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Image: Chef Eric Bechard's and Cochon 555 founder Brady Lowe's police booking photos from early morning Monday, May 17.
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UPDATE
pig fight police report
WW
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pig-ear coleslaw and pig-heart ravioli to drunken head-butts, a chef being ejected from a local bar and a pair of food-industry pros being arrested by the cops after a brawl over local vs. out-of-state pigs
.
â¢â¢â¢UPDATE 10 am Tuesday, May 18:
Brady Lowe in the hospital with a fractured tibia today.
Eric Bechard
UPDATE 3 pm Tuesday, May 18:
Brady Lowe
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Jason Barwikowski
The biggest loser? Former Alberta Street Oyster House chef Eric Bechard
and Cochon 555 founder Brady Lowe
.
started was in a fistfight with Lowe outside Magic Garden
Bechard head-butted Elk Cove Vineyards' Craig Hedstrom
Tom Hurley
here's the crux of the high-minded pig battle:
"They are self-promoting this event and their [out-of-town] farmers. It should have promoted our farmers."
WW
If Jason [Barwikowski] wins [Cochon 555] with a Red Wattle pig and it's from Iowa there's a good chance that Northwestern farmers will start seeing that breed as one to raise."
I'm playing phone tag with Lowe right now
and Bechard to get their
(see updates) to get his side of the story, but
both men were arrested early Monday morning.
Cue an ear-splitting roar of food-industry gossipers exchanging stories and a massive battle of he said/he said/he-said:
He responded with a lot of cuss words and that he'd never be part of an event that had the winner use a pig from Iowa.
"Why do you always have to be such a pretentious prick?"
Before he could come near me again, [Tom] Hurley grabbed him and dragged him out in the street.
Bechard either followed Lowe and friends to Magic Garden, or
without knowing Lowe was there
There was a fight.
my have been
The men were both pepper-sprayed and Tasered by Portland Police officers.
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UPDATE
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When Bechard came outside to smoke a cigarette an argument erupted between him and Farr aboutâwhat elseâpigs.
"[Bechard] honestly took two hands and pushed Carolina. It just took it to a whole another level when you attack my girlfriend," Lowe says.
That's when Lowe says one of Bechard's friends, another chef, ran up and kicked him in the head.
While we won't know the whole story until
both Bechard responds and I can speak with Lowe at length,
I'm very Oregon-centric, maybe to a fault.
"I have a cast on my leg and spent the night in the jail because a guy pushed my girlfriend and attacked me,"
Read a nice recap of the non-WWE smackdown portion of Cochon 555 over at Eater PDX.
Now, the folks over at
New York magazine's excellent Grub Street
food blog even picked up the piggy story (squee!).
FYI, Bechard uses pigs from a small farm in McMinnville, Valley Creek Farm, at his restaurant Thistle. I totally want to taste head-butt-worthy pork someday.
WWeek 2015