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Oregon's Culinary Renaissance

by Sonja Albrecht
sonja.albrecht@culinaryartsschoolreview.com
Culinary Arts School Review Columnist

Oregon’s tourism slogan announces: “We love dreamers.” Anyone who has set foot in this down tempo state knows it’s true. Oregon is a haven for idealists. Students pursuing a culinary degree will fit right in, and their chef education will flourish in Oregon’s innovative culinary climate.

As California becomes increasingly overpriced, its creative mavericks are heading up to the unspoiled frontier of Oregon. Cities like Portland, Eugene, and Bend have experienced a cultural renaissance as artists and other ‘dreamers’ make their home there. The Californian migration has lent new vigor to Oregon’s restaurant scene, resulting in unprecedented career opportunities for anyone with a chef education.

Those pursuing a culinary degree will encounter a culinary environment like no other—Oregon’s dining public is open to absolutely anything, and restaurateurs have responded with all manner of gourmet experiments, from the sublime to the outrageous. Oregon’s cuisine has put cities like Portland on the map as an up-and-coming culinary hotspot.

Your chef education won’t be complete until you experience the Willamette Valley, center of Oregon’s agriculture and wine industries. Oregon’s vineyards are turning heads with internationally acclaimed Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. Willamette’s farms, meanwhile, supply Oregonians’ insatiable appetite for locally-grown organic produce. As you pursue your culinary degree, the fruits and vegetables, herbs, and nuts you use will probably hail from a Willamette farm.

Oregon offers a rare opportunity for culinary students to pursue their degree in the midst of a cultural renaissance. A chef education here provides all the resources you need to develop your own identity—fresh food, maverick chefs as mentors, and a receptive dining public eager to test your creations.

About the Author

Sonja Albrecht works as a writer and editor for an online media company. She has also taught college writing and completed a Ph.D. in English.

Posted on November 13, 2006 at 03:02 PM