Come taste our flavors and celebrate Southern Oregon's bounty this November.

Thirteen years ago, Travel Ashland created the Ashland Culinary Festival to showcase the talented chefs, restaurants, wineries, breweries, artisans and farms of Southern Oregon. While we can't produce the event as in years past for 2020 due to safety restrictions, this November, we will honor what legacies the event has created and showcase Ashland's culinary scene.  Virtually or in person, we invite you to join us. 

The week of November 9th - 15th, 2020 take part in an online cooking class, watch fun, Facebook live events, attend a delicious multi-course dinner on Saturday night with past Top Chefs and throughout the week enjoy specials and happenings offered by restaurants, wineries, artisans, growers and breweries.  Explore the new Rogue Valley Food Trail, learn more about our amazing wines on the new www.RogueValleyWineCountry.com site and the valuable work of www.RogueFoodUnites.org.

Cook, learn and taste with Chef Rebecca Peizer, Owner of All Things Culinary and a Professor at the Culinary Institute of America 

Enjoy an evening with Chef Rebecca Peizer, Professor at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone cooking from the bounty of Oregonian ingredients with an italian twist.

Register for her Online Cooking Class Thursday, Nov. 12th 5 - 8pm on Zoom

Menu:
Cook with her virtually and enjoy the feast together. 
 
$35 per person includes Ingredients and equipment list, access to online class, Q&A and recipe upon completion. 

Register here: Sign in and Pay with Venmo OR PayPal 

Upon registration, Zoom link, ingredient and equipment list will be sent to attendees prior to the class to shop and prepare. 
 

Emerging Futures Network Presents: Zero Waste Kitchen

Community members will have the chance to participate in a free series facilitated by the Emerging Futures Network, aimed at teaching people how to run a waste-free kitchen, beginning November 12th. The four-part event will take place live on Zoom. 

Emerging Futures staff and experts from the Ashland community will give lessons and facilitate conversations on topics ranging from the definition of zero-waste, effectively buying in bulk, worm composting, and more! Presenters from the Ashland Food Coop, the Southern Oregon Food Solutions Group, and the Ashland Food Angels will be there to share wisdom and guide participants through creating systems in their homes and while shopping or eating out that will help in kitchen waste reduction efforts.

The first Food Waste Challenge, utilizing an online food waste calculator through the Emerging Futures’ website, will also take place as part of the lessons. The illuminating curriculum will help households lower their waste footprint in a way that’s cost-effective and fun for all!

This first series is just the beginning. Emerging Futures Network will teach participants how they can spread the word and teach their own families and networks how they, too, can have a zero-waste kitchen. 

The class schedule is as follows:
11/12 5:00-6:30 PM
11/19 5:00-600 PM
12/3 5-00-6:00 PM
12/10 5:00-6:00 PM

Register online at https://emergingfuturesnetwork.net/zero-waste-kitchen/ to have reminders and Zoom links sent to your inbox. 

Contact media@emergingfuturesnetwork.net with questions.
 

Watch Facebook Live Events on Travel Ashland's Facebook page 

• Monday November 9th @ 11am with Chef Neil Clooney, Owner of Bird & Rye,  Two time winner of the Ashland Culinary Festival and Iron Chef Oregon 

• Tuesday, November 10th @ 8:30am with Chef Tselani Richmond, former Head Judge of the Ashland Culinary Festival, Professor at Sur La Table, Le Cordon Bleu Portland and Oregon Culinary Institute. 

• Thursday, November 12th @ Noon. Join us for Oberon's owner, Andy Card's Cocktail Demo.

• And more to come!  

Follow Travel Ashland Facebook and Instagram  
                                                  
Learn more about Ashland Culinary Festival here

Culinary Specials throughout Ashland 

This week enjoy specials offered by restaurants, wineries and local artisans.  Check back as we continue to share the local delicious creations you can enjoy. 

