James Beard Public Market Archives

May 27, 2026June 5, 2026

Strawberry Shortcake Week 2026 Is Almost Here in Portland

Strawberry Shortcake from Screen Door for Strawberry Shortcake Week 2026. — Strawberry Shortcake from Screen Door. Photo credit: Screen Door.

Strawberry Shortcake Week 2026—coming soon! It’s a little bit earlier this year, but that just means the strawberries will be on your plate before you know it. Here are all the details about the week, which is one of my top three favorite food weeks in Portland (Dumpling Week and Salad Week being the others).

April 15, 2026April 14, 2026

Churchill Nines: Watch the Kentucky Derby at The Nines Hotel in Portland

Mint Julep, Straightaway Cocktails, flowers, and a horse for Churchill Nines.

Earlier this week I had a chance to stop in on the 8th Floor of The Nines Hotel to get a sneak peek at the plans for the inaugural Churchill Nines party in May. This is a chance to watch the Kentucky Derby, AKA “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” with a festive crowd under the light-filled atrium alongside the hotel’s onsite restaurant, Urban Farmer.

We tried a few of the scheduled eats, mint juleps were passed around (more on the NA option later), and I had a number of interesting conversations with folks there—on both the upcoming Derby event and some thoughts and feelings about the efforts in service of a vibrant downtown Portland.

January 23, 2026January 23, 2026

Small Bites: End of Wilderton, Donuts, Good Measure, and More

The end of Wilderton is a sad state of affairs. Here's their final product. We will miss them. — Wilderton during a more colorful time.

The end of Wilderton. Bummer news about this NA distiller in Hood River. They closed their tasting room in August 2025 and the distillery will close at the end of January. One of the founders, Brad Whiting, said this: “We endeavoured to find a new steward of the brand for the past several months, but alas none worked out so the brand/IP etc will be shelved in the hopes to be resurrected at some point in the future. The distillery and tasting room are now closed and decommissioned.” More details here.

January 9, 2026January 9, 2026

Small Bites: Sometimes, Interurban, Foie Gras Ban, and More

Pemeni at Kachka: Sometimes it's just what you need. This was taken during Dumpling Week a few years back. — Kachka’s pelmeni.

Sometimes comes to Creston-Kenilworth. They’ll be offering coffee service inside Pan Con Queso, a pizzeria (or, pixxeria) in which its owners find inspiration in their Mexican and Pacific Islander heritage. Sometimes will use Passenger coffee beans and teas.

December 30, 2025January 6, 2026

Restaurants Opening in Portland in 2026: What We’re Excited About

Restaurants Opening in Portland in 2026 - YUI is one of them and here are some of their shumai. — Shumai at YUI. Photo credit: YUI.

As we head toward the end of the year, a lot of things come to mind—and that includes looking forward to the restaurants opening in Portland in 2026. Here are the ones (that we know at this point in time) we’re particularly keen on in the new year.