Our first PCA Dine Around was a great success. Held on April Fools Day, the excellence of the dinner at the James John Cafe was no joke.
Dine Around is a new program to give members a heads up on hot new chefs and restaurants in the Portland area. Chef and cooking school owner Robert Reynolds, the chef liaison on the PCA Board of Directors, chose his former student, Suzanne Bozarth, as the first Dine Around focus. Suzanne and her partner, Ken Yates, own and operate the James John Cafe in the St. Johns neighborhood. Our April Fools program marked the launch of their new dinner service. Suzanne and Ken have been serving breakfast and lunch only for more than a year while becoming a favorite spot for neighborhood residents.
With the help of Benny Bettinger, former chef at Paley’s Place, Suzanne served a tasty main course of braised lamb shoulder and white beans and arugula and orange salad, followed by ice cream and cookies.
PCA members and neighborhood guests were served wine as they arrived. Appetizers of smoked trout on crackers were passed among the crowd. Once we were seated we had a delicious sampling of thinly sliced charcuterie. Good conversation flowed at the three long tables for a memorable and enjoyable evening.