Dining:

Oberon's has launched their new Fall/Winter menu featuring 38 specialty cocktails. The menu is divided into four sections: House Cocktails (hot and cold), Old Fashioneds, Moscow Mules, and Improved Classics, finely tuned for the modern palette. The new menu also features ingredients and cocktails inspired by the season, like our specialty Eggnog. Oberon's looks forward to serving you your favorite, seasonal dram. Oberon's 45 N Main St., oberonsashland.com

 

Winery:

Irvine and Roberts Vineyards winter hours are Thursday-Monday, 12-6.  Our Curated Pairing and Perfect Pairing experiences are available Thurs- Mon. 

Tasting appointments can be made by clicking here 

Retail:

Pelindaba Lavender: Please visit the Facebook links below for details:

Culinary Adventures with Lavender
Pelindaba Lavender Posts
Pelindaba Lavender Culinary Products

More Specials to come . . . 

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Here are highlights and a recap from the 2019 Ashland Culinary Festival: Produced by Travel Ashland the 13th annual Ashland Culinary Festival, November 7th - 9th, 2019 welcomed more attendees and more excitement than any other year in its history with an electric room captivated by the talent of Southern Oregon. Throughout the weekend there were sold out culinary workshops, live competitions on stage, vendor samplings, events throughout Ashland and more. The weekend's center point was the Top Chef Competition where 13 local chefs competed for the 2019 Top Chef title along with our annual Junior Chef & Top Mixologist Competitions.   

The festival began with a SOLD OUT Ultimate Top Chef Dinner on Thursday evening which honored the history of this event and the amazing talent in Southern Oregon. The evening included a specialty cocktail sampling by 2018 Top Mixologist – Caitlin Hilligoss of Peerless Restaurant & Bar, samplings from the Rogue Creamery, Simple Café and AWEN Winecraft and five past Top Chefs winners from previous years, each preparing a signature course paired with a local winery. Top Chef courses were prepared by Skye Elder of Brickroom - Top Chef 2017, Franco Console of Larks Restaurant - Top Chef 2009, David Georgeson of Luna Café & Neuman Hotel Group - Top Chef 2011, Chandra Corwin of Cucina Biazzi - Top Chef 2010 and Neil Clooney of Smithfields Restaurant & Bar and Bird+Rye - Top Chef 2007 & 2008 / Iron Chef of Oregon 2008 & 2009. Award-winning wine pairings by Weisinger Family Winery, Platt Anderson Cellars, RoxyAnn Winery, Trium Winery and Eden Valley Orchards (Pear Cider). 

On Friday evening, we kicked off our Festival with an evening of delicious bites and samples by local restaurants, distilleries and wine tastings by the Bear Creek Wine Trail all happening around the room as our 4th annual Top Mixologist Competition took place on stage in front of over 300 people.  We welcomed 12 Bartenders to the stage to compete. Much like our Top Chef Competition, one bartender with the highest score from each round advanced to the FINAL Round. The fourth position in the FINAL round was the “Wild Card” Bartender – selected by the Judges, from the nine non-qualifying competitors, based on a similar set of judging guidelines as the previous rounds. The 2019 Wild Card Mixologist was Kalea Mckenna of Jefferson Spirits. Alongside her in the final round was 2016 Top Mixologist, Blake Henry of the Brickroom (advancing from round one), Jordan Shepard-McGuire of Larks Kitchen & Cocktails / Inn at the Commons (advancing from round two) and 2017 Top Mixologist Freddie Herrera of Mezcal Restaurant (advancing from round three). Each round had a secret ingredient which was required to be incorporated into their final drink. Ultimately it was Jordan Shepard-McGuire of Larks Kitchen & Cocktails / Inn at the Commons, winning first place and crowned the 2019 Top Mixologist with her drink titled the “Dazzling Margarita” using the secret ingredient – Pennington Farms Razzle Dazzle Jam (which is a mix of Raspberry, Blueberries and Marionberries) along with a Los Vecinos del Campo Mezcal, Agave Syrup, Cointreau and a salt rim with lime garnish. Coming in 2nd place was Kalea Mckenna, 3rd place Freddie Herrera and 4th place Blake Henry.     

