Save the date to join the Culinary Breeding Network for the Variety Showcase in Portland, Oregon, on February 16, 2020. The event will be held at The Redd following the 10th Organic Seed Growers Conference.
This event is an interactive mixer designed to build community among plant breeders, seed growers, farmers, chefs, consumers, produce buyers, food journalists, and more. Attendees have the unique experience to taste new and in-development vegetable, fruit, and grain cultivars; engage in conversation; share opinions; and take part in breaking down the walls between eaters and breeders. The Culinary Breeding Network’s Variety Showcase is a great opportunity for plant breeders, seed growers, and agricultural researchers to show their work, collect opinions, and use input to guide trajectories in their work. It is essentially a selection event in itself.
Save the date! Tickets will be on sale as the event gets closer. If you wish to be a participant, please see details below.
Participant Application
Participation in the Variety Showcase is by application and open to all. The Culinary Breeding Network is looking for plant breeders, seed growers, and agricultural researchers committed to selecting for organic farming systems, as well as flavor and culinary quality. Applicants will need to demonstrate a commitment to these breeding priorities in their current or past work.
Breeding projects presented can include fresh winter vegetables, preserved summer/spring/fall vegetables, dried beans, grains – anything your heart desires! CBN only asks the breeding work presented has been selected for performance in organic farming systems with flavor as a priority.
Accepted applicants will have a table that acts as a blank slate for articulating their breeding story. They will be paired with a chef who will create a dish using the table’s featured vegetable, fruit, or grain.
The price for a Variety Showcase table is $250-$500* for accepted applicants. This will cover table rental, linens, overall coordination, facilitation with a partner chef, inclusion in the event booklet, and more. The Culinary Breeding Network is looking for diversity in participants, including but not limited to race, gender, geography, motivation, and business model. Ideal applicants’ breeding work is relevant and current, unique and interesting, and motivated by improving the food system as a whole, including environmentally and socially.
Learn about past events’ reach and impact here.
For questions, please email the Culinary Breeding Network.
Please complete the application here.
Applications are due by 12:00 pm PST on October 1, 2019.
*$250 for small, family-owned and operated seed companies, public universities and non-profit organizations; $500 for all other for-profit businesses
Hope to see you at Variety Showcase 2020!
