IACP conference & French Butchering Lesson

… just finished up an exhausting and delicious week while the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference was in town.  We’ve been a member since we worked on the Paley’s Place cookbook and it’s a wonderful collection of the best food writers, publishers and restauranteurs around.  The IACP puts on seminars and gives out awards (kudos to Lisa Schroeder of Mother’s and Mama Mia Trattoria – best restauranteur).  After a week of early morning classes, food-tourism in my own town, then late nights hanging with out-of-towners I rarely see, I had the opportunity to see something really special Sunday morning.

I was invited to see how the French butcher a pig.  My curiosity may seem odd to many, but I’m a certified carnivore, and really interested in the where & how of meat. I must have been a farmer in a previous life.  Dominique Chapolard who raises and butchers pigs in Gascony was in town for the week, and Sunday he showed a class from Camas Davis’ Portland Meat Collective how he and his brothers do it.  Adam Sappington of the Country Cat tells me it’s a totally different method that what Americans traditionally do, but hey, if it still turns out great pate’, sausage, and head cheese I’m still game!

I was lucky to have met Hank Shaw (IACP 2010 Top Food Blogger at:  honest-food.net) who was writing for his blog and asked me to send some pics to him.  You can read his great piece here

and a few photos ….