Reasons to Celebrate this Fourth of July

2012 Grand Cochon winner, Jason Vincent of Chicago!!!

2011 Grand Cochon Weekend at Blackberry Farm this August

Heritage Fire & Heritage BBQ Tickets on sale July 7th

Le Creuset Cochon Cookware set on sale now

Jason Vincent

Announcing "THE KING OF PORC" 2012

GRAND COCHON CROWNS CHEF JASON VINCENT OF CHICAGO

On June 17, at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colo., chef Jason Vincent from Nightwood restaurant in Chicago was crowned "The King of Porc" with his snout-to-tail menu created from a heritage breed Tamworth hog sourced at Triple S Farm. Chosen by an audience of 600 attendees and a panel of 20 expert judges, Vincent took home a set of exclusive COCHON555 cookware from Le Creuset, a Cowboy Cauldron and a guest chef showcase weekend at Blackberry Farm in 2013.

Competing chefs for the Grand Cochon title included regional winners of Marc Forgione (NYC), Lars Kronmark (Napa, Calif.), Kelly English (Memphis, Tenn.), Naomi Pomeroy (Portland), Jamie Bissonnette (Boston), Michelle Bernstein (Miami), Scott Drewno (Washington, D.C.), and Ben Ford (Los Angeles).

Jason Dish

Vincent won with a menu of crisp liver, eight-year cheddar and Michigan Cardoon Giardinere and "Sunday Brunch" made up of a bacon butterscotch doughnut, soft scrambled egg, 'hollandoink', bloody mary, on the bone.

GO WHOLE HOG AT BLACKBERRY FARM

AUGUST 12-15

Next month, make reservations for the best weekend in pork at Travel + Leisure's #1 Resort in North America - Blackberry Farm. Last year's Grand Cochon winners Duskie Estes and John Stewart will be appearing at Blackberry Farm for their guest chef showcase weekend this August. Attendees will get to work alongside Estes and Stewart, as well as talk Cochon 555 with founder Brady Lowe and the Blackberry Farm's own "Reverend of Fat" Michael "Sully" Sullivan. To top off the event, winemaker Wells Gutherie of Copain Wines will be pouring his insanely great wines. To find out more about this August 12 - 15 weekend, Visit Blackberryfarm.com today or call 800-557-8864 for reservations and information.

TICKETS ON SALE JULY 7th

Heritage Fire & Heritage BBQ

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Cochon Heritage Fire in St, Helena, CA. This year, we are going very intimate

(only 150 tickets sold). A selection of amazing chefs and star butchers cook copious amounts of different heritage breed animals cooked over open fires. Still the most celebrated and largest open fire event in the country and its happening August 25th.

WHAT IS HERITAGE BBQ???

A three-day celebration of heritage pork, National Bourbon Month, and BBQ, an American-and a Memphis-tradition. Festivities include fine-dining BBQ experiences, interactive demonstrations & panel discussions, food artisans & producers, craft beers, family-owned wineries and craft distillers. Heritage BBQ will be a first-of-its-kind competition that pits 24 fine dining teams in the ultimate heritage breed pig BBQ cook off while celebrating National Bourbon Month and all things craft American and tasty including oysters, bacon, dinners and music to remember for a lifetime. Best yet, it happens every Labor Day moving forward.

Here are some highlight events by day:

FRIDAY / August 31st

National Bourbon Month

"Master Distillers' Reception" at The Peabody

"Best of Memphis' Guest Chef & Distiller Dinners"

"Pre-Prohibition Rooftop Soiree" presented by Duncan-Williams

SATURDAY / September 1st

Taste of Memphis

"Heirloom Bloody Mary Tailgate" with Benton's Bacon

"COCHON5.55K & BBQ Run"

"Man vs. BBQ" (Chef Eating Challenge) hosted by David Varley

"Taste of Memphis & Tailgate Expo"

SUNDAY / September 2nd

Competition Day

"Heritage BBQ" at the Columns

24 chef teams cook "head to tail"

BBQ, Brews, Wines and Prizes

Swine & Sweet Stations

"National Bourbon Month" at Felicia Suzanne's

40+ craft spirits, Local & National Mixologists

BBQ Oysters, Bacon Hall of Fame & Build Your Own Heirloom "BLT" Bar

Panel Discussions focusing on the preservation of flavor, our culinary heritage and traditions

Including:

"Craft American Cheese & Wine Panels" at The Peabody

"Chefs, Products and Butchery" Discussion at The Peabody

"Market on Main Street" & Tasting Fair by Whole Foods Market

THE COCHON COOKWARE SET BY LE CREUSET

ON SALE NOW

PHOTOS FROM THE TOUR

The regional competitions, Cochon 555, and the Aspen finale, Grand Cochon, were presented by Le Creuset and founder and Taste Network principal Brady Lowe. Each regional competition and Grand Cochon is designed to promote the awareness of a better food system by highlighting heritage breed animals and community agriculture. It is the only heritage breed pig culinary competition in the U.S.

Since launching Cochon 555 four years ago, we have been on a quest to preserve heritage breeds and promote chefs who make good eating possible through Cochon 555 and the US Tour event. Digest these numbers:

· 224 individual events promoting heritage breed pigs

· 1,907 Chefs prepared snout-to-tail menus for competition

· 141,693 pounds of heritage breed pork consumed

· 184 Family farms tapped for sourcing

· 21,229 guests attended

· 38 different breeds of pig served

· 246 independent wineries represented

· 33,477 bottles of wine consumed

MOST IMPORTANTLY, we have surpassed ONE BILLION IMPRESSIONS.

A special thanks to everyone supporting the COCHON vision. Collectively, we have proved a point that heritage pork will be served at dinner tables in the years to come. On this note, I tilt my hat to the chefs, the farmers, the fieldworkers and promoters who care about the journey to flavor and to the preservation of our heritage. To keeping it tasty.

Follow the flavor,

Brady Lowe // Founder

Taste Network // Cochon 555

GRAND COCHON PRESENTED BY LE CREUSET

HEADLINING SPONSORS

GRAND COCHON SPONSORS

THE "C555" PERFECT MANHATTAN BAR