La Ruta PDX: A Gastronomic Festival is an industry and trade focused event series celebrating
the culinary culture of Spain in Portland, Oregon from the 13th to the 16th of July 2017. Chefs
from Spain will join forces with chefs from Portland in a series of collaboration dinners. Events
throughout the festival will showcase Spanish products, purveyors, and specialty equipment to
encourage collaboration and mutual enrichment between the two gastronomic cultures.
This year’s guest traveling chefs and ambassadors include Michelin-starred chef Manuel Alonso
of Casa Manolo in Valencia, Basque chef Mikel de Luis chef Juanjo Canals of Con Amor in
Madrid, Jordi Parra formerly of Ferran Adriá’s Michelin 3-star restaurant elBulli, David Ramos
from Klimer in Madrid, Spanish food insider Alex Cardona of Aborigens in Barcelona. Spanish
chefs and ambassadors will collaborate with Portland chefs in an exclusive dinner series at Toro
Bravo, Can Font, Bar Casa Vale, Urdaneta, and Park Avenue Wines. The festival’s paramount
dinner will feature a collaboration between all guest Spanish chefs at PLAZA DEL TORO.
Live Wire host Luke Burbank will moderate a panel with the chefs at the festival’s finale, Tastes
of Spain, at Director Park in downtown Portland.
Spanish winemakers include Ana Lopez of Gramona Winery, Xavier Exteve of Avinyó Winery,
and Benoit Petillon of Faustino Winery, Victor Charcan of Bodegas Roda and Albert Jane of
Bodegas Acústic Celler. More than 50 wines will be presented by winemakers, importers, and
distributors throughout the festival at the feria and trade show, Tastes of Spain, collaborative
dinners, and wine seminars.
VIP tickets include VIP access to the festival premiere and private film screening, early VIP
access to the feria & trade show, early VIP access to Tastes of Spain, access to exclusive after
parties each night of the festival, and a seat at one ambassador dinner of choice. Ambassador
dinners are limited to 10 VIP tickets per dinner and are first come, first serve. Only 50 VIP
tickets will be sold. VIP and General Admission tickets are available through
www.larutapdx.com.
Proceeds from the festival benefit The Portland Kitchen, a nonprofit using food and cooking to
change the lives of underserved youth.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
FESTIVAL PREMIERE – Thursday, July 13
The festival launches with a festival premiere party followed by a private screening of the
Spanish documentary film Soul at the Portland Art Museum co-presented by NW Film Center
about Basque Country 3-star Michelin chef Eneko Atxa tackling the complex universe of haute
cuisine. A cocktail hour before the film will offer cava from Suriol and passed tapas from PLAZA
DEL TORO chef Michael Kessler. VIP access will include paella from Jaret Foster and Mona
Johnson of Tournant and Gramona Cava. The film will be introduced by Soul film producer
Pedro Peira. A cheese and dessert reception after the film will feature Soul star Eneko Atxa’s
txakolina being poured in Oregon for the first time.
AMBASSADOR DINNER SERIES – Friday, July 14
Chefs, ambassadors, and winemakers from Spain collaborate with chefs from Portland in
private seated dinners at some of Portland’s top Spanish restaurants:
● Michelin-starred chef Manuel Alonso of Casa Manolo (Valencia) with Josep Vidal and
winemaker Victor Charcan of Bodegas Roda winery at Can Font
● Mikel de Luis (Bilbao/NYC) with Javier Canteras and Benoit Petillon of Bodegas
Faustino winery at Urdaneta
● Juanjo Canals of Con Amor (Madrid) with Nate Tilden and Valdespino Sherry shown by
Brian Martin of Galaxy Wine Company at Bar Casa Vale
● Jordi Parra (formerly of Ferran Adriá’s elBulli) and David Ramos (Madrid) with John
Gorham and winemaker Xavier Esteve of Avinyo winery at Toro Bravo
● A reunion dinner featuring Toro Bravo alumni chefs Kasey Mills (Mediterranean
Exploration Company / Shalom Y’all) and Josh Scofield (Pollo Bravo) with Spanish food
insider Alex Cardona of Aborigens (Barcelona) and winemaker Ana Lopez of Gramona
winery at Park Ave Wines.
SPANISH WINE, SIDRA & SHERRY SEMINARS – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday July 14-16
Guests are educated through intimate discussion and tastings of regional Spanish beverages by
Victor Charcan of Bodegas Roda, Albert Jané of Bodegas Acústic Celler, Jim Asbel of Ciders of
Spain, and Brian Martin of Galaxy Wine Company.
FERIA & TRADE SHOW – Saturday, July 15
PLAZA DEL TORO and Southeast 2nd Avenue between Taylor and Yamhill transform into an
trade show featuring an array of products and equipment from Spanish and local purveyors,
culinary demos, and an extensive variety of beverage tastings presented by winemakers,
distillers, brewers, and cider makers from Spain and Oregon. Demos include paella cooking by
Aneto Natural, knife sharpening by Murray Carter, rabbit butchery by Camas Davis of Portland
Meat Collective, and jamón carving by Manuel Recio of Conserva and Viridian Farms. Guests
can enjoy product samples, GinTonic competition, Miro Vermut Hour, Carter Cutlery knife raffle,
and an exhibit of oil paintings by Holly Grosvenor of the Asturias region of Spain.
LA RUTA DEL TORO DINNER at PLAZA DEL TORO- Saturday, July 15
Chefs from Spain collaborate for the festival’s paramount dinner at Portland’s PLAZA DEL
TORO gastronomic society. Manuel Alonso of Casa Manolo (Valencia), Jordi Parra (Barcelona),
Mikel de Luis (Bilbao/NYC), and Juanjo Canals of Con Amor (Madrid) will each present a course
at this seated dinner with dessert by Luis Moyano (Madrid/Portland) and winemaker Albert Jane
of Bodegas Acústic Celler. Classical Spanish guitarist Ryan Walsh will set the tone of the
evening.
TASTES OF SPAIN at Director Park – Sunday, July 16
The final event of the festival features bites from more than 15 local and Spanish chefs and
artisans with extensive beverage tasting from winemakers, brewers, and sidra makers of Spain
and Oregon. Luke Burbank of Live Wire will host a panel on the main stage in Director Park with
the traveling Spanish chefs and Kelly Cox from PBS Food’s Original Fare will interview
participating festival chefs, artisans, and winemakers. Live entertainment will be hosted by Pepe
Raphael (of Pepe and the Bottles Blondes) with live music and dance from Espacio Flamenco,
who will also offer a pop-up Flamenco class for kids who will perform later in the event.
Additional entertainment includes Barcelona street art, face painting, and students from
nonprofit My Voice Music will open the live entertainment with an original Spanish song written
in collaboration with Pepe Raphael.
For additional event details and lineup of participants, please visit larutapdx.com.
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