Celebrity chefs, cooking throwdowns. wines, crafted beers, food carts and gourmet restaurant dishes were all part of the 2011 Bite of Oregon food and wine festival fundraiser for the Oregon Special Olympics.

Located on the Portland, Oregon Waterfront, The Bite of Oregon is a weekend-long annual event. The Bite of Oregon also features culinary demonstrations, the Iron Chef Oregon competition (patterned after the Food Network TV show), live bands on two stages, cooking shows by renowned Oregon Chefs from all over the state representing their restaurants, a children’s play area, information booths for Bite sponsors, and restaurant booths offering culinary treats from their respective menus. All of this under the auspices of the Governor of Oregon and Brand Oregon promotion, featuring all-Oregon grown, prepared, bottled and presented products, and designed to benefit the Oregon Special Olympics. Crowds approached 50,000 over the weekend and substantial funds were raised as donations. One restaurant alone stated that they alone had raised over $6,000 from food sales at their Bite tent. Wineries consistently sold out of their product, and cooking events and competitions were packed with people watching the shows. Some of the past celebrity chefs have included Cat Cora from “Iron Chef America”, Guy Fierey from “Diner’s, Dives and Drive Thru’s” and last year’s celebrity chef, Olympic Figure Skating Champion turned chef, Brian Boitano. All performed their own live cooking demonstrations and participated in Iron Chef Oregon either as guest judges or commentators. They also appeared at meet and greets for their book signing promotions.

This year’s celebrity chefs were Chef Bob Blumer of “The Surreal Gourmet” and his new show “Glutton for Punishment” on the Food Network, and Amy J. Roloff of TLC’s “Little People Big World” series.

Blumer is on tour promoting his new book, and Roloff was at The Bite to support Special Olympics and her charitable work under the Amy J. Roloff Foundation. Both commented on The Bite of Oregon. Blumer had this to say, “It’s fun and exciting, and amazing food, all for a good cause. It was fun hosting the Iron Chef competition and doing my show. The crowd is right on top and everyone was having a good time. I’ve had some fantastic dishes here. The people here are very serious and enthusiastic for everything and it’s a win-win for everyone!”

You can see more of Chef Bob Blumer at his website, www.foodnetwork.com/bob-blumer/bio/index.html.

Roloff had this to say about her cooking show, “I had a great experience cooking on stage. It was tough, but fun. I’d do it again. I love cooking and I love food. It’s a great event for Portland and for a special reason. I’m here ‘cause I love food and I have my own charity foundation. I am supporting Special Olympics and kids with life challenges.”

You can see more of the Amy J. Roloff charitable foundation at her website: http://amyjroloff.com

One of the newest focuses of the Bite this year is its new Facebook presence. Designed to encourage new people to become involved with the Special Olympics and the Bite, the FB page invites people to become “Friends”, add their experiences, photos, and videos to generate yet more interest in both. Since it’s inception, the FB page has garnered over 1900 visits by people who otherwise would not participate. The FB page also shows photos, videos and interviews on-site at the events, people, chefs, and pretty much all the different people who made the Bite happen.

Another huge addition this year was a photo booth where visitors could get their photo taken with the Bite of Oregon’s Chef logo and then quickly have it posted on Facebook where they could then download as a souvenir of their visit.

You can see the Bite of Oregon’s Facebook site at: www.facebook.com/BiteofOregon.

With an army of volunteers (this writer included), the 2011 Bite of Oregon was a great success at fundraising for the Oregon Special Olympics and promoting Brand Oregon and Oregon’s great culinary, wine and craft beer scenes. The community turned out yet again and people opened their hearts and wallets in support of a great cause.

A special thanks is in order for the Bite’s Corporate Sponsors for making it all possible by their very generous donations of funds, time, and efforts. Not to mention the staff of The Bite of Oregon and The Oregon Special Olympics.

See more of the The Bite of Oregon online at www.biteoforegon.com, and the Oregon Special Olympics at: www.soor.org.

Photos by Beth Foster

They broke all the records for food donated, cash raised, and crowd size! The 24th annual Portland Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival rocked the house.

Over the Fourth Of July weekend, more than 120,000 visitors enjoyed five stages, plus day and night Blues Cruises with over 100 performers. Legendary musicians, including 6-time Grammy Award winner Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Maceo Parker, Lucinda Williams and 2010 Zydeco Music Grammy Award winner Chubby Carrier entertained an appreciative crowd.

