Cochon 555 NYC: The Beauty of Pork From Five Different Chefs (PHOTOS)

On Sunday afternoon, Cochon 555, a nationwide festival designed to raise awareness about the pleasures of heirloom breeds of pig, kicked off its fourth season with an orgy of pork, wine, cheese and beer. In advance of the event, organizers gave an heirloom pig to each of five chefs, all heads of pork-centric New York restaurants. They broke down the pigs and concocted dazzling inventive dishes that would showcase the meat.

Hundreds of gourmands, swinophiles and food industry folk gathered in an event space overlooking Manhattan's West River to eat the results throughout the evening, while guzzling wine from five different producers. Immediately before they arrived, the chefs' food was also critiqued by a panel of celebrity judges. They named rising star Marc Forgione the winner.

Here are some beautifully porky photos from this year's Cochon 555 NYC:

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Comments

[themanname]

01:55 PM on 01/27/2012

Wish I could of been there. NOM NOM

[Rebrebreb]

02:41 PM on 01/26/2012

Glad to be vegan and animal rights and not take any part in contributing to the mass suffering of animals. Pigs rate more intelligent than dogs in nearly every study (and sadly, dogs are eaten in other countries) but while most Americans would cringe at the idea of eating dogs, they continue to torture and harm these innocent and very sweet animals - for lack of education and exposure, I really believe. Why don't you go and meet the animals you insist have no rights? www.woodstocksanctuary.org You just might be changed. Even the U.N.'s body of global Ag Scientists say we could feed the world if we stopped wasting so many resources on raising and killing billions of animals a year. This article is ridiculous and someone needs to say the emperor really has no clothes. You are calling a dismembered animal "dazzling" and and "orgy." People will pay tons of money (in a dismal economy where many people are suffering) for something not even worth $5 and act like it is some incredible pleasure to their palate. Ridiculous.

[Barry Peterson]

10:31 AM on 01/29/2012

What would a HP story on eating meat be without some self-righteous vegan popping in an attempt to be high and mighty?

[Ami Munro]

04:50 PM on 01/31/2012

If you ever have an opportunity to visit a slaughter house, I will guarantee that you will become a vegan or at least think about becoming one.

I will not go into the details as it would break my heart to think about it.

It's not an attempt to be high and mighty. It's actually very humbling.

[kwaut lizard]

06:58 PM on 01/24/2012

Mangalitza .... mmmmmmmmmmmmm heaven on lil hooves.

[freefromharm]

11:12 AM on 01/24/2012

"Raising awareness about the pleasures of heirloom pigs" apparently means for this author that awareness is somehow connected to pleasure. Actually the opposite is often true. Isn't it the lack of awareness that allows us to gorge on animals and animal products so we don't have to think about the suffering and killing of the animal who became the victim of someone's trivial pleasure?

[Karl Wilder]

12:33 PM on 01/24/2012

The are raising awareness of a great meat for those of us who eat meat. Clearly the article is not for vegans.

[SusanElizabeth1949]

09:48 PM on 01/25/2012

These guys forcibly remind me of the folks who ring your door bell early Saturday morning in order to 'save your soul"