First Ever Livestock To Piggyback On Wordstock
Two New Culinary Events To Spur Sustainable Farm-To-Fork Conversations Through Literary Arts And Live Butchery Demonstrations
Portland, OR (September 24, 2009) - Watershed Culinary Productions, in collaboration with Camas Davis, food writer and founder of the soon-to-be-launched Portland Meat Collective, is pleased to present the first ever Livestock, an urban conversation designed to explore the literary and literal aspects of killing our dinner. Livestock will be held on two consecutive Wednesdays, November 4th and 11th, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Portland. Tickets are $25 each with $10 from every ticket sold going to Friends of Family Farmers, an organization working to promote and protect socially responsible agriculture in Oregon.
“Our goal is to produce an educational experience that brings the discussions happening around food safety and animal welfare to life in a thoughtful, and poetic way,” says , executive producer of Watershed Culinary Productions and director of Watershed Communications.
At Livestock Cathy Whims of Nostrana and Adam Sappington of The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar will respectfully display their butchery craft as ranchers share their bond to the land, and writers present short stories exploring the food politics and emotions embedded in eating meat. Both evenings of Livestock will include a question and answer session where guests are encouraged to actively participate in the greater debate surrounding our food and where it comes from. The evenings will wrap up with a terroir tasting of a flight of beef or pig from three local farms cooked by the evening’s featured chef, with the purpose of showcasing place and encouraging conversation.
Livestock will emulate Wordstock, an annual festival of books, writers, and storytelling in Portland, Oregon. To date Wordstock has hosted more than 550 writers, who have read and performed for nearly 55,000 people at past festivals. “One of the literary developments that excites us most is the growing crossover between the experience of food and the experience of writing,” says Greg Netzer, executive director of Wordstock. “We’re thrilled to partner with Livestock to showcase more of this work in Portland, which is lucky enough to enjoy a very rich culture in both.”
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Local writers, chefs, and other artists are encouraged to submit personal essays of no more than 1200 words for consideration as part of Livestock. Essays can explore anything from the politics of eating (or not eating) meat to the emotional (or unemotional) context of killing (or not killing) your dinner. Submissions might only explore the chop or the rib, or they might go as deep as the tail or the trotter, but metaphor and style will be prized above technicalities and generalities of any sort. Six finalists will be chosen to read their essays at the event. An honorarium will be offered to each author, along with all the charcuterie they can consume in one evening. To submit please contact Camas Davis by October 12th at: camas.davis@gmail.com
Space is limited so please call (503) 827-6564 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to reserve your place. Pay by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or cash. Sorry no checks.
Livestock 1: The Butchery of a Cow
What:
The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar Chef Adam Sappington and Sweet Briar Farms, with readings & butchery demonstration. Chef Sappington will prepare three cuts from three different farms, and guests will be invited to compare and contrast flavors.
When:
November 4, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Where:
The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Portland
34 NW 8th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 228-6528
Cost:
Tickets are $25 each. Please call (503) 827-6564 to reserve your seat.
Livestock 2: The Butchery of a Pig
What:
Nostrana Chef Cathy Whims and Laughing Stock Farm, with readings & butchery demonstration. Chef Whims will prepare a flight of meat and invite guests to compare and contrast flavors.
When:
November 11, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Where:
The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Portland
34 NW 8th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 228-6528
Cost:
Tickets are $25 each. Please call (503) 827-6564 to reserve your seat.
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ABOUT LIVESTOCK
Livestock was developed by Watershed Culinary Productions as a collaboration with Camas Davis of the Portland Meat Collective (PMC). Sponsors of Livestock 2009 include The Art Institute of Portland, The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar, Nostrana, Laughing Stock Farm, and Sweet Briar Farms. Wine will be donated by Big Table Farm, and other local wineries.
ABOUT PORTLAND MEAT COLLECTIVE
The Portland Meat Collective brings local meat to local people. It’s a network of Portland citizens who want a cost-effective way to buy meat directly from Oregon’s small ranchers. While PMC is modeled after traditional meat CSAs that are popping up around the country, it is also an up-close-and-personal traveling butchery school. Once PMC procures that whole cow, pig, or lamb, members can take part in master butchery and charcuterie classes with Portland meat masters. They’ll get to decide how they want their animal carved up. They’ll wield knives and bags of curing salts. And they’ll learn what to do with all those specialty cuts once they’re at home in the kitchen. PMC brings a dynamic, local, sustainable approach to buying and eating meat straight to the people.
ABOUT WATERSHED (Formerly LAD communications)
Watershed is a strategic editorial services company specializing in the restaurant, beverage, and hospitality industries. With deep expertise in natural foods, beverages and products, Watershed promotes national brands as well as regional companies with a strong appetite for growth. Watershed’s special expertise is in helping place-based brands (such as farms, ranchers and wineries) take that big leap up to the national scene. Livestock is the autumn event for Watershed Culinary Productions, producers of the Indie Wine Festival.
