This past Sunday, February 8, nearly five hundred Houstonians gathered at the JW Marriott Downtown for Houston’s first Cochon 555, a national event that puts pork on a pedestal. Five Houston chefs were given a heritage breed pig and prepared a maximum of six dishes, hoping to win votes from pork partisans and competition judges.
The chefs who competed were Erin Smith of the JW Marriott Downtown’s Main Kitchen (she served as the official host chef), Ronnie Killen of Killen’s BBQ, Brandi Key of Punk’s Simple Southern Food, Mark Decker of Down House and Marcelo Garcia and Ryan Pera of Coltivare Pizza & Garden. Attendees trotted from one chef’s table to the next, stopping to enjoy cocktails and wine in between. People anxiously stood in lines, knowing that what awaited them — like assortments of cured meats, pork cracklins drizzled in honey from chef Smith, a tamale bite covered in mole from chef Killen or mini waffle cake sandwiches with beer cheese and shaved pork from chef Key — would be well worth it.
At the end of the night, Mark Decker of Down House took home the prestigious pork award and was crowned “King of Porc.” He will advance on to the tour finale — the Grand Cochon — in Aspen, Colorado in June.