Miami, FL — Cochon555, the hyper-local festival with a flair for innovation, returns to Miami with its Heritage BBQ edition on Sunday, March 26, 2017 at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. The promotion of global food cultures and family farming will be the central themes of the day. From winemakers and distillers to barkeeps and chefs, dozens of the city’s biggest hospitality talents will be cooking – or creating drinks to match – Old World barbecue recipes cooked over live fires. To further champion the good food movement, a portion of all proceeds will go to Cochon555’s sister charity, Piggy Bank – a pig farming sanctuary.
Cochon555 is proud to announce the competing chefs for 2017 in Miami:
Chef Clark Bowen and Chef Rick Mace of db Bistro Moderne & Café Boulud Palm Beach – Contemporary French
Chef Tito Vargas of The Bazaar by José Andrés – Modern Spanish with a Twist
Chef Paula DaSilva of Artisan Beach House – Bold New American Cooking
Chef Jeremiah Bullfrog of gastroPod – Elevated Global Street Foods
Chef John Gallo and Rene Reyes of Pinch Kitchen – Freestyle American Cuisine
At the heart of all Cochon555 barbecue events lies a culinary competition to promote local family farming and global grilling traditions. The chefs are each given one whole, heritage-breed pig of 200 pounds and one week to prepare the whole animal. Each chef must present a “Judge’s Plate” of six dishes to a panel of 20 notable judges. The panel scores each plate based on utilization; global influences; cooking techniques; and overall flavor in order to select a winner, who will then be crowned the “BBQ Prince/Princess” of Miami.
Expanding the circle of talent, this year will also feature two satellite competitions to complement the original whole-animal tilt. Somm Smackdown pits five of the city’s top sommeliers against one another in a quest to find the best wine/pig match. Punch Kings does the same for five bartenders, challenging them to each put their own twist on the original, historic large-group drinking format: cocktail punch.
Communal feasting is an integral part of the Cochon555 culinary fabric. Beyond the 30 chef-competitor dishes – all told, some 1,500-plus pounds of heritage pork – guests can sample beef tartare with the wines of Antica Napa Valley; farmhouse cheeses; a pop-up bakery from La Brea; a Salami Snack Bar from Creminelli and Divina; a ramen noodle soup bar paired with the racy white Wines of Germany; organic pâté offerings from Les Trois Petit Cochons; a Luxury Butter Bar featuring Sabatino truffle butter, foie gras, and more; and an innovative take on classic pastry presented by Perfect Puree of Napa Valley.
Cochon555 events are theaters for innovative spirit, wine, and cocktail experiences. Libations include Smoked Old Fashioneds with Breckenridge Bourbon; The Manhattan Project presented by Poached Jobs; the Tiki Bar featuring Angostura Rum; a Courvoisier Cognac ‘neat’ tasting with hand-crafted caramels; and a Heritage Rum Cart. New pours incorporating the historic bitters and luscious rums of Angostura will also be unveiled at the Swizzle Bar. An array of wines grouped under the “5 Winemakers” banner will feature Scholium Project; Pax Wine Cellars; and more. Further tables include Wines of the World, Azzurro Wine Company, and a host of artisanal cider and beer offerings.
Tickets for general admission start at $125; VIP tickets (early admission + exclusive sommelier and cocktail competition tastings) are $200; and BESPOKE tickets $400 (includes a multi-course charity dinner prepared by three celebrity chefs on Saturday night; super early admission + exclusive private tasting and tour of Somm-Selected wines and the Barkeep competition by a Cochon555 director on Sunday; and a donation to Piggy Bank charity). To purchase tickets, visit http://www.cochon555.com/2017-tour/miami.
Where: The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, 1 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139
When: Sunday, March 26, 2017
Time: 4 p.m. for VIP entry, 5 p.m. for General Admission
The ultimate aim of Cochon555 is to give chefs and consumers something they can sink their teeth into: honest food from real farmers with the goal of a sustainable and profitable relationship for all. Placing the spotlight on heritage breed pigs themselves, each event features a Pop-Up Butcher Demo and Auction, with gifts from Williams-Sonoma and John Boos & Co., which will all benefit Piggy Bank.
“We’re incredibly excited to return to Miami during our 2017 tour,” says Cochon555 Founder Brady Lowe. “This event combines education and innovation in support of heritage breed and family farming. Heritage BBQ puts the focus on global food cultures that represent a centuries-old history of cooking over live fires with native spices and animal breeds. While our focus is local in the agricultural sense, the real concern is about the future – we want our children to be able to enjoy safer, more honest, and delicious food for years to come. We want diners to be able to enjoy better food choices when cooking or eating dinner.”
About the Cochon555 US Tour
The Cochon555 US Tour executes a yearly host of authentic, hyper-local food events focused on raising awareness for heritage breed pigs through an innovative nose-to-tail pig cooking competition. This epic pork feast visits 20 major cities in North America annually and stages over 60 events. The tour is comprised of an array of live expressions including Heritage Fire (live-fire); Heritage BBQ (global grilling cultures); and Grand Cochon (national whole-hog championship). Cochon555 cultivates a long-term impact for heritage species, raised by family farms in top culinary markets in North America. Both educational and inspirational messages are circulated among 16,000 guests; 2,200+ chefs; 150+ family farms; and 16 culinary schools. Since 2009, 50,000+ consumers have experienced heritage pork for the first time, more than $500,000 has been donated to charities, and over $750,000 has been paid directly to our farmers. For more details and videos of events, visit www.cochon555.com or follow @cochon555 on Twitter and Instagram.
About Piggy Bank
Launched in 2015 by Cochon555 founder Brady Lowe, Piggy Bank is a pig farming sanctuary. Harboring a Noah’s Ark-worthy selection of heritage breeds, it provides free genetics and access to shared business plans to emerging family farms. Piggy Bank aims to change the future of food by creating a community in which small farmers can learn about safer, more responsible practices and benefit from the sharing of genetics, livestock, and the very information needed to thrive as small businesses. The Piggy Bank farm, to be located in Missouri, raises heritage breed pigs to be gifted to communities, while building a model of agricultural transparency. Piggy Bank is a nonprofit corporation with federal tax exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3).
Information provided by Teresa Shum, Brustman Carrino Public Relations
