Unless 30F and “ice rain” is your idea of a good time, today’s weather is less than inspiring.  So in my search for images to warm the soul {and nose}, I came across photos from a most delicious event I attended in August.  And wanted to share it with all {2} of you.

Plate + Pitchfork is a celebration of the abundance of amazing food + drink here in Oregon.  The brainchild of Erika Polmar, it’s a pairing of highly acclaimed local chefs with local farmers and wine makers.  Put them all together in a field on a warm summer’s eve, and you have the makings of a feast for the ages.

This was the last dinner of the season and was hosted at Viridian Farms, in the heart of Willamette Valley.  The warm up act was a sampling of appetizers and wine, followed by a tour of the farm from one of the two owners, followed by a sit down dinner in a field of flowers amidst an apple orchard.  The two chefs preparing the meal that evening were Chef Pascal Sauton from Milwaukie Kitchen + Wine and Chef Bernard Malherbe from Crooked House Bistro in Salem, with some incredible Pinot Noir from Cristom Winery to seal the deal.

If you don’t live in Oregon, you might be saying to yourself right now, “Is she for real?!”  And the answer is a most definite, “Yes, I am.”  Of course, it did start to rain as the sun began to set….but that didn’t stop the party.  And you can’t have everything.

…from me to you.  I am so very grateful for your business in 2012.  And wish for you all a 2013 in which you can do what you love.  Every. Single. Day.  As you have enabled me to do.  xoa

What has become now my earmark for the coming of summer, on a painfully beautiful day last weekend, I photographed once again for the annual Oregon Humane Society Doggie Dash.  Though my task at hand was to focus on capturing the businesses and sponsors that come out to support this amazing event, I couldn’t NOT allow myself to document participants of both the 2-legged and 4-legged variety, who did not disappoint in keeping me well entertained and inspired by their stories.

And no small feat in this browbeaten economy, OHS surpassed their fundraising goal and brought in a total of $394,274!

As they do at OHS, so shall I sign off with…. For The Animals.

Oh…did I mention the *free* mimosas?!Pulling out all the stops for fundraising efforts.“You tell anyone you saw me in this getup, and so help me dog….”

My first chapter book, given to me by my 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Rodriguez, was Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.  I grew up on a diet of minimally processed foods and very little sugar {think zucchini birthday cake}, so I was understandably transported by Gene Wilder’s movie adaptation of the book, and even more smitten by Johnny Depp in the role 30 years later {yes, a weakness of mine, EVEN when he’s sporting a purple cape and a top hat}.

I needed to explain all of the above, so that you can imagine then my thrill when I was asked to take some production stills of our neighborhood middle school play, Willy Wonka Jr.  The show runs this weekend, Thursday May 10  through Saturday May 12 and at $7 for the cost of admission, it’s a golden ticket not to be missed.

And Katherine Deumling, Portland slow food chef extraordinaire, teaches you just that.

I photographed one of her classes recently, and while I was diligent about my work {which became increasingly difficult with all the wonderful smells floating around her kitchen}, I also kept an ear open with the hopes of picking up anything new to liven up what can become a mundane ritual of opening up my cabinets every night and wondering what and how I’m going to feed the children gnawing on my kneecaps.

This recipe answered my question for the night, as it has at least once a week since.

I don’t think words are enough to describe the deliciousness she whipped up that afternoon with her students, so I’m just going to proceed with photos and hope that if you know what’s good for you, you’ll give yourself the gift of learning from her kitchen.