GOURMET WINE CELLAR | Chicago
Interact with renowned Chicagoland chefs and sommeliers at Gourmet Magazine's sixth annual "Gourmet Wine Cellar," from 6 to 9 p.m. May 15 at The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. The culinary event is a benefit for The American Institute of Wine and Food. Included in the evening's activities are wine and food tastings, live cooking demos, discussions and seminars. Chefs scheduled to appear include Gourmet's executive chef Sara Moulton, Grant Achatz of Alinea, Douglas Rodriguez of Delacosta, Homaro Cantu of Moto, Martial Nougier of One Sixty Blue and Christophe David of NoMi. Tickets are $90, if purchased before May 1 and $100 after May 1. FYI: (800) 679-0397 or www.gourmetscoop.com/winecellar.
ITALIAN SPICES AND SEASONINGS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE | Chesterton
Derrick Stevens will reveal his secrets to making wonderful Italian sauces served at Popolano's Restaurant in Chesterton at 7 p.m. Thursday at Molly Bea's Ingredients, 761 Indian Boundary Road. As usual there will be some tasty treats from Popolano's kitchens. This is a free demo, but registration is required.
FYI: (219) 938-9401 or www.mollybeas.com
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR CHILI COOK-OFF | Merrillville
The Merrillville High School Key Club and the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter is hosting a Chili Cook-off Contest & Tasting event March at Merrillville High School from 4 to 6 p.m. The event will be at the school, 276 E. 68th Place, in the cafeteria. Last year's event raised $4100 for lupus awareness, education, support services and research. Nineteen contestants entered the contest in 2007. Applications for the contest are currently being accepted. They are available at Merrillville High School and the Lupus Foundation office, 2642 Eleanor St., Portage. The deadline to enter the contest is Saturday. Contestants are asked to submit a $25 refundable deposit upon registration. The contest is limited to the first paid and registered 20 contestants. For more information, call the LFA, Indiana Chapter.
FYI: (219) 762-6575 or (866) 762-6575.
CHEFS' SHOWCASE | Hobart
Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana will host its annual Dine With The Chefs fundraising event from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 2 at Avalon Manor, 3550 E. U.S. 30. Following hors d'ouevres and sunrise cocktails, top chefs from area restaurants and banquet facilities will prepare signature dishes for a gourmet meal. The Times food columnist and cookbook author Phil Potempa will serve as the master of ceremonies. There will also be a silent auction and music by String Fever. Proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels. Ticket are $100 each and may be purchased at Meals on Wheels, 8446 Virginia St. Merrillville.
FYI: (219) 756-3663
COOKING CLASSES | Lake Station
Simple, delicious recipes and opportunity for taste testing will be part of cooking classes at 1 p.m. March 3, 17 and 31 at the Lake Station Branch Library, 2007 Central Ave. Other recipes also will be provided to enhance your collection. Space is limited to 10 so registration is necessary.
FYI: (219) 962-2409
GOURMET'S DIARY OF A FOODIE | Nation
"Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie," a mouthwatering public television food, culture, and travel show, will share much more than just a meal when its second season begins airing this month (check local listings). From spicy biryani in South India and bustling farmers markets in Mexico, to soy sauce factories in Hong Kong, self-professed food lovers across the globe are bursting with new culinary tales to share.
Over the course of 20 half-hour episodes, the second season of this James Beard award-winning series promises to unearth an all-new feast of fabulous food trends, exotic ingredients, and in-the-know food players.
International foodies serve up edgy and provocative commentary about the local cuisines explored in places such as Vietnam, France, Chile, and Morocco. Back in the test kitchen, Gourmet's Editor in Chief Ruth Reichl and her expanded team of seasoned epicurean experts--including John "Doc" Willoughby, Zanne Early Stewart, and Ian Knauer--will show viewers how to bring these internationally inspired dishes into their own home.
For more information on the series, including recipes and "kitchen notebooks," visit www.diaryofafoodie.org.
FISH SEASON | Calumet City
Calumet Memorial Post 330 of the American Legion is inviting the public to its annual fish fry season. Doors open at 4 p.m. with food served until 7 p.m. Fridays through March 21 at the legion, 950 Legion Drive. They will serve cod, lake perch, shrimp and combo dinners. Meals include French fries, cole slaw, roll, dessert and coffee.
FYI: (708) 862-8685
CORNER COOKERY | Chesterton
The Corner Cookery at the Regal Rabbit, 528 Indian Boundary Road, offers cooking classes taught by professional chefs from area restaurants and clubs, as well as private chefs. Registration is required. Advance reservations are recommended. Please call or come in make your paid reservation.
