Portland-Made App BuzzCutt Will Try to Take the Guesswork Out of Sober Drinking

A soon-to-launch app called BuzzCutt will give sober and sober-curious folks the ability to easily find nonalcoholic drinks. Users will be able to type in their ZIP code, and the app will show bars and restaurants with nonalcoholic cocktails and beer in the area. The app will also catalog nonalcoholic brands such as Athletic, Jøyus, and Wilderton. Founders and married couple Olivia and Sarah Sears hope to launch the app nationwide in summer 2023.

“I’m about two years sober, and a lot of the background with the app is a very personal-driven mission,” Sarah Sears told Willamette Week. “Essentially, when you don’t have a drink in your hand or you have a water or you have a soda water, questions begin to arise from other people who are drinking. And, as a sober person, those can be really traumatizing questions.” BuzzCutt is throwing a fundraising party at Victoria Bar on January 28; register for the free event here.

Ilani Brewfest will feature a lineup of celebrity chefs

Restaurant: Impossible’s Robert Irvine, celebrity chef and author Alex Guarnaschelli, and Top Chef alum and Big E owner Justin Sutherland will headline Ridgefield, Washington casino Ilani’s annual BrewFest next month. The BrewFest will encompass a variety of events, such as a Beer Bourbon & Burgers Dinner with Portland’s own Doug Adams and Brian Duffy; a Celebrity Chef Dine Around, which will offer food and beer pairings; two days of grand tastings with hundreds of beers, seltzers, ciders, spirits, and wines; seminars, and more. The Ilani BrewFest will run from February 16 through February 19. Ticket prices vary and are on sale now.

Nordic Northwest’s new exhibit offers an exploration into Scandinavian cuisine

The Scandinavian cultural center’s new exhibit, New Nordic Cuisine, will spotlight the region’s food trends and examine the driving forces behind contemporary Nordic food, its production, and innovation. The exhibition was organized by the Museum of Danish America and will run from January 9 through March 27. A free opening night event on January 13 will feature appetizers and a lecture from chef Thor Erikson — the talk will focus on the New Nordic Food Manifesto, which was published in 2004 by Nordic chefs, including Noma’s René Redzepi.