Cochon 555, a cooking competition celebrating all things wine and pork, has announced its multi-city 2012 tour dates. The full lineup hasn't been announced yet, but competitors includes chefs Jamie Bissonnette, Marc Forgione, Stephanie Izard, Barbara Lynch, Naomi Pomeroy, and Michael Schwartz. The ten city nose-to-tail event kicks off on January 22nd in New York City, with the winner of each city going on to compete for the title of King (or Queen) of Porc at the Grand Cochon at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen on June 17, 2012.
Also, Cochon 555 returns to Portland, Oregon. The 2011 tour did not include Portland, because maybe the event's co-founder Brady Lowe and Thistle chef Eric Bechard got arrested after a supposedly-drunken brawl outside a Portland strip club over the use of non-local pigs back in 2010. Hopefully people in Portland can behave this time. Here's the full schedule:
Cochon 555's 2012 Schedule
· New York on January 22
· Napa on January 29
· Memphis on February 4
· Portland on March 11
· Boston on March 25
· Miami on April 1
· Washington, DC on April 22
· Chicago on April 29
· Los Angeles on May 6
· San Francisco on May 20
· Tickets to Cochon 555 [Official Site]
· All Cochon 555 Coverage on Eater [-E-]