Culinary pork fest Cochon555 returns to Atlanta

COCHON 555 - 2014 Napa © 2014 Galdones Photography (galdones.com) @Cochon555. All rights reserved. For press use, please credit: Galdones Photography/COCHON 555. Contact photo@cochon555.com for all other usage inquiries.

Credit: Rachel Taylor

Credit: Rachel Taylor

COCHON 555 - 2014 Napa © 2014 Galdones Photography (galdones.com) @Cochon555. All rights reserved. For press use, please credit: Galdones Photography/COCHON 555. Contact photo@cochon555.com for all other usage inquiries.

by Martha Michael 

The annual culinary competition Cochon555 returns to Atlanta this Sunday. The tour, which promotes awareness of heritage breed hog farming, will take place at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead.

Guests can watch five area chefs compete for the title of "Prince/Princess of Porc" as they each finish their week-long preparation of an entire heritage breed pig, transforming the 200-pound hog into dishes available for tasting. Participating chefs include Drew Van Leuvan of Seven Lamps , Stephen Toevs of The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead , Andre Gomez of Porch Light Latin Kitchen , Robert Phelan of One Eared Stag and the soon-to-open Mary Hoopa's House of Fried Chicken & Oysters and Michael Perez of Donetto .

To educate the public about these heritage breeds, a pop-up butcher demo will also take place, along with an auction.

Beyond pork dishes, there will be other communal feasting opportunities, including a pop-up ramen bar, farmstead cheese bar, cured meat station, pastry and dessert stations and even a luxe butter bar with foie gras. Look for chefs Hector Santiago of El Super Pan , Doug Turbush of Seed, Stem and Drift , pastry chef Ashley Auer of Cooks & Soldiers and other faces from the Atlanta restaurant scene featuring their original creations at these stations.

The all-inclusive event will also feature numerous beverages, including 40 boutique wines, cocktails, craft beer and artisanal cider.

In addition to the main cook-off, sommeliers will face off for the best pig-wine match in the Somm Smackdown; and barkeeps will battle in the whole-bottle Punch Kings cocktail competition.

A portion of event proceeds will benefit Cochon555's sister charity, Piggy Bank www.piggy-bank.org, a foundation that provides small, family-owned hog farms free access to heritage breed genetics.

Event Preview

Cochon555. June 25, 5-7:30 p.m. The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, 3434 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. General admission: $125, VIP admission: $200, Bespoke admission: $400. VIP admission includes include early admission at 4 p.m., tastings from sommelier and cocktail competitions. Bespoke ticket package includes early admission at 3:30 p.m., private wine tasting, tasting from cocktail competitions, and multi-course dinner with chefs on Saturday, June 24. cochon555.com/2017-tour/atlanta.

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