Foodie Things to Do This Weekend and Beyond

Food Events in New Jersey

August 30th: Free Coffee Day at Booskerdoo Coffee to Celebrate the Opening of their Second Location in Fair Haven. The new shop is currently open and already conducting brisk business, serving the freshly roasted coffee (never more than a week old) and fresh pastry items baked on the premises. To celebrate, Booskerdoo’s owners and founders James (roastmaster) and Amelia Caverly (head baker) are buying a 10 oz. cup of drip coffee for everyone who comes in to the Fair Haven location from 6 am until 5 pm. Ten ounce cappuccinos and lattes, made from Booskerdoo’s famous Dancing Goat Espresso Blend, will be offered for the special price of $1.

August 31stWest Cape May Tomato Festival – Jersey tomatoes in every form! Tomato jewelry, tomato soup, tomato tacos. Located in Wilbraham Park from 9:00AM to 5:00PM

August 31st – Sept 1st: Jazz it Up Wine Festival – Allaire Village, Farmingdale— New Jersey’s largest wine festival will once again headline the Labor Day weekend on Saturday and Sunday, August 31 and September 1 from noon to 5 p.m. when the Garden State Wine Growers Association holds its annual Jazz It Up Festival at historic Allaire State Park in Farmingdale. Sponsored by the Asbury Park Press, Great Gold 1410, B98.5 Thunder 106 and 107.1 fm, the event will feature 19 GSWGA wineries, sampling nearly 300 different, locally-produced wines along with great live jazz music, craft and food vendors and the ability to tour Allaire State Park’s historic 19th century village.

August 31st – Sept 1st:  Monmouth Park’s BBQ & Craft Beer Festival. Ribs, pulled pork, brisket – it’s all back and better than ever, served up by some of the Garden State’s best BBQ joints. In addition, cool off with a cold one in their beer garden.  Food vendors include: A-Maize-Ing Roast, Ben’s BBG & Catering, ChipStix, Chop Shop BBQ, Delano’s Food Service, DRJ Catering, Harvest Specialty, Kona Ice, Local Smoke BBQ, Max’s Famous Hot Dogs, Memphis Pig Out, Nitro Cream Cafe, RTC BBQ Pit, and Ryan’s Deli. $3 general admission gets you into the track AND festival area. Food items are priced a la carte. Beer Garden is $10 for ten 2oz samples and a commemorative mini-Pilsner glass.

Asbury Park Oysterfest September 6th – 8th: Asbury Park’s Oyster Fest. Oysters, seafood & traditional festival fare are available from over 25 vendors including Mumford’s, Tiger’s Tale, Lusty Lobster, Red Hook Lobster, Bacon on Wheels and Ike’s Famous Crab cakes. Beer, wine and fun soft drinks available throughout the festival. Crafts & Live Music too. Visit here for hours and more info.

September 7th & 8thAppetite: A Gastronomic Experience – Located at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ, this event is a must for food lovers. Each day will feature celebrity chefs, demonstrations and lessons, wine pairings, scotch and bourbon tastings, food trucks, and even kid-specific events. Tickets range in price and may be purchased online. Win Tickets

September 8th: Dearborn Market’s Local Food Festival. Holmdel 11am – 4pm Meet the people and places behind the delicious products available at Dearborn Market–cookies, coffee, chocolates, spices, honeys, tea’s, marinades, sauces, pasta’s, pickles & more – all located in NJ and available to purchase. For details, visit our website.

September 14thAmateur Chili Cook-Off – The Grape Escape Winery in Dayton, NJ presents the second competition in their chili cook-off. The four amateur chef finalists will prepare chili, which you get to help taste and judge! A $40 ticket to the event will also get you Postino Restaurant food and tastings of wine and chocolate.

September 14th – 15th: Fall for New Jersey Wines Trail Event: The smell of ripening apples, the hints of red and orange in the tree line, tell us that it’s time to head for the hills to pick pumpkins and applies and to taste great wines along the Vintage North Jersey wine trail. Many wineries are beginning harvest and vineyards are filled with the aroma of future vintages as their grapes reach maturity. Watch – or even join in – as “crush” begins.  “Crush” is the harvest, crush-destem and beginning of fermentation of 2013 vintage wines. If you are lucky, you may even taste juice as it runs from the press into fermentation vats! See your future wines in the making along the Vintage North Jersey wine trail.

