Truffles, one of the world’s most decadent foods, are worth rejoicing over. The original organizers thought so too and the Oregon Truffle Festival was born. The 8th annual celebration of these rare and expensive fungi is scheduled for January 25-27, 2013.
The only event of its kind in North America, this year’s festival boasts educational seminars, hands-on experiences and plenty of wining and dining. Special guest presenter Connie Green, co-author of The Wild Table, is on a mission to popularize foraging for truffles and other wild foods in America. Also planned are cooking classes, a marketplace with food and wine tastings and a 2-day training seminar to teach your dog how to locate truffles in the wild.
Says Connie Green, Head Huntress/Owner of Wine Forest Wild Foods and co-author of The Wild Table:
“We are dedicated to something rarely achieved in the wild mushroom world. The unparalleled quality of our mushrooms begins in the forest with the discriminating and proud eyes of skilled pickers.”
Wild truffles grow very well in Oregon’s rainy climate but are still a challenge to discover and harvest. Training Fido to help locate these concealed gems is becoming more and more popular. If you think your pooch has what it takes, sign up today, since this seminar sells out quickly each year.
Sign up for the Truffle Dog Training Seminar
If you want to learn how to cook truffles like a pro, from a pro, there are two cooking classes offered over the weekend. The Friday afternoon class will be lead by Robin Jackson of the acclaimed Sooke Harbour House in Sooke, BC and is included in the Experience 3 package. Sunday afternoon’s cooking class is a $100 à la carte option in partnership with Cook’s Pots and Tabletops, the Willamette Valley’s premiere cooking school.
Sign up for Experience 3: The Culinarian
Sign up for Sunday afternoon’s à la carte cooking class
After attending the Oregon Truffle Festival 2012, James Beard award winning author and former NYT food writer Molly O’Neill said:
“I didn’t want to be anywhere else, doing anything else, and it’s been a very long time since I had that kind of experience.”
Local foods tend to complement one another and wild Oregon truffles couldn’t find a better pairing than Oregon Pinot noir. The earthiness of the truffles plays nicely with the earthiness found in the Pinot noir wines grown and produced in the Willamette Valley. Both are terroir-driven and have a distinct flavor profile that only Oregon’s climate and soil can offer. Toast our Oregon truffles with Pinot noir handcrafted by Willamette Valley Vineyards, Big Table Farm & Pfeiffer Vineyards.
Those who want to revel in the richness found in native truffles, the best way is to savor them is at the sumptuous Grand Truffle dinner on Saturday, January 26. Celebrated chefs from throughout the West Coast will be preparing dishes that highlight both white and black native truffles from Oregon. Included in Experiences 1-5, dinner tickets can also be purchased à la carte.
Sign up for an Experience ticket
Click here to purchase à la carte tickets to the Grand Truffle Dinner
If all this talk about truffles has you craving for more, visit Sunday’s Marketplace to stock up on everything truffle. This one day event celebrates truffles and other wild foods, paired with local Pinot noir, artisan food and samples, cooking demonstrations, a lecture series and dog hunting truffle presentations. The Marketplace is on Sunday, January 27th, 2013 from 11am-4pm at the Hilton Eugene and tickets are available at the door.
Read more about the Oregon Truffle Festival Sunday Marketplace
With international acclaim, the upcoming festival draws truffle lovers from across the globe. Taste, discover, savor and appreciate this delicacy so difficult to find but so well loved by gourmet foodies. Be a part of the 8th celebration of Oregon’s native fungi at the Oregon Truffle Festival in Eugene, Oregon this January 25-27, 2013.