EUGENE, Ore. — Food lovers are invited to celebrate the glory of a Pacific Northwest delicacy and immerse in authentic Northwest cuisine and culture at the ninth annual Oregon Truffle Festival, Jan. 24 through Jan. 26, 2014, in Eugene. Festival officials announced today that registration for the highly acclaimed event is now open.

“Our theme for this year’s festival is Foraged Foods & Fine Fermentations, inspired by award winning authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg’s definitive pairing guide What to Drink with What You Eat,” said Leslie Scott, Oregon Truffle Festival managing partner.  “We are beyond excited that the best of Oregon’s craft beers and spirits will join remarkable Oregon wines in the beverage mix this year, and Karen and Andrew are the best possible guides to lead us in this new adventure.”

Called “the best gastrofest on the Continent,” the Oregon Truffle Festival celebrates native truffles — from their hidden source in the forest to their glory on the table. Participants will be immersed in all things truffle — from tasting to touring to hunting this Oregon delicacy.

More than twenty acclaimed chefs ranging from Vancouver B.C. to San Francisco will bring their extraordinary talents to bear on the earthy delicacy, creating a culinary fusion that commemorates the region’s truffles and authentic food culture.

For the past eight years, the weekend festival has enticed and delighted truffle enthusiasts, chefs, foodies, truffle hunters and truffle growers with tastings, tours, workshops and speakers from all over the world all reveling in the sense of community that is built when we gather together to share in fine food and drink. For the third year in a row, the festival garnered a place on Livability.com’s list of Top 10 Food Festivals in America.

Back again this year, by popular request and overwhelming demand, is the Truffle Dog Training Seminar. A select few dogs and their owners will learn how to sniff their way to truffle treasure in the beautiful forests of the Pacific Northwest. The seminar will be taught by Jim Sanford of Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, Glenn Martyn of Bergen University of Canine Studies in California, and Deb Walker of K-9 Behavior in Oregon

Participants at the Truffle Festival can also take part in workshops on a number of subjects, including learning how to grow and cultivate truffles and cooking demonstrations on preparing both the black and white Oregon truffles. On Saturday there are truffle hunts with truffle dogs, a winery pairing tour, and visits to cultivated truffle orchards.  The weekend peaks on Saturday evening with the Grand Truffle Dinner, a 6 course truffle feast prepared by outstanding chefs with expertise in creating the most sumptuous truffle dishes.  The festival finale is an artisan foods and wine tasting Marketplace, featuring truffle cooking demonstrations and of course, dog harvested fresh truffles for sale.

For more information on the festival and a list of weekend programs and packages, visit www.oregontrufflefestival.com or email festival coordinators at info@oregontrufflefestival.com.  Tickets for the various events and packages are available online.

 

Maralyn D. Hill, M.Ed.,  The Epicurean Explorer

Executive Editor, LuxeBeatMag.com

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