The beautiful ballrooms of Portland’s Heathman Hotel served as host for this week’s much-anticipated Foodportunity. The food and wine networking event brought together some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest in the culinary community with chefs, writers, and food fans coming together to meet and mingle.
Numerous highly-rated local restaurants, including June, Ten 01, Metrovino, clarklewis, Nostrana, Gilt Club, and Vino Paradiso, participated in the event, plating everything from panna cotta to chicharrones. Favorite dishes included Scratch’s chicken heart and liver pâté on a gluten-free bacon tuile, Beaker & Flask’s tomato gazpacho with a seafood salad, and Confectionery’s decadent macaron selection.
Wildly successful in Seattle, the event was developed by founder Keren Brown to offer industry insiders, writers, and food fans the chance to mix outside of the office – or kitchen. As Portland’s first Foodportunity, Monday’s soiree even paired up guests for a one-on-one speed-dating-meets-networking event once the crowd had wound down, while others chatted with special guests, writer Liz Crain and chefs Matt Lightner, Philippe Boulot, and Naomi Pomeroy.
Missed your chance to attend? Brown happily announced plans for the next Foodportunity, tentatively scheduled in January.
~Jennifer Heigl
**Photo credit: Jennifer Heigl / Daily Blender