I recently spent an evening with the lovely folks from Plate and Pitchfork (you might remember them from last season). The dinner was held at Sauvie Island Organics and was one of those summer evenings that makes you love Oregon…a warm and breezy summer evening followed by a rich sunset and a full moon rising over the trees…food and wine all grown from within a hour’s drive.

Each summer, Plate and Pitchfork holds a series of outdoor dinners around the Portland area focused on utilizing the bounty of the area and farm fresh ingredients. Each event features a rotating list of well known local chefs and winemakers that volunteer their time to create and prepare the evening’s menu. In addition to being fun, the evening is also educational - things kick off with a tour of the farm that you are visiting where you see the ingredients that will be used to prepare your dinner and throughout the evening the chefs and winemakers discuss the courses they’ve prepared and the wines that have been chosen to accompany them.

Plate and Pitchfork is a great organization, and if you get a chance try to scoop up tickets to one of the dinners (they tend to sell out within a few hours). You can learn more by checking out the following links:
Plate and Pitchfork
Sauvie Island Organics

A few quick favorites:

Featured Vendors
Toro Bravo, Clyde Commons
Chehalem Winery, Patton Valley Vineyard

Plate & Pitchfork is a volunteer-driven nonprofit working to support local family farms in Oregon. Every summer they hold a series of dinners designed to educate the public about the connection between the farm and the food on their plate. At these events a combination of local farmers, chefs and winemakers come together to create a special menu highlighting seasonal produce, meats and wines from around the region.

I recently photographed one of their dinners out at Baggenstos Farm in Sherwood, OR and it was a great event. The day started off with a wine tasting and tour of the farm before moving to a candlelit dinner on white tablecloths in a field surrounded by berry vines. The night ended with a full moon rising in the sky and many happy and content diners.

A portion of the proceeds from every Plate and Pitchwork dinner goes to benefit organizations that support small farms, environmental literacy and food security. If you would like to learn more about their work or inquire about purchasing tickets for next year (2007 is currently sold out), you can visit their website here.

Portland-area chefs Kurt Spak, Mark Dowers, Cameron Addy, and Jason Tom

Farmstead Gazpacho with Fresh Basil

Oregon Albacore Tuna with Salsa Verde and Insalata Russa

Snickerdoodles and Fresh Berries served with Basil Marscapone Cream