4/30 to 5/2: The Second Annual NJ Food & Wine Festival will be held at Grand Cascades Lodge, Crystal Springs Resort, 3 Wild Turkey Way, Hardyston, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to Share Our Strength, a nonprofit organization working to end childhood hunger in the United States. The event will include a grand tasting, a charity dinner and wine auction, exclusive wine cellar dinners with vertical wine pairings, seminars with winemakers and chefs, and a celebrity chef golf tournament. For more information, reservations, and overnight packages log on to www.njfoodandwinefestival.com or call 973-827-5996 ext 3. Resort reservations can be made by calling 888-299-0585.
5/2: The annual meeting of Slow Food Northern NJ will be held at Fosterfields Historical Living Farm, 73 Kahdena Rd, Morris Township. 1 to 4 PM; $10 for Slow Food members with dues up to date, $20 fee for non-members. For more information and to purchase tickets call 908-654-3242 or log on to www.slowfoodnnj.org.
5/3 and 5/4: An Accademia del Vino wine lecture series, the Wines of Campania, will be held at Undici Taverna Rustica, 11 West River Rd, Rumson; 6:30 PM; $39 plus tax and 10 percent gratuity for dinner, lecture, and tasting. For reservations call 732-842-3880.
5/4: A five-course wine dinner with Robin Lail of Lail Vineyards in Napa Valley will be held at the Bernards Inn, 27 Mine Brook Rd, Bernardsville. 6:30 PM; $175 including tax and gratuity. For reservations call Tracey Mancini at 908-766-7300 ext. 155.
5/6: A Ratti wine dinner with Pietro Ratti will be held at the Pluckemin Inn, 359 Rt 202/206 and Pluckemin Way, Bedminster. 7 PM; $115 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations call 908-658-9292.
5/6: A Cocktails From the Garden class with light fare will be held at Uproot, 9 Mount Bethel Rd, Warren. 6:30 PM; $40. For reservations call 908-834-8194 or e-mail [email protected].
5/6: A Restaurants for the Cure event with cocktails and culinary creations will be held at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, 350 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange. 6:30 PM; $35. For tickets call 888-273-6141.
5/7: A wine walk-around series with hors d’oeuvres will be held at the Frog and the Peach, 29 Dennis St, New Brunswick. 7 PM; $49. For reservations call 732-846-3216.
5/8: A Super Buy-Rite Jersey City Charity Super Sampling with food will be held at Liberty Science Center, 222 Jersey City Blvd, Jersey City, to benefit cancer care patients at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. 7 to 11 PM; $99. For tickets call 201-239-1200.
5/8: A murder mystery dinner cruise with a buffet, dessert, soda, juice, water, coffee and tea service, and a cash bar will depart from Liberty State Park, 76 Audrey Zapp Dr, Jersey City. 6:15 PM; $95. For tickets call 877-523-9849.
5/10: The Center for Food Action Gala will be held at the Teaneck Marriot at Glenpointe, 100 Frank W Burr Blvd, Teaneck, to benefit the Center for Food Action. 7 to 10 PM; $150. For tickets call 201-569-1804 ext 25 or visit www.cfanj.org.
5/10: A Great Meals With Grains lecture and cooking demonstration with Bernadette Armiento, owner of Shining Life Nutrition, will be held at Montclair High School, 100 Chestnut St, Montclair. 7 to 9 PM; $30. For more information and to register log on to www.adultschool.org or call 973-746-6636.
5/11: The Somerset Art Association will hold an Art of Cake Design luncheon at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club, 811 Rattlesnake Bridge Rd, Bedminster. Cake designers Sylvia Weinstock and Colette Peters will judge cakes entered in the competition by NJ pastry chefs. 11 AM; $80. For tickets and more information call 908-234-2345 or e-mail Ellen Rannells at [email protected].
5/12: A dinner paired with wine featuring the cuisine of Campania and Calabria will be held at Mediterra Restaurant, 29 Hulfish St, Princeton. 6 to 8:30 PM; $45 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations call 609-252-9680.
5/12: A Reaching for the Stars dinner with entertainment will be held at the Hilton Short Hills, JFK Pkwy, Short Hills, to benefit the Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn; 6 PM. For more information and reservations call Elizabeth Bennett at 908-322-1100 or e-mail [email protected].
5/13: A meeting of the Ganache Groupies will be held at the Italian Pantry Bistro, 13 Eastman St, Cranford, with food artisan and chocolatier Diane Pinder and Chef Frank Rizzo. The event will include a selection of tapas by Chef Rizzo, two wines from a New Jersey vintner, chocolates that Pinder matches with the wine selections, and a four-piece box of chocolates to go. 7 to 8:30 PM; $30. To sign up call Diane Pinder at 908-272-4380.
