Painted Hills Is part of Portland's Best Burger

Kenny & Zuke's Co Owner Nick Zukin recently set out on a challenge to try all of Portland's burgers and rate them. He tried over 70 over three months and is blogging about his ratings over at his blog, ExtraMSG. Willamette Weekly recently did a feature on Nick's findings, and Painted Hills Beef helped to create Nick's top burger!

Via Willamette Week:

Metrovino’s double cheeseburger gives In-N-Out’s double-double animal-style an extreme makeover. You’ll wish you had the gaping jaw of a python for this sucker. Yes, it’s that big. Aside from the size, it seems like a typical burger. That’s what makes this No. 1. For such a straightforward approach, the results are spectacular: beefy and ultra-juicy with pungent cheese and a palate-puckering sauce. Perfection on a bun.

Bun: BridgePort Brewpub bakery when tasted (changed to using housemade sesame-seeded bun last week).
Meat: Painted Hills chuck plus ribeye trimmings, ground in-house, 12 oz. (two 6 oz. patties), 20 percent fat.

The Top Five Food Trends

The Summer Fancy Food Show just wrapped up in New York. The event- billed as the largest specialty food event in the country- showcased 2,400 vendors, and displayed 180,000 specialty foods.

Highlights included bacon pops, ice cream balls, and an assortment of current cheese celebrity- blue cheese. Oregon's own Rouge Brewery was even there to display their Caveman Blue cheese.

PRN Newswire reports that trend experts have picked the top five food trends from the show:

• Great Vinegars – Innovative flavors include: Hibiscus, Walnut Champagne, Peach Balsamic, Lime Rice, and Apple Ice Wine Vinegar.
• Indian Products – Unexpected creations: Curry Ketchup, Cashews & Cream Cooking Sauce, Tandoori Chicken Naanwich, and Tikka Masala Marinara.
• Grains, Nuts & Seeds – Sweet and savory items make up this category with Flax Seed Crackers, Oat and Corn Cakes, Pumpkin Palooza Nut Confections, and Lentil Chips.
• Squash, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato – These fall favorites are showcased in Pumpkin Salsa, Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce, Sweet Potato Butter, Butternut Squash Tart, and Sweet Potato Chocolate.
• Handcrafted Local Heritage Foods – Soups, pickles and sweets including Linekin Bay Lobster Corn Chowder, Brooklyn Pickles, Wild West Steak Rub and Sticky Toffee Pudding offer fresh takes on classics.

Further Reading:

ABC News on the Summer Fancy Food Show
The New York Times highlighted the healthy and unusual choices at the SFFS.

NORPAC wins Mohonia Food Industry Award

Last month, Oregon's governor presented NORPAC with the Mahonia Food Industry Award. This honor is presented every year to the corporation that makes great efforts in fighting hunger. According to the Oregon Food Bank, NORPAC, donated more than 1-million pounds of frozen vegetables to the Oregon Food Bank Network during the past year and more than 6-million pounds since 2000.

"This award recognizes NORPAC’s deep engagement, values and leadership to fighting hunger in our state," Governor Ted Kulongoski said. "I hope NORPAC’s commitment to corporate citizenship inspires other companies to support the Oregon Food Bank Network and hunger-relief efforts statewide."

You can read more about the award on NORPAC's website.