Rooted in the same spirit of discovery that has defined Pickathon for more than two decades, Curation brings guests closer to the artists honoring musical traditions, reshaping genres, and charting new directions for what comes next. Each of the five gatherings is limited to just 100 guests.
What to Expect
Step into a hidden corner of the farm and settle into an experience that unfolds at its own pace. As guests arrive, a Pickathon DJ sets the mood while drinks are poured and conversations begin.
Each Curation gathering is intentionally crafted by Pickathon, pairing chefs and performing artists who inspire one another in surprising ways. The meal’s featured chef presents a menu influenced by the artists and music at its center, creating a shared experience where food, sound, and storytelling come together around the table.
Throughout the event, guests are invited into a rare behind-the-scenes experience, one that blurs the line between performance and gathering, creating space for connection, discovery, and the unexpected moments that make Pickathon unforgettable.
Tickets & Access
Access requires a Weekend Pickathon Pass or the corresponding Day Pass for the event date, plus a separate Curation ticket for each gathering you’d like to attend.
The 2026 Curation Lineup
Friday Night Dinner
Cafe Olli x The Brothers Comatose
DJ: Country Co-op
Friday, July 31 · 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Cafe Olli and The Brothers Comatose come together to celebrate craftsmanship, community, and the traditions that bring people together. Nearly a decade after their first Pickathon appearance, The Brothers Comatose will be joining us again at Pendarvis Farm. They return with a richer catalog, seasoned musicianship, and the infectious harmonies that have made them one of modern bluegrass’s most enduring acts. Known for seasonally driven cooking, house-made breads and pastries, and thoughtful sourcing from local farms and producers, Cafe Olli creates food meant to be shared. Paired with The Brothers Comatose’s harmony-rich blend of bluegrass, folk, and Americana, this gathering celebrates the simple pleasures of good food, good music, and good company.
The Chefs Taylor Manning and Siobhan O’Malley are the owners of Cafe Olli and Olliní, a cafe and bakery in Northeast Portland known for its seasonal menus, naturally leavened breads, and deep relationships with local farmers and producers. Taylor began cooking alongside his uncle in North Carolina before working in Italy, New York, and Portland, while Siobhan discovered her love of cooking through a culinary arts program in her hometown of Austin, Texas, and later worked in Scotland and New York, where the pair met. Together, they have built Cafe Olli into a beloved neighborhood gathering place where thoughtful food, warm hospitality, and a commitment to employee ownership and sustainability go hand in hand.
The Artist The Brothers Comatose are a San Francisco-based bluegrass band known for their infectious harmonies, virtuosic string work, and high-energy performances. Blending traditional bluegrass, Americana, and folk influences, their music is rich with storytelling, spirited musicianship, and the kind of communal energy that turns a crowd into a family.
The DJ Formed in 2017, Country Co-op is a Portland DJ collective known for spinning a lovingly curated mix of outlaw country, honky-tonk, loner folk, and cosmic country. Longtime fixtures of the local music scene and frequent Pickathon collaborators, their vinyl-forward set brings warmth, deep cuts, and a back-porch spirit to the evening.
Saturday Brunch
Nostrana x Family Company
DJ: Greasy
Saturday, August 1 · 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Chef Cathy Whims and Family Company come together for a leisurely late-morning gathering rooted in tradition, connection, and the pleasures of slowing down. This is Nostrana’s second year at Pickathon, and Chef Cathy’s countryside-inspired Italian brunch and Family Company’s warm, harmony-rich folk sound create an atmosphere designed for sharing, lingering, and easing into the day together.
Guests will be welcomed with a table of seasonal dishes kissed with a brunch flair. Soft sformato (an Italian savory custard), poached eggs layered over summer vegetables alongside lighter fare like pastries and fresh fruits. The accompanying breads, baked straight from the Nostrana oven, will anchor the meal, meant to be torn, shared, and passed around. It’s an unhurried, countryside-style approach to brunch rooted in tradition, built for community, and in rhythm with the ease of the morning.