5/13: The Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Celebration of the Adult School of Montclair will be held at Mayfair Farms, 481 Eagle Rock Ave, West Orange. 7 to 10 PM; tickets start at $90. For more information visit www.adultschool.org or call 973-746-6636.
5/13: A five-course Silverado Vineyards wine dinner will be held at Steakhouse 85, 85 Church St, New Brunswick. For time, price, and reservations call 732-247-8585.
5/14: A Spring Beer Festival will be held at Meadowlands Racetrack, Paddock Park, 50 State Rt 120, East Rutherford. 5:30 to 10 PM; $38 plus tax and gratuity, including a BBQ buffet, unlimited beer samplings, racetrack admission and program, and prize drawings. Call 201-THE-BIG-M for reservations.
5/14: A Grand Tasting & Silent Auction hosted by Joe Canal’s Discount Liquor Outlet will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 2 Albany St, New Brunswick, to benefit Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The event will feature more 300 wines, beers, and spirits and a full buffet. 7 to 11 PM; $89. Tickets can be purchased online at www.parentprojectmd.org/pour. Cash and checks are also accepted at the Joe Canal’s Discount Liquor Outlet location at 489 Rt 1 S, Iselin (732-726-0077).
5/14 to 5/16: A Treasures of the Andes Mountains weekend will be held at the Golden Inn Resort Hotel, Oceanfront at 78th St, Avalon. $219 per person, double occupancy, plus tax and gratuities for the entire weekend package, which includes three days’ and two nights’ lodging, a Friday-evening welcome wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres reception, two breakfast buffets, a Saturday-afternoon wine and food pairings seminar, two themed dinners with wine pairings, and two nights of entertainment. Upgraded lodging is available for an additional fee. For reservations and more information call 609-368-5155.
5/15: Russell Newberry of the Time Bandit and Wizard crab boats on Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch will be at Joe Canal’s Discount Liquor Outlet, 489 Rt 1 S, Iselin. Newberry will offer tastes of his Valenzano Dangerous Red wine, talk about the TV show, and sign your bottle. Proceeds will benefit Operation Troop Aid. 11 AM to 3 PM. For more information call 732-726-0077.
5/15: The Second Annual Spring Craft Beer Festival hosted by High Street Grill, Mount Holly, will be held at the Mount Holly Library, 307 High St, Mount Holly. 1 to 5 PM; $35. For more information and tickets call 609-265-9199.
5/16: A Lilac Party with wines and hors d’oeuvres will be held at the Willowwood Arboretum, 300 Longview Rd, Far Hills, to benefit the arboretum. 4 to 7 PM; $75. For tickets call 908-234-1815 or e-mail [email protected].
5/17: Executive chef Humberto Campos Jr., co-owner (with his wife, Lorena) of Restaurant Lorena, 168 Maplewood Ave, Maplewood, will be cooking a Seasonal French Dinner at the James Beard House, 167 W 12th St, NYC. 7 PM; $165, James Beard Foundations members $125. For reservations call 212-627-2308.
5/17 and 5/18: An Accademia del Vino Wine Lecture Series, the Wines of Northeast Italy (Three Venices), will be held at Undici Taverna Rustica, 11 W River Rd, Rumson; 6:30 PM; $39 plus tax and 10 percent gratuity for dinner, lecture, and tasting. For reservations call 732-842-3880.
5/18: A three-course Healthy Quick Dishes cooking class with guest chef Tammy Hughel will be held at Joe Palombo’s Mirabella Cafe, Barclay Farms Shopping Center, 210 E Rt 70, Cherry Hill. 6 PM; $40 plus tax. For reservations call 856-354-1888.
5/18: A Palmina wine dinner with Steve Clifton, owner and winemaker of Palmina Wines, will be held at CulinAriane, 33 Walnut St, Montclair. 7:30 to 11 PM; $90. For reservations call Amanti Vino at 973-509-9463.
5/18: A Sauté cooking class will be held at Andre’s Restaurant & Wine Boutique, 188 Spring St, Newton. 6:30 PM; $65. For reservations call 973-300-4192.
5/18 to 5/20: A four-course Veggin’ Out dinner will be featured at Blackbird Dining Establishment, 619 Collings Ave, Collingswood; $30. For reservations call 856-854-3444; BYO.
5/19: A Wild Mushroom dinner will be held at Rat’s, Grounds for Sculpture, 16 Fairgrounds Rd, Hamilton. 6 PM; $85 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations call 609-584-7800.
5/19: The Great Grill & Pig Out will be held at the Estate at Florentine Gardens, 97 Rivervale Rd, River Vale, with guest of honor Ming Tsai. The event will benefit Table to Table, a community-based food rescue program that collects prepared and perishable excess food and delivers it to organizations that feed the hungry in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, and Hudson counties. 6:30 PM; $195. For more information and tickets log on to www.tabletotable.org or call 201-444-5500.
