Suds and Swine

A student at the Oregon Culinary Institute prepares the appetizer, Pâté de Campagne. It is served with a stone fruit chutney and paired with Upright’s Late Harvest brew, their newest seasonal beer.

The Oregon Culinary Institute’s hands-on learning approach allows students to physically get involved as they refill baskets of bread in the kitchen while guests begin to arrive and find their seats in the dining room. Wild mushrooms wait their turn to be prepared as part of the fourth course of Cotechino sausage with lentils.

Upright Brewing provides the “suds” for the special event—a beer is paired with each of the dinner’s five courses, and guests enjoy a “welcome brew” prior to the start of the meal. Upright’s labels are designed by Ezra-Johnson-Greenough.

Melinda Casady, Chef Instructor at Oregon Culinary Institute, and Alex Ganum, owner/head brewer at Upright Brewing, describe the food and beer pairings at the start of each course. Casady explains the importance of a well thought-out pairing by highlighting some of the most influential factors in a beer’s relationship with food, such as sugar and acidity.

OCI students plate course two—braised pork belly with cabbage, apple and ham hock. For each course, the pen-raised pork was served on the left of the plate, and the pasture-raised was served on the right.

Brian Wilke, Executive Chef and Director of Education at OCI, and Wendy Parker, co-owner of Heritage Farms Northwest LLC host a Q&A session for guests. Heritage is a small, family-run farm in Dallas, Oregon that prides itself on raising livestock naturally, humanely and responsibly. Wendy and her husband Jim pasture-raised one of the pigs used for “the pig project.”

Three Square Grill owner David Barber speaks about the Chef’s Collaborative. The “Suds & Swine” dinner helped to raise funds to benefit this organization that “fosters a sustainable food system through advocacy, education, and collaboration with the broader food community.”

Wilke talks food with current OCI student, Althea Potter, as the camera crew from Actual Industries captures the essence of the event.

Amy and Ritch Marvin delight in their first sips of the Upright Redwood Smoked Lager before the final course is served.

The Cotechino Sausage served over lentils and wild mushrooms is paired with the Upright Redwood Smoked Lager, a brew that incorporates a balance of subtle malt sweetness and hop bitterness.