Pete writes primarily about food and beverage in the Pacific Northwest. He has also written about the international coffee and tea trade. 🧑🍳 Pete earned a culinary diploma from Oregon Culinary Institute and has worked in food and beverage since high school.
Davids vs. Goliath
Two winemakers debut brand-new brands, coronavirus be damned!
David Patte of Sun Break Wine & Cider and David Paige of David Paige Wines were a couple of winemakers planning on launching their brand-new wine brands in early 2020, when the coronavirus showed up suddenly, shutting down their nascent plans. Yet despite the steep challenges COVID-19 posed, the Davids have risen to the challenge.
Vinyl to Vines
Music bigwig gets new gig making Pinot sing
Talking to Jay Boberg, record label legend, you realize how much there is in common between making top-shelf wine and Top 40 hit songs. Whether grapes or vinyls, both products are pressed, packaged, released, and marketed to adoring crowds. Some labels are highly collectible, consumed and critically appraised by aficionados, while others supply and satisfy popular mainstream tastes. So it’s no wonder that Boberg has been able to apply his musical savvy and taste to his passion for Pinot Noir — and scoring big.
Water: Nature Versus Tech
Café owners wonder, “Why do I need another filter?”
Even if you live in the land of pristine spring water, there are compelling reasons to remove the compounds and chemicals, such as zinc, chlorine, and hydrogen sulfide, that can make your water have a metallic flavor or smell like sewage. Whether chai or cold brew, cappuccino or kombucha, macchiato or matcha, 90% or more of these products are only going to be as good as the water they’re made of.
Feed Me!
Cafés bank on food to supplement coffee and tea sales
“A coffee shop will never make enough money to pay the bills from coffee sales alone,” says Peter Baskerville, a serial entrepreneur who has started, managed, and sold more than 30 retail and hospitality businesses. Chew on that for a second.
The Best Meal in the Middle of Nowhere
Following a wild day of rafting down the Rogue River, careening and splashing through rapids named Horseshoe Bend, Wildcat, and Jaws, I am soaked to the bine, shivering, heart still racing and hungry as my raft docks on the beach. Do my eyes deceive me? Camp has already been set up for the night, tents popped up, and a chef is prepping an exquisite five-course meal with wine pairings. It's no mirage, but rather the amenities accorded to guests on a four-day gourmet whitewater rafting excursion — a joint adventure presented by Pete Wallstrom of Momentum River Expeditions, Matthew Domingo of Farm to Fork Events, chef David Padberg of Portland's Park Kitchen restaurant, and Chris Martin of Troon Vineyard.