Chefs from 11 Peninsula venues showcase authentic Olympic Coastal Cuisine at
October 14 kick-off event
Oct. 7, 2009, Port Angeles – The Olympic Peninsula Loop Culinary Tourism Association (aka Olympic Culinary Loop), an organization created to define, promote and celebrate the Olympic Peninsula’s unique culinary experience, educate consumers and ultimately establish the region as a niche tourism destination will launch on Wednesday, Oct. 14, in conjunction with the Olympic Peninsula’s annual Tourism Summit. Highlighting the day’s events will be a luncheon presented by 11 local chefs to showcase foods that are grown, foraged, caught and made on the Olympic Peninsula. The Summit will take place from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center in Blyn, and is open to the public.
The Summit’s featured culinary speakers include Melody Johnson of the International Culinary Tourism Association and Kathy McAree of the Culinary Tourism Society of British Columbia.
“Driving culinary travelers to the Olympic Peninsula to experience the bounty of the region – fresh sea fare, locally grown produce and locally produced wines, farm tours, harvest celebrations and more – will boost the local economy and help to create sustainability while preserving the region’s agricultural heritage,” says Olympic Culinary Loop President Peter Becker. “Reaching out to this market niche requires coordinated, ongoing collaboration among local culinary industry and destination marketing organizations. The association will drive this collaboration, and work to enhance and promote the region’s culinary product.”
Olympic Coastal Cuisine Showcase
Summit participants will begin their day with a Continental breakfast featuring fresh muffins, scones and other baked goods provided by Sequim’s Bell Street Bakery. Wheat from Nash’s Organic Produce, also located in Sequim, is milled into flour on site and used in baked products. Nash’s is the largest grower on the North Olympic Peninsula and produces several varieties of wheat.
At noon Chef Arran Stark of Port Townsend’s Brassica Restaurant will serve as Master of Ceremonies for a luncheon program featuring some of the Peninsula’s best culinary talent.
The showcase luncheon will begin with appetizers of Dungeness Crab and Oyster mushroom Agnolotti with Mascarpone cheese finished with a Tarragon Beurre Blanc, prepared by Chef Patrick Norris of Lake Quinault Lodge; locally harvested Mediterranean mussels with a Mirepoix of locally-grown celery, carrots and onions, Pernod and organic cream prepared by Chef Gabriel Schuenemann of Sequim’s Alderwood Bistro; and classic local Manila clams steamed in white wine with herbs and garlic, by Chef Tim Tocatlian of Port Townsend’s T’s Restaurant. Roosevelt Elk Berry Soup will be prepared and served by Chef and Association Vice President Jess Owen of the Ocean Crest Resort in Moclips.
A main course of fresh local salmon, caught and prepared according to tribal custom, will be provided by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and L Bar L Catering, complemented by Northwest Dungeness crab cakes with roasted pepper coulis, basil aioli and chive oil and locally foraged Chanterelle mushroom and truffle risotto, both dishes by Chef Dan Ratigan of the Resort at Port Ludlow; and roasted Ozette potatoes and Chanterelle mushrooms from Port Angeles’ Bella Italia.
Port Townsend’s Pane d’Amore Artisan Bakery will provide a selection of rustic breads.
Dessert will feature local Blackberry Pavlovas with Mt. Townsend Fromage Blanc Parsnips ‘Foster’ Upside Down Cakes by Chef Jay Payne of Bon Appetit at Fort Worden.
Culinary Speakers
Melody Johnson is a member of the International Culinary Tourism Association Board of Directors and serves as the organization’s Community Manager, striving to forge partnerships and educate others in the tourism sectors about Culinary Tourism. Johnson will participate in a morning panel session, addressing the topic of how culinary tourism relates to geotourism on the Olympic Peninsula. In addition, she will present an afternoon breakout session titled, “Culinary Tourism 101: How Culinary Tourism creates economic and community development and how the Peninsula can grow this market.”
Kathy McAree is the creator and owner of Travel With Taste, Vancouver Island’s premier culinary tour company, and a board member of the Culinary Tourism Society of British Columbia. She will present an afternoon breakout session addressing the growth of culinary tourism in British Columbia and how the Olympic Peninsula can embrace this tourism trend.
High Tech Applications for the Tourism Industry
A concurrent focus of the Tourism Summit will be on high tech applications that present new economic development opportunities for the tourism industry. The day will feature a “Social Media Check-Up and Hands-on Lab” presented by experts from GoSeeTell Network, Inc., and breakout sessions focused on social media tools including Twitter, Facebook, Blogging & RSS.
For more information and Summit registration, contact Mary Brelsford at the Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau,
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or call 360-452-8552.
