Cochon555 is set to take place in Austin on Sunday, March 31 at The Four Seasons Hotel Austin, offering guests a unique way to sample food cultures near and far, putting the focus on a safer, more honest food system. Notable judges and celebrated somms will take part in the competition to find one chef who will be crowned for their whole pig cookery skills.
Where: Four Seasons Hotel Austin, 98 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin, TX 78701
When: Sunday, March 31, 2019
Time: 4PM for VIP entry ($200), 5PM for General Admission ($130)
Tickets: https://cochon555.com/us-tour/
Competitors
This year’s competing chefs include Host Chef James Flowers of Ciclo, Chef Brian Moses of Olive & June, Chef Geronimo Lopez of BOTIKA, Chef Gabe Erales of Comedor and Chef Jo Chan of Eberly. The chefs will prepare boldly flavored dishes in this friendly competition using whole heritage breed pigs from family farms in a nose-to-tail, whole animal showcase.
Judges
This year’s fourteen notable judges include a lineup of local luminaries such as Chefs Sarah McIntosh of épicerie Cafe & Grocery, Evan LeRoy of LeRoy and Lewis, Kevin FInk of Emmer & Rye, Nicholas Yanes of Juniper and Ben Runkle of Salt and Time, as well as the headline all-star butcher, Jose Saenz of Swine House.
Additionally, running in tandem with the tour are a pair of beverage competitions. Punch Kings presented by El Tesoro Tequila (video), features five of the city’s top barkeeps facing off in a whole-bottle punch bowl competition, challenging them to each make a large-format communal libation prepared with El Tesoro Tequila. Competing this year are Sarah Rahl of Four Seasons Hotel Austin, Erin Ashford of Olamaie, David Ruiz of BOTIKA, and Chloe Fisher of Rules & Regs. Cochon555 also challenges five celebrated sommeliers in the fourth annual “Somm Smackdown” (video) to use every bit of their accumulated knowledge and inspiration to find the best wine to pair with the dishes prepared by competing chefs. This year’s somms includeJeremy Hart of Banville Wine Merchants, Vilma Mazaite of Domaine Select, Leah Moorehead of Southern-Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Ryan Arnold of McGuire Moorman Hospitalityand Ali Schmidt of Emmer & Rye.
National in scope, the culinary tour will go to 9 cities in 2019. The event also benefits a greater – and absolutely delicious – cause in the form of Piggy Bank, a farm-in-the-making devoted to sharing free heritage breed genetics with small family farms. For an in-depth look at the Cochon555 movement, watch the spotlight video, and to purchase tickets, visit the link HERE.
VIP Access ($200)
Start celebrating the night early and treat yourself to the VIP experience with an extra hour of extravagance including exclusive oysters on the half shell from Chef Chris Ten Eyck of Salt Traders Coastal Cooking; and get up close with the chefs, winemakers and farmers who make it all happen. Competing chefs serve up two preview dishes to entice your palate while professional bartenders and sommeliers bring their best game forward with specialty cocktails at Punch Kings and reserve wines from Somm Smackdown.
General Admission ($130)
Feast on responsibly- raised heritage breed pig, ethically-sourced food and a variety of beverages from local craft breweries, distilleries and wineries, all created by some of city’s most forward thinking food and drink leaders.
Dishes for the competition are just the beginning — all in, we’re talking about 1,500 pounds of responsibly raised heritage breed pork. Guests will enjoy innovative preparations and cocktails from some of the most critically-acclaimed kitchens and bars in Austin.
Start the event by exploring our signature Cheese Bar curated by Antonelli’s Cheese Shop. Sip sparklers fromLaCroix, fresh juices from Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company, inventive cocktails from Ketel One Botanical and Zacapa Rum, and enjoy the Manhattan Project featuring premium bourbons from Eagle Rare and Buffalo Trace topped with Luxardo cherries. Sample neat tastings from the Whiskey Five featuring Bulleit Bourbon, Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Singleton, Buchanan and more.