On Saturday, the Festival was honored to hold the 4th annual Junior Chef Competition, the first of its kind in Southern Oregon. A two-person Chef Team competed from Ashland High School, Grants Pass High School, Hidden Valley High School, North Medford High School, Phoenix High School and South Medford High School, six teams total. Junior Chefs first competed in a Quick-Fire Challenge Round (two rounds, three schools each) and were given 14 minutes to make a ‘Composed Salad & Dressing’ to showcase their knife skills and quick recipe development/plating. The top four scores from the previous two rounds moved onto the final round where Junior Chefs were given a secret challenge to complete much like the Top Chef Competition. The final four schools were Ashland, Grants Pass, North and South. For the final round, Junior Chefs were challenged to create a full plate with an Entrée, a pasta and a vegetable. Secret Ingredient - Salmon. Phoenix Yee & Ian Stevens, Juniors – Ages 16 from North Medford High School, won the 2019 Junior Chef title.  Phoenix & Ian created a beautiful plate with Pan-seared Salmon over Yakisoba Noodles with red bell peppers, cabbage, mushrooms and a ginger sauce made with honey, ginger and lemon topped with microgreens. With winning, they were given the chance to shadow the Judges for the Chef Competition for the remainder of the weekend as well as receiving a scholarship which audience members contributed to by bidding on auction items in addition to local businesses contributing to the scholarship fund. The Junior Chef Competition is one of the highlights of this Festival and is a must-see event. Chef Cory Schreiber, James Beard Award-Winning Chef from Cooking from the Source was welcomed as the celebrity Judge and mentor for this competition. 

The weekend continued with the Top Chef Competition and over 35 vendors to sample each day.  Vendors included local wineries, chocolatiers, distilleries, creameries, breweries, food artisans, chefs, cooking products and much more.  Guests enjoyed sampling around the room as the Top Chef Competition took place live on stage. 

The Top Chef Competition results were as follows:

 

• Round one winner: Skye Elder of Brickroom (2017 Top Chef, Runner-up in 2018) received the highest score for his creation using the secret ingredient – Whole Chicken & Tea.     

 

• Round two winner: Billy Buscher of Larks Kitchen & Cocktails / Inn at the Commons (2012 Top Chef / Iron Chef of Oregon 2016) received the highest score for his creation using the secret ingredient – Whole Chicken & Chocolate. 

 

• Round three winner: Julian Jones of Martino’s/Macaroni’s (first-time competitor) received the highest score for his creation using the secret ingredient – Whole Chicken & Coffee. 

These three Chefs advanced to the final round along with Mike Hite of Alchemy Restaurant & Bar who earned the fourth slot in the finals as the 2019 Judge’s Choice WILD CARD Chef, selected from the nine Chefs who did not advance.   

In the final round, Billy Buscher of Larks Kitchen & Cocktails / Inn at the Commons (2012 Top Chef & Iron Chef of Oregon 2016) earned his second Top Chef title alongside his talented Sous Chef John Rumble with his execution and plating of the following challenge – Chefs were given a Whole Chicken but could not use the breast, leg or thigh along with being required to use bacon and Burgundy Truffles and/or a White Truffle Oil in the dish.  Chef Buscher’s plate is described as follows – Bacon Chicken Mousse Boneless Chicken Wing, Brie Truffle Creamed Leeks, Truffle Beurre Monte Poached Baby Fennel Bulb and Baby Kohlrabi, Crispy Chicken Skin, Celery Leaves and Curls, Shaved Truffle And Truffle Vinaigrette – outstanding!     

All four Chefs who advanced to the final round should be extremely proud of their accomplishments as each round featured talented Chefs from across the Valley. 2nd place was awarded to Skye Elder of Brickroom, 3rd place went to Mike Hite of Alchemy Restaurant & Bar and 4th place was Julian Jones of Martino’s/Macaroni’s.