September 21st:  Festival of the Sea, Point Pleasant Beach. 10am to 7pm. Rain date is September 22, 2013. This street fair is located in the heart of downtown Point Pleasant Beach on Arnold and Bay Avenues. Vistors sample dishes by the area’s finest restaurants serving everything from Lobster, Steak, Chowders, Pasta, Desserts and everything in between. Hundreds of Arts and Crafts vendors display their crafts. Free Shuttles run from noon until 7pm. They stop on Broadway and Baltimore Avenues, Broadway and Ocean Avenues, Ocean and Arnold Avenues, and the Train Station. One also leaves from Point Pleasant Boro High School on Beaver Dam Rd. and drops off on Lincoln Avenue, so there is plenty of FREE on street parking. For more information please call 732-899-2424

September 21 – 22ndHighlands Festival at Waterloo. The Highlands Festival at Waterloo is a “Celebration of All Things Local” including home-grown FOOD! food vendors will be asked to source local food and clearly state where it comes from. Chef run workshops, locally produced food products and more at this weekend long, family friendly event.

September 21 – 22ndJersey Skyline Wine Festival With a perfect view of the NY skyline as a vantage point more than a dozen of the finest New Jersey wineries will be on hand at Overpeck Park in Ridgefield Park for the inaugural Jersey Skyline Wine Festival, promoted by the Garden State Wine Growers Association. Paid attendees receive a complimentary wine glass with their admission ticket which is $25 at the gate and $20 in advance ordered through www.newjerseywines.com.

September 22nd: The Morris County Sunday Supper is returning to the Hyatt Morristown from 4 – 7.   A night of farm-to-table tastings from local gourmet chefs and farms. In addition to the gourmet tasting, the night will feature a silent auction, open bar, and live music. Details on the Sustainable Morristown website: http://sustainablemorristown.org/2013/06/our-3rd-annual-locally-grown-sunday-supper/ .

September 23rdFBCC Culinary Classic – The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties presents their 22nd Annual Culinary Classic at The Mill at Spring Lake Heights. The event will raise awareness and funds for hunger in the New Jersey community, especially with regard to the increased need post-Hurricane Sandy. Dozens of popular restaurants from the Jersey Shore will be present to offer samples of signature dishes, wine, cocktails and local craft brews. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit the event Facebook page.

September 28th: “Grape Expectations: a unique food & wine event with a “Twist” to benefit The Montclair Public Library. Featured guest will be Eric Asimov, wine critic for The New York Times. Mr. Asimov will lead a Wine Master Class for a small group from 6:30-7:30 and will make remarks and answer questions at the main event beginning at 7:30.  Top local chefs contribute dishes inspired by the novels of Charles Dickens so it will be a delicious and enjoyable event for a great cause. For tickets and information, visit http://www.montclairlibrary.org  or e-mail Montclair Public Library Foundation Administrator, Anita Peterson anita@montclairplf.org

October 5th & 6thLBI Chowderfest – 2013 marks the 25th anniversary of the annual LBI Chowderfest. There will be unlimited chowder tasting, live music, a food court, a merchant market, and beautiful views of the bay! General admission tickets are $20 ($10 for kids) and may be purchased online.

October 12thUnionville Vineyards Fall Harvest Festival will be their biggest and best festival yet, with more areas to taste wine and food, two exciting regional rock’n’roll talents, new demonstrations and pairing classes, the return of the grape stomp, opportunities to interact with the winemakers, and plenty to keep kids of all ages happy and interested.
Tickets available at www.unionvillevineyards.com/fallfestival 

October 12th: Point Pleasant Beach Chowder Fest.  Located on Inlet Drive overlooking our beautiful Manasquan Inlet from 12-6pm. Food, Live Music, Beer Garden, Arts & Crafts, and of course Chowda! Rain Date 10/13/2013.  For more Information  732-899-2424. Presented by The Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Forks & Corks to benefit the Algonquin Arts TheartreNovember 18th: Jersey Bites Presents Forks & Corks to benefit the Algonquin Arts Theatre at the Mill, Spring Lake Heights from 6 to 9pm. This event will showcase deliciously diverse cuisine from the area’s most popular restaurants along with a cast of renowned wines and beers.  $65 per person. Entertainment: The Paul Marino Band Dress: Business Attire Sponsorship Opportunities contact Teresa Staub Development Director, 732-528-4336or Teresa@algonquinarts.org