Food lovers are invited to celebrate the glory of a Pacific Northwest delicacy and immerse themselves in authentic Northwest cuisine and culture at the eighth annual Oregon Truffle Festival, Jan. 25 through Jan. 27, 2013, in Eugene. Festival officials announced today that registration for the highly lauded event is now open.
Truffle enthusiasts will bring it all back home this year with a celebration dedicated to the Oregon truffle, and the sense of community that is built when we gather together to share in fine cuisine. More than a dozen acclaimed chefs will bring traditional American cooking techniques to bear on the earthy delicacy, creating a culinary fusion that commemorates the region’s truffles and the country’s authentic food culture.
“Our theme for this year’s festival is The Wild Table, taken from the book authored by Connie Green, whose 30 year passion for foraging has set the national standard for quality and consistency in wild harvested foods,” said Leslie Scott, Oregon Truffle Festival managing partner. “Connie is a long-time fan of our Oregon truffles, and our hope is to bring food lovers everywhere together to celebrate this most evocative and delicious of local ingredients.”
The first event of its kind in North America, the Oregon Truffle Festival celebrates native truffles — from their hidden source in the forest to their glory on the table. Participants will be immersed in all things truffle — from tasting to touring to hunting this Oregon delicacy.
For the past seven years, the weekend festival has enticed and delighted truffle enthusiasts, chefs, foodies, truffle hunters and truffle growers with tastings, tours, workshops and speakers from all over the world. For the second year in a row, the festival garnered a place on Livability.com’s list of Top 10 Food Festivals in America.
Back again this year, by popular request and overwhelming demand, is the Truffle Dog Training Seminar. A select few dogs and their owners will learn how to sniff their way to truffle treasure in the beautiful forests of the Pacific Northwest. The seminar will be taught by Jim Sanford of Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, Glenn Martyn of Bergen University of Canine Studies in California, and Deb Walker of K-9 Behavior in Oregon.
Participants at the Truffle Festival can also take part in workshops on a number of subjects, including learning how to grow and cultivate truffles and how to select and prepare both the black and white Oregon truffles. On Saturday there are truffle hunts with truffle dogs, winery luncheons, and the weekend peaks on Saturday evening with the Grand Truffle Dinner, a multi-course truffle feast prepared by five outstanding chefs with expertise in creating the most sumptuous truffle dishes. The festival finale is an artisan foods and wine tasting Marketplace, featuring truffle cooking demonstrations and of course, dog harvested fresh truffles for sale.
For more information on the festival and a list of weekend programs and packages, visit www.oregontrufflefestival.com or email festival coordinators at info@oregontrufflefestival.com. Tickets for the various events and packages are available online.
