The CurationSeries at Pickathon brings together artists with celebrated chefs from the Pacific Northwest for deeply curated experiences at Pickathon that fuse food, music, and community. Curation is more than a VIP festival ticket or a farm-to-table meal, it’s an exploration to find the creative core at the heart of food and music. Tickets are on sale now.
Drawing from Portland’s renowned culinary scene, Pickathon has selected up-and-coming and notable chefs and chosen unexpected and surprising pairings with festival artists. You might expect that East Tennessee bluegrass revivalists The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys would pair with a Southern chef or BBQ master, but Pickathon has paired them instead with Chinese-Indonesian chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly of Gado Gado, renowned for his avant-garde interpretation of rare SE Asian foodways. Cutting edge beat scientist and jazz composer Makaya McCraven pairs with chef Jane Hashimawari of Ippai PDX, known for her take on the Japanese home cooking she grew up with. One dish wonder Nong Poonsukwattana of Nong’s Khao Man Gai, known for her take on the Thai chicken-and-rice dish of the same name pairs with Nigerian dream pop band Ibibio Sound Machine, and Canadian Polaris Prize winner Lido Pimienta pairs with Korean fried chicken king Sun Kim of FOMO Chicken. The pairings at Pickathon are meant to challenge each artist, to create something beautiful, unpredictable, and unique.
Each Curation event at Pickathon lasts an hour and a half, starting with appetizers and drinks from the featured bartender, also drawn from Portland’s culinary scene. Curation attendees then enjoy an intimate and special performance by the guest artist who has been paired with the Curation chef. Following the performance, the chef presents an expanded multi-course meal conceived of and designed for the Curation event. The chefs conceptualize this menu based on discussions with the band and food provider, drawing inspiration from the artists’ music to create one-of-a-kind menus. The table is set under the forested greenery of Pendarvis Farm, and the band plays to an audience of select guests eager to discover something new. Curation looks to the crossroads of creativity, as chef and artist draw inspiration from each other, and push each other to new heights. The result is a magical experience, a festival within a festival.
