Category: Events

Monday — the Monday Farmers Market is taking place in Monument Square.
Wednesday — the midweek Farmers Market is taking place in Monument Square, there’s a wine tasting at Old Port Wine Merchants, a tequila tasting at The Salt Exchange and a Wine Wise class at The Wine Bar.
Thursday — there will be a wine tastings at Aurora Provisions and Black Tie Bistro and a tequila tasting at El Rayo.
Friday — A combination of First Friday Art Walk and the start to the holiday weekend will make for some very busy restaurants so make your reservations early, Wine Wise is teaching a  class at DiMillo’s and there’s a wine tasting at the West End Deli.
Saturday — the weekend Farmers Market is taking place in Deering Oaks Park and LeRoux Kitchen is holding a wine tasting.
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.

Monday — the Monday Farmers Market is taking place in Monument Square.

Wednesday — the midweek Farmers Market is taking place in Monument Square, there’s a wine tasting at Old Port Wine Merchants, a tequila tasting at The Salt Exchange and a Wine Wise class at The Wine Bar.

Thursday — there will be a wine tastings at Aurora Provisions and Black Tie Bistro and a tequila tasting at El Rayo.

Friday — A combination of First Friday Art Walk and the start to the holiday weekend will make for some very busy restaurants so make your reservations early, Wine Wise is teaching a  class at DiMillo’s and there’s a wine tasting at the West End Deli.

Saturday — the weekend Farmers Market is taking place in Deering Oaks Park and LeRoux Kitchen is holding a wine tasting.

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.

Commune Tested, City Approved has a report on Saturday’s Vegetarian & Vegan Food Festival.

One of the most popular tables was staffed by Portland’s premier vegetarian restaurant, the Green Elephant. Here co-owner Dan Sriprasert serves up free samples of fresh and fried spring rolls, while his team members offer up wontons, soy nuggets and stir fry.

Here are a couple additional items for this weekend’s event calendar:

• Wine Maniac Book Signing – Layne Witherell will be at Rabelais today, 3 – 4:30 pm to sign copies of his book Wine Maniac: Life in the Wine Biz.
• 2nd Annual Sidewalk Book Sale – Rabelais is holding their annual sidewalk book sale on Sunday, 11 – 3 pm. Hundreds of books will be priced at $1, $3 or $5 and all other books are 10% off. For bookish food fans this is a must-attend event.
• Maple’s Grand Opening – Maple’s Organics is having a Grand Opening at their new location in South Portland on Sunday, 1 – 5 pm. According to the press release, “There will be live music, prizes and fun for the kids, and plenty of gelato samples going around.”

Here are a couple additional items for this weekend’s event calendar:

• Wine Maniac Book Signing – Layne Witherell will be at Rabelais today, 3 – 4:30 pm to sign copies of his book Wine Maniac: Life in the Wine Biz.
• 2nd Annual Sidewalk Book Sale – Rabelais is holding their annual sidewalk book sale on Sunday, 11 – 3 pm. Hundreds of books will be priced at $1, $3 or $5 and all other books are 10% off. For bookish food fans this is a must-attend event.
• Maple’s Grand Opening – Maple’s Organics is having a Grand Opening at their new location in South Portland on Sunday, 1 – 5 pm. According to the press release, “There will be live music, prizes and fun for the kids, and plenty of gelato samples going around.”

You’ve read about them in the Portland Daily Sun and the Portland Press Herald and now here’s some photos from PortlandTown of the now famous Greek Heritage Festival bakers.
UPDATE: PortlandTown has published an additional set of photos taken on the opening day of the Greek Heritage Festival. (added Friday)
Photo Credit: Michael Barriault

Today’s Food & Dining section in the Portland Press Herald includes a feature article about the Greek Festival,

Maria Economos held court at the stove in the parish hall of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, a pan of hot canola oil awaiting her next piece of delicate pastry dough.

“You’ve got to have the knack, and I do,” insisted the 87-year-old Economos as she surveyed the kitchen table behind her and fastidiously hand-picked the next square of dough to fry. “I’ve been doing this since I was 13 years old.”

and an article about the Vegetarian and Vegan Food Festival which is also taking place this weekend.

“There are plenty of opportunities for people to get their feet wet if they’re thinking about a plant-based diet,” said Beth Gallie, the co-chair of this year’s event. “One thing that makes us happy is people who come who aren’t vegetarians but who want to add meatless meals to their diet.”

Now in its sixth year, the free festival serves up oodles of food samples, a roster of speakers and a host of vegetarian-focused organizations.

The Tuesday Portland Daily Sun includes a pair of articles about the Greek Heritage Festival that kicks off on Thursday this week.

There were dozens of mothers and daughters in the kitchen at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church this past week: measuring out flour, stuffing dates and sprinkling confectioner’s sugar. The recipes that once fed families of ten have been scaled up to feed ten thousand. Going into its 28th year, the Greek Food Festival is three days of Hellenic hospitality under a big top tent at the corner of Pleasant Street and Park Street, just around the corner from the art museum.

Monday — the Monday Farmers Market is taking place in Monument Square.
Tuesday — Susan Hecht from FG. Scheider & Sohn will be at Novare Res for “an evening of stellar wheat beer and radish peeling”.
Wednesday — the midweek Farmers Market is taking place in Monument Square and a Wine Wise class at The Wine Bar.
Thursday — opening day of the Greek Heritage Festival, Vignola’s Escape to Spain tasting of 25 Spanish wines, wine tastings at Browne Trading and Black Cherry Provisions, the monthly Thursday Night Throwdown latte art competition at Bard Coffee, a wine and cheese tasting at the Public Market House and a summer beer showcase at The Great Lost Bear.
Friday — the second day of the Greek Heritage Festival, a showing of the movie Beer Wars and a Spanish wine tasting at Rosemont Market on Brighton Ave.
Saturday — the weekend Farmers Market is taking place in Deering Oaks Park, the last day of the Greek Heritage Festival, a wine tasting at Scarborough Wine Outlet, the annual StrawberryFest in Cape Elizabeth, the 2nd Annual LobsterFest and the 6th Annual Vegetarian Food Festival.
Sunday — the 5th Annual Taste of the Nation and a Wine Wise program in Portland Harbor aboard the Casablanca.
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.

PortlandTown has published some photos from yesterday’s book signing by Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo at Rabelais. The two were in town with Andrew Knowlton from Bon Appetite to promote The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual.
Photo Credit: Michael Barriault
Update: the Frankies also were on Fox 23 for an interview and cooking demonstration.