Cochon 555 Pork Competition Turns Five, Kicks Off February 17 In Atlanta

Much ado about pork products is made on Gadling, with good reason. Even if you’re sick to death of pork-centric eateries, and lardo this and sausage that, it’s hard to deny the allure of the other white meat (I can’t tell you how many vegetarians and vegans I know who still have a jones for bacon).

For those of you wanting to attend the ultimate porkapalooza, get your tickets for Cochon 555, a traveling, “National Culinary Competition & Tasting Event Dedicated to Heritage Pigs, Family Wineries & Sustainable Farming.”

The 10-city tour kicks off February 17 in Atlanta, and will include stops in New York; Boston; Chicago; Washington, DC; Miami; Vail; Seattle; San Francisco; and Los Angeles, before culminating in the dramatic Grand Cochon at the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen on June 16. Notice that Colorado gets two Cochon visits? The South isn’t the only place that appreciates pork.

Cochon was created by Taste Network’s Brady Lowe to raise awareness about, and encourage the sustainable farming of heritage-breed pigs. At each destination, five celebrated local chefs must prepare a nose-to-tail menu using one, 200-pound, family-raised heritage breed of pig. Twenty judges and 400 guests help decide the winning chef. The 10 finalists will then compete at the Grand Cochon for the ultimate title of “King or Queen of Porc.”

Depending upon venue, attendees can also expect tasty treats like Heritage BBQ; butchery demonstrations; mezcal, bourbon, whiskey and rye tastings; specialty cheese sampling, cocktail competitions; a Perfect Manhattan Bar, raffles, and killer after-parties.

For additional details and tickets, click here. Partial proceeds benefit charities and family farms nationwide.

[Photo credit: Flickr user out of ideas]

Gotland, Sweden, comes to New York to promote culture and sustainable farming

Can’t make it over to Sweden’s largest island? Lucky for you, Gotland is coming to New York.

From October 30-November 5,2011, Scandinavia House will hold an exhibition and event series titled “Gotland in New York” that will celebrate the beauty, culture, history, cuisine, and art of this island on the Baltic Sea.

The event is a collaborative initiative between the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in New York, Gotland, and VisitSweden. With the 4th annual Green Summit in New York taking place at the same time, the two events are planned to coincide, with a focus on sustainable farming. Because Gotland provides a good model of this idea, the conference holders are hoping that other regions will follow in their footsteps.

Some highlights of the Gotland in New York week include:

Ingman Bergman Film Festival (this Swedish direction lived much of his life near Gotland)
Gotland Design Exhibition, featuring native Gotland art
Specialty Gotland Cuisine at Aquavit (65 East 55 St.)

Scandinavia House is located at 58 Park Ave. at 38th St.