Now a decade old tradition, Bite of Bend is a food-festival extravaganza that turns downtown into smorgasbord of local fare. But now that weekend event will be preceded by an appetizer of eight days of food-centric events. From June 23 through 30, there will be classes, dinners and demonstrations to serve as epicurean foreplay for the big event.
From highbrow (a $150 dinner by Chef Poonsukwattana with violin accompaniment at 5 Fusion) to the more reasonably priced Food for Thought demonstrations ($10), the week features events for every budget and palate.
Featured chefs (many are from Portland's bustling and celebrated food scene) will take over local kitchens, including Chef Scott Neuman from Portland's Oba restaurant and masterful Thai chef Poonsukwattana a owner of the popular Portland food cart chain Nong's Khao Man Gai. Just these two chefs alone would be enough variety for an entire week, from Neuman's Pacific Northwest-Latin fusions to Poonsukwatta, who delivers simple, traditional and melt-in-your-mouth Thai dishes.
But the week won't just give a man a fish: Classes and demonstrations will be offered. With help from local instructors and students of Bend's culinary resource, Central Oregon Community College's Cascade Culinary Institute, classes are diverse. Local cutlery master Brian Tremayne of Primal Cuts will give a butchering demonstration, and Deschutes Brewery will host a class about-what else?-cooking with beer. The Food for Thought demonstration series—nutritional and instructional classes on herbal cures, heart-healthy foods and farm-to-fork meals—is another highlight, as is Locavore's functional foods explorations.
The eight-day week is capped by the actual Bite of Bend weekend, June 28-29.
More information, a full schedule and tickets for individual events are available at thebiteofbend.com/biteweek and on bendticket.com SW
SUNDAY, JUNE 23
World Cuisine Demonstration: Salads and Salad Dressings with Navidi's Olive Oils and Central Oregon Food Policy Council
1 pm. Cascade Culinary Institute, Demonstration Theatre, 2555 NW Campus Village Way. $12.
Farm to Fork Class: Brian Tremayne of Primal Cuts Butchery Class
3 pm. Cascade Culinary Institute, Kitchen Classroom, 2555 NW Campus Village Way. $55.
Brewed, Shaken and Stirred Dinner: Scott Neuman of Portland's Oba at Hola!
6 pm. Hola! Downtown, 920 NW Bond St. Price: $125.
MONDAY, JUNE 24
World Cuisine Class: The Wonderful World of Cheese: Global vs. Local
4 pm. Whole Foods, 2610 Hwy. 20. $40.
Food for Thought Demonstration: Herbal Remedies, Teas, Salves and Tinctures
4:30 pm. Cascade Culinary Institute, Demonstration Theatre, 2555 NW Campus Village Way. $8.
Food for Thought Class: Eat for a Healthy Heart
6 pm. Elevation, 2555 NW Campus Village Way. Price: $25.
TUESDAY, JUNE 25
Farm to Fork Dinner: Ken Rubin, Whole Foods and Students of the Cascade Culinary Institute
6 pm. Elevation, 2555 NW Campus Village Way. $125.
Brewed, Shaken and Stirred Class: Cooking with Beer
4 pm. Deschutes Brewery Tap Room, 901 SW Simpson Ave. $50.
Brewed, Shaken & Stirred Demonstration: Flips, Fizzes and Punches with Lucy Brennan
5 pm. Cascade Culinary Institute, Demonstration Theatre, 2555 NW Campus Village Way. $12.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26
Farm to Fork Class: Cooking to the Season with Ken Rubin
6 pm. Cascade Culinary Institute, Demonstration Theatre, 2555 NW Campus Village Way. $60.
Food for Thought Class: Nutrition & Cooking, Cascade Culinary Institute, Kitchen Classroom, 2555 NW Campus Village Way. 6 pm. $25.
Food for Thought Dinner: Vegan, Vegetarian and Very Delicious
6 pm. CHOW, 1110 NW Newport Ave. $75.
THURSDAY, JUNE 27
Farm to Fork Demonstration: Grocery store tour
12 pm. Whole Foods, 2610 Hwy. 20. $8.
Farm to Fork Demonstration: Behind the scenes at Locavore
5 pm. Locavore, 1216 NE 1st St. $15.
Brewed, Shaken & Stirred Dinner: One Intoxicating Evening
6 pm. 10 Below, 10 NW Minnesota Ave. $75.
FRIDAY, JUNE 28
Food for Thought Demonstration: Veggies Galore
3 pm. Locavore, 1216 NE 1st St. $10.
Food for Thought Demonstration: Eating Well with Diabetes
4:30 pm. Locavore, 1216 NE 1st St. $10.
Food for Thought Demonstration: Functional Foods
6 pm. Locavore, 1216 NE First St.. $10.
SUNDAY, JUNE 30
World Cuisine Dinner: Fusion Night with Chef Joe Kim
6 pm. 5 Fusion, 821 NW Wall St. $150.