5/20: A Justin Food & Wine Dinner will be held at Biagios’s Restaurant, 299 Paramus Rd, Paramus. 6:30 to 11 PM; $65. For tickets call 201-652-0201.
5/20: A three-course dinner for two followed by a full-moon tour of Grounds for Sculpture will be held at Rat’s, 16 Fairgrounds Rd, Hamilton. 7 PM; $55 all-inclusive. For more information and reservations call 609-586-0616.
5/20: A three-course dinner and demonstration cooking class will be held at Bacio Italian Cuisine, 2801 Rt 130 N, Cinnaminson. 6:30 PM; $35. For reservations call 856-303-9100.
5/21: A Spring Into Summer festive wine class with Carol Berman, founder of Class in a Glass/the Traveling Sommelier, will be held at the Ridgewood Culinary Institute, 223 Chestnut St, Ridgewood. 7 to 9:30 PM; $75. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served at the end of the class. For reservations log on to www.ridgewoodculinarystudio.com or call 201-447-COOK (2665).
5/21: A Francis Ford Coppola wine dinner will be held at Fleming’s Steakhouse & Wine Bar, 500 Rt 73 N, Marlton. 6:30 to 8:30 PM; $65 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations call 856-988-1351.
5/22: The New Jersey chapter of Women for WineSense will host an Israeli wine tasting with Avi Ashman, organizer for the Israeli Wine Lovers Meetup Group.
7:30 to 10:30 PM; $35, members $25. For more information and to register call 201-794-0714.
5/22: A Food for Life vegetarian cooking and tasting extravaganza will take place at Kiddie Keep Well Camp, Roosevelt Park, 35 Roosevelt Dr, Edison. 8:30 AM to 6 PM; $25 including two speakers, three workshops, all tastings, a gourmet bag lunch, and admission to the exhibit hall. For tickets log on to www.njfoodforlife.org or call 732-446-6963.
5/22: A Wine & Wildlife Festival will be held at the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, 4 Sawmill Rd, Medford, to benefit the refuge. 4:30 to 7:30 PM; $50, $40 before May 1. For tickets call 856-983-3329 ext 100.
5/23: A wine tasting will be held at Andre’s Restaurant & Wine Boutique, 188 Spring St, Newton. 5 to 8 PM; $25. For more information and reservations call 973-300-4192.
5/26: A New Jersey Farm to Table dinner with executive chef Michael Carrino of Restaurant Passionné, Montclair, will be held at the James Beard House, 167 W 12th St, NYC. 7 PM: $165, James Beard Foundation members $125. For reservations call 212-627-2308.
5/26: Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson will be cooking up a special menu and holding a book signing at the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern, 1 East Franklin Tpk, Ho-Ho-Kus. For more information call 201-445-4115.
5/26: A five-course wine dinner featuring the Italian cuisine of Le Marche will be held at Eno Terra, 4484 Rt 27, Kingston. 6 to 9 PM; $85 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations call 609-497-1777.
6/3: A Give Me a Triple Shot of That Stuff cocktail class with light fare will be held at Uproot, 9 Mount Bethel Rd, Warren. 6:30 PM; $40. For reservations call 908-834-8194 or e-mail [email protected].
6/4 to 6/6: A Wines From the Land of Plenty tasting featuring selections from Napa Valley will be held at the Golden Inn Resort Hotel, Oceanfront at 78th St, Avalon. $219 per person, double occupancy, plus tax and gratuities for the entire weekend package, which includes three days’ and two nights’ lodging, a Friday-evening welcome wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres reception, two breakfast buffets, a Saturday-afternoon wine and food pairings seminar, two themed dinners with wine pairings, and two nights of entertainment. Upgraded lodging is available for an additional fee. For reservations and more information call 609-368-5155.
6/8: A Pasta cooking class will be held at Andre’s Restaurant & Wine Boutique, 188 Spring St, Newton. 6:30 PM; $65. For reservations call 973-300-4192.
6/14 and 6/15: An Accademia del Vino Wine Lecture Series, Wines of Puglia, Calabria, and Basilicata, will be held at Undici Taverna Rustica, 11 West River Rd, Rumson; 6:30 PM; $39 plus tax and 10 percent gratuity for dinner, lecture, and tasting. For reservations call 732-842-3880.
6/17: A Chefs at the Shore event, which will include cooking demonstrations and samples of dishes, as well as premium wines and beers, will be held at the Atlantic City Aquarium, 800 N New Hampshire Ave, Atlantic City. 5:30 to 9 PM; $50. For tickets call 609-348-2880 ext 22.
6/20: An American Inspirations Sunday Supper will be held at A Toute Heure, 232 Centennial Ave, Cranford. 6:30 PM; $60. For reservations call 908-276-6600.
6/22 A Chicken, Chicken, Chicken cooking class will be held at Andre’s Restaurant & Wine Boutique, 188 Spring St, Newton. 6:30 PM; $65. For reservations call 973-300-4192.