When a flyer at a local coffee stop offers the rare opportunity to taste the seasonal offerings of the elusive Jonathan Roberts, better known as the PigWizard, I was intrigued.
Known for his catering and his pop-up markets, locating the chef/charcuteur is difficult enough unless you know someone who knows someone with the hook-up, or you’re stuck watching his Instagram for some hint of where he’ll be next.
This event was a two-night stand at the newly re-opened Osio Theater and promised four courses of collaboration greatness with national craft beer label Firestone Walker and his forager wife Nicole Romero, movie passes and a pop-up market selling seasonal preserved goodies.
While it could be described as simple as dinner and a movie, it was much more than that.
In no particular order here’s five highlights from the PigWizard + Firestone Walker + Forage to Pantry pop-up:
1. Sweet + meat is a killer combo: To the untrained eye, one might think it’s all about the meat at this event. But it just so happens Romero has a palate for preserves and in particular, its many uses. First, she made a fig and plum agrodolce, Italian for sweet-and-sour sauce. Hers is a thick and surprisingly earthy preserve that added just the right amount of sweetness to counter balance the salty offerings of the charcuterie plate, which included a salami, mortadella, paté and terrine selection. Then it was Romero’s blueberry Aztec jam spooned like gravy over Roberts’ blistered pork belly. Inspired by the chili and chocolate-based Mexican mole, her spice blend tones down the tartness of ripe summer blueberries, only to play up where the real sweetness of the dish comes from—the crispy caramelized skin of the pork belly that stuck to my teeth like toffee.
2. Dessert beer exists: For fans of amaretto or cordial, the beer-form of a dessert drink is Firestone’s Stickee Monkee. With practically no head and almost viscous consistency, this 2016 release is aged in bourbon barrels and looks so similar to any caramel-colored liquor, someone would have to read the label to know that it is in-fact beer.
3. Beer mustard rules: While many restaurants make their own aïoli, PigWizard thinks one step ahead and makes his own mustard. Served alongside the agrodolce on the charcuterie board, he created the mustard by first making his own vinegar from Firstone’s STiVO Pils and aging it six weeks. Granular, slightly spicy with a more muted tanginess than most mustards, it was perfect match for the more complex tastes of charcuterie.
4. The bold pilsner is promising: Pilsner beer doesn’t usually have a reputation for being a full-bodied brew, but when Firestone collaborates with Russian River Brewing, that misconception is thwarted by the end result: The STiVO Keller Pils. As the first pairing, it was a surprising complex beer in it’s slightly bolder hoppy flavor and beautiful jewel-toned gold color. Yet, just like a Pilsner, it was light enough that you could drink another glass or two.
5. Love is fleeting, experimental and seasonal: Bad news for new fans of the the STiVO Keller Pils, it’s not for consumer purchase because of the small size of the batch. However, Firestone’s other experiments are like the Luponic Distortion #002 and the DBA on nitro. The Luponic Distortion #002 is a truly dank IPA with a tropical note finish, getting its name from a hop that doesn’t even have a name yet, hence the serial number in the title. Firestone fans know the flagship Double Barrel Ale is like drinking a pleasant mouthful of unsweetened chocolate. It’s made from combining a thick batch of bourbon-barrel beer with a lighter batch of steel-barrel beer. Put a DBA on nitro and let the smooth mouthfeel ensue. They’re both found at craft-beer establishments everywhere. If you’re local it’s at Post No Bills.
Luckily at the pop-up market, the availability of fleeting seasonal offerings of Forage to Pantry, like the Strawberry + Lavender Preserves, used in a vinaigrette for the spinach salad and ravioli course, was there for instant-gratification. From Pig Wizard, customers could buy his signature Chorizo Seco, but also his seasonally-inspired sausages like the Pink Peppercorn and Lime Salami. Granted this was only a two-night event, a line snaked around the Osio staircase, presumably because these diners knew that this is rare occurrence.
That said, drink and taste up like it’s the last supper because you’ll never know when you can snag tickets to a pop-up meal.