ASTEROID

It’s NATIONAL BIKE MONTH as you may or may not know, but for Chef Aaron (that’s me) it’s bike month every minute of every day of the year. Ok, back to first person…a little jaunt from my home in Gateway to Provvista (Chef’s Warehouse now I GUESS!) for chocolate and hazelnut oil, to 11th Ave Liquor for cognac, and Cash & Carry (what’s it actually called now?). 25 mile trip to deliver some stuff for service tonight. We also got our work bike out of the shed and ready for farmers market hauls so we can be as cool as @sarahminnick_ who if you don’t know grabs all her produce from the market every week on her @larryvsharry Bullitt! I love bicycles, ever since I got my first bike as a little boy. It’s always been an amazing sense of empowerment and freedom to go a long distance on your own power. Hope you all can get out there and ride your bikes for your health, your mental health, and the health of the planet!

Wonderful day at the PSU farmer’s market today picking up lovely produce from our favorite farms. Happy to see @jorinjimiso at the market today! They’re the best. Picked up some produce from @sunriseorganicfarm.llc @groundworkorganics and beautiful long radishes from @laterravita . Thanks for the saag inspiration for our collards dish @pietramala_phl we love you guys! Always a great day when you can go to @portlandfarmers

At ASTERA, @astera_pdx we revisit the spirit of our original restaurant, Farm Spirit, offering a semi-communal dinner party featuring the farmed, foraged, and vinified of Cascadia. With an emphasis on Oregon, we select produce from farms at the Shemanski and PSU @portlandfarmers farmer’s markets and bring to you a tasting menu that spotlights seasonal regionality, accentuated with craft fermentation techniques like koji, kombucha, vegan cheesemaking, and more. We select winemakers that share our values of regenerative agriculture. Come join Chef Aaron @chefaaronadams and the team at Astera for your next special night out ❤️ #brutal #brutalism #zerowaste #simplevegan #oad #thegreenguidecooking #plantbased #botanicalcooking #weresmartgreenguide @eaterpdx @vegnews @pomomagazine #nytcooking #bonapetit #foodandwine @artculinairemagazine

@astera_pdx is a love poem to Oregon’s vinified, farmed and foraged created by @chefaaronadams , offering a botanical tasting menu built on flavors utilizing classic and modern techniques with an emphasis on fermentation. Service is every Thursday through Saturday with reservations available through @exploretock . The tasting menu focuses on local produce, mostly purchased at @portlandfarmers markets at Shemanski Park and PSU. Most produce comes from @groundworkorganics from Junction City. The wine list is entirely represented by Oregon and Washington winemakers, and we ensure that the makers on our list share our values of regenerative agriculture. We also made sure our list represents women, BIPOC and queer winemakers prominently. The kitchen continues to work towards zero waste, and a percentage of sales are donated to @zerofoodprint , which is used for grants for local farmers for major soil building projects for carbon sequestration. Additionally we donate monthly to @lighthousefarmsanctuary in Scio to aid in their mission of rehabilitating and caring for farm animals. Reservations are available on their website, link in the bio. #brutal #brutalism #zerowaste #simplevegan #oad #thegreenguidecooking #plantbased #botanicalcooking #weresmartgreenguide @eaterpdx @vegnews @pomomagazine #nytcooking #bonapetit #foodandwine @artculinairemagazine

Sometimes you need something really drastic to happen to get your priorities straight. For me, it was the minute my daughter was born at 4:48 am on April 28th. Since then, I’ve been struggling to figure out how my professional responsibilities were going to fit with the new love of my life, my precious daughter Vivian. I’ve failed pretty miserably at having a real paternity leave the past few weeks, either constantly at work or working from home. It has really woken me up to the fact that I need to simplify my life a great deal. Right now, I want more than anything to strike some sort of balance between work and home, and I need to make some tough decisions to get there. Meanwhile, small businesses like mine are having a difficult time right now. So many friends of mine are closing doors or struggling to stay open. For my business, it’s been difficult to strike a balance between our high labor costs and revenue. We’ve tried a model of menu pricing to see if we could make that work, but it’s seemed to come across as too expensive to many guests. I don’t blame them for their feelings, but listen up everyone: if you want to see restaurant workers actually get paid well, buckle up and get ready to pay for it. In order to keep labor in line, I found myself needing to work at Paffuto while trying to figure how to clone myself for working at Astera as well AND somehow also make time for my wife and baby. It was a similar issue with Fermenter, but the new member of the family really amplified the issue. The wheels were starting to come off and I was feeling more and more depressed to a point that was no longer safe for my well being. This is all to say that I’ve chosen to close Il Paffuto to focus on Astera and my family. Last service will be May 31st. Simplifying will allow me to have Astera reach its full potential while also giving me time to take care of my responsibilities at home. I informed the team yesterday and let me just say: the grace, love, and understanding they exhibited was astonishing. There isn’t a finer group of people I’ve worked with. Thanks everyone for coming along this journey. See you at @astera_pdx in the future. ❤️ #okbye