Together, with an army of volunteers, stagehands and media, the festival raised over $748,000 and 110,454 lbs. of food designated to help the Oregon Food Bank’s fight against hunger right here in Oregon. Economic struggles have hit Oregon hard. Demand for emergency food aid has risen dramatically.

The Portland Waterfront Blues Festival is the largest blues festival west of the Mississippi.

The Chicago Blues Festival is the only one larger. Over the course of a 4-day holiday weekend, music lovers experienced different themes, including Swingin’ to the Blues, Zydeco, Women in Blues, Northwest Blues Bands, and all aspects of Blues music.

One form of blues-derived music that has seen substantial growth in support and popularity is Louisiana Zydeco music. Zydeco is a mix of Blues, Funk, Country, Cajun, and field chants, all rolled into the most infectious, upbeat dance music ever created. Made famous by the legendary Clifton Chenier, there has emerged a new generation of young Zydeco acts that have even merged rap lines into the music.

The main identifier of Zydeco is either the smaller, traditional push-button accordion, or the large electric accordion as lead instrument. The primary rhythm instrument is the aluminum rhythm board (washboard) played with spoons. At the Portland Blues Festival, Zydeco has experienced considerable growth in support and popularity. Until recently, Zydeco was performed on the smaller Front Porch Stage, but is now featured on the two main stages and on the Blues Cruises. Zydeco Grammy Award Winner Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band had this to say about performing at the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival and the growth of Zydeco, “It’s lovely. My first time here was ‘95. It’s been great and I really enjoy it. The people are very friendly and the atmosphere is just so unique! The people absolutely love our music. They thank you for bringing Zydeco to Portland. It’s really growing. Everytime I come back, there are more and more people. And bringing Louisiana Zydeco music to the festival, people love it.”

He talked about his new CD, the 2010 Grammy Award winning Zydeco Junkie. “In 2010 it was the best Cajun Zydeco album. It’s high-energy, brother, steppin’ to a dance beat.”

He mentioned his future plans, “Continue creating more music and bringing Zydeco around the world.”

Visitor attendance at the 2011 Portland Waterfront Blues Festival smashed all previous records of the past twenty-four years. They set records for food contributions and cash donations. A big thanks goes out to all the volunteers, performers, the Oregon Food Bank, and all the thousands of visitors who came out to enjoy, support, discover and experience world-class Blues music.

Find more of the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, the largest Blues Festival in the western United States, on their Website: www.waterfrontbluesfest.com.

