Portland Culinary Alliance

It was a perfect night for chowder as PCA members and guests ducked the cold and drizzle for the warmth (and wine!) of the In Good Taste store. Before long, we were treated to a hot bowl of Chef Mike Downing’s award-winning New-England-style clam chowder, fresh sourdough from a Newport bakery, and a lovely salad with an impromptu vinnaigrette. While we ate, Chef Downing demonstrated how he builds the chowder’s flavors at Quimby’s Restaurant in Newport, from the making of the roux to the addition of the clams near the end of cooking (to avoid toughening them). 

Interspersed with the cooking demo, PCA’s Pansy Bray demonstrated razor-clam digging equipment and techniques. She shared local Native American clam-digging photos and clam lore, and taught us about the legality and safety of digging in Washington and Oregon. Two lucky raffle winners took home jars of razor clams dug and canned by Pansy herself. 

Finally, we were treated to a literary chowder reading from Moby Dick, delivered with dramatic flourish by PCA President Susan Hauser. While I doubt Nantucket’s Mrs. Hosea Hussey could compete with Chef Downing’s chowder skills, the reading left us laughing and looking forward to our next bowl of hot chowder.

-Hank Sawtelle