Cochon 555 is back!

Cochon US Tour and Goose Island Beer Co. humbly present Cochon 555 Washington, D.C. on Mar 23, 2014. Going on its sixth year, Cochon 555 is the nation’s premier culinary tour touting the flavor and health benefits of eating heritage breed pigs. The kickoff event features an all-star lineup of five chefs, five pigs and five wineries to celebrate breed diversity and family farming. Learn more about the epic pork feast and buy tickets at http://cochon555.com/2014-tour/washington-dc/.

This year’s competing chefs include Nathan Anda of Red Apron Butcher, Erik Bruner-Yang of Maketto1351, Mike Friedman of The Red Hen, Dylan Fultineer of Rappahannock Restaurants andMarjorie Meek-Bradley of Ripple. The five chefs, champions to the pig, will battle it out in a friendly competition by preparing a maximum of six dishes each created from one whole heritage breed pig to win votes from a crowd of hungry gourmands and celebrated judges. Adam Musselman of Red Apron Butcher will butcher a pig for the audience and Jeffrey Buben of Vidalia and Scott Drewno of The Source will prepare an additional late-night sixth pig.

Notable judges include Eric Ziebold of CityZen, Kyle Bailey of Birch and Barley, Lauren DeSantis of Capital Cooking and Wes Morton of Affinia. The winner will go on to compete in the Grand Cochon at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen in June for bragging rights as the "King or Queen of Porc” and a four-day wine experience to Rioja, Spain’s most prominent wine region. 

A 1200+ pound showcase of heritage pig carved into 30 chef-prepared dishes will also include: “The Goose Nest,” an area featuring the Vintage Ales of Goose Island Beer Co. paired with Hudson Valley Foie Gras; live butchering demonstration at the Pop-Up Butcher Shop, benefitting L’Acadamie de Cuisine with the support of Williams-Sonoma; different ages of Prosciutto di Parma ranging between 14 and 30 months, sliced by a roaming Berkel and by hand off a bone-in leg; the “Punch Kings” cocktail competition featuring five local barkeeps presented by Breckenridge Bourbon; a welcome cocktail from Four Roses Bourbon; the Bourbon Bar presented by Breadcrumb by Groupon featuring Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, Breckenridge Bourbon, Hirsch, Templeton Rye and Luxardo; libations including Crispin Cider, Wines of Rioja, Colene Clemens Vineyards, New Holland Artisan Spirits, Barlow Vineyards, Cochon Rose and a mezcal bar featuring Mezcales de Leyenda and Fidencio; a TarTare Bar featuringCreekstone Farms with Tarver King of Patowmack Farm; an artisan cheese bar with the Righteous Cheese featuring local favorites, Rogue Creamery and La Brea Bakery; Swine & Sweets signature ice cream course presented by Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and special dessert table featuring David Guas of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery.

There will be a special Cochon Chef’s Course dinner on Friday night at The Source. The dinner features the five guest chefs, begins with canapés designed by each chef, followed by a sit-down, five-course dinner with beverage pairings that emphasize the finest purveyors. For details visit www.cochon555.com/chefs-course.

All guests are invited to visit www.cochon555.com/win and sign up for the newsletter for a chance to win a VIP trip to the Rioja Wine & Tapas Festival in New York City on May 3rd, or more than $3,000 in prizes from tour partners, including a Smart-Scoop Ice Cream Maker from Breville, a La Caja China from Williams-Sonoma and a chance to be a Punch Kings judge and 2 VIP tickets to Cochon 555.

Where:            Union Market

                        1309 5^th St NE

                        Washington, D.C. 20002

           

When:             Sunday, March 23, 2014

                        4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Tickets:          $125 general admission and $200 VIP (early admission and premium access to limited experiences, wines and spirits); to purchase tickets visit http://cochon555.com/2014-tour/washington-dc/.

Photos by Kristen Finn and Heather Victoria