Cochon555 Tour Travels to 14 Cities Including NYC and LA to Feast on Heritage Breed Pork

Fiona Chandra

Starting in 2008, Cochon555 has been promoting heritage breed pork, the pig festival has turned into a national event series for food and pork lovers around the country.

This year, the tour will visit 14 cities around the US. At each stop, five chefs will be paired with five heritage breed pigs (accompanied by five winemakers) to compete for the title “Prince (or Princess) of Porc.” The 14 princesses and princes will then compete for a final showdown at the Grand Cochon for the title of “King or Queen of Porc.”  In addition to sampling the dishes from the competing chefs, guests at each tour stop will also enjoy craft cocktails, charcuterie, cheeses, wines, and more.

The 2017 US Tour kicks off on Jan. 29 in New York City with Chefs Greg Baxtrom (Olmsted), Aaron Hoskins (Birds & Bubbles) and others. In addition to the food prepared by the five chefs, the event will feature a pop-up ramen bar, a pop-up bakery with Farmstead Cheeses and Truffle Butters, a tartare bar, and a dessert station. There will also be cocktails from notable bartenders competing in the Punch Kings Competition, wines, a smoked Old Fashioned bar and more.

The tour then continues to hit other cities including Los Angeles on March 12, Boston on April 9, Chicago on April 23, San Francisco on May 7, Austin on June 4, among other cities. General admission tickets to Cochon555 events are $125, while the $200 VIP admission includes a one-hour early admission with wine and cocktails tastings. Guests can also splurge for a Bespoke ticket for $400, which grants an extra half-hour of tasting and include a multi-course dinner on Saturday night preceding the event. In addition, Bespoke guests will also begin the Sunday event with a guided tasting of special wines and a behind-the-scenes tour with one of Cochon555’s directors.

The run culminates with the Grand Cochon finals in Chicago on Oct. 1. Tickets to Grand Cochon are $150 for general admission and $225 for VIP early admission. Proceeds from the events go to benefit Piggy Bank, a genetic sanctuary for heritage breed pigs.  

Cochon 555 US Tour kicks off in NYC on Jan. 29 and arrives in LA on March 12. Tickets are here.