NOFA 22nd Annual Winter Conference, Saturday & Sunday, January 28th & 29th. Northeast Organic Farming Association Winter Conference. Theme: Cultivating Change: Growing the Organic Food Movement. The premier sustainable food and agriculture event in New Jersey! Two full days of sessions for farmers, gardeners, foodies and food activists, plus a Kids’ Conference with crafts and food projects! For more information: NOFA
Havana Nights, Sunday, January 29th at 1pm. Old York Cellars. Chef Ronaldo Linares will be bringing a touch of Cuba to Old York Cellars. He will be demonstrating and preparing traditional Cuban style dishes. The audience will then get a sampling of the dish paired with Old York Cellars wines. For more information: Havana Nights
Wassailing the Apples, Sunday, January 29th from 1pm-4pm. Terhune Orchards. Owners Pam and Gary Mount honor an old English custom by gathering around a big old apple tree to sing songs and toast their health. Activities include music, songs, toasts of hot cider, gifts of cider-soaked bread placed in the tree branches, and a bonfire with marshmallows. Entertainment by Spiced Punch Consort and Molly Dancers. Farm wagon rides available. Wine tasting room open for hot mulled wine and snacks. www.terhuneorchards.com
Hudson Restaurant Week, January 23rd – February 3rd. Please visit Hudson Restaurant Week for more information.
And Beyond…
Cooked & Uncorked: Food & Wine Festival, Monday, January 30th from 6pm-9pm. With over 40 restaurants and 12 New Jersey Fire Departments participating in a Cook-off you get to taste from over 50 top chefs. In addition last year we had 21 tables of wines, spirits, beer,etc. This year all attendees will get to vote for their Firehouse chef! All proceeds go to the St. Barnabas Burn Foundation and the NJ FMBA Foundation. For more information: 973-322-4344 Cooked & Uncorked
Custards: More Than Just Pudding, Wednesday, February 1st from 6-9pm. The Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape offers amateur chefs and food enthusiasts alike the opportunity to learn how to prepare a variety of confectionery creations with Chef Mary Lou D’Angleo. Learn how to prepare classical custard desserts like Crème Brulee, Crème Caramel and the Italian favorite, Panna Cotta. To register, call 609-343-4829 or visit www.atlantic.edu/conted.
International Great Beer Expo, February 4th. Meadowlands. This international beer tasting extravaganza will showcase more than 50 breweries from across the globe, each providing samples of their country’s proudest brewing achievement. Shoulder to shoulder with some of America’s best breweries, will be amazing breweries from Japan, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Austria, Nicaragua, Thailand, Poland, New Zealand, Indonesia, Sweden, China, and others. For more information: Beer Expo
Oyster Bowl, Sunday, February 5th from 11am-2pm. Blue Point Grill, Princeton. The annual oyster eating contest benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central and South Jersey. Individual and corporate team contests. $45 includes shirt and all the oysters you can eat in two minutes. Register. Lunch available., www.oysterbowlnj.com
A Taste of Spring, Friday, February 10th. Join members of the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church for an evening of tasty food samples show-casing delicious foods from a variety of local restaurants and caterers, including On Call Catering in Flanders, NJ, All in the Icing in Netcong, NJ, the Budd Lake Diner in Budd Lake and many many more! Tickets are $20 purchased in advance and $25 at the door. To purchase tickets please call 973-898-0751.
An Evening in Tuscany, Tuesday, February 14th from 6pm-9pm. Culinary Workshops Offer Taste of Global Cuisine at Atlantic Cape. There are few things better than the flavors of Italy. Learn to prepare Fennel and Aged Pecorino Salad, Artichoke Custards with Fava Bean Sauce, Sausage Bread and Chicken Liver Spiedini, and Meringata with Chocolate Espresso Sauce. To register, call 609-343-4829 or visit www.atlantic.edu/conted.
LBI Chocolate Week 2012
Lets Make Chocolate Covered Pretzels – Free Program. Saturday, February 11th from 10:30am-11:30am. 15 person limit – come in and make a chocolate covered pretzel surprise for your parents/friends/ or sweetie. For ages 9 and up. Stop in the Tuckerton Library on 380 Bay Avenue in Tuckerton, Call 609-296-1470 or go online at http://www.theoceancountylibrary.org/ to register.
