Event review: “La Fête du Cochon” picnic

September 28, 2008

The turnout was excellent at the The French International Culinary Society's second annual picnic, which was themed this year as “La Fête du Cochon” after an ancestral ritual in France when farmers and neighbors would gather to prepare and preserve pork meat for the winter.

Held at Three Fox Vineyards in Delaplane, Virginia, the 2008 picnic attracted 300 guests who enjoyed a wide variety of pork dishes, an extensive gourmet buffet, and a full beverage menu of French beer, Piper-Heidsieck Champagne, Pro Secco and the wonderful wines from Three Fox Vineyards.

Click on our photos below for larger versions of the images:

One of the most anticipated Washingtonian personalities to attend the picnic was the world renowned Chef Michel Richard, who brought an ample supply of his famous “pâté de campagne” (country pâté) and cornichons (French Gherkins), which are traditionally served together as an appetizer. Chef Richard was joined by Chef David Deshaies, the chef at the Michel Richard Citronelle restaurant.

	Chef Peter L'Heureux of Cuisine Mondiale drew rave reviews for his gourmet buffet offerings, which included an Israeli couscous salad with white peaches, dried cherries and raisons, hints of ginger and marcona almonds from Spain; a green bean bacon and hardboiled egg salad; and a mixed field green salad with a julienne of three types of antique apples, dried blueberries, caramelized walnuts and rose petals from Chef L'Heureux’s home-grown garden.
Chef Eric Ziebold from the Mandarin Oriental hotel’s new restaurant CityZen restaurant serves “Joues de Porc,” which are pork cheeks with a medley of white wax beans and haricot vert, topped with a reduction of pork stock and white wine sauce.
	Chef Nicolas Legret prepares the “poitrine de porc” (cured pork belly) – a specialty created by Chef Christophe Marque from Café du Parc – which was served with authentic sea salt, and old style French Dijon mustard. The cured pork belly was grilled on site and served fresh to attendees.
Another dish that was grilled at the “La Fête du Cochon” was the “Jambon a L’Os” (bone-in-ham), which was a specialty prepared by Chef Nicolas Legret, from The Willard Room. In this picture, Chef Christophe Marquee gives a helping hand in cutting the Jambon a L’Os as a part of the chefs' teamwork that helped make the FICS picnic a success.
	Chef Patrick Orange from La Chaumiere restaurant not only brought a large variety of great food, but also shared his expertise at the event. While serving guests, Chef Orange provided insights on his techniques, describing what can accompany pork dishes – such as Chef Orange’s homemade red cabbage coleslaw with maple syrup reduction, which was served with braised Boston shoulder pork on mini brioche buns.
VIP guests enjoyed full beverage service, with never-ending Champagne and wine served at their table by sommeliers. In this photo, two attendees top off their glasses with Piper-Heidsieck Champagne, which was a picnic favorite.
	As the afternoon wound down, guests were invited on a guided tour of the Three Fox Vineyards and an afternoon espresso or tea atop the hill – from which all the vineyards and fields are visible. The picnic’s activities also included a game of petanque and a raffle, where two big baskets filled with gourmet food and beverages were displayed and players had to guess the correct weight in order to win them.

“La Fête du Cochon” was possible due to the gracious participation of the following Washington, D.C. chefs:

Café du Parc
Chef Christophe Marque

Cityzen
Chef Eric Ziebold

Cuisine Solutions
Chef Gérard Bertholon

L’Academie de Cuisine
Chef Michel Pradier

La Chaumière
Chef Patrick Orange

Marcel’s
Chef Robert Wiedmaier

Michel Richard Central
Chef Cédric Maupillier

Michel Richard Citronelle
Chef David Deshaies

The Willard Room
Chef Nicolas Legret

Cuisine Mondiale
Chef Peter L'Heureux

Also, with the support of:

Jose Galia & Roger Willes of Ocean M Restaurant
Simon Ndjikinia of Bistro Lepic
Patrick Moulet, Patrick Musel of Praline Bakery & Restaurant
Joseph Poupon of Patisserie Poupon
Alain Roussel of La Ferme Restaurant, Baguette Republic and Panorama Bakery

Thank you to our sponsors:

Gold

Select Events Rentals
A complete rental service for every special event with offices serving Baltimore, Washington D.C., McLean, Philadelphia and South Jersey.

The French-American Chamber of Commerce
The FACC in the United States is a bi-national non-profit organization that seeks to develop and enhance economic, commercial and financial relations between France and the United States.

A.M Briggs
Since 1926, A.M. Briggs has supplied fine quality meats, game, poultry, seafood and provisions to some of the biggest names in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area’s hospitality industry.

Piper-Heidsieck
Piper-Heidsieck blends the most important elements of the past with innovative new techniques to create unusually radiant and crisp Champagnes.

Niman Ranch
Niman Ranch and its family farmers raise livestock traditionally, humanely and sustainably to deliver the finest tasting meat in the world.

Silver

Da Vinici's Florist
Serving the entire Washington D.C. area, DA Vinci’s Florist offers floral arrangements and same day delivery nationwide.

Alliance Francaise de
Washington D.C
The Alliance Française offers a wide variety of French courses, social activities and cultural events.

4 More Travel
The 4 More Travel Company offers personalized vacation planning services throughout the world.

Bronze

Burnett Thompson Music
Washingtonians look to Burnett Thompson Music for superior entertainment and concert performance.

Robert Kacher Selections
Widely known for his passion and dedication to every step of the winemaking process.

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