EARLY FALL 2013 FOOD EVENT PICKS

Check back here for updates & Facebook for last minute picks

Every Saturday: CUESA Kitchen Demos feature local chefs and authors sharing tips and recipes.

The best free and delicious Saturday activity for all ages.

Sept. 6, San Francisco, Lucky Rice Fest at Ferry Building Marketplace

Sept 7, Sonoma – Kathleen Hill in Conversation With Elaine Corn

Sept 7, San Francisco – Speakeasy Ales & Lagers 16th Anniversary Block Party

The all-day party at Speakeasy’s brewery will feature ales and lagers from Speakeasy, beers, live music, DJs, artisan food trucks (Southpaw BBQ and Rosamunde Sausage Grill), crafts vendors, and even an old time photo booth.  PSST…Brewer’s Guild friends, enter the special “sfbg16” promotional code to get 15% off.

Sept 9, Berkeley – Slow Food’s Spice Journeys : Nigerian Cooking

For three hours, learn how Nigerian beans, maggi seasoning, crayfish, hot African peppers and palm oil come together to create the flavors of this colorful western African country.  Kaykay Anadu of ManMustWak, an African market in downtown Oakland, will be talking (and tasting!) through the food history and culture in Nigeria and how it has translated into the Caribbean and the US. See more on Slow Food East Bay’s calendar.

Sept 14, San Francisco – Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival Benefit for Project Open Hand

Help raise a record amount of money for Project Open Hand while enjoying consuming a record amount of chocolate, bites and cocktails at Ghirardelli Square. Here’s the full scoop.

Sept 27-29, Oakland – Eat Real Festival

Food fun for the whole family and a nice volunteer opportunity. Tacos inspired by flavors from around the world, curry, BBQ, hot dogs, ice cream, noodles, and a whole lot more of the Bay Area’s awesome curbside eats. The Eat Real Festival celebrates all things tasty, fresh, and handmade with a focus on street food, local wines, handcrafted beers, and traditional food craft – all featuring sustainable, local ingredients. And no dish costs more than $5.

Sept 28, Los Altos Hills – Pick a Peck! Lacto-fermented Veggies at Hidden Villa Farm

For adults and kids ages 13 and up, come pick organic veges then learn hands-on how to make yummy crunchy krauts, pickles, kimchi, peppers and more with teacher Anna Cameron. Discover how to pickle with low- and no-salt options too, using celery and dill seeds. Visiting? You can stay at the Youth Hostel at Hidden Villa! Oldest west of the Mississippi. See their other awesome farm learning programs for kids like cow milking.

Oct. 2, San Francisco – Taste Talk: California Cuisine & How it’s Evolved at San Francisco Cooking School.

“California Cuisine” is the real thing – a regional culinary POV which is driven by a philosophy of cooking with locally sourced seasonal ingredients.  As we all know, it sprouted from Alice Waters and Co.’s culinary revolution hatched in the 1970’s. Today’s cooks (and chefs) are not only inspired (or limited) by French country cooking, but by cuisines from all over the world.  This evolution is the topic for a great conversation about where California Cuisine is today.  We’ll be there listening in (and asking questions) from moderator Sara Deseran of San Francisco Magazine and esteemed panelists, Joyce Goldstein/author of Inside the California Food Revolution, Laurence Jossel/NOPA, Catherine Pantsios/SF Cooking School
Evan Rich/Rich Table, Cortney Burns/Bar Tartine and Brett Cooper/Outerlands.

Oct. 4, San Francisco – James Beard Foundation’s Taste America Dinner & Dessert After Party

A more affordable option is the after Dessert Party — for $65 there’s a dessert from JBF Outstanding Pastry Chef Nicole Plue (now at San Francisco Cooking School) and Boulevard’s, savory bites from and cocktails from Bar Stars…

Oct 4, San Francisco – Learn to Make Bratwurst, Sauerkraut and Spaetzle

FARMCurious adds a Bay Area craft scene spin. Learn how to make homemade sausage, sauerkraut & spaetzle then take it home to throw your own Oktoberfest kegger.

Oct 5 & 6, Yolo County – Hoes Down Annual Harvest Fest at Full Belly Farm

From ag classes to water slides this annual 2 day festival has something for everyone (including Spanish speakers). Learn about organic fruit trees, grassfed beef, cow milking, herbs and flowers, pest control, sheep shearing, small farm equipment and more. Kids (aged 0-99) have their own hands-on area with all sorts of arts and crafts, pumpkin carving, petting zoo, ice cream churning, and more. You can camp out too! Put your hoes down and see all you can enjoy at this year’s fest.

SO CAL: Oct 5 & 6, Costa Mesa – Patchwork Edible

Epicuring’s Susie will be joining Patchwork Edible craft fair (sorry to miss Hoes Down!), a new annual creative food summit in Southern California bringing visionary chefs, authors, bloggers, handmade craft vendors and food artisans together with attendees for two days of eating, learning, tasting and shopping food events.

Oct 20, San Francisco, CUESA Annual Sunday Supper – Whole Animal Feast

Mark your calendar for the annual Sunday Supper!  The line up will be announced soon. CUESA is Epicuring’s designated not-for-profit partner and we’ll be there.

Oct 26, Oakland, The Wild & Wonder of Bay Area Gardening Fall Seminar – only $45!

Take 3 90-minute talks in this half day seminar at the Lake Merritt Garden Center. The seminar includes snacks, lunchtime demos and all about imagining, enriching, weeding, and harvesting.