Who said he was in Mexico?  Happy Halloween everyone.  Till next time.

The Crew

This Halloween we thought a client look-a-like would be a fun (hilarious!) way to celebrate the holiday at Watershed headquarters.  We love our clients and wanted to spend the day walking in their shoes…With a $100 cash prize we’re all eager to be the top chef.  We wanted to put it out to the blogosphere, so cast your vote and help us decide whose look is spot on.  Vote by leaving your feedback in the comments section below – only comments received by 5:00p.m. today will be counted.

Lisa Donoughe a.k.a. Cathy Whims, Beard nominated Executive Chef/owner – Nostrana

As seen in Portland Monthly's Restaurant issue

Katie Burnett a.k.a. Anthony Cafiero, Chef de Cusine – Tabla Mediterranean Bistro

Stephanie Selk a.k.a Adam Sappington, Executive Chef/owner of The Country Cat

Lota LaMontagne a.k.a Jeri Riggs, General Manager – Hotel Vintage Plaza

Michael Phillips a.k.a Ester Lev – The Wetlands Conservancy

Ashley Kordestani a.k.a Lisa Schroeder, Executive Chef/owner of Mother’s Bistro & Bar, Mama Mia Trattoria

Yesterday we were fortunate to meet with Andy Armantrout, a family farmer from near Prineville, Oregon.  He came to speak with us about the sustainable practices he uses to raise animals including cattle, chickens, ducks and quails.  To our pleasant surprise he brought us gifts including cheeses, butter, raw milk, cream, duck eggs, chicken eggs, and even quail eggs!

Andy shared extensively about his experience farming and commercial fishing in the Pacific Northwest and described how agriculture has evolved over the years.  We were able to share some of our extensive research into the beef industry and our history of successful PR and marketing campaigns for small brands and international corporations alike.

It was a great meeting of the minds and a wonderful continuation of the farm-to-fork conversation right here, at Watershed’s International Headquarters.

The Oregonian shares our Watershed Moment.

True to our approach, this strategic article on Steven Smith Teamaker for The Oregonian was well in the works before we even wrote the press release announcing Steven Smith’s return to the tea market.

While we’ve been planting long-term seeds for national media coverage, we were also shaping breaking-news stories for top local media.  At Watershed, we believe it’s  important to give local writers access to local business stories first. Why you ask? Because often they have a deeper understanding of the people and culture behind locally-based businesses, and that insider perspective can help  shape the conversation for future stories.

Great work Leslie! We love your angle. This is a great foundation story to Steven Smith Teamaker, and just the beginning…

I just got back from visiting friends in San Francisco and wanted to share a few of my favorite places.  Here it goes.

1) Bakery – Tartine.  Best bread pudding I’ve had, ever!  Flavors change seasonally; we lucked into apple.  Other notable items:  Lattes are served in bowls (how cool is that!?), morning buns are addictive and if you go after noon you can (and absolutely should) order one of their pressed sandwiches. Go for the Niman Ranch pastrami with Gruyere, horseradish and Dijon mustard.

2) Coffee – Blue Bottle Coffee. Of course being from Portland, I had to find the favorite microroaster in town.  My friend Leah said, “You want coffee? It’s all about Blue Bottle!”  And she was right.  Blue Bottle is to SF, what Stumptown is to Portland.

3)  Picnic Pizza – We tried for a dinner reservation at Delfina’s Restaurant, but there were no reservations available.  Option 2, ordering pizza from its pizzaria next door.  Perfect combination: Margharerta Pizza or the Salsiccia, Housemade fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions, mozzarella.  It’s nearly impossible to find a table, but luckily there’s a great park just around the corner, so bring a blanket and friends, sit and enjoy your pie.

4) Eggs and Pancakes – Toast Eatery.  Great local breakfast spot in Noe Valley.  Neighborhoody feel.

5) Mid-Day Craving – Bi-Rite - Tiny specialty foods market where I could have spent hours and hundreds of dollars…Oh, and they have a creamery down the street where they make small-batch, artisanal ice creams, sorbets, and confections. All ice creams are made with products from Straus Family Creamery, an organic local dairy.  Warning, flavors like salted caramel, roasted banana and brown sugar with ginger caramel swirl, you may cause you to overindulge.

6) Chocolates and confections – Michael Recchiuti‘s in the Ferry Building.  Fleur de sel caramels, wow!

Photo from Michael Recchiuti's blog.

7) Brews – Zeitgeist.  My friend lovingly referred to this place as her local ‘biker bar’ and after I walked in, I got it.  Sticky floors and stale air aside, this spot was filled with local micro brews and attitude.  They also have an outdoor patio with plenty of seating and a funky (good funky) crowd to mingle with.  Once you discover this spot, you’ll keep going back.

8 ) Shopping – Valencia Street.  Great vintage clothing and furniture shops.  Thankfully I didn’t bring a huge bag, otherwise, I would have left in debt.  Need a caffeine in the area?  Another great coffee shop on Valencia is Ritual Roasters.

Its been four years (this Saturday, October 17th) since Executive Chef/owner Cathy Whims and her team moved to the corner of Southeast Morrison and 14th to open Nostrana, which has since become one of Portland’s most beloved restaurants.

Nostrana’s humble, rustic Italian fare continues to charm the likes of many – Nostrana was named The Oregonian’s Restaurant of the Year in 2006 and most recently, Cathy Whims was a James Beard Award finalist for the Best Chef Northwest title.

This Saturday, Whims and team are excited to shine the spotlight on the local farmers and winemakers that help Nostrana maintain its longstanding commitment to community producers.  In honor of the occasion, Whims is preparing a four-course menu that features ingredients from the farmers with whom she has longstanding relationships including: Ayer’s Creek, Cattail Creek Farm, 47^th Avenue Farm, Kingfisher Farm, Laughing Stock Farm, Prairie Creek Farm, and Your Kitchen Garden.  Local winemakers include Cameron, J Christopher, Matello, and Westrey.  Farmers and winemakers will be on site for the celebration, so this is a great opportunity to savor local food and wine with the producers themselves, prepared by one of Portland’s leading chefs.

The evening’s menu is below.

Two reservation options are available on anniversary night, Saturday, October 17; one at 5 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m.  The cost for the evening is $60 per person, wine and gratuity not included.  Reservations are required.  For more info, visit Nostrana’s website.   Come celebrate!

Our interest in farmers and the meat they produce dates back to when Watershed Director Lisa Donoughe worked with 5,000 deer farmers in New Zealand to help market their meat in the US – now a fairly common product on restaurant menus. Since that time, we have worked with local farmers, such as Cattail Creek Lamb, to promote their ecologically sound and socially responsible products.

Our active interest in the provenance of meat has spawned a new 2009 event called Livestock. This sister event to Wordstock, is designed to inspire a passionate discussion on killing your dinner.  Livestock is being produced in collaboration with Camas Davis, former food editor of Portland Monthly and founder of the Portland Meat Collective.

Patrick Coleman featured Livestock in an article in the October 8th issue of the Portland Mercury.  In the article, Watershed Director Lisa Donoughe shares her experience of coming face-to-face with her food.

Livestock is scheduled for November 4th and November 11th from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Portland.  To reserve your tickets please call 503-827-6564.

To view the article online click here.