Gossip should have no friends

[December 26th, 2007]

NO MORE HOT DOGS : The Oregon Department of Agriculture has tapped Pacific Northwest cuisine’s first son (and former chef and co-owner of Wildwood), Cory Schreiber , to spearhead its efforts to incorporate the farm-to-table philosophy into Oregon’s public school lunch programs . Schreiber, who in 1998 was the first local chef to be bestowed with James Beard honors, will work with farmers, food processors, distributors and school districts to introduce into the school cafeteria the type of nutritious, locally produced foods that earned Schreiber his reputation. “Our objective is to increase the amount of Oregon food in Oregon schools ,” says the nationally renowned chef and cookbook author, who left Wildwood last June after a 13-year run. Let them eat crab cakes.

ATTN: BOXING DAY SHOPPERS! Big doings downtown. Columbia Sportswear ’s flagship store, which opened in 1996 at the corner of Southwest Broadway and Taylor Street, will close its doors at the end of ’07 for three months starting in early January in order for the Portland-based sportswear giant to overhaul its interior. “It was time for some upgrades,” says Columbia’s spokesman John Fread about the makeover. Completion is expected by early spring.>>In related news, Scoop’s heard word that H&M , the low-priced, high-fashion Swedish clothing company, has signed a letter of intent for the old Kitchen Kaboodle space at Southwest Sixth Avenue and Alder Street. Although he states it’s not his policy to comment on such matters, Paul Schlesinger, of Schlesinger Co., which owns the Alder Street Garage and Retail Center space, gave a clue by indicating “national retailers are taking a very close look at the downtown area” ever since Macy’s took over Meier&Frank.>>And, although it could not be confirmed by press time, Scoop’s also heard whispers that the anchor tenant for Tom Moyer’s 33-story Park Avenue West tower on Southwest Morrison Street will be none other than a new location for Niketown .

OUT OF AFRICA: “Before I left, I packed 40 pounds of pork loin in my suitcase,” says Emily Crumpacker , who’s just returned from Rabat, Morocco . Not having access to cloven-hoofed animals wasn’t the Portland native’s only challenge in the North African country where, for the past several weeks, she’s been cooking meals for actor Leonardo DiCaprio while he filmed Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies . Crumpacker also made both DiCaprio’s and director Scott’s birthday cakes on location. Crumpacker was hired as Leo’s personal chef alongside her friend Bob Chambers, since DiCaprio couldn’t nosh at local food stalls due to what it could cost the film. “Leo couldn’t get sick,” says Crumpacker. She says she will once again join the well-fed actor (as well as frequent PDX visitor Michelle Williams) in Boston come February for his next film, the Martin Scorsese-helmed Shutter Island .