Walter Manzke’s Jamon Beurre from Cochon 555 2015 Photo by Elise Thompson
One of our favorite events, Cochon555, will be returning this Sunday, March 11, 2018, at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. Unlike other strolling food events, Cochon 555 is a competition, so it can get really exciting. The chefs get loose and creative, and everyone gets a little lubricated from the drinks entered in the Somm Smack-Down and Punch Kings competition.
Each participating chef receives a 200-pound heritage breed pig sustainably sourced from one of a selection of family farms. The chef must create a maximum of 6 dishes to be rated by a panel of judges, and by you, the welcome guests. The winner will be crowned Los Angeles’ “Prince or Princess of Porc.” The nationwide event culminates with the winners from 18 participating cities going head to head for the prized title of “King or Queen of Porc.” This year’s competitors are Sammy Monsour of Preux & Proper, Brian Redzikowski of Kettner Exchange, Lord Maynard Llera of Mason, Hugo Bolanos of Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air, and Thomas Bille of Otium, whose Chef Jonathan Granada, was crowned Prince of Porc last year. The competition also benefits Piggy Bank, a charity dedicated to creating an open-source solution for family farmers.
Running in tandem with the competition for Prince of Porc are two beverage competitions: Punch Kings, a whole bottle, large-format spirit competition featuring five top barkeeps in a hand-crafted punch challenge featuring Breckenridge Bourbon, as well as the Somm Smackdown, a face-off of five top sommeliers pairing the best wine with heritage pig.
There will also be a variety of artisanal purveyors and small distilleries offering chef-curated tastes, like a cheese bar, Starter Bar with Cures, Pates and Foie, a Heritage Rum Cart, a Luxe Butter Bar, a Royal Oak “Dirty Steaks” Tasting, a Tiki Bar and a Pop-Up Pie Shop, just to make sure you don’t go home hungry after trying thirty pork dishes. Be sure to check out Antica Napa Valley at the Tartare Bar, where the chef will be preparing a beef tartare dish to pair with Antica Napa Valley 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2015 Chardonnay.”
Tickets for general admission start at $130; VIP tickets (early admission + exclusive access to cocktail competition and allocated wines and spirits) are $200. Buy tickets HERE!
