The Chew of Seattle, one of many oldest and most well-known occasions on town’s meals calendar, is occurring this weekend, July 19 to July 21, at Seattle Heart. The pageant, which historically brings collectively dozens of distributors plus musical performances and different leisure choices, was on hiatus from 2020 to 2022 because of the pandemic, and stumbled in 2023. Final yr it the Chew was placed on by an app firm referred to as Cheq that required guests and distributors to make use of its app for transactions, and the ensuing confusion and lengthy traces led to complaints from attendees.
Cheq subsequently offered the Chew to a California-based firm referred to as Foodieland that operates meals festivals; in a press launch on the time of the sale it stated that attendees can count on the “return of in-person funds, each bank cards and money, for a extra acquainted expertise.” So the Chew is again, and also you received’t want to fret about downloading an app you’ve by no means heard of as a way to purchase a drink in an infinite child bottle (extra on that in a second). Right here’s what you may count on to eat on the Chew of Seattle:
Dumplings
Straightforward to eat on the go, reliably tasty, and never fairly a full meal — is there a extra meals festival-y meals than dumplings? The Chew is that includes ‘lings and ‘ling-like dishes from all around the world, together with sambusas at Kenyan Kitchen, piroshki at Kaleenka Piroshky, Nepali momos at Kathmandu MomoCha, and sheng jian bao at Mao’s Bao. You’ll want to try the stand from native restaurant E Jae Pak Mor, which will likely be promoting its signature dish, pak mor, a dumpling-like concoction that options meat (or different filling) wrapped in a large steamed noodle.
Stunt meals
The best method to describe the Chew is it’s like a state truthful solely with out all of the livestock or no matter to distract you from the bewildering culinary creations. So we’re speaking cheesecake that’s dipped in chocolate, sushi tacos, smoothies in cups made out of hollowed-out pineapples, a liquid nitrogen dessert referred to as “dragon’s breath,” lumpia and chicharrones in a bucket that claims LUMPIA BUCKET, and Massive Child Bottle. The final one is strictly what it seems like, a cup formed like an enormous child bottle with a straw protruding, generally adorned with a bib that claims, “Can’t Grownup Right now.” Lovable? Enjoyable? Sorta repulsive in a approach that’s arduous to outline? You be the decide!
Cooking demos
The Chew isn’t simply row upon row of meals distributors — this yr the pageant is brining again its cooking demo program, which was once hosted by influential chef Thierry Rautureau. Filling his footwear (or hat?) will likely be native TV character Carly Henderson, who will likely be introducing company like Kasem “Pop” Saengsawang of San Francisco’s Farmhouse Kitchen, Uli Lengenberg (of Uli’s Sausages), and Tina Fahnbulleh, proprietor of the brand new restaurant Gold Coast Ghal Kitchen.
Admission to the Chew is free. Don’t drive in case you can keep away from it — parking goes to be powerful. For extra info, together with transportation choices and a full lineup of distributors, go right here.