How is it possible that Feast Portland is turning 5? I can hardly believe it, but since the biggest food event of the year is next weekend, it’s got me thinking about all the ways the festival has been a great experience, year after year. Fittingly, I’ve got five reasons for ya:

Feast is constantly evolving. The mix of events has changed. Some event locations have changed. New chefs attend each year. Team Feast is always trying new things (like last year when they added Smoked! which immediately became my new favorite event).  Not only does this make the event experience enjoyable, but it keeps me coming back year after year excited to see what tricks they have up their sleeve this time.

Damn good event planning. Don’t you hate it when you go to a huge party and there’s only one place to get food, so you have to stand in line and wait for half the time you’re there? Or when stalls or seats are just too close together to get through and you end up getting up close and personal with sweaty strangers? That *never* happens at Feast events – maybe it’s a little more noticeable if you attend events for your job like I do, but it makes a HUGE difference. Water stations are everywhere. Chef stations are spread out. It all works. And it works really well, resulting in everyone having a better time.

It’s kind of like a big family reunion. If you work in Portland in the food world, you are going to see just about all your food friends at Feast each year. And sometimes, you haven’t seen those people in a while because everybody is off doing big things! I love that I get the chance to reconnect with people and to learn what great things they have coming up next. Which brings me to…

Trying the latest and greatest of everything. Beer chocolate truffles? Check. Coffee cocktails? You know it. Smoked oyster luge? Oh, definitely. Each year I get to try and eat so many great things at Feast, and to meet and try food from great chefs from across the country.

Portland pride! I’ve heard a lot of “woe is me” about “old Portland” being gone, and frankly I don’t buy a cent of it. While there are definitely some municipal and housing issues to be dealt with, Feast is an example of the greatness that Portland can be: a nationally-recognized showcase of all the things Oregon is GREAT at. Feast comes straight out of Portland’s appreciation for passion projects – something nobody else does better. The way we value creatives, chefs and artisans is what sets us apart and Feast is a great example of that.

So yeah, you could say I’m excited to be back for Year 5. I hope they blow the friggin doors off. It’s gonna be fun – see you there!