A NEW YEARS EVE STORY

Karaoke at the beach. What could be better? How about karaoke at the beach on New Year’s Eve with a hotel room overlooking the surf, that’s what’s better.
I’m referring to Maxwell’s Restaurant and Lounge on the coast in Lincoln City, Oregon. Six nights a week karaoke, fine dining on the Oregon coast, and sandy white beaches. Add in the chill of mid-winter and you have a combination that is unmatched.
Everyone loves the coast in the summer, but not everyone has experienced the magic of a cold winter night at the beach, listening to the heavy surf, pounding the sand from a toasty-warm beachfront room. It’s something not to be missed, and easily surpasses summertime at the coast. Lower winter room rates, much smaller beach crowds, and the package becomes even more attractive.
Lincoln City is the premier entertainment and tourist activity destination of the Oregon Coast. Located on Highway 101, about two-hours from Portland, Oregon, Lincoln City is easily within reach for a 3-day adventure from the Seattle, or Inland Empire areas. Lincoln City not only boasts some of the best karaoke on the coast at Maxwell’s, but also offers a huge assortment of activities for the visitor. Along with walks along its seven miles of beautiful white, sandy beaches, there are spectacular views of coastal cliffs, bays, forests, sea stacks, wildlife and natural areas.
For entertainment, there’s the world famous Chinook Winds Casino which has non-stop gambling of all types, along with world-class live acts such as B.B. King, The Temptations, Huey Lewis and the News and MMA Fights.
For live blues, there’s Roadhouse 101, the top Blues Club on the Oregon Coast.
There are two state parks in Lincoln City, D River State Park and Devil’s Lake State Park, along with campsites for camping at the coast. For shopping, there’s the Tanger Outlet Mall with numerous name-brand retailers.
Twenty-five miles south is Newport, a day trip, with the Yaquina Bay Bridge and lighthouse, and the old bay-front section and the Oregon State Aquarium.
Opportunities for sportsmen are plentiful, with charter fishing boats available for salmon, steelhead and halibut, not to mention fishing from the jetties.
Within Lincoln City is a huge assortment of motels and hotels either overlooking the beaches or within short walking distance. At the top of the list is the famous Inn at Spanish Head overlooking the D River and beachfront cliffs.
On this visit, we stayed at the Siletz Bay Lodge, on the south edge of Lincoln City, right on the water at the beautiful Siletz Bay. Just a five-minute walk from the breakers, our room overlooked the water, and we could watch harbor seals cavorting in the bay.
After day tripping, it’s time for dinner and karaoke at Maxwell’s. With a full menu offering steaks, seafood, and desserts, it’s time to move to the lounge.
Being New Year’s Eve and with two separate dance floors, the place was packed, primed and cocked to party.
Hosting karaoke on this New Years Eve was KJ Pearlie. Originally from Manila, Phillipines, Maxwell’s is her first-ever KJ host gig. She’s been at Maxwell’s about one year, but had been a regular karaoke singer at Maxwell’s for some time. At the controls, she operates a computer based/CAVS system, an Allen & Heath mixing board, Peavey 15” mains and 18” subwoofers. The song list boasts many thousands of selections.
She describes her goals as a KJ at Maxwell’s, “What I accomplish here, I make customers sing who haven’t sung before. I get them to come out of their shells. I encourage them to sing, not just sitting in the back and drinking. Most of all to help the sales of our business.”
She talks about her clientele, “They come regularly. In summer they all come out like twice a week.”
She mentions how she came to be a KJ at Maxwell’s, “I was a customer before and then I went here just to drink and sing karaoke. One of the previous KJs passed away and I heard they were hiring. I applied and one of the bartenders knew I could sing. They had me come back the next day and hired me on the spot.”
She invites travelers to come to Lincoln City and visit Maxwell’s for good karaoke, “I would like to invite all the people from the Northwest to come visit Lincoln City and see all the wonderful things we have to offer.”
See more on Lincoln City and Maxwell’s by viewing the photos on the Karaoke & Entertainment Guide Web site; www.nwkaraokeguide.net.

Things are not so boring in Boring, Oregon. A small town about 30 miles east of Portland, Boring is situated in rolling farmland on the western flanks of Mt. Hood.

A very small town, there are only a couple of bars in town and even fewer karaoke places. The primary karoake bar in Boring is the Timber Pub and Grub located at 28052 SE Hwy 212. If you blink you’ll miss it.

As a rural location, the crowd tends to be a mix of farming, logging and local patrons as opposed to people just passing through. Present owners are Greg and Sharon Tripp. Since taking over three years ago, they’ve undergone numerous upgrades and done some remodeling as well.

Sharon explains they’re efforts, “We’re trying to create a comfortable atmosphere where people can have good food and drinks at a reasonable price”. Greg adds, “From my perspective, customer service is what its all about. A beer’s a beer, and a drink’s a drink – you can go anywhere to get those. It’s all about your people, your staff. This is a good wholesome environment here. We get people from their twenty’s to their seventies. Everybody’s comfortable. You’re welcome to visit, you won’t be disappointed and we LOVE BORING PEOPLE!”

The karaoke hosts are KJs RC and BJ. They had KJ’d here for several years but took a break and have now been back for over six months. They are using a computer-based system with a house sound system. They offer thousands of songs to sing.
RC talks about the crowd at the Pub & Grub, “It’s a good mix of C&W, pop that depends on the night. We believe that it’s entertainment. We want people to be entertained whether they’re singing or not. We want them to enjoy the experience and sound as good as they can, so we constantly adjust the mix of the sound. The reason we put ourselves in the mix is to get a standard of sound quality, like a sound check, not a skill check.”

He continues about the results they see, “When we were first here, it built up, then we left and came back. Now the singers are coming back again. The reason, I believe is that we get out in the crowd and interact with the customer. Both of us. BJ easily attracts people. All you have to do is look at her smile once and you’ll be coming back. Our goal is simple; we want them to have fun.”

You can see more of the Timber Pub and Grub online at their website: www.timberpubandgrub.com.