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Written by Kailey Fisicaro
Photos by
Tambi Lane

Bend Food Companies Making the Outdoors Tastier

Bend Agave Outdoor Catering

Editors Note: This article was originally published July, 2021

You’ve been skiing, hiking, rowing on the river or strolling through Drake Park when it’s time for a food break. Only, the meal you packed isn’t exactly exciting. A plain protein bar. A half-smashed sandwich. A browning banana. The food is bland, the texture is off or it’s just not enough calories. It’s tough finding food that checks all the boxes and adds to your enjoyment of the outdoors. A few local companies are working to change that, by creating enticing food options that offer flavor, fuel and a break from prep work.

Luckey's Woodsman outdoor catering

Luckey’s Woodsman

Jackson Higdon, owner of Lucke's Woodsman
Jackson Higdon

Jackson Higdon opened Luckey’s Woodsman, his new food truck offering “elevated backcountry cuisine,” on Mount Bachelor in December. Post-ski season, Higdon moved his truck to the new food truck lot at Silver Moon Brewing that he helped launch. 

Luckey’s Woodsman was Higdon’s “pandemic lemonade.” In March 2020 he was laid off as chef and general manager at Riff Taproom. Higdon was sad to leave, but understood the company’s need for a new direction. He spent the summer backpacking, reflecting and scrambling to cook outdoors. As a chef, even Higdon has a love-hate relationship with cooking while camping. “I hate it, I make a big mess, it takes me a long time,” Higdon said. But he doesn’t believe he or anyone else should compromise good food to get outside. The basis for Luckey’s Woodsman was born.

“I talked to forest rangers, retirees doing big bike races, firefighters,” Higdon said. Many of them were cooking good food outdoors, but it took hours of planning and preparation. He found others running around last minute, overspending, and once outdoors, spending more time cleaning up longer than they had enjoying the food.

At the truck, Higdon offers dishes like the Italian Stallion sandwich to be savored onsite, meals to grab and go for the day and camper kits, available
as cold boxes or hot kits, like his mac and cheese with cured smoked salmon. “It’s the way to say yes to a weekend trip, it’s the way to have a better lunch when you’re doing a day trip,” Higdon said. If you’ve been designated as the trip chef but you’re not the most confident cook, consider giving Luckey’s Woodsman a go.

To see what’s on the menu, visit luckeyswoodsman.com.


Bend Agave Outdoor Catering

Bend Agave

Tiffany Caston, owner of Bend Agave outdoor catering
Tiffany Caston

Tiffany Caston hopes to help people enjoy dining outdoors with less stress. Bend Agave is a pop-up picnic company, offering a service that sets up and breaks down luxury picnics. Book a session with Bend Agave, and Caston will plan, set up and clean up a chic picnic experience for you and your crew at your location of choice around Bend. Though the pop-up picnic experience is new to Bend, companies like Bend Agave have already blown up in popularity in California and Florida.

Caston’s pop-up picnics are what glamping is to camping, with plush seat pillows around a low-set table, real dishware, cozy blankets and aesthetic touches like pampas grass and candles.

Caston after experiencing a pop-up picnic herself on a beach in Florida and Failla by following a creative spark to turn her love for food creation into a full-time career. Pop-up picnics and charcuterie boards are the perfect way for people from all walks of life, outdoorsy or not, to enjoy time outside in Bend, whether that’s in Drake Park or your own backyard.

Learn more at bendagave.com.

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