Chef Ryan Farr from 4505 Meats in San Francisco doing the pig butchery demonstration with a Tamworth/Berkshire/Large Black pig from North Plain Farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

On Sunday March 28th the second annual Boston event for Cochon 555 was held at The Liberty Hotel. Last year’s champion from Providence, Rhode Island, Chef Matt Jennings of Farmstead, successfully defended his title. Chef Jennings won in a very tight competition against Chef Tony Maws from Craigie on Main, Chef Joseph Margate from Clink., Chef Jamie Bissonnette from Toro and Coppa and Chef Barry Maiden from Hungry Mother. Needless to say, there was a lot of phenomenal food served, almost all—with a few exceptions at the pre & post-events—containing some part of a heritage breed pig.

Each of the five chefs had a different heritage breed pig from different local farms. There were two Tamworths from Codman Community Farms in Lincoln, Massachusetts, a Yorkshire from Adams Farm in Athol, Massachusetts, a Gloucestershire Old Spots/Tamworth from North Hollow Farm in Rochester, Vermont and a Duroc/Yorkshire from Rockville Market Farm in Starksboro, Vermont. There were also five winemakers represented as well from Anderson’s Conn Valley, Anne Amie Vineyards, Elk Cove Vineyards, Wind Gap Wines and Westport Rivers Winery.

The evening also featured Smuttynose Brewing Co., Island Creek Oysters and many other food & beverage professionals that are highlighted in some of my photos below. Everyone I spoke to had a wonderful time and I actually had a very happy pork-hangover the next day. Thank you to Brady Lowe, Carolina Uribe and their staff, and congratulations again to Chef Matt Jennings and his team. Good luck at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Matt. Bring the national award home to Providence.

The Hungry Mother team assembling sandwiches. Note the fantastic low-tech pig chart with all the cuts labeled with what went into what menu item.

Chef Jamie Bissonnette slicing some porchetta

Chef Tony Maws with his Confit and Roasted Tete de Cochon

Daniel Hyatt from The Alembic Bar in San Francisco

Chef Margate's beautiful table display, works of art

Cheeses from Formaggio Kitchen and South End Formaggio

Chef Jamie Bissonette's simply gorgeous meat slicer (it was a gift from a customer!)

Hungry Mother in action. The pate with a white wine aspic in front was one of my favorite items of the evening.

Chef Ryan Farr's butchery tools

The judges table

Chef Joseph Margate's steamed pork buns

Slices of marinated pork tenderloin being prepared for the dehydrator to be turned into Chef Margate's delicious pork jerky (another highlight item)

Margate's jerky alongside his excellent pork skin salad

Luau pig

Farms For City Kids Tarentaise Vermont Cow's Milk Cheese

Chef Margate's caramel popcorn made with Mangalitsa fat and tossed with Vosges chocolate with bacon

Atrium of The Liberty Hotel

Every wine glass came with a complimentary little, pink plastic pig

The five competing chefs with Brady Lowe, from left to right: Chef Tony Maws from Craigie on Main, Chef Matt Jennings from Farmstead, Chef Joseph Margate from Clink., Chef Jamie Bissonnette from Toro and Coppa, Chef Barry Maiden from Hungry Mother

Boston Prince of Porc, winner Chef Matt Jennings from Farmstead with Brady Lowe

Chef Jennings with his team

At the after party Chef Jason Bond from Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro was carving lamb with the aid of this beautiful inlaid bone handle

from left to right: Chef Champe Speidel of Persimmon, Chef Walter Potenza of Walter's Ristorante d'Italia, Chef Jose Duarte of Taranta Restaurant, Chef David Reynoso of Al Forno, Chef Andrew Shotts of Garrison Confections and Chef Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia

Monday evening, March 1, was a Share Our Strength A Tasteful Pursuit dinner in Providence, hosted at Al Forno. Share Our Strength has a plan to end childhood hunger by 2015. It’s a great organization with a clearly wonderful goal. Please visit their web site to learn more and to donate. There were too many delicious things served over the course of the evening to list them all. A few are pictured here. I wish I had more of Chef Tony Mantuano‘s Hors D’ouevres. The Mini Sopresada Puffs and Duck Pinchos with Harissa and Sumac were perfect bites full of flavor. Chef Walter Potenza‘s Pasticcio con “Stracotto” di Vitello e Fonduta was deliciously heavy—a perfect mix of veal, pasta & cheese.

If I had to pick a single item that I loved it would be Chef Champe Speidel‘s Braised Lamb Rillette. His entire dish was great, but that Rillette was perfect. I definitely would have devoured more of that. I also want to mention the wines selected by M.S. Walker‘s Michael Lester. Lester often makes great selections, but it’s rare that two wines in one evening really stand out for me. These were the Produttori del Barbaresco Torre 2005 and the Jaboulet Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge “Les Cedres” 2005.