What is Maialata?

An age-old Italian workday turned feast, Maialata is a festival celebrating the pig.

Born from the winter traditions of small Northern Italian mountain towns, where entire communities would use the cold months to gather, butcher, salt, cure, and preserve a whole hog for the year ahead.

For nearly a decade in Oregon, Cathy Whims and Rudy Marchesi have hosted the Oregon Maialata welcoming legendary Tuscan butchers Dario Cecchini and Andrea Falaschi to our chilly wine country mornings. Now the tradition continues, evolved, expanded, and as deliciously immersive as ever.

This year the event welcomes Chris Cosentino as the guest of honor. A winner of Top Chef Masters and a national force in whole-animal butchery, Chris will lead the porchetta demonstration and bring his bold, nose-to-tail brilliance to the day.

The day unfolds with morning butchery lead by Chris Cosentino, followed by an abundant farm lunch from James Beard Nominated Chef Sarah Schafer, hands-on workshops from the chef line-up, Cana’s Feast wines flowing generously throughout, Caffè Spella keeping us upright, and finally a multi-course dinner built from the very items prepared during the day’s classes. You’ll dine on the fruits of your labor alongside some of the state’s most respected chefs — Bryan Donaldson of Nostrana, Rick Gencarelli of Grassa + Lardo, Kari Shaughnessy of Hayward, Brett Uniss & Sarah Schafer of The Ground. A room full of people who care deeply about craft, community, and doing things the right way.

The event is not just a wine or food tasting event — it’s a roll-up-your-sleeves, hands-in-the-flour, let’s-get-a-little-messy kind of day. Cooking, butchery, curing, and homesteading workshops shape the experience, anchored by Cathy Whims herself as she guides guests through the art of gnocchi. More than simply eating and drinking (though it may be the most delicious day of the year), it’s a rare chance to learn shoulder to shoulder with Oregon’s finest chefs and a nationally celebrated culinary force — in a setting that feels at once ancient and electric.

Come work and feast with us!

The Oregon Maialata is in April 11, 2026
at Cana’s feast winery

ANTIPASTI

pickly things • fermented bits
Nostrana breads & Durant Olive Mill oil
Chef Kari Shaughnessy of Hayward Restaurant

PRIMI

Hand Stuffed Pasta
mortadella-stuffed pasta, black truffle, brodo
Rick Gencarelli of Grassa

 Giasaggio (Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo blend)

SECONDI
PIATTO Di CARNE MISTI

Porchetta
Bryan Donaldson of Nostrana in the style of Dario Cecchini

Italian Pork Sausage
by from the Proletariat workshop

Winter Salad
Bryan Donaldson of Nostrana featuring Tabula Rasa farms

Borlotti Beans

Andrea Falaschi cabbage

Wine: Sangiovese Grosso and/or Nebbiolo

DOLCE

TRF Oreo
whipped back fat between cookies
Brett Uniss of The Ground in the style of the original Oreo

Chinatto 

“Carne!”
-Dario Cecchini

This menu is subject to change, and usually does based on seasonality,
availability and limited access to the preferred high quality ingredients.
A printed menu will be presented to you at the dinner!

The table on Cana’s Feast logo represents the place where wines and patrons come together for a shared experience. As an icon, the table may change and evolve. The meaning, however, will never change. It is the fertile ground for celebration. The great conduit of conversations, the dinner table is a symbol with which all people can identify and relate - it bridges family & friends with food & wine, and engenders the sharing of hopes, ideas, memories, warmth, and love. It's the place where people, wine, and stories converge.