one week shadowing an Oregon expert in his or her field of culinary crafts. The contest opens today as part of Travel Oregon’s largest statewide tourism promotion, Oregon Bounty, celebrating the state’s culinary products and the artisans who make them.

Oregon Bounty Cuisinternships are offered in the following categories:

• Artisan Food Producer: Become a culinary artisan in Southern Oregon with chocolatier Jeff Shepherd of Lillie Belle Farms and cheese maker David Gremmels of Rogue Creamery
• Brew Master: Turn hops and grains into craft beer with brew master Jamie Emmerson of Hood River’s Full Sail Brewery
• Chef: Immerse yourself in Portland’s dynamic food scene working alongside chef Gabe Rucker–one of Portland’s culinary provocateurs–learning how to turn out inventive, gourmet meals that delight diners at the award-winning Le Pigeon restaurant
• Rancher: Saddle up and herd cattle while learning sustainable ranching on two of Eastern Oregon’s Country Natural Beef ranches with the Pickard and Boyer families, who have been in the business for generations
• Fisherman: Head out to sea with charter boat skipper Lars Robison of Dockside Charters and learn the fine art of catching the Oregon Coast’s prized wild salmon and rockfish
• Winemaker: Walk the Willamette Valley vineyards of Penner-Ash Wine Cellars with renowned vintner Lynn Penner-Ash, learning the hands-on techniques involved in vineyard designate winemaking
• Distiller: Get an advanced degree in mixology and learn about Oregon’s booming craft spirits industry with distiller Jim Bendis of Central Oregon’s Bendistillery.

“Oregon has a rich and varied culinary landscape,” said Travel Oregon’s Director of Brand Strategy Holly Macfee. “It’s a down-to-earth-place where visitors can meet the people who craft the wine and beer, grow the produce, cultivate the cheese and create the chocolate confections,” she explains. “We’re inviting foodies to enjoy Oregon’s culinary abundance, whether through a Cuisinternship or a self-guided tour with family or friends. Our online culinary trip planner is now available to help travelers research, plan and organize the details of their next visit.”

To enter the Oregon Bounty Cuisinternship Contest, applicants must submit a short video, along with a statement containing no more than 140 characters, describing why they are the best candidate at www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty. Seven winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Oregon to shadow their mentor for one week. Entries must be submitted between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18. A panel of judges, including the Cuisinternship mentors, will select winners which will be announced beginning Sept. 28.

To give entrants an idea of what they can anticipate on their trip, Travel Oregon produced video vignettes of each culinary mentor and the experience their Cuisinternship offers (view them here: www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty). A longer video will also be available, which follows Chef Gabe Rucker as he visits the seven cuisine-related locations and mentors with the goal of making the perfect Oregon meal. The video culminates with all participants gathering together for an Oregon feast at Rucker’s restaurant, Le Pigeon in Portland, where the culinary masters discuss why they consider Oregon to be the ultimate foodie destination.

For a complete list of contest rules, and to enter, visit www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty.

Before Food Network, before Anthony Bourdain, before Emeril, before … well anyone cooking  on TV there was Julia Child. She is the godmother of the celebrity chef’s that have so taken over popular culture.  Like many of my generation I grew up watching her program on PBS (along with the Raging Cajun chef Justin Wilson).

This past weekend I went to an afternoon matinee of the new move Julie & Julia about a struggling writer’s need to channel Julia Child to have meaning in her life.  The film is based on two books, Julie Power’s “Julie & Julia” and Julia Child’s memoir “My Life In France” about her time in post WWII Paris and Marseilles when she was working on her classic tome on French cooking. 

Julie (Amy Adams) decides that spending exactly one year cooking all 524 recipes in Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and writing a blog about the adventure will provide her the focus she needs to jumpstart her life/career. The Julia (Meryl Steep) portion of the film deals with her efforts to break into the old boys cooking club at Le Cordon Blue and her struggles to write a French cook book that is accessible to Americans.

 Honestly the reason to see the film is because of Streep’s portrayal of Julia Child. She is simply amazing to watch and the film lights up whenever she is on screen. Amy Adams does a fine job as the modern day writer, but the film seems diminished whenever the focus shifts off Child.

To be fair Streep has the more compelling storyline. Her Julia battles chauvinism, a publishing industry that doesn’t understand what she is trying to accomplish with her book and a larger than life personality that outshines those around her. Steep completly inhabits the spirit of Julia Child. And thumbs up to Stanley Tucci as her understanding and patient husband Paul. He is one of the best actors around - you must watch his performance as Primo in “Big Night” if you are any type of foodie at all. (As an aside the companion cookbook for the film “Cucina & Famiglia : Two Italian Families Share Their Stories, Recipes, And Traditions” is excellent and has the recipe for the film’s famous big feast centerpiece Timpano.)

Below is an interview Streep does with Harry Smith of Good Morning America:

My wife and I recently saw the new film Food, Inc.  It was quite an eye-opener. We try to eat as much organic, locally grown food as possible and this film just reinforced that decision.  As a person with a background in public policy I strongly supported the comments in the documentary from Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, an organic farm in rural Virginia.  He said:

“Imagine what it would be if as a national policy the idea would be to have such nutritionally dense food that people actually felt better, had more energy and weren’t sick as much. Now that’s a noble goal.”

Official Trailer - Food, Inc.

To find a location where the film is playing near you, please click here.

I have mentioned before how much I enjoy receiving the course offerings brochure from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.  Well I was reviewing September’s classes and noticed that during our upcoming Italian Food & Festival Tour of New York City (9/11-14), ICE is offering a number of Italian theme cooking classes for that weekend.

As if there wasn’t enough reasons to join us in New York, here are eight more:

• Italian Cheese & Wine
• Pizza In Rome
• Basics of Tuscan Cooking
• The Italian Steakhouse
• Essentials of Sicilian Cooking
• Arthur Ave Walking Tour
• Essentials of Tuscan Cooking
• Pizza, Pizza - A Class For Mom & Dads w/kids

I am planning on attending the Italian Steakhouse class for Saturday evening. The menu looks absolutely wonderful!

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

9/12/09 - The Italian Steakhouse:Bold, natural flavors dominate the steak tradition of Italy, and you’ll learn to prepare two versions—Florentina and Pizzaiola. You’ll also make the classic accompaniments to these dishes, a trio of great starters and one fabulous dessert. On the menu: Bistecca alla Fiorentina (classic grilled porterhouse flavored with olive oil, lemon and garlic); Bistecca Pizzaiola (seared strip steak garnished with tomato sauce); Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms; Bruschetta with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes; Grilled Shrimp with Rosemary; Tuscan Bean Purée with Sage; Sautéed Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins; Risotto Milanese; and Tiramisu.
Duration: 4.5hrs
Time: 6:00pm to 10:30pm
Instructor: Daniel Stone
Tuition: $125 per person

We’ve updated our Italian Food & Festivals weekend by adding a walking and tasting tour of Greenwich Village, which is still steeped in its ethnic Italian origin. During our three hours guided tasting tour we will make stops at Italian specialty foods stores, an olive oil company, a 100-year old Italian meat store, bakeries and a couple of pizza shops. It should be a wonderful addition to our weekend.

We still have some availability for the Italian Food & Festivals Weekend. The 3nt/4day tour starts at only $579 per person, double occupancy. Contact our office at 888-685-0260 or email jstacy@itsyourtrip.com to sign up.

Bon Appetit!