10/7: A four-course German beer dinner will be held at the Mad Batter, 19 Jackson St, Cape May, sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities. 7:30 PM; $65. For reservations, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278.
10/8 and 10/9: More than 200 wines will be available for tasting at the Garden State Wine Growers Association Wine Festival at the Cape May Ferry Terminal, Cape May. Noon to 5 PM; $25, or $40 for both days. For tickets, log on to www.newjerseywines.com or call 800-643-3779.
10/9: Zone 7 and Alba Vineyard will host a five-course Dinner on the Farm with wine pairings at Alba Vineyard, 269 Rt 627, Milford. The event will feature Chef Bryan Gregg of the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern, and the proceeds will benefit farmers affected by Hurricane Irene. 3 to 7 PM; $120. For reservations, visit www.freshfromzone7.com or call 609-443-1772.
10/10: The Wine Library in Springfield will hold its Super Tasting 2011 at the Manor, 111 Prospect Ave, West Orange, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce. 5:30 to 9:30 PM; $95. VIP tickets are $125 and allow entrance at 4:30 PM. For tickets, call 973-376-0005 or 888-980-WINE.
10/10: A demonstration cooking class taught by Arthur Schwartz will be held at Kings Cooking Studio, 778 Morris Tpk, Short Hills. 6:30 to 9:30 PM; $85. To register, call 973-258-4009.
10/11: A four-course Glenfiddich single malt scotch dinner will be held at Chakra, W 144 Rt 4 E, Paramus. 6:30 PM; $60 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 201-556-1530.
10/12: A craft beer tasting with passed hors d’oeuvres will be held at the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern, 1 East Franklin Tpk, Ho-Ho-Kus. The tasting will include samplings of Breckenridge Vanilla Porter and Left Hand Milk Stout from Colorado, Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian IPA from Maryland, and Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot from Pennsylvania. 6 PM; $20. For reservations, call 201-445-4115.
10/13: Emeril Lagasse will be signing his new book, Sizzling Skillets, at Kitchen Kapers, East Gate Sq, 1341 Nixon Dr, Moorestown; 4 PM. For more information, call 856-778-7705.
10/13: A four-course Glenfiddich scotch tasting and dinner will be held at Blue Morel Restaurant and Wine Bar at the Westin Governor Morris, 2 Whippany Rd, Morristown. The tasting seminar, featuring a tour of Glenfiddich 12-year, 15-year, 18-year, and 21-year, will be followed by a specially created menu by Chef Kevin Takafuji, pairing four courses with the single malts from the tasting. 7 PM; $75 including tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 973-451-2619.
10/15: A Chef’s Table dinner will be held at WannaBee Chef Cooking Studio, 18 Union Ave, Cresskill. 7 to 9:45 PM; $75; BYO. For reservations, call 201-503-0335.
10/15: The Cape May Winery and Vineyard, 711 Townbank Rd, Cape May, will serve a five-course harvest dinner catered by the Washington Inn, Cape May. 6 PM; $75. Call 609-884-1169 for reservations.
10/17: The Ultimate Chef Bergen County Qualification Round and Meatball Throwdown will be held at Chef Central, 240 Rt 17 N, Paramus. This special Ultimate Chef Bergen County (UCBC) qualification round will feature Johnny DeCarlo, aka Johnny Meatballs, against Ninamarie Bojekian of Ooh La La Catering. Both chefs will have one hour to prepare three dishes from three different regions of Italy, and they will also square off in a meatball throwdown. The event will be videotaped by Cablevision’s Neighborhood Journal and played on November 10 at the annual Charity di Vino event (www.grunico.org/Home_Page.html) at the Crossroads Sheraton in Mahwah, where the winner will be announced. The audience in both venues will judge the chefs. The winner will qualify to compete in the 2012 UCBC competition held in January and February at Chef Central in Paramus. 6 PM; free to public. For more information, call 201-576-0100. Psst: I will be one of the judges.
10/19: The Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern, 1 East Franklin Turnpike, Ho-Ho-Kus, will host a dinner to benefit Memorial-Sloan Kettering pediatric cancer research. The event will include a cocktail reception and a four-course autumn menu by Chef Bryan Gregg and pastry chef Patrick Muller, plus New Jersey guest chefs including Alexander Gorant of Axia in Tenafly and Baste in Ridgewood, Ryan DePersio of Fascino in Montclair and Bar Cara in Bloomfield, and pastry chef Josip Franc of Lunello’s in Cedar Grove. Each course will be paired with wine. The event will also include a silent auction of premium items. 6 PM; $195 plus tax. Prepaid reservations are required by calling Kathleen at 201-445-4115.
10/19: A cooking class, Taste My New Orleans, will be taught by Chef Jesse Jones at 11 Village Plaza, South Orange. 6:30 to 9 PM; $45. To register, e-mail [email protected] or call 973-580-2203. To pay with a credit card, call Terrence Richards at 973-761-8777.
10/19: Wines of Tenuta San Guido, a dinner, lecture, and wine tasting with winemaker Sebastiano Rosa, will be held at Undici Taverna Rustica, 11 W River Rd, Rumson. 6:30 PM; $99. For reservations, call 732-842-3880.
10/20: A scotch and cigar dinner will be held at Caffe Aldo Lamberti, 2011 Rt 70 W, Cherry Hill; 6:30 PM. For price information and reservations, call 856-663-1747.
10/20: Gary’s Wine and Marketplace, located at 121 Main St, Madison (973-822-0200); 100 Morristown Rd (Rt 202), Bernardsville (908-766-6699); and 1308 Rt 23 N, Wayne (973-633-3900), will hold its Twentieth Annual Grand Tasting at the Park Avenue Club, 184 Park Ave, Florham Park, with the proceeds going to charity. 7 to 9 PM; $75. VIP tickets, which are $100, allow for earlier admission. For ticket information, call 973-633-3900 or log on to www.garyswine.com.
10/20: A Hot Chili & Cool Brew event will be held at the Newark Museum, 49 Washington St, Newark, to benefit the museum. Domestic and international beers, meat and vegetarian chilies, and other treats will be available. 6 PM; $50. For tickets, call 973-596-6559.
10/20: Autumn Culinaire will be held at