You can literally pig out this Sunday at Cochon 555, when five of DC's best chefs go head-to-head in a cooking competition where the only ingredient is ... no wait, guess.
Cochon 555's namesake comes from what it features: five local chefs, five heritage pigs, and five family-owned wineries. The foodie-friendly competition is not only designed to promote heritage pigs, but also to raise awareness for ICompassion, which strives to reduce fatalities from kidney disease by supporting a national live donor registry.
However, this event is not for the weak-stomached. The most polite way we can say this: Chefs will use every part of a 70- to 100-pound heritage breed pig, from head to toe to tail.
Think "Iron Chef" meets a slaughterhouse. Yeah, we went there.
So what's on the menu? Chefs in other cities have served up everything from miniature hotdogs to heart-and-liver skewers. Have a sweet tooth? A Seattle chef served up bacon-chip cookies with whipped lard icing. (Insert pacemaker ... now.)
We understand that pork cheek doesn’t appeal to everyone, especially when sober. Luckily(?), the featured local wineries will distribute the liquid confidence needed to sample all of the chefs' creations.
And with a steep ticket price ($80), you might expect each pig to come back to life, only to slice, dice and roast itself before your very eyes, but don't get your hopes up. Instead, consider your satisfaction Sunday night with a belly full of pig and clothes that smell as if you manned the fryer at Denny's all day. Mmm ... greasy.
Cochon 555
Mandarin-Oriental Hotel (1330 Maryland Ave. SW)
Sunday, May 31, 5 p.m.
$80 per person; $175 for VIP Experience
Tickets must be purchased in advance here.
Featured Chefs:
- Brian McBride, Blue Duck Tavern
- RJ Cooper, Vidalia
- Nicholas Stefanelli, Mio
- Jamie Leeds, Commonwealth Gastropub
- John Manolatos, Cashion's Eat Place
Featured Wineries:
- Patz and Hall
- Pax Wine Cellars
- Bonny Doon Vineyard
- Arcadain Winery
- Minery Family Vineyards
