James Beard dinner brings top Portland chefs together

Meira Gebel

Two-panel image: left shows a smiling woman with dark hair in a lime-green tie-dye dress standing indoors near plants; right shows many plates of desserts with pink accents and white scoops. — Megan Sanchez is one of the culinary industry's "ones to watch." Photos: Courtesy of Michael Raines and the James Beard Foundation

If an exclusive, one-night only dinner from two of Portland's rising culinary stars sounds like your kind of Thursday night, mark your calendar for Oct. 22.

The big picture: The James Beard Foundation is bringing its annual Taste America dinner series to Rose City later this month, where chefs Megan Sanchez of Farag's and Mika Paredes of L'Échelle will collaborate on a five-course meal.

Sanchez, who also co-owns Kerns' favorite Mexican restaurant Güero, was recently included in the foundation's TasteTwenty cohort — aka one of the industry's "ones to watch."

Meanwhile, Paredes helms the kitchen one of the city's best restaurants.

Best bites: The menu for the event will pair Sanchez's Egyptian-inspired cooking with Paredes' French bistro sensibilities for a meal highlighting Pacific Northwest ingredients. (Now that's a fusion we can get behind.)

Course highlights include an Oregon albacore confit with grape leaf and marinated beans, braised beef cheek with celery root puree and gremolata, as well as a rose water-soaked semolina cake with frozen custard.
Plus: Joel Gunderson of Heavenly Creatures will curate the wine pairings.

If you go: Taste America at Portland's Cooper Hall (404 SE 6th Ave.) is Oct. 22 at 6pm. Tickets are $165.

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James Beard dinner brings top Portland chefs together

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