Over the weekend, 30+ makers in Oregon’s food and beverage scene gathered in Portland’s Central Eastside for a celebration of community and conviction in their products.
Foodies perused the local wares outside The Redd on Salmon Street, sampling shiitake from Pan’s Mushroom Jerky , non-alcoholic cocktails from For Bitter For Worse , the delightfully versatile Bobbie’s Boat Sauce , and more.
The main event happened inside the venue, where Oregon Angel Food (also known as Oregon AF) kicked things off by honoring recipients of the Emerge Initiative Awards — congratulations to Hibisbloom and Skaut Coffee Roasters.
Then, founders of four growing companies — Saëna Baking
, Mickleberry Gardens
, GoNanas
, and One Stripe Chai
— gave their pitches to a panel of three investors “Shark Tank” style; the vegan, gluten-free banana bread mix ultimately earned the big check worth $300,000.