Radicchio takes root in the Northwest
09/30/2026 By Rebekah Denn
Welcome to the radicchio renaissance.
Here in the Northwest, farmers are growing a newly broad selection of the gorgeous, nutritious Italian chicory plants. That’s thanks in part to the Culinary Breeding Network, an Oregon-based organization bringing together scientists, farmers, chefs and eaters.
Network founder Lane Selman, an Oregon State University professor, first focused on radicchio in 2009, when growers asked about under-appreciated crops to help boost winter sales. Hardy radicchio was an obvious choice. But U.S. growers, Selman found, lacked both the specialized knowledge and the actual seeds that make radicchio a standout crop in northern Italy.
That’s all changed, thanks to ensuing years of connections and agronomic expertise. Radicchio in the U.S. “has evolved from a niche curiosity into a thriving movement fueled by a passionate community—so passionate that I have even been accused of starting a radicchio cult,” Selman wrote in a new book, Radicchio (Timber Press), co-authored by Margarett Waterbury.