Oregon Coast in Portland: Tillamook Food Cart at Zoo, Beach Bill Event

Published 11/28/2017 at 3:15 PM PDT - Updated 11/28/2017 at 3:35 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Portland, Oregon) – The vast majority of the time, talking about the Oregon coast is, well, limited to Oregon coast cities. This season, however, the beaches make a slight invasion inland with a food cart from a coastal business and a special presentation in Portland on the Oregon Beach Bill.

The Lucky Lab on Hawthorne Boulevard is the lucky host of what is likely the last celebration of the Oregon Beach Bill's Anniversary. Happening Thursday, November 30, it's a “history pub talk” by Chuck Johnson, author of “Standing at the Water’s Edge: Bob Straub’s Battle for the Soul of Oregon.”

Meet in the private party room beginning at 5:30 p.m.; the talk will begin at about 6 p.m. The event is free and open to all: food and drink from the Lucky Lab on your own.

The 50th anniversary of Oregon’s Beach Bill, which preserved our state’s legacy of public shorelines, is a major milestone for everyone who loves the Oregon coast. This event is put on by Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, which was born out of the initial efforts of the Beach Bill.

“Oregon Shores grew out of the 1967 campaign for the legislation, and CoastWatch wouldn’t be possible, in anything like its present form, without the right of citizens to adopt and explore any mile of the shore they choose,” said executive director Phillip Johnson.

In the famed culinary scene of Portland, there's a new food cart, but this one comes with a coastal pedigree. The Tillamook Coast food cart - operated by Jeff Wong, a sustainable-practices fisherman based in Garibaldi, Oregon in Tillamook County - is a partnership between CS Fishery and Visit Tillamook Coast, the county’s tourism organization. The cart, based at NE 8th and Couch in Portland next to Cider Riot cidermakers, will be featured at the Oregon Zoo’s ZooLights celebration, from Thanksgiving weekend to January 7.

Jeff Wong of the Tillamook Coast food cart, featured at Zoo Lights this season.

The menu features locally sourced foods from Tillamook County, including fresh seafood from Wong’s sustainable CS Fishery, grass-fed meats from Nehalem River Ranch, certified organic produce from DeNoble Farms, hand-ground hot dogs from Tillamook Meats, Tillamook Cheese, and Jacobsen Salt harvested from Netarts Bay. Menu items include fish tacos, chowder, crispy crab grilled cheese, fish & chips and other Oregon coast specialties.

Wong hired Chef Brae Bartlett, a Portland area chef who had operated a ramen and seafood cart along the Oregon Coast. “It was serendipitous, that’s for sure,” Brae said of meeting Wong. Brae, a Portland resident, has cooked professionally for more than 15 years.

Her favorite cuisine is Japanese food.

“So I will probably add a few Asian twists to our menu,” Bartlett said.

“The cart is a mobile billboard for our coastal cuisine and food producers,” said Nan Devlin, tourism director for Visit Tillamook Coast. “In our county, there is a groundswell of farmers, fishers, growers, brewers, chefs and restaurants that are collaborating on locally sourced foods and seasonal menus. The cart brings our delicious food to Portland, and we hope to inspire Portlanders to visit Tillamook County for more culinary experiences.”

While best known for Tillamook cheese and ice cream, Devlin says there is much more to the food scene in Tillamook County. She sees this public-private partnership as an innovative way to share the Tillamook Coast culinary and agritourism story with people who appreciate knowing where their food comes from, and who brings it to the plate.

For more information on the food cart, call the Visit Tillamook Coast office at 503 842-2672 or email nan@tillamookcoast.com. To learn more about ZooLights, visit www.oregonzoo.org. Oregon Coast Hotels on the coast - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours. More Oregon coast below:

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