News Release
OLD WORLD FRANCE JOINS NEW WORLD OREGON AT FIFTH ANNUAL OREGON TRUFFLE FESTIVAL
September 4, 2009
Eugene, Ore.--- Old World France will meet New World Oregon for a fête du truffes (celebration of truffles) at the fifth annual Oregon Truffle Festival, to be held Jan. 29 through Jan. 31, 2010, in Eugene, Ore.
For the past four years, truffle enthusiasts, chefs, foodies, truffle hunters and truffle growers have gathered at the festival for three days of tastings, tours and workshops to celebrate Oregon’s most prized native ingredient. The 2010 festival, the only of its kind in North America, will feature a decidedly French connection as Oregon’s truffles begin to join their famed European cousins on the international culinary stage.
Traveling from France to share their culinary passion and prowess with other participants will be renowned chef Jacques Ratier and his wife, Noëlle, whose restaurant, La Récréation, was prominently featured in the popular book, From Here, You Can’t See Paris, by American author Michael S. Sanders.
Sanders, a widely published travel and food writer, will also lend his insight at the festival. From Here, You Can’t See Paris is the story of his year in tiny Les Arques, a hilltop village in a remote corner of France untouched by the modern era. It chronicles the dying village's struggle to survive, and of the efforts of the Ratiers, whose bustling restaurant — the village's sole business — has helped ensure the village's future. The village is in a region known for many local delicacies, most notably, black truffles.
Also on hand to share his expertise at the Oregon Truffle Festival will be Pierre Sourzat, a fifth generation truffle cultivator and scientist, who directs a truffle college in Le Montat, located just a few kilometers from the Ratiers’ restaurant.
These special guests will be on hand for the entire festival, and will launch the event Friday, Jan. 29, with La Récréation, an evening of conviviality around the table that will celebrate the magnificent truffles from the Old World of France and the New World of Oregon.
Also new for 2010 will be a two-day seminar, believed to be the first of its kind in North America, to train dogs for truffle-hunting. Twelve lucky New World dogs will learn Old World techniques for finding truffles that are ripe and ready for eating. The seminar will be taught by Jim Sanford of Blackberry Farm Resort in Tennessee and by Jean Rand, owner of Oregon's most accomplished truffle dog. Participants will get the singularly authentic experience of joining the dogs on the hunt for wild truffles in their native habitat.
Other activities at the fifth annual Oregon Truffle Festival will include experiencing all aspects of the fabled fungi, including learning to cook with them, learning to cultivate them, and pairing them in sumptuous meals with Oregon's legendary wines. The Grand Truffle Dinner will feature a multi-course truffle feast created especially for the event by five of Oregon's most notable chefs.
According to Charles Lefevre, festival co-founder and owner of New World Truffieres, culinary truffles are found in just a handful of regions around the world, and are among the world’s most expensive foods. "Within the rarified world of truffles, Oregon is known as the premier center of research and expertise outside of Europe," he says. "We are extremely honored to host our European counterparts at the festival to celebrate this joyful community and our mutual passion."
Registration is now open for Oregon Truffle Festival weekend experiences and the Grand Truffle Dinner. Six weekend and several stand-alone options are available, variously including lectures, cooking classes, winery luncheons, truffle forays, farm tours and receptions.
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