After an all-you-can-drink brunch at Il Bastardo, we headed over yesterday afternoon to the Hiro Ballroom at the Maritime Hotel for the Cochon 555 event. Cochon 555 is a culinary event featuring 5 chefs, 5 heritage pigs and 5 winemakers with the chefs squaring off in a friendly competition for a good cause. It started with a pre-party in the upstairs lounge where guests enjoyed an array of delicious cheeses courtesy of Saxelby Cheesemongers, a variety of creative cocktails using Canton ginger liquer, salads made with Greg’s Hemp Oil Vinaigrette and Ranch dressings, an assortment of wines (including Kosta Browne pinot noir and Slaughterhouse Cabernet Sauvignon), and a cask of Dogfish Head 60-minute IPA. A little before 4pm, the judges were led to their chambers to taste and vote.

The event, which benefits City Harvest, is the brainchild of Brady Lowe. It all started in Atlanta where Brady is from and has grown to become an 11-city event. All-in-all this was a flawlessly planned event thanks in large part to the work of Brady’s right-hand-woman, Carolina Uribe.

The 5 chefs for the NYC stop included Mark Ladner (Del Posto), Juan Jose Cuevas (eighty one), Bobby Hellen (Resto), farmer Michael Clampffer (Mosefund Farm) and Corwin Kave (Fatty Crab). The 5 wineries included local Channing Daughters , with winemaker Christopher Tracy on-hand, and Pax Wine Cellars. Needless to say, we definitely got more than our money’s worth. For some reason everyone at the event thought I was the owner of Pork Slap beer because I was wearing a Pork Slap t-shirt. In fact, several people came up to me and asked if we brew our beer with pork juice. Each chef was given a different breed of heritage pig to work with (approx 70 lbs). Team eighty one did some delicious pork meatballs with cuttlefish, trotter-sweetbread-and-lobster cake with tarragon sauce, a series of terrines and a slice of porchetta. One team did a delicious pork broth soup. In the end, it was Team Fatty Crab taking the grand prize with their amazing smoked pork that was adorned with a spicy cilantro. Fatty Crab chef and owner Zakary Pelaccio was on-hand and one has to think that his bbq joint, which is slated to open in Brooklyn later this year, is going to also be a winner. Praise the lard!

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