I can't believe I've been in Portland for almost six weeks (!!!) and haven't shared a single PDX post. This trip has been INSANE (in a good way!) and it's going to take me months to properly share all the photos and stories and food with you. If you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat (username: lifeastrawberry) you've seen a few teasers from shoots with local food artisans, chefs, and other awesome, sustainable food folks, but I thought it was high time I shared a blog-official sneak peek of the work I've been doing on the west coast for the last month and a half.
If you've ever had a meeting or a beer or a ten second elevator ride with me, I've probably already told you I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon is home sweet home, and even though I've now lived away from it almost as much as I actually lived in it (⬅️⬅️ TERRIFYING) I jump all over any chance I get to come back for a visit. So when FEAST (my new favorite food festival that I haven't actually been to yet but have been stalking on Instagram for a billion years so I know it's going to be awesome) asked me to come out and cover a weekend full of food-tastic events in Portland for them, I did a lil' happy dance. And then booked a ticket pronto.
It worked out perfectly, actually - friends of mine got married here in early August, so I flew home for their wedding and decided to stay with my parents (whoaaaaaa, high school flashback) until FEAST this weekend (that'd be September 17-20, for those of us who have issues knowing what date/day/time/century it is ????points to self ????) and fill the interim time with interviews and tours from my favorite local chefs, artisans, and sustainable food advocates. You can expect plenty of posts over the next few months about the incredible people I've had the chance to meet and the amazing things they're doing with and for our food system, but today I wanted to share a few photos from the trip so far and tell you a little about FEAST so you have some context for the sudden explosion of instagramming and blog posting and twitterizing and snapchatting comin' your way (and maybe also so you Portland folk can grab tickets and come eat all.of.the.things. with me? Yes?)
Now, I tend to get a teensy bit overexcited when it comes to food festivals (food + beer + awesome photo ops = me and my stomach and my camera are THERE) but I'm particularly excited about FEAST because they're such a strong supporter of two things that are very close to my heart: hunger and sustainable local food systems. The festival has raised more than $150,000 since 2012 for No Kid Hungry and Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon, and their events highlight local, artisan, sustainable food in a big, big way. If you're in the Portland area and want to spend a weekend feasting for a good cause, I'd love to see you there!
FEAST Portland Tickets are still available for the Widmer Brothers' (local beer! Yay beer!) and Dave's Killer Bread (local bread! Hey-oh!) Sandwich Invitational, two days of an Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting, and the Tillamook Brunch Village (local cheese! With a side of brunch!) as well as a few other events. You can see a complete schedule here.
PICTCHA TIME! ?
FEAST Portland tickets are still available! Come hang out with me for a weekend full of local food, craft wine, beer, and spirits, and Oregon rain sunshine!
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