Radicchio & the Culinary Breeding Network
2009
The Culinary Breeding Network's focus on radicchio began with farmers. During the Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement Collaborative (NOVIC) project, growers in Oregon and Washington expressed strong interest in learning how to grow radicchio successfully in the Pacific Northwest. Farmers were drawn to its winter hardiness, storage potential, and winter market promise, but had many unanswered questions around variety selection, planting and transplant timing, cultivation, harvest, forcing techniques, and post-harvest handling.
2013–2015
As farmer interest continued to grow, it became clear that production research alone was not enough. Growers also needed informed and enthusiastic eaters. To help address this, CBN launched the Eat Winter Vegetables consumer education and marketing campaign, designed to build awareness, excitement, and culinary confidence around winter crops like radicchio. This work helped connect farm viability with consumer understanding, reinforcing the value of locally grown winter vegetables in regional food systems.
2009–2013
During NOVIC and other projects, farmers, plant breeders, and researchers engaged in years of organic, on-farm field trials to evaluate radicchio varieties on numerous farms in the Pacific Northwest. These trials demonstrated radicchio’s strong potential as a cool-season crop, while also revealing significant gaps in regionally relevant production knowledge—particularly when compared to the depth of information available in Europe.
2014
Seeking deeper production knowledge, CBN director Lane Selman traveled to Chioggia in the Veneto, Italy’s most important radicchio-growing region. During this visit, she met radicchio breeder Andrea Ghedina of T & T Seeds, who brought her directly to visit working radicchio farms. This firsthand exposure to Italian growing, harvest, forcing, and storage practices—many of which were largely undocumented in the U.S.—proved invaluable and laid the foundation for long-term relationships and future exchange.
2018
As knowledge and momentum grew, CBN helped launch Chicory Week, a week long restaurant promotion in Portland and Seattle celebrating a common love for radicchio and other chicories. By partnering with chefs and restaurants, Chicory Week brought radicchio to a broader public audience and strengthened connections between farmers, kitchens, and eaters. Chicory Week was started by Culinary Breeding Network, Local Roots Farm, Tom Douglas Restaurant Group, London Plane and Uprising Seeds.
January 2020
A Radicchio Expedition was co-organized and led by Italian farmer Myrtha Zierock of Azienda Agricola Foradori and Lane Selman of CBN. Twenty-two farmers, chefs, scholars, journalists, advocates, and a photographer from Oregon and Washington traveled together to visit radicchio farms, seed companies, and breeders across northeastern Italy. The expedition concluded with Giàz, a winter vegetable celebration hosted at Foradori.
During the trip, Lane reconnected with Andrea Ghedina, who had recently launched his seed company, Smarties.bio. Through her work with Pacific Northwest growers, Lane had long recognized the need for better access to high-quality, organic, open-pollinated radicchio seed suited to the region’s climate. This is where the Gusto Italiano Project was born—an initiative focused on making high-quality Italian radicchio seed more accessible to U.S. growers.
Together, the Radicchio Expedition and Gusto Italiano Project marked the beginning of a sustained cultural and agricultural exchange.
2018–Present
Alongside this international work, CBN has produced multiple Sagra del Radicchio events in Seattle and Portland—joyful, public-facing celebrations that bring together farmers, chefs, bakers, and eaters to explore radicchio through food, culture, and storytelling. These events continue to build awareness, markets, and community around radicchio and other chicories.
2020–2022
Building on the momentum of the Radicchio Expedition, CBN led the project Building Capacity & Support for PNW Radicchio Production Through Market Expansion & International Exchange. This work focused on two primary goals: increasing awareness and consumption of radicchio through education and culinary events; and developing long-term opportunities for international information exchange between Pacific Northwest and Italian growers, breeders, and culinary professionals.
Today & Looking Ahead
CBN’s radicchio work now spans nearly two decades, bridging on-farm research, seed systems, grower education, culinary celebration, and international cultural exchange. This work continues through farmer support, seed exploration, public events, and publications, culminating in the forthcoming RADICCHIO: A Celebration of the Beloved Italian Vegetable book, scheduled for release in September 29, 2026, which brings together the history, culture, botany, growing practices, and recipes of this iconic winter vegetable.
