Cochon 555 Boston -- Sunday April 5 @ 5 pm

COCHON 555 BOSTON next SUNDAY!April 5th, at 5 p.m.
Come celebrate this magical animal with COCHON 555. The premiere swine and wine showcase of 5 chefs, 5 pigs and 5 winemakers in a friendly competition for a cause. This is the biggest, porkiest, pigfest in the United States and it happens in Boston next weekend! RSVP here.If you love pig, please take a moment on this beautiful day to send this message to one, two or even all of your friends.Main event Featuring:Five Heritage Pigs prepared by:Jamie Bissonnette, ToroTony Maws, Craigie on MainJoseph Margate, ClinkJason Bond, Beacon Hill BistroMatthew Jennings, Farmstead- WineriesPatz & Hall Krupp BrothersChase Family CellarsMeander WinesWestport Rivers Vineyard and WineryVIP Reserve Reception presented Elk Cove Vineyards- Side by side heritage breed pig sampling- Pig breakdown and Porchetta demonstration by Joel Cox - Swine'n'Sweets course by local chocolate passionistas- Produce from local farms- Winner determined by 49% judge's vote and 51% audience vote- Winner crowned "Prince of Pork"...one of ten across the U.S. - Non-alcoholic drinks provided by Honest Tea- Event raising awareness for Farms for City Kids VIP Room featuring:- Special Guest: Arie McFarlen of Maveric Heritage Ranch- Cheese selections by South End Formaggio- The reserve Wines of Elk Cove VineyardsJUDGES: Tim & Nancy Cushman of O'ya, Tom Prince of Tomasso Trattoria, Ken Oringer of Clio, Sean Stanton of North Plain Farm, Elizabeth Kennedy of Chefs Collaborative, Ihsan Gurdal of Formaggio Kitchen, Jamey Lionette of Lionette's Market, Ridge Shinn of Hardwick Beef, Jim Treadway of The Liberty Hotel, Jacqueline Church of Leather District Gourmet, Nick Altschuller of Improper Bostonian, Ed Doyle of RealFood Consulting, Andy Husbands of Tremont 647, Amy Traverso of Boston Magazine, Ilene Bezahler of Edible Boston, Lydia Shire of Scampo + Locke Ober, Paul Schiavone of Boston Chefs, Barbara Lynch of Barbara Lynch Gruppo, Craig Hedstrom of Elk Cove Vineyards and Jennifer Johnson of NECN's TV Diner.WHEN: Sunday, April 5th, 5:00 p.m. (Price $125)VIP Reception 3:30 p.m. (space still available at $175)Public event and all inclusive price BUY TICKETSWHERE: The Liberty Hotel -- DIRECTIONSWHY: To raise awareness for Farms for City Kids, a unique educational program combining classroom study with first-hand farming experience for urban kids.

Jacqueline Church, one of the judges for COCHON 555 was able to meet with each of the chefs prior to the event and ask some great questions...read the interviews here.Chef Tony Maws - Grandmas and Gesiers Chef Jason Bond - Mad skills and haggis from a musical rancherChef Jamie Bissonnette - less waste, more taste...Chef Matthew Jennings - Cheese ambassador shares secrets...Chef Joseph Margate - Fan of umami, protege of star localvores
ABOUT - COCHON 555 is the only heritage pig and chef competition in the U.S. with a ten market tour to be completed in 2009. Through an educational tasting format, the event serves as an essential link to the preservation of heritage breeds. COCHON555 brings together top chefs, winemakers, farmers, thought-leaders, foodies, media and the general public for one day in honor of the pig. We invite you to position your organization and celebrate with the artisan food community

Comcast coming to the LD!

I am pleased to announce that I met with Comcast reps last week and it is planning to come to the Leather District -- bringing the whole array of its services (cable, internet, phone, dog-walking-- ok the last one is a joke)!!!

In order to do so, it will need to run its cable to your buildings and, as such, will need access to your buildings. Note, this does not obligate one to use Comcast but, rather, will permit it to be a choice for residents of a building. In any event, if you/your building wants access to Comcast, you need to contact Comcast and provide it with property manager or other decision maker for your respective buildings. Rita Cosgrove from Comcast can be reached at:
Rita_Cosgrove@cable.comcast.com
or call her: 617.279.1736

Please do NOT send me the information. Instead, please deal directly with Rita! Thanks!

I am sure you will all agree that this new option is great news for the LD!

No Support for Fortune Teller in LD

At our monthly meeting on 3/12, the LDNA decided to exercise its right to petition government and voted overwhelmingly not to support the application of Stacy Mitchell for a fortune teller's license at 123 Beach Street in the Leather District. The vote was virtually unanimous against with 1 vote for. Various concerns were expressed including issues related to newspaper accounts of running such a business in Back Bay previously without a license, concerns about leafleting and a seeming lack of willingness to work with the neighborhood on issues of signage and window treatments. [Stacy expressed a willingness to do so at the Feb meeting but submitted only a black and white sketch for consideration on the day of the meeting 3/12]. Another issue that raised much concern was that Stacy told me: "I am going to take out my frustrations from the Back Bay on the Leather District...." At the meeting on Wed, she admitted to having made that statement but apologized for doing so. Not surprisingly, residents seemed concern about a business that expressed an intent to "take out its frustrations" on our neighborhood.

The position of the members of the LDNA have been presented to the Mayor's Office for its consideration in connection with the license application. I will keep you posted on the licensing process and the hearing date.