Charcoal grilled pork belly with fish sauce caramel, pickled carrots and radish slaw draws attention at the Crave! Northwest Food Festival at the Lynnwood Events Center in Lynnwood, Wash., Friday, June 21, 2024. (Ryan Berry/The Herald)
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LYNNWOOD — Three years ago, the Cottage staff embarked on a day-long journey to find the perfect meatball binder.
Sous chef Thomas Mullen and other staff members compared breadcrumbs, eggs and cheese.
Ultimately, the creamy, soft texture of ricotta cheese proved to be the answer, and the restaurant’s meatballs were flying off the counter and winning awards.
At the Crave! food festival in Lynnwood on June 21, Maren drove around powered by the humble meatball.
“I really enjoyed talking to the other chefs. I don’t know if you saw me running around, but I was handing out meatballs to all the booths. That was my introduction,” he said.
This annual food festival is a sold-out three-day event in Spokane Valley, and last week, for the first time, the festival was held on a Friday evening at the Lynnwood Convention Center.
But beyond being a one-night event, organizers’ goal is to invigorate local and national food culture.
Program manager Rachel Ludwick hopes that by bringing together 40 chefs and other food and beverage producers, it will spark collaboration.
“There are economic benefits,” she said. “More money is spent locally, and it creates jobs so people stay in the area.”
People move from booth to booth during the Crave! Northwest food festival at the Lynnwood Events Center in Lynnwood, Wash., Friday, June 21, 2024. (Ryan Berry/The Herald)
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This year, about 350 people attended in Lynnwood. The music was loud, sometimes jarring, making it difficult to hold a conversation. Ludwick explained that another event dictated the entertainment.
Next year, organizers plan to perhaps bring in a jazz band.
After the event, chefs said cross-pollination is already happening.
Jeff Boyer, wine selector for Jeff UNCORKED, said he plans to return to the event next year.
“I think it’s really good publicity for Jeff Uncorked and that’s one of the reasons I like to do events like this,” he said.
Boyer started the business in 2008 but focused primarily on his parallel wine wholesale business.
Last year, he retired and focused all his energy on Jeff UNCORKED.
Jeff Boyer of Jeff Uncorked, right, talks about his wine selections during Crave! Northwest Food Festival at the Lynnwood Events Center in Lynnwood, Wash., Friday, June 21, 2024. (Ryan Berry/The Herald)
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Standing beneath a banner promising “the best wines you’ve never heard of,” Boyer poured wines from South Africa, Italy and Slovenia.
Although Boyer is passionate about small-batch wines from Washington state, he decided to stick with the theme of “food from around the world.”
He was alone so someone else brought him food.
He enjoyed the charcoal pork belly with fish sauce, caramel, pickled carrots and radish slaw, which he paired with a South African red wine.
Boyer also went behind the booth and received a chocolate bar from Texier Chocolate.
He provided chocolates for 10 guests, paired with a glass of 100% Slovenian Merlot wine.
“The general manager of Fogo de Chao restaurant came and we talked a lot,” he said. “There’s a winery dinner tomorrow and she invited me, so maybe we’ll collaborate by bringing some of my little Washington wineries to their event.”
A Brazilian restaurant served bacon-wrapped chicken with a three-bean salad, and while people usually expect the meat to be the star of the show, the salad easily stole the show.
Another highlight is Jose Garzon’s picadillo beef and rice bowl with ahi and chimichurri.
“This dish is my presentation letter. It’s an expression of our flavors and our salsas,” he said. “Picadillo is like a chili. It’s slow-cooked beef, and it’s a very accessible and delicious dish.”
Jose Garzon of Bad Chancla chats with friends during the Crave! Northwest Food Festival at the Lynnwood Events Center in Lynnwood, Wash., Friday, June 21, 2024. (Ryan Berry/The Herald)
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Having attended many food festivals, Garson sees them as a great opportunity for discovery.
“Usually people come up a few weeks later and say, ‘Oh, I saw you at that event,'” he said.
Garson, who commutes from Lynnwood, said he’s excited the event is being held in his town instead of Seattle.
“Lynnwood has a lot of cuisines that not many people know about, like Korean and Mexican,” he says. “In Seattle, it’s more bistro and French. Lynnwood has a more international feel than Seattle.”
One of his favorite dishes is the premium cheese and crackers paired with non-alcoholic rum from LJ’s Bistro & Bar.
To this writer, cheese and crackers often feel like an afterthought.
But the Bistro at Lake Stevens changed my mind.
Made with just four ingredients, these artisan crackers are topped with whipped feta and garlic and served with smoked beets infused with herbs and pomegranate molasses.
Even if you don’t like beets, you’ll be able to take one bite and not feel anything.
Mullen, sous chef at The Cottage in Bothell, said it also inspired him.
“We serve red beet hummus in our store,” he says, “and I came up with a way to add a little more flavor to the hummus. That smoky flavor tastes really good with the crackers.”
Aina DeLaParente Alvarez: 425-339-3449; aina.alvarez@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @Ainadra.
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