March 15-17: 5th Annual New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs, Celebrate the best chefs of the region. This year, the Festival welcomes acclaimed Chef Jose Andres of Minibar, The Bazaar, China Poblano, Jaleo, Oyamel and Zaytinya in Washington DC, Los Angeles and Las Vegas among others, as the Guest of Honor. Attendees will have a rare chance to try their hand at blending wine, crown the winner of the New Jersey Mac & Cheese Cook-off – with JerseyBites! – and taste very special wines for Crystal Spring’s late founder Gene Mulvihill’s legendary cellar in a tribute to his vision and passion for wine. (Mr. Mulvihill passed in late 2012.) For tickets and a full schedule: www.njwinefoodfest.com
March 21st: Newark: Manischewitz Cook-Off Contest. The Cook-Off will be held at the Manischewitz Headquarters and Manufacturing Plant in Newark, NJ on March 21, 2013 where Matzo and other Manischewitz goodies are produced! It will be a fun day with Matzo production tours, food tastings, and the live cook-off event where finalists from all across the country will cook live for the chance to be the winner of a $25,000 Grand Prize! Learn about their new selection of products including healthy Mediterranean and gluten-free options. Let me know if you are able or unable to attend, or have any other questions.
For more information, contact Courtney Manders at (973) 744-0707 or CourtneyManders@bhgpr.com and visit their site to see who the finalists will be!
March 23rd: Somerset Hills Education Foundations (SHEF) 10th Annual Chili Cook-Off. Come celebrate the 10th anniversary of delicious chili tasting, great music and dancing, western entertainment and a unique silent auction! This year’s event takes place at beautiful Tranquillity Farms in Chester, NJ. Attractions include a mechanical bull, Tito’s Handmade Vodka Bar, Wild Bill’s Olde Fashioned Soda Stand, Epicure Foods cheese displays, and over twenty chefs competing for awards. The VIP Chili Pepper Lounge is hosted in the Farm’s “Champion Circle” oak bar room and has additional catering and specialty drinks.
For more information, contact Event Planner Bridget Kevorkian at bkevorkian@shefnj.org or 978-882-2879.
Tickets and event details are available at SHEF’s website.
April 2nd: Mays Landing: Gourmet dinners at Careme’s hosted by the American Vegan Society, at the Academy of Culinary Arts. Experience a meal of exceptional quality prepared and served by the culinary students under a chef educator. Call 856-694-2887 or visit www.americanvegan.org.
April 5th: Trenton: New Jersey Agricultural Society Annual Gala. The New Jersey Agricultural Society will be hosting its Annual Gala on Friday April 5th at 6:00 pm at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe, NJ. The Gala supports the Agricultural Society’s three programs: New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger, Learning Through Gardening, and the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program. The New Jersey Agricultural Society is a 501(c) 3 non-profit dedicated to preserving and enhancing agriculture, farming and related activities and businesses in New Jersey through educational, informational, and promotional programs. NJAS is the oldest agricultural organization in the nation.
The Gala, consisting of a cocktail hour, open bar, buffet stations, silent auction, palm readers, casino, raffle, and award ceremony. The event is open to the public, and the Ag Society encourages anyone interested in supporting their mission to attend. Businesses can support the Gala through donations of Silent Auction prizes and advertisements in the NJAS Gala Ad Journal. Ad journal rate range between $50 and $125 and are due by March 15th, 2013.
Tickets are $85. More information is available at www.njagsociety.org, and registrations and donations can be sent to semprebellaevents@hotmail.com.
April 5th: Jersey Shore Restaurant Week April 5-14 Spring Breaks at The Jersey Shore. Ten days, great deals, and fabulous meals!
It’s a wonderful opportunity to shake off the winter blues and re-visit your favorite restaurants or try some new ones. Enjoy 3 course dinner menus for $20.13 or $30.13 and special lunch menus at participating restaurants. See their Special Events Page for all the fun details.
April 8th: 2nd Annual Taste of Montclair, at The Conference Center, University Hall at Montclair State University. Enjoy the culinary delights of more than 30 chefs who will serve up tastes in an eclectic array of food to the approximately 500 people who will once again enjoy The Taste of Montclair. Freshly shucked oysters, Italian, Spanish, American, Fusion, barbecued chicken and ribs, French, Southern, and even good old fashioned American ice cream are some of the expected treats.
Tickets are $50, and can be purchased online or from any of the ticket locations listed on the Taste of Montclair website.
April 11th: Oyster Point Hotel’s “All Hands On Deck” Re-Opening in Red Bank, New Jersey from 6:00-9:00 PM. The opening will support The Boondock’s Fishery in Red Bank. The Navesink Business Group and Red Bank Flavour Restaurants have joined forces with The Oyster Point to help Boondocks’ owner Kelly Ryan rebuild her business.
April 14th-20th: Atlantic City: Tropicana Seafood Week will debut for the first time April! Celebrate everything under the sea with property wide seafood specials, drink specials and discounted retail shopping. Enjoy fresh seafood at FIN, shop nautical fashions and accessories in The Quarter, or even unwind with a sea salt scrub at bluemercury spa. Tropicana is serving up seafood every which way, and there are plenty of ways to get your fix with various specials throughout the week.The official Seafood Week Kickoff will take place Monday, April 15th at 12:30pm in Palm Walk where guests can sample Fin’s famous lobster bisque, share the wonder of the Atlantic City Aquarium’s touch tank, and catch a special “Under the Sea” themed Zumba demo by Tilton Fitness.
For more info, see Seafood Week at the Tropicana online!
