COLE GERST

Cole Gerst is a designer and illustrator living in Portland, OR. He recently illustrated and authored the book Buckminster Fuller: Poet of Geometry.

What was the food highlight of your year?

Sometimes my fondest memories of food are not simply great meals but revolve around other events of some sort. I've had some spectacular meals this year but I think my favorite food highlight was just an impromptu trip to the Oregon coast where my girlfriend and I hit every dive bar and seafood shack we could, devouring massive amounts of oysters & crab and just drinking beer and getting to know the local people far away from all the touristy places.

What was the music highlight of your year?

Built to Spill at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. I had seen Rocket from the Crypt earlier in the day at an outdoor festival so I was already in a good mood and full of PBR. I hadn't seen them in maybe 15 years, it was a bit sentimental to me. I think I teared up for a second.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

A friend of mine surprised me with last minute tickets to Guided By Voices and told me to meet him at the taco place below the venue. When I got there, to my surprise, the taco place had been replaced by my favorite sandwich shop, Bunk Sandwiches. I proceeded to eat my old standby, the Meatball Parmigiano Hero, and bounce around to GBV for almost 3 hours. Now every time I have that sandwich I remember that show.

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TOMMY HABETZ

Tommy Habetz is co-owner of Portland’s Bunk (multiple restaurants, one bar/music venue, and a truck) and Trigger. His take on the cuban sandwich is the subject of many a television show, magazine article, and road trip.

What was the food highlight of your year?

Wow! Is it the end of the year? What a weird, anxiety ridden, fun, delicious year it’s been. We started a mobile Bunk Truck, opened up Trigger (our new Tex Mex place) and I became a father (again) to the most beautiful baby girl, Vivienne.

The food highlight for me was probably going to NYC for the Oregon Bounty Food Assault, a precursor to our Portland Feast inaugural event. I got to see first hand that people really do dig what we’re doing in Oregon. I also got to eat at Roberta’s in Bushwick, which was pretty mind blowing. I also got to meet Danny Bowien and watch a bunch of famous chefs and food media folks devour a sheet tray full of Doritos and Fritos chili pie, made at the hands of Danny.

What was the music highlight of your year?

My favorite musical moment has got to be The guys from Built to Spill surprising us with a free show at Bunk Bar. It was crazy, packed to the gills and filled with friends that I have never seen smile so much. What a great band.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

Sitting at a table at Bunk Bar, talking with John Reis from Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt, etc. about Tex-Mex food. He couldn’t understand why we were opening up a Tex-Mex place, because he thought Tex-Mex sucked. But, of course, he’s from San Diego. I knew what he was talking about, though. He and his band mates had had many many bad experiences eating at bad Tex-Mex places. And, oddly, that’s what’s been inspiring me lately. It’s been fun to tackle the opposite of haute cuisines, get in there and find the sweet spots. To me, it’s endlessly more fascinating than seeing a grape deconstructed, then reconstructed as a grape.

All in all, a beautiful and inspiring year. I look forward to eating Jimmy Albee’s Queso Deluxe in the post-Apocolyptic, hopey changey, zombie wasteland of 2013!