This Week’s Events: Cheese Class, Maine Lemonade Day, Blood into Wine

MondayMemorial Day.

Wednesday — there will be a wine tasting at the Old Port Wine Merchants, Grace is holding their monthly wine tasting event, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

ThursdayThe Cheese Iron is teaching a class on Spring & Summer cheeses.

FridayMaine Foodie Tours is running an island progressive dinner, there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli and First Friday Art Walk is taking place so make your reservation soon.

SaturdayLocal Sprouts is celebrating their 1-year anniversary, LeRoux Kitchen is holding a wine tasting, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — it’s Maine Lemonade Day and kids across the state will be stting up their lemonade stands, Joe Ricchio is hosting Blood into Wine a wine dinner and movie screening at One Longfellow Square.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

National Lemonade Day Prep

The Blueberry Files has published a report on last weekend’s Lemonade Day Recipe Contest. Kate served as one of the judges for the competition.

And in the end, we were all won over by Haley and Emma’s “Lemon Love” pink lemonade.  These cute sophomores from Bowdoin and Topsham created the best tasting recipe, with fresh raspberries and slices of lemon.  Absolutely delicious, and perfect for the almost hot day we had last Saturday.

Maine: Wine Distributors and Taste of the Nation Benefit

The June issue of Maine magazine (not yet available online) includes a Joe Ricchio article on Maine’s small independent wine distributors,

With small distributors, someone is doing the dirty work for you. They are your advocates and personal tasters. They are willing to take chances on wineries that might not have the best packaging, but deliver a product they truly believe in. And since they’re are fewer people involved in the buying decisions, the portfolios have more character and focus.

and an article about Taste of the Nation, an annual benefit that raises money to address hunger in Maine,

Rob Evans agrees. “The issue hits everyone,” says the renowned chef. “We can all empathize . . . people are going hungry, and we’re surrounded by so much.” Once Evans got involved, he saw how much more could be done. As a board member of Share Our Strength in Maine, he teaches cooking classes for another one of the non-profit’s programs—Cooking Matters—and he is in the process of developing a restaurant dining series that will raise even more funding to support the cause.

This year’s Taste of the Nation dinner is taking place June 26 on the SMCC campus. Tickets are available online.

This Week’s Events: Girl Gone Raw, Tequila Tasting, RealFood Project

Monday — Elizabeth Fraser from Girl Gone Raw will be teaching a raw cooking class.

TuesdayBlue is holding their monthly wine and cheese event.

Wednesday — Rosemont is hosting winemaker Lilly LoCascio and cheese expert Alberto Aurill for a wine and cheese tasting, the Urban Farm Fermentory is teaching saurkraut workshop, The Salt Exchange is holding a tequila tasting, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — Chef Frank Giglio will be teaching the next class of the Maine RealFood Project. Otter Creek will be featured at The Great Lost Bear for the bar’s weekly brewery showcase.

Friday — Sebago Brewing is opening their new brew pub on Fore Street.

SaturdayWine Wise is teaching a class at The Wine Bar, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

This Week’s Events: End of an Era, Dave Geary, Cellardoor, Peter Weygandt, Intro to Tea

Monday — the last day of the Annual Spring Book Sale at Rabelais.

Tuesday — Sebago Brewing is throwing an End of the Era Party to mark the close of their time at 164 Middle Street. Sebago will soon be moving their Portland brew pub to the new hotel under construction on Fore Street.

WednesdayHavana South is holding their monthly wine club, there will be a beer tasting at RSVP, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

ThursdayDave Geary will be at The Great Lost Bear for the bar’s weekly brewery showcase, David’s is holding a wine dinner featuring Maine’s Cellardoor Winery, and the Relish Cooking Show is taking place at the Portland Expo. Chef Frank Giglio will be teaching the first class of the Maine RealFood Project.

Friday — a tasting featuring wines from Weygandt-Metzler is taking place at Rosemont on Brighton. Peter Weygandt will be attending the event.

Saturday — cheesemaker Barb Skalpa from Echo Ridge Organic Cheese in Mt. Vernon, Maine will be at Rosemont for a tasting, the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

SundayChefs Rob Evans and Sam Hayward will be preparing a multi-course dinner at Hugo’s to benefit Share Our Strength. Dobra is teaching an Intro to Tea class and there will be a mushroom growing workshop at the Urban Farm Fermentory.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

Chicken Smackdown

Staff from 7 Portland restaurants gathered at 158 Pickett Street Cafe for the third edition of the Smackdown competition:  158 Pickett St Cafe, East Ender, Hot Suppa, Hugo’s, Nosh, The Cheese Iron, and The Great Lost Bear. The key this month was chicken, chicken banh mi, fried chicken, chicken pate, etc.

Hugo’s won the competition, East Ender was in 2nd place and Nosh (my personal favorite this month) took third. With the busy tourist season soon to start the Smackdown is on vacation until September when it will be hosted at Hugo’s. The topic for the September competition is TBD.

This Week’s Events: JBF Awards, Rabelais Book Sale, Daddy Daughter Tea Day

Monday — The James Beard Awards ceremony is taking place at Lincoln Center. Krista Kern Desjarlais is a nominee for Best Chef: Northeast.

Tuesday — Bar Lola is holding a Loire Wine Dinner.

Wednesday — Both Old Port Wine Merchants and RSVP are holding wine tastings, Black Tie Bistro is teaching a cooking class, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — LerRoux will host a Banana Split Trifle baking demonstration, there will be a wine and cheese tasting at the Public Market House, and The Great Lost Bear is featuring beer from Harpoon Brewery.

Saturday — the first day of the Rabelais book sale ($1, $3, $5 or 40% off, exclusive of their rare book inventory), Dobra Tea is participating in the National Daddy Daughter Tea Day, Wine Wise is teaching a class on Cabernets from Napa, the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — the book sale at Rabelais continues.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.