FYI: (219) 395-8814
CULINARY STUDIO | Chicago
Macy's Culinary Studio on the seventh floor of the State Street store, 111 N. State St., offers cooking classes. Registration required. Call to get dates and times for classes in the New Year.
FYI: (800) 265-COOK
AMELIA'S | Winfield
The Cooking School at Amelia's, 10839 Randolph St., offers hands-on ($40) and demonstration classes ($30), which include recipes and food samples. Registration required. Call to get dates and times for classes in the New Year.
FYI: (219) 661-5582 or www.ameliasmarket.com
FREE WILLIAMS-SONOMA CLASSES | Oakbrook, Ill.
Complimentary hour-long classes on specific culinary topics at Williams-Sonoma, 142 Oakbrook Center. Classes fill up quickly, reserve your space.
FYI: (630) 571-2702 or www.williams-sonoma.com
COOKING CLASSES | Homewood
Homewood-Flossmoor Park District offers Almost Gourmet classes with Joan Nagelkirk, professionally trained chef and founder of Kitchen Commons, 4 to 7 p.m. Sundays at the Irwin Community Center, 18120 Highland Ave. Fee per class is $30 residents, $45 nonresidents. The next date and menu is:
FYI: (708) 957-0300 or www.hfparks.com
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CALL FOR SWEET POTATO RECIPES | Nation
The North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission is seeking sweet potato recipes for its first contest. A total of $5,000 in prize money will be awarded: $500 to each winner in four categories (soup, salad, side, sweet) and a grand prize of $3,000 to the overall winner. Deadline for recipes is April 15. Enter online at www.getfreshwithsweetpotatoes.com or mail entry to Sweet Potatoes Recipe Contest, P.O. Box 575, Selma, N.C. 27576. Rules are posted on the Web. Send an SASE to above address to receive a copy of rules.
FYI: www.getfreshwithsweetpotatoes.com
FREE COOKIE RECIPES | Nation
A free "Warm Up the Holidays" brochure from Land O'Lakes features five new chocolate recipes -- Mint Brownie Trees, Cranberry Chocolate Chip Biscotti, Double Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Nut Tartlets and Chocolate & Caramel Drizzled Bars. Call or visit the Web site.
FYI: (800) 837-7702 or www.landolakes.com
CALL FOR RECIPES | Nation
Deadline is Jan. 31. The Wheat Foods Council celebrates its 35th anniversary by inviting you to get involved in an educational cookbook with celebrity chef/mother of three Gale Gand. Educational facts will complement each individual recipe and enable parents to use the cookbook as a tool to teach children about nutrition, serving sizes and the origin of their food. Free copies of the cookbook, signed by Gand, will be available on the Web site in May.
FYI: www.wheatfoods.org
FREE MICROWAVE COOKBOOK | Nation
As part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the Amana microwave, Amana will introduce its first online microwave cookbook, "Fast Food Redefined: 40 Years Ago, Amana Invented a New Way to Cook." The new cookbook features 40 fast-and-easy recipes and is available free to visitors via the Web site.
HISTORICAL FOOD SITE | Nation
OldCookbooks.com, the Internet's largest Web store devoted to vintage, out-of-print, and used cookbooks, has announced the official launch of its acclaimed accompanying cookbook blog, OldCookbooks.info, where interesting tidbits from old cookbooks make a fun and fascinating read. The culinary blog is comprised of a series of organized and reader-friendly sections which highlight and review selected cookbooks and their recipes. Visitors can read insightful posts about old cookbooks, beef up on food and kitchen trivia, look up old cookbook terminology (do you know what schalet is?) or simply page through remarkable, charming, and often amusing lost recipes for dishes like rich "Pound Cake Waffles" or "Mrs. Rorer's Peach Mangoes" (old-fashioned pickled peaches).
FYI: www.OldCookbooks.com or www.OldCookbooks.info
OPERATION BIRTHDAY CAKE | Nation
Bakemeawish.com, a national gourmet gift cake provider, has officially launched Operation Birthday Cake. U.S. soldiers serving overseas don't have the luxury of celebrating their birthday for a variety of reasons. Josh Kaye, president of Bakemeawish.com, began sending birthday cakes to the troops overseas because he wanted them to still have that experience, to still feel remembered and special, despite their difficult circumstances. Donations help support the Operation Birthday Cake campaign. A gourmet birthday cake costs approximately $75 to send to a soldier serving overseas. Currently, Bakemeawish.com is seeking to recruit program sponsors to help defray some of the costs. Please visit Bakemeawish.com to learn more about how to support Operation Birthday Cake.
FYI: www.bakemeawish.com
TIME-CHALLENGED MOMS | Nation
The Produce for Better Health Foundation has developed a new health initiative, Fruits & Veggies -- More Matters, that offers Moms ideas and tips on easy-to-prepare healthy meals.
