TASTE for Equity 2022, Portland

In late summer of 2021, I had the pleasure of attending the TASTE for Equity gala at The Redd on Salmon. It was an honor to be invited to attend the 2022 gala celebrating and recognizing leaders working toward across cultural and traditional divides to foster relationships and build a more equitable community where everyone can belong and thrive.

TASTE for Equity 2022 Gala: Food, Wine, Culture

The 2022 gala brought many of Portland’s most celebrated chefs together for a memorable dining experience. During the opening reception, Erica Montgomery of Erica’s Soul Food, Deepak Kaul of Bhuna, Michael and Joy San Nicolas of Cho Chu Local, Jewan Manuel of Plant Based Papi, and TJ Cruz of Sunrice served small bites. The family style dinner was crafted by Peter Cho of Han Oak, Carlo Lamagna of Magna Kusina, and Luna Contreras of Chelo. To end the evening, there were desserts from Lisa Nguyen of HeyDay, Rebecca Smith of Ice Queen, and Daniel Huerta and Isabel Sanchez of Churros Locos.

The gala featured a number of BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ owned wineries: Abbey Creek Vineyard, Cramoisi Vineyard, CHO Wines, Chosen Family Wines, Parra Wine Company, RAM Cellars, Remy Wines, Shiba Wichern Cellars, and Westrey Wine Company. Artists Ameya Okamoto, The Christopher Brown Quartet, Tahirah Memory, and Drae Slapz contributed to the 2022 gala, as well.

TASTE for Equity gifted each of its beneficiaries — KairosPDX, Latino Network, NAYA, and Seeding Justice — $27,500 from the proceeds of the event. This is TASTE for Equity’s biggest donation in the gala’s history.

Some food and drink highlights from the evening: Bhuna’s veggie pakoras with mint chutney, Plant Based Papi’s king oyster mushroom calamari with aquafaba caper tartar sauce, an incredible orange (sadly, I don’t recall the vintage) from Remy Wines, Ice Queen horchata paleta paired with a warm churro from Churros Locos. A personal highlight for me: I went to TASTE for Equity alone, but ran into so many people I knew and made some new connections too.

Thank you to TASTE for Equity for a beautiful evening recognizing equity leaders, while we dined, wined, and danced the night away. It was lovely to see so many familiar, smiling faces, who reminded me of how meaningful it is to have spaces to be in community with people who look like us. Representation matters.

Save the date of November 17, 2023 for the next TASTE for Equity gala.