The Chefs Cathy Whims is the James Beard Award-winning chef and founder of Nostrana, one of Portland’s most beloved Italian restaurants. She is joined by Nostrana’s Executive Chef Bryan Donaldson, her collaborator of 15 years and a whisperer of her love for Italy. Inspired by the traditions of Italian hospitality, together they offer a seasonal brunch spread featuring dishes kissed with a brunch flair, house-baked breads fresh from the Nostrana oven, and a menu designed for gathering, grazing, and passing plates around the table.
The Artist Family Company blends folk, Americana, and rich vocal harmonies into music that feels both intimate and expansive. Their collaborative spirit and easygoing sound evoke the comfort of a front-porch gathering, creating the perfect soundtrack for a relaxed morning centered on community, conversation, and connection.
The DJ DJ Greasy has spent decades collecting and sharing overlooked treasures from the worlds of soul, funk, R&B, reggae, gospel, and beyond. His vinyl selections provide the perfect backdrop for a slow morning, inviting guests to settle in, stay awhile, and savor the rhythms of good food, good company, and a day just getting underway.
Saturday Happy Hour
Sunday Sauce x The Womack Sisters DJ: VNPRT Saturday, August 1 · 4:00–5:30 PM
Chef Isaiah Brown and The Womack Sisters come together for a happy hour rooted in family traditions, soulful expression, and the enduring power of stories passed from one generation to the next. Sunday Sauce’s Italian-American comfort food meets The Womack Sisters’ generational soul for an afternoon that celebrates the people, places, and traditions that shape us.
The Chef Isaiah Brown is the executive chef of Sunday Sauce, a Northeast Portland restaurant inspired by co-owner Amanda Winquist’s New Jersey upbringing and the long-simmered Italian-American recipes that bring families together around the table. Drawing on experience at acclaimed restaurants including Canlis, Normandie, and Hale Pele, Isaiah brings care and craft to comfort food classics, transforming beloved family traditions into vibrant, shareable meals.
The Artist The Womack Sisters carry one of soul music’s most celebrated legacies into a new generation. Granddaughters of Sam Cooke and daughters of songwriting duo Womack & Womack, the sisters blend rich harmonies, heartfelt storytelling, and timeless soul into performances that honor their roots while forging a sound all their own.
The DJ VNPRT is a Portland DJ and curator whose dynamic sets weave together house, techno, baile funk, amapiano, and other global dance sounds. A fixture of the city’s DIY and community music scenes, VNPRT brings an adventurous spirit and an infectious energy that invites people to gather, move, and celebrate together.
Saturday Dinner
República x Mexican Institute of Sound
DJ: disco diablo
Saturday, August 1 · 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Chef Angel Medina of República brings his Mexico-forward lens to Pickathon, where every plate begins somewhere specific, and the point of view does not flinch. Chef Angel’s cooking treats food as a living thing, rooted in region and carried by intent. Every plate holds the weight of where it came from; from the Olmec, the Zapotec, the Toltec, and everyone after, down to everything that made modern Mexican food the greatest cuisine of all. That evolution continues here. Pacific Northwest ingredients, met with technique and history. Joined by Mexican Institute of Sound and disco diablo, this Saturday dinner celebrates the traditions, histories, and creative energy that continue to shape contemporary Mexican culture.
The Chef Angel Medina is the Founder of República & Co. and TODOS Media. Born in Southern California and raised between Guadalajara and Tijuana, Medina came to Portland in 2010 and built a path from Mexican-grown coffee to a small group of restaurants. His work treats Mexican cuisine as history and reclamation, separating what is ancestral from what colonization introduced. República has earned national recognition from the James Beard Foundation and Bon Appétit.
Established in November of 2020, República began as a humble space offering beloved classics such as Pozole, Menudo, and Cochinita Pibil, and within weeks gained popularity as one of the best Mexican restaurants in the city. By only its sixth month, the restaurant began offering an evening Chef’s Tasting Dinner that quickly caught the attention of local press and the L.A. Times. In February of 2023, República settled into its new home on the corner of NW 10th and NW Couch in the Pearl District, not only a larger space but the right space, curating an experience that mirrored something in Paris, New York, London, or the restaurants of Mexico City.
