North America’s premier truffle celebration in the Willamette Valley welcomes chefs, speakers and foragers for two truffle-filled weekends: January 23 – 26, 2020 and February 14 – 16, 2020
Portland, Ore. (September 18, 2019) — The Oregon Truffle Festival, North America’s premier truffle celebration and a nonprofit organization promoting the state’s native truffle industry, announces its schedule of events spanning two weekends in early 2020: January 23 – 26 and February 14 – 16. Tickets are now on sale via the Oregon Truffle Festival’s website.
Now in its 15th year, the Oregon Truffle Festival returns with new programming for truffle growers and aficionados, foraging excursions with trained truffle dogs, decadent dinners and winery luncheons, hands-on cooking classes and much more. Six weekend packages are available for multi-day truffle immersions, while ten à la carteevents offer singular opportunities to engage with chefs, speakers and foragers alike.
Dogs play an important role at the Oregon Truffle Festival — as foragers, contestants and pupils. The January weekend opens with the Joriad™ North American Truffle Dog Championship, the largest and longest-running truffle dog competition in the country. During this welcoming event, spectators cheer for teams of truffle dogs and their trainers as they race to find hidden truffle-scented targets. For dogs new to truffle hunting, the festival’s popular two-day Truffle Dog Training culminates in an authentic hunt in the forest, where most student dogs find their first truffles.
Education and information-sharing are also at the core of the Oregon Truffle Festival’s January weekend. Truffle Farming A-Z, a new package for 2020, is a two-day gathering designed for new or prospective truffle growers. A day of lectures and comprehensive case studies precedes a second day in the field touring established orchards, including one of the most productive in North America. Led by Dr. Charles Lefevre of New World Truffieres, this new forum also welcomes international speakers.
Additional weekend packages are available for the January weekend, each offering unique culinary experiences.Grape and Grain, also new for 2020, celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of the southern Willamette Valley with behind-the-scenes visits to Springfield Creamery, the famed Camas Country Mill and 100 Mile Bakery, with truffled delights at every stop. Like all weekend packages, Grape and Grain package-holders also attend the Spanish-inspired Truffles, Tapas and Taps on Friday evening, the Grand Truffle Dinner on Saturday and two events on Sunday: a truffled brunch and the Oregon Fresh Truffle Marketplace.
The iconic Grand Truffle Dinneron Saturday, January 25 welcomes chefs Dustin Busby (Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN), Rocky Masselli (Marché, Eugene, OR), Ben Jones (Alderbrook Resort, Union, WA), Sarah Schafer (Irving Street Kitchen, Portland, OR) and Ashley Claybough (Plaza Del Toro, Portland, OR) for a six-course dinner paired with Oregon wines. The dinner is included in weekend packages and limited tickets are available à la carte ($245).
With four native Oregon truffles and the successful cultivation of prized European truffles in the Willamette Valley, the region is North America’s contribution to the shortlist of world-class truffle and wine regions. The Oregon Truffle Festival’s February weekend in the northern Willamette Valley explores this shared terroir of wine and truffles through wine and truffle pairings, winery luncheons, walk-around tastings and more.
The Valentine’s Day weekend kicks off with Food is Love!, an intimate dining event replete with truffle-infused dishes, oysters from Hama Hama, interactive fondue carts, live music and more. The event takes place at the Chehalem Cultural Center, with limited tickets available à la carte ($140) and is included in the Terroir of Truffles package.
The only package available at the Oregon Truffle Festival’s February weekend, the Terroir of Truffles includes two events on Friday, a full day on Saturday and the Fresh Truffle Marketplace on Sunday. Package holders begin their weekend with Treasures of Earth & Sea, an opening reception featuring the glorious trifecta of truffles, oysters and caviar from Seattle Caviar Company — all paired with a limited release méthode champenoise sparkling wine by Willamette Valley Vineyards.
The Terroir of Truffles immersion continues on Saturday with an authentic truffle hunt in the morning followed by a decadent multi-course winery lunch. On Saturday night, package and ticket-holders will gather at Abbey Road Farm for Shaved & Infused, a dynamic walk-around dinner showcasing truffled small plates and wines made on-site. Limited à la carte tickets ($125) are available for this lively Saturday night event in wine country.
Mirroring the popular closing event at the January weekend, the Newberg Fresh Truffle Marketplace on Sunday, February 16, brings together regional wines, artisan foods and fresh truffles from local foragers. The Marketplace also includes a schedule of cooking tutorials and a truffle dog demonstration ($15 or $25 with commemorative wine glass).
ABOUT THE OREGON TRUFFLE FESTIVAL The Oregon Truffle Festival is North America’s premier event for truffle appreciation and education. Held every winter in the Willamette Valley, it attracts thousands of culinary travelers, chefs, growers, dog trainers, scientists and journalists from all over the globe for a series of dynamic and participatory events. The festival was founded in 2006 by renowned mycologist Dr. Charles K. Lefevre and Oregon Truffle Festival Director Leslie Scott, and is run in partnership with Culinary Director Charles Ruff. Dr. Lefevre is also the founder of New World Truffieres, a company specializing in truffle cultivation. Now in its 15th year, the Oregon Truffle Festival is operating as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The 2020 Oregon Truffle Festival will be held in Eugene from January 23 – 26, and Yamhill Valley from February 14 – 16, 2020. Follow the Oregon Truffle Festival on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates.