On the menu this week SUMMER SQUASH CROUSTADE. Flaky croustade filled with cultured cashew cream, squash from @groundworkorganics farm, fresh oregano, garlic and lemon zest and finished with our crushed tomato sauce. A bright and savory starter to share at the table! Did that sound good? I think I wrote it like professionals do, especially that “a bright and savory…” part. Anyway, I made it for you to eat so come this week and eat it and stuff. Ok bye! #croustade #tart #tourte #birdlaw #vegetablerestaurant #vegansofig #pdxfood #fancyhippyfood #reallylocal #wildfermentation #miso #whatveganseat #tempeh #pickles #vegancheese #pdxfood #punksishippies #vegetableswillbeslaughtered

I was SO STOKED to bring Baby Vivian to her first farmer’s market today. We LOVE the @portlandfarmers PSU market every Saturday, but Vivian seemed less than impressed and just slept through the whole thing 🙄🙄🙄. Anywho, got some produce for @paffuto_portland including some BEAUTIFUL strawberries from #ChangsFlowerFarm. They’re delicious as a strawberry sauce served with our Rhubarb Panna Cotta. Hope to see you all at Il Paffuto tonight! Ok bye! #fruit #localproduce #vegetablerestaurant #vegansofig #pdxfood #fancyhippyfood #reallylocal #wildfermentation #miso #whatveganseat #tempeh #pickles #vegancheese #pdxfood #punksishippies #vegetableswillbeslaughtered

WILD NETTLE AND POTATO RAVIOLI on the menu tonight! Our silky pasta dough stuffed with buttery potato puree and garlicky braised nettles is served in a light celeriac and cauliflower cream seasoned with nutmeg and topped with nettle purée, cultured cashew crumble, and herbs and flowers from @ourtablecooperative . Let’s gooooo! #nettles #ravioli #pasta #vegetablerestaurant #vegansofig #pdxfood #fancyhippyfood #reallylocal #wildfermentation #miso #whatveganseat #tempeh #pickles #vegancheese #pdxfood #punksishippies #vegetableswillbeslaughtered

CHANTERELLE and ASPARAGUS RISOTTO with leeks and preserved lemon. THESE CHANTERELLES ARENT GOING TO EAT THEMSELVES so come on in folks! We’ll continue to work on adding GLUTEN FREE items like this to the menu! ❤️ #veganpasta #pasta #risotto #vegetablerestaurant #vegansofig #pdxfood #fancyhippyfood #reallylocal #wildfermentation #miso #whatveganseat #tempeh #pickles #vegancheese #pdxfood #punksishippies #vegetableswillbeslaughtered

WILD NETTLE ROTOLO on the menu TUESDAY NIGHT. Fresh made pasta is rolled thin and pinwheeled with garlicky nettles chopped and mixed with our cultured cashew-hazelnut cheese. After resting, it’s wrapped in cheesecloth and poached. Then sliced and gratineed with cauliflower cream and our nut PARM. Plated with nettle puree, good olive oil from @durant_oregon and some lovely brassica flowers from @ourtablecooperative . Come on in TONIGHT and have a lovely Tuesday night treat. You deserve it! #pasta #rotolo #nettles #vegetablerestaurant #vegansofig #pdxfood #fancyhippyfood #reallylocal #wildfermentation #miso #whatveganseat #tempeh #pickles #vegancheese #pdxfood #punksishippies #vegetableswillbeslaughtered

TUESDAY NIGHT SPECIAL PÂTÉ EN CROUTE! I’m reliving my pre-vegan past by starting to work on some charcuterie for Il Paffuto. This little diddy turned out super good. Mushroom pâté with hazelnuts and spiced subtly with quatre épices in a flaky crust. Served with Dijon “honey” mustard with tarragon using the botanical kombucha honey we love to keep in our pantry. Some fresh herbs and dressed beets finish the ensemble. Come enjoy tonight on the menu as we start to introduce more vegan charcuterie! Ok bye! #vegetablerestaurant #vegansofig #pdxfood #fancyhippyfood #reallylocal #wildfermentation #miso #whatveganseat #tempeh #pickles #vegancheese #pdxfood #punksishippies #vegetableswillbeslaughtered #vegancharcuterie #charcuterie

Aaron “Baby Brain” Adams took a pause from baby duties and grabbed some tasty veg from the market this morning. Also this is Aaron typing this post. Me. Aaron. Talking about himself in the third person…I mean myself. But who am I? Who are you? What am I holding in my hand? Rhubarb? What is rhubarb, really? WHAT IS RHUBARB REALLY!?!?! Anywaaaaaay, in my continuing quest for SOCIAL MEDIA MASTERY I’ve made another amazing and informative post. Folks, I may be bad at Instagram, but I’m good at making tasty meals so come on in and see what Dan and the crew made with all these fruits, vegetables and herbs we got today. Ok? Ok bye.