The Artist Mexican Institute of Sound is the acclaimed musical project of Mexico City producer and DJ Camilo Lara. Drawing from cumbia, mariachi, norteño, mambo, hip-hop, electronic music, and global dance sounds, Lara creates exuberant, genre-defying performances that celebrate Mexico’s musical heritage while pushing it boldly into the present.
The DJ Vinyl devotee and host of Manteca on KMHD, disco diablo spins genre-blurring sets full of thoughtful energy and unexpected gems, all guided by a love of filling space with sound. Their vibrant, dancefloor-driven selections move effortlessly across disco, house, Latin rhythms, and global club sounds, keeping the energy flowing long after the last course is served.
Sunday Brunch
Screen Door x The Travelin’ McCourys
DJ: DJ Dentside
Sunday, August 2 · 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
This Sunday brunch is a celebration of two enduring American traditions, Southern cooking and bluegrass music, gathered around a shared table. Screen Door brings the soul of its Southern kitchen to Pickathon, with Culinary Director Dominic Finzo showcasing dishes that span brunch to dinner and honor Southern cuisine’s past, present, and future. The Travelin’ McCourys carry one of bluegrass’s most respected legacies into the present with virtuosity, spontaneity, and joy, while Portland’s DJ Dentside opens the morning with an easygoing soundtrack that bridges eras and genres. Together, it’s an invitation to settle in, pass the plate, and experience how food and music become traditions worth returning to.
The Restaurant Nicole and David Mouton, longtime Portland residents originally from South Louisiana, opened Screen Door Eastside in 2006 with the help of friends, family, and early employees. Their vision was to blend the rich traditions of Southern food with the fresh, local, and sustainable values of the Pacific Northwest. This blend, a meeting place of “fried and fresh,” celebrates both Southern comfort food and the region’s agricultural bounty, reflecting their deep passion for quality ingredients and thoughtful cooking. At the heart of Screen Door is a commitment to hospitality and the joy of sharing food and culture, a mission to bring people together over meals that honor both heritage and community.
The Chef Born and raised in Tennessee, Culinary Director Dominic Finzo represents a new generation of Southern chefs, one rooted in tradition while constantly looking ahead. Blending classical technique with a modern Pacific Northwest sensibility, he is passionate about preserving the soul of Southern cuisine while continuing to push it forward. His cooking is guided by a deep respect for heirloom ingredients and the stories they carry, believing that every dish is an opportunity to honor the people, places, and traditions that have shaped Southern food. Working closely with regional farmers and producers, he creates menus that celebrate the seasons, showcase exceptional local ingredients, and reflect the rich diversity of Southern culinary heritage.
The Artist The Travelin’ McCourys carry one of bluegrass music’s most respected legacies into the present. Led by brothers Ronnie and Rob McCoury, whose roots run deep in the Del McCoury Band, the group honors bluegrass traditions while embracing new musical pathways with virtuosity, spontaneity, and joy. Their performances celebrate a living tradition, growing stronger each time it’s shared.
The DJ Opening the morning, Portland DJ Dentside sets the tone with a thoughtfully curated selection that bridges eras and genres, creating an easygoing soundtrack for conversation, coffee, and the first meal of the day.
Raise a Glass
Every Curation gathering is made richer by the drinks in hand. We’re grateful to the beverage partners pouring alongside our chefs and artists this year:
Wandering Goat Coffee (Eugene, OR) · Autora Mezcal · Holladay Bourbon · 360 Vodka · Brokers Gin · Five Farms Irish Cream · Maloof Wines · Rubato Wines · Division Winemaking Co. · Dominio IV Wines · Estelbrook Farms & Vineyard · Nira Fermented Soda by Biotic Ferments
And a special shout out to Tre-Fin Foods, providing high quality, locally caught sustainable seafood in the Pacific Northwest.
A heartfelt thank you for helping us fill every table with something worth savoring.
Reserve Your Seat
Only 100 seats per gathering. Access requires a Weekend Pickathon Pass or the corresponding Day Pass for the event date, plus a separate Curation ticket.
