If you’re looking to make the perfect charcuterie board for your next big gathering this fall, this is the place to find your pieces.
The Portland Cheese and Meat Festival, taking place Nov. 22 at the Leftbank Annex, is a veritable charcuterie board itself, with more than 50 vendors on hand serving not just meats and cheeses, but special little treats like candied jalapenos, hand-crafted chutneys and small-batch chili oil.
Yes, there are going to be artisan cheesemakers, including the likes of Seattle-based Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, string cheese connoisseurs Don Froylan Creamery and plant-based Rose City Creamery. And yes, there will be meats from places with names like Brat Barn, Olympia Provisions and Salt Blade.
But the majority of the vendors will serve something else entirely.
You can, for example, stop by a booth for We Must Mustard, a local women-owned small-batch mustard brand that sells a trio of intriguing mustard varieties: Garden Yellow, Fresh Dill and Cuvee Blanc Dijon. You could also check out Sibeiho, a Portland startup that has won awards for its pickles and sambal, and which is now selling Spicy Fig Jambal. You might as well stop off to see Chio, another local business that makes pistachio butter and pistachio cream, which could go with just about anything.
Because you can’t have snacks without drinks, there will also be a wide array of beverage companies on hand, including a bevy of coffee roasters, local wineries, cider makers and cocktail companies (both alcoholic and non).
Organizers of the Cheese and Meat festival are quick to note that this is not your average marketplace – the $70-$165 ticket price underlines that fact. With a focus on tasting rather than just browsing, it’s marketed as an opportunity to take home something you know you’ll like.
“The Portland Cheese and Meat Festival is designed to alleviate the challenge of purchasing specialty food products without the ability to taste them first,” David Bain, director of the festival, said in a news release. “By providing a platform for producers to showcase their offerings at a discounted rate and interact directly with consumers, we aim to facilitate the creation of demand while introducing attendees to new and exciting culinary experiences.”
In other words, it’s a make-your-own charcuterie board festival, with the opportunity to take the best pieces home.
The Portland Cheese and Meat Festival will take place from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Leftbank Annex, 101 N. Weidler St. in Portland. Tickets are $70 to $165, available online at cheeseandmeatfestival.com.
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