“To those who consider life something other than a monstrous belly with a golden navel for all to worship;
To those who have tasted and preferred renunciation, simplicity and freedom;
To those who make an art of living;
To those who cultivate poverty as a spiritual exercise whatever their religion;
To those who find in each moment a life to live for;
To the unwilling poor, victims of society, property, climate, injustice, ignorance, overpopulation, stupidity, evil or dumb pride;
Because it is clear that peoples kitchens all over the world have learned to adapt to what’s available
and from the nearly nothing at their disposal make more than just enough to live on, make sturdy, simple pleasures and elemental feasts.”
-The People’s Cook Book, by James Kardon

Find out what’s going on at the kitchen! Please register in the store for classes and feasts unless otherwise noted…see you soon!

March 8th: Farm to Chef Connection

March 12th Community Feast with Alton Garcia of Hand-Made Foods @7pm. This is a different kind of feast in that it is a class and a feast in one. This will be limited to 12 people and will include demonstrations on jam and jelly making, potted cheese, and quick pickles. Between demos will will be serving a 4 course meal that showcases each of these products. This will be a lot of fun and come with your appetite and your questions for all things related to canning, preserves and pickles. Alton Garcia comes from a canning family. Blessed with a back yard full of fruit trees, his family has been making preserves, jams & jellies as long as he can remember. He used all this experience in his career as a chef for Square Peg, Navarre, Broder and other local restaurants. Recently, he and William McRae started Hand-made Food-a CSA for canned goods, pickles, vinegar and all things preserved. Cost is $60/person.

March 15th UGB Series Class: Soaking & Sprouting 6-7:30pm @ the kitchen. Register at http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/ugb. This is part of an on-going series of classes organized in collaboration with Portland City Planning Commission, Abby’s table and myself..This is an amazing nutritional and seasonal set of classes with everything from foraging, preserving and cooking to urban chickens, gardening and beekeeping.

March18th: Slow Food Event at the Kitchen, “The evolution of CSAs, CSKs and more…” info coming soon…

March 19th Sustainability Gala 6-9pm: This is a fun and social opportunity to meet the food producers and sustainability leaders in our area. I’ve invited farmers, artisans, and educators and you to come and hang out. $5 at the door and refreshments will be available, wine for purchase and a raffle for local goods!

March 22nd UGB Series Class: Cultured Beverages 6-7:30pm @the kitchen. Register at http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/ugb. This is part of an on-going series of classes organized in collaboration with Portland City Planning Commission, Abby’s table and myself..This is an amazing nutritional and seasonal set of classes with everything from foraging, preserving and cooking to urban chickens, gardening and beekeeping.

March 29th:Research Club and Salt Fire and Time present: Issues in Art Education: Dinner and Discussion… What does it really take to teach art, creativity, and critical thinking? Are university courses worth the investment made by students, and what effect do they have on the greater world of art? Are there better ways to foster creative communities and advance the arts?

Nearly everyone who’s tried to get serious about art has asked themselves questions like these. Enough impassioned discussion about these topics has emerged at Research Club events that we felt compelled to open a public dialogue about them. We’re very excited to be working with Salt, Fire, and Time to host a dinner and panel discussion centering on these issues and the people in Portland (and beyond) who are doing something about them. Join us on March 29th for a traditional four course dinner creatively prepared by chef Tressa Yellig, presentations by local groups and individuals who have been creating alternatives to conventional arts education, and open discussion over dessert. Ticket includes meal — menu to be announced with seasonal offerings and a packet of relevant research and resources prepared by Research Club in conjunction with our guest speakers.

April 2nd  Community Feast: The Dill Pickle Club 7pm

This is a unique dinner — introducing you a group of folks trying to create some transparency around Portland cultural concerns…The Dill Pickle Club is a creative cultural center dedicated to providing an experimental forum for critiquing contemporary culture, politics and humanities. Since June 2009, they have led programs in which academics, political activists, artists and the inquisitive public have come together to uncover and explore Oregon and its many points of interest. Focusing on experiential and participatory learning, the Dill Pickle Club also produces and sells publications documenting local culture and history.

Join Dill Pickler ringleaders Marc Moscato, Lucy Rockwell & Kyle Von Hoetzendorff for dinner and a slide lecture on the Dill Pickle Club’s urban field trips, publications and activities. The three will give a short slide show of the past six months of programs, even show a few short films on technocracy, then give an sneak peak to the club’s 2010 trips (before they’re announced to the general public!). Cost $35/person, please RSVP, space is limited…please note: a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Dill Pickle Club

April 9th Cabrito Dinner w/ The Ethical Butcher 7pm

Sustainable Kids Summer Camp!