Make Chocolate Covered Pretzels for your sweetheart! Tuesday, February 14th. Celebrate Valentine’s Day by coming in and making chocolate covered pretzels for that special someone! All ages, drop in at the Long Beach Island Branch of Ocean County Library in Surf City. 609-494-2480
Platinum Design Build Company presents Post Valentine’s Party and 20 ways to re invent your Kitchen- Wednesday, February 15th from 5:30-7:30pm. Join Platinum Design for complimentary chocolate martinis and chocolate covered strawberries, raffles and fun conversation at Dave’s Appliance in Oscar Huber. For more information or to RSVP 609-994-3244 or visit www.platinumbc.com/chocolate
TGI Friday’s Chocolate Week Bartenders Competition, Thursday, February 16th at 8pm. Add some flair to your Thursday with the best local bartenders mixing the best drinks in town to benefit the Southern Ocean County Community Foundation Hunger Relief Dinner. The bartenders will be creating libations featuring chocolate while being judged for their showmanship. Drinks will be auctioned to crowd! $5 entry to benefit Hunger Relief Dinner For more information contact TGI Friday’s Manahawkin, 609-489-0950 http://www.worldbtc.com/about Come out and be part of the live video broadcast and meet the B98.5 van for prizes and giveaways!
Death By Chocolate: Murder Mystery Dinner Show, Friday, February 17th at 6pm. The Engleside Inn. Death by Chocolate will be the perfect ending to Long Beach Island’s Chocolate Week and a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day Weekend. Proceeds from the dinner theatre event will benefit Tuckerton Seaport’s educational programs. For more information or tickets: 609-296-8868, brookes@tuckertonseaport.org, Tuckerton Seaport.
Eat Slow Winter Farmers Market, Sunday, February 19th from 11am-3pm. Music – Prepared Foods – Full Bar. Tre Piani is the original site where the Markets started seven years ago with Slow Food Central New Jersey. For directions to Tre Piani, visit www.trepiani.com.
Individual Chocolate Desserts, Wednesday, February 22nd from 6-9pm. The Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape offers amateur chefs and food enthusiasts alike the opportunity to learn how to prepare a variety of confectionery creations with Chef Mary Lou D’Angleo. Learn how to prepare Truffles, Lava Cakes, Chocolate Obsessions and more. To register, call 609-343-4829 or visit www.atlantic.edu/conted.
5th Annual New York Wine Expo
Friday, March 2, 2012
6:00 – 10:00 PM
Saturday, March 3, 2012
2:00 – 6:00 PM
Don’t miss this opportunity to sample over 760 wines from over 190 winemakers from around the globe in the Grand Tasting. The Expo is open on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon allowing consumers to take a tasting tour around the world. Several seminars will be available as well.
This event will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NY. For more information: NY Wine Expo
Atlantic City Restaurant Week
March 4th – March 10th. During the week, fine restaurants throughout Atlantic County will offer value priced three-course lunches for $15.11 and three-course dinners at just $33.11. A full list of participating restaurants, menu items, chef biographies and other details are available online. Restaurant Week hotel packages will also be available through the site, as well as the ability to book reservations online through Open Table at restaurants that use the Open Table reservation service. www.acrestaurantweek.com
Taste of Montclair, Monday, March 19th. AND Montclair Restaurant Week, March 20th – April 1st (no Joke). For more information: Montclair
15th Annual Taste of Middlesex on March 19, 2012, at the Pines Manor, 2085 Lincoln Highway/Route 27, and Edison, NJ presented by the Edison Chamber of Commerce.
29th Annual Atlantic Cape Restaurant Gala, Thursday, March 22nd at 6:30pm. Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino. The event celebrates food by highlighting thousands of hors d’oeuvres prepared by students at the Academy of Culinary Arts and showcasing the specialties of 40 of the area’s best restaurants at a progressive dining experience. The Gala raises money for student scholarships. Tickets are $200 per person and can be ordered by contacting Lauren Canzanese at (609) 463-4672, acccfdn@atlantic.edu, or online at www.atlantic.edu/gala.
Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival 2012
The focus of The Atlantic City Beer Festival is the promotion of craft beers and the brewers that create them. Now in its 7th year the festival has taken a truly organic turn with the addition of original music from artists across the Tri-State area.
Session 1: Friday, March 30th from 7pm-11pm. Session 2: Saturday, March 31st from 12pm-4pm. Session 3: Saturday, March 31st from 6pm-10pm.
The 2012 Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival will not only highlight great beer and music but will also feature culinary demonstrations from local area chefs, beer seminars hosted by author and television personality Gary Monterosso as well as others and we can’t forget the amazing festival vendors… lots and lots of food and beer related vendors. This year’s festival will appeal to absolutely everyone.
For more information and tickets: AC Beer & Music Fest
Make Your Own Mozzarella Cheese, April 21st. ***This event sells out FAST. The cost is $85.00 per person or $160.00 per couple and includes the following: Hands-on instructions on how to make your own mozzarella, Notes and recipe provided, and much more! To reserve tickets and more information: The Grape Escape 609-409-9463
***SAVE THE DATE: Farm-to-Fork Fundraiser, June 9th at 6pm. Brady Life Camp in Pottersville, NJ. There will be a farm fresh meal catered, live entertainment, 50/50 and live and silent auctions. Proceeds go towards America’s Grow-a-Row’s mission to positively impact as many lives as possible through a volunteer effort of planting, picking, rescuing, and delivering free fresh produce. For more information and to be a sponsor, please visit: America’s Grow a Row
