Strawberry Shortcake Week 2025 Starts June 9 in Portland

Strawberry shortcake from Take Two during Strawberry Shortcake Week in Portland, Oregon.
A favorite strawberry shortcake of mine from last year, made by Take Two bar.

Strawberry Shortcake Week 2025 is from June 9 to 15. It’s a week of restaurants offering their version of strawberry shortcake, inspired by James Beard’s strawberry shortcake recipe. Last year’s Strawberry Shortcake week was fantastic—full of taste treats—and I expect this year’s to be, too. Over 40 locations will be participating this year.

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Passover 2025 in Portland

An educational poster of the Passover holiday for Passover 2025 in Portland.

Passover 2025 is just around the corner in Portland! Passover, or Pesach, is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Israelites’ escape and liberation from slavery in Egypt, as told in the book of Exodus. This is the second book of the Old Testament and part of the Torah.

This year it starts the evening of Saturday, April 12 and ends on Sunday, April 20. The final day is also the date of Easter this year. 

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Easter 2025 in Portland

A vintage Easter scene with a rabbit and what looks like a gnome with the words, Sincere Easter Wishes for Easter 2025.

This year, both Easter and Orthodox Easter fall on Sunday, April 20, with Holy Week starting Sunday, April 13. It is very uncommon for the two to land on the same day. But regardless of your level of religiosity, Easter can be a sweet time: Brunch, holiday candy, wine, and feeling grateful for spring are All Good Things. After all, Easter’s spring placement has origins in Oestre/Eostre, who is goddess of spring and fertility. 

Here is where you can enjoy Easter’s tasty charms in Portland

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Where to Get a Big Salad in Portland

hercules-salad-garden-monsters-portland-oregon
A big salad from Garden Monsters—The Hercules with chicken

Over the years, I’ve heard people ask, “So where can I get a big salad in Portland?” If they are a New York transplant, they are probably thinking of those chopped salad and panini spots that were (are?) ubiquitous in Midtown Manhattan. Or the kind of “Big Salad” referred to by Elaine in Seinfeld. But really—sometimes you just want a big salad, no matter where you come from. 

Here are some places where you can get the classic “Big Salad”—but instead of a bowl of “big lettuce, carrots, tomatoes like volleyballs,” a la Seinfeld, you can get a mix of diverse ingredients that will be delicious and satisfying—enough for a whole meal (sometimes two, if you play your lettuce cards right—romaine stands up better overnight compared to mesclun greens).

Note: We’ve updated this roundup of where to find a big salad in Portland for 2026’s Portland Salad Week.

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