Last night, I was lucky enough to score a ticket to one of Feast Portland‘s primary events, the USA Pears Night Market. The USA Pears Night Market brings a LOT of talent — both local AND national — throws them all together in one of the coolest buildings (er, courtyards) in downtown Portland, creating a street food fair akin to those in Southeast Asia.
Me being the person that I am, I meticulously studied the line-up for weeks ahead of time and actually highlighted which chefs I was most excited to visit. It was a really, really tough decision, but first up on the list was Aaron Franklin of Austin, Texas’s famed Franklin Barbecue:
As a nod to the street fair scene, I noticed a lot of chefs using Asian ingredients/inspired dishes. There was a lot of flank steak, Chinese sausage, and fresh herb garnishes. The pictures above are just the beginning — there were so many other dishes that I didn’t get a chance to shoot because I was too busy stuffing my face!
All in all, the Night Market was a great experience: a truly unique event that allowed me to sample food from acclaimed chefs and restaurants around the country, as well as showcase the best culinary talent that Oregon has to offer. It was really awesome to see our Portland folks up there with the national heavyweights, and, in some cases, surpass them.
Learn more:
- Shameless plug: did I mention I’m available for hire as a food and food-events photographer? You can see my portfolio and contact me here.
- Check out the full line-up of chefs and vendors at Feast Portland’s information page about the Night Market.
- Local folks — Feast Portland is going on all weekend long. Although most of the evening events are sold out, there are still some tickets left to some of the Speaker Series panels, as well as the afternoon Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting in Pioneer Place that’s happening today. DO IT.
OrangeMew says
Wow, great photos of the event, that tasting from Franklin BBQ looks Ah-maz-ing!!! Definitely wish I could have been there- it's definitely a hard line between just wanting to eat everything while jugglign food and drink and stopping yourself to take a photo, your shots look like you were there professionally and they would show up on Bon Apetit coverage!