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Portland’s Hottest Food Festival Is … the Portland Book Festival?

Each November, the Portland Book Festival fills the city’s bookstores, stages, and churches with author talks and book signings. And the city is into it: This town is so full of nerds that the festival actually sold out in advance in 2025. This year, Nov. 2-8, is no different: Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) will discuss his new memoir with Think Out Loud’s Dave Miller. Musician Colin Meloy (the Decemberists) and artist Carson Ellis (“One Week in January”) will be talking about “Wildwood,” the book he wrote and she illustrated that, as of last week, is a major motion picture in theaters across the country. Even our own powerhouse, City Cast Portland host Claudia Meza, will interview writers Mary Fariba Afsari and Danny Ramadan on Nov. 7.

In 2026, Literary Arts executive director Andrew Proctor wanted to more deliberately expand the festival to include other cultural intersections with books and literature. Cookbook authors have long hosted signings and events, but with the help of Bolted Consulting founder Mike Thelin, Proctor, and Literary Arts senior artistic director Amanda Bullock, the festival team created a specific lineup of food events, ranging from dinners to collaborative menus to panels. “The goal here, with culinary events, it’s like, ‘How do you create something approachable?’” Thelin, who also co-founded the legendary food festival Feast Portland, told me. His answer: Connect food folks who are already friends, and let them throw a fun party. Some events are already sold out, but others are ticketless, which means any old rando can walk in off the street. Buy tickets to the festival here, and find a few of my favorite food events below. [Portland Mercury / Portland Book Festival / OPB / Portland Monthly]

• Panels and Talks: To me, the price of the festival pass is covered by the Alexis Nikole Nelson event on Sat., Nov. 7. Nikole Nelson, also known as the Black Forager, has developed a loyal following for her charmingly goofy, genuinely educational urban foraging account on Instagram. Her book, “Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!” came out in September; she’ll be talking with OPB’s Crystal Ligori at 3:15 p.m. onstage within the Newmark Theatre. If that weren’t enough, James Beard Award-winner Irene Yoo (“Soju Party”) is chatting with Farideh Sadeghin (“The Hot Dog Cookbook”) and moderator Cecily Wong (“Gastro Obscura,” “Kaleidoscope”) about how to throw a killer soju (or hot dog) party. That panel begins at 1:30 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 7, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ.
• Ticket-Free Events: To celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, Molly and Meherwan Irani, the couple behind Asheville’s Chai Pani Restaurant Group, are popping by Bollywood Theater for a collaborative dinner and hang with owner Troy MacLarty. Expect a holiday-themed a la carte menu and book signing Friday, Nov. 6, starting at 5 p.m. Also, I still think about my meal at Austin’s Nixta Taqueria back in 2022, and Nixta owners Sara Mardanbigi and Edgar Rico, who co-wrote “Nixta Taqueria Presents: From Tacos to Tahdig,” will cook alongside Akkapong Earl Ninsom at OK Chicken & Khao Soi on Sunday, Nov. 8 — you can grab a table day of, but I’d get there early to nab a spot in line. Or hey, you could even get a reservation at OK for that day, if you want to play it safe.
• Get a Reservation: So the Soju Party at Han Oak is sold out, which broke my heart, as someone who loves Korean food, soju, and CHO Wines. However, there still appear to be tickets for the Sunday, Nov. 8 Hot Dog Party with Farideh Sadeghin at L’Echelle, which includes a hot dog tasting from not just Sadeghin but also three additional Portland chefs: Peter Cho of Han Oak, Mika Paredes of L’Echelle, and Chef Sam Smith. Each of them uses a specific recipe from Sadeghin’s book as a jumping-off point, and admission comes with one of each dog. The shindig runs from 1 to 3 p.m., and tickets are $30 ($50 with a copy of the cookbook).