Bread & Brew Lite: Food and drink news and reviews
Portland's food scene is an embarrassment of riches.
But one thing Portland chefs know how to do is give back to the community.
All year-round but particularly at the height of summer, local chefs and brewers, distillers, vintners and other foodies are coming together to host a scintillating array of charity events.
Here are a few inspired and worthy events on the horizon:
Nicky Farms and Lardo will host a Latin-inspired pop-up dinner July 22 at Lardo on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard.
Proceeds will benefit the nonprofit Portland Kitchen, which offers free, after-school culinary classes to low-income youth in East Portland.
Double Mountain Brewery will also donate all proceeds from their sales of their Una Mas Mexican lager at Lardo during that night's tap takeover to the Portland Kitchen.
The dinner is set for 5-10 p.m. at the Lardo cart outside the Lardo restaurant, 1212 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.
The a la carte dinner will include Nicky Farms' wild boar tacos cooked on a cowboy cauldron outside, smoky pork frijoles, grilled corn, Mexican slaw, a farmer's market escabeche, fruit and a watermelon chipotle margarita.
For more: lardosandwiches.com.
Former University of Oregon and Detroit Lions quarterback Joey Harrington and The Harrington Family Foundation will hold their 2nd annual "Great Summer Chef Off" Aug. 1 at Sauvie Island.
The event, sponsored by Parr Lumber, has Portland chefs cooking their best barbeque to support the foundation.
This year's lineup includes Greg and Gabrielle Denton of Ox, Rick Gencarelli of Lardo, Chris Thompson and Hilary Benson of Iorio, and Aaron Barnett of St. Jack.
Salt & Straw will bring their ice cream for dessert; Migration Brewery will provide beer and Domain Drouhin will coordinate the wine tasting.
Blues musician Lisa Mann will provide live entertainment.
All proceeds benefit the Oregon Community Quarterback Scholarship program, which each year awards four 4-year, $2,500 scholarships to Oregon high school students facing financial hurdles. The scholarships help them attend an Oregon university, college or trade school.
Guests can vote for their barbecue of the night; that chef will donate $5,000 to an Oregon children's charity of their choice.
Last year's event drew 182 people and raised $45,000 for the scholarship program.
Tickets are $125 per person; visit thegreatsummerchefoff.com.
The Bite of Oregon a celebration of Oregon's bounty that donates all proceeds to Special Olympics Oregon is just around the corner.
Set for Aug. 7-9 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, the festival marks its 32nd anniversary this year. It's billed as the state's largest culinary event, with about 50,000 attendees each year.
This year a new feature will be "Plates for the People," a chance for guests to sample from about 40 plates crafted by
local restaurants, for $5 per plate and under.
The Oregon Bounty Chef's Table will be back, pairing bites by the state's agricultural commissions, showcasing everything from berries and seafood to beef and potatoes.
Local chefs and mixologists from around the state will also compete for the titles of Iron Chef and Iron Mixologist, and more than 25 breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries will pour their wares.
Music and kids' activities are also part of the event.
Advance tickets are $5; for more: biteoforegon.com.
@jenmomanderson