Counting Down to Feast Portland: Feast Speaker Series

This post is part of my series “Counting Down to Feast Portland” where I talk about events I plan to attend as part of this 4 day food and drink festival September 19-22, 2013 to raise money for the two Feast Portland charity partners focused on fighting hunger: Share Our Strength and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. 

Previously: I highlighted the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting food festival scheduled for Sept 20 and 21. and also spoke of my excitement for the Sandwich Invitational on Sept 19 and the splurge gift to myself, the luxe High Comfort at The Nines on Sept 21. I also highlighted a free Feast event, the Best Butcher Contest and Fishmonger Face off on Sept 21.

Not every event is about eating and drinking. We can also just talk about eating and drinking without the action itself, such as with the Feast Portland Speaker Series. Each of these is is a $10 ticketed event that takes place as part of Feast Portland on Friday Sept 20th and Saturday, Sept 21st at the Portland Art Museum: Marion L. Miller Gallery.

Each speaking session is scheduled throughout the day, with each session lasting 1.5 hours, and with quite a pedigree of Feast speakers lined up! Although it is great to eat and drink the deliciousness, I think it is also our responsibility to have an open mind so we can learn and actively support the ecosystem that provides us both nourishment and comfort/joy in the form of cuisine.

There are SIX Feast Speaker Series events on the calendar- if you looked as recently as a few weeks ago there were only 5, but they added another!

• Friday, September 20th
  • Hunger Bites, Let’s End It / 9:00am-10:30am
  • Food Will Define the Future of Healthcare/ 11:00am-12:00pm
  • The American Experience Through Food / 1:00pm – 2:30pm
  • Transparency and GMOS: The More You Know, The Better / 3:00pm – 4:30pm
• Saturday, September 21st
  • Beat the Devil: Create an Awesome Food Business without Selling Your Soul  / 10:00am – 11:30am
  • Portland Matters  / 2:00pm – 3:30pm

I cannot attend them all since I plan to work (you know, at my regular full time job) half the day on Friday I took the day off! There’s too much goodness I don’t want to miss a thing,  one conflicts with time I will attending the Cookbook Social I will be covering next week in a post. That leaves to my hopeful schedule these particular ones that I will be trying to attend.

Hunger Bites, Let’s End It Friday, Sept 20th 9:00am – 10:30am

The first of the Feast Speaker Series, and the motivation of fighting hunger is the dear cause of Feast Portland.

Description from the Feast website: In his first term, President Obama made the ambitious pledge to end childhood hunger in America. What would it take to end child hunger in Oregon – a state with one of the highest hunger rates in the nation – but who is at the forefront of the anti-hunger movement? Join anti-hunger leaders as they share their vision, highlighting the power and effectiveness of partnership, advocacy and funding, and discuss how we can make childhood hunger a thing of the past in Oregon, and across the nation.

The Lineup

• Nona Evans, Whole Kids Foundation (Austin, TX)
• Cylvia Hayes, First Lady of Oregon (Salem, OR)
• Lucy Melcher, Share Our Strength (Washington DC)
• Ellen Teller, Food Research and Action Committee (FRAC) (Washington, DC)
• Patti Whitney-Wise, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon (Portland, OR)

The American Experience Through Food Friday, Sept 20th 1:00pm – 2:30pm

This one has a lot of interest to me because American food is both specifically regional based on available ingredients and the area’s food culture from the reality of its history and climate, and yet is also a melting pot no only of various areas of the US but of the world. Formal training, if a chef has it, often involves experiences overseas. I’m curious to hear the takes of this blend of food writers and chefs, east and south and west coasts have to say. Also, Hugh and Naomi!

Description from the Feast website: What the heck is American food? Is it Southern chefs celebrating local ingredients and family recipes honed over centuries? Is it one of the youngest chefs on Earth ever to receive three Michelin stars? Answer: It is all of these and more. Listen to renowned chefs from around the country who approach food from many different backgrounds, experiences, and influences—and find out what makes American food exhilarating.

The Lineup

• J.M. Hirsch, Associated Press (New Hampshire)
• Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood (Napa Valley, CA)
• Daniel Vaughn, Texas Monthly (Austin, TX)
• Hugh Acheson, The National (Athens, GA)
• Naomi Pomeroy, Expatriate, Beast (Portland, OR)

Beat the Devil: Create an Awesome Food Business without Selling Your Soul Saturday, Sept 21st 10:00am – 11:30am

I’m interested in this talk to hear how a food entrepreneurs balance the line between running a business but also representing their viewpoints and passions in their products and services that is part of the differentiating experience for its customers.

Description from the Feast website: What makes a coffee shop more than a morning ritual stopover? What makes a grocery store more than a place to buy groceries? Food can be a business where passion and conviction can win over customer hearts, but the new players in the food business game are proving this doesn’t come at the cost of losing market share. Meet some of the most influential players in changing the way America eats.

The Lineup

• Piper Davis, Grand Central Bakery (Portland, OR)
• Chuck Eggert, Pacific Foods (Tualatin, OR)
• A.C. Gallo, Whole Foods Market (Austin, TX)
• Kim Malek, Salt & Straw (Portland, OR)
• Steve Smith, Smith Teamaker (Portland, OR)

Portland Matters Saturday, Sept 21st 2:00pm – 3:30pm

I want to hear about what direction Portland as a food city might be going in- and how we contribute to the definition of American food. The food scene in the US now is full of passion for artisan ingredients and sourcing locally and seasonally, but yet Portland still stands out to me as unique. I am curious to hear the Portland Food Scene 201 (101 was the original Portland TED Talk by Karen Brooks) by hearing more from Karen as well as from other distinguished panel speakers. You’ve seen that TED talk right? Surely you have- it’s only 10 minutes, yet succinctly explains the Portland perspective on food (The Three C’s- Craft, Connection, Community).

Description from the Feast website: Portland, Oregon: Food media crush of the moment, or a city with serious culinary cred? Eavesdrop on the experts and hear their side. From the talented chefs changing the conversations locally and nationally, to the booming multi-billion dollar beverage and artisan products industries, to an agricultural bounty and natural beauty rivaled by few places on Earth, to the homegrown heroes—from David Lett to James Beard—learn why the Portland story is far from over.

The Lineup

• Karen Brooks, Portland Monthly (Portland, OR)
• Todd Davidson, Travel Oregon (Salem, OR)
• Francis Lam, Clarkson Potter (New York, NY)
• Mike Thelin, Feast Portland (Portland, OR)
• Andy Ricker, Pok Pok (Portland, OR)

Are you going to listen to any of the speaker series events? Which ones are you interested in?

Disclosure: I was granted a Bloggers Pass for Feast Portland 2013, and asked to help promote Feast but they did not require that I write this post and I am not otherwise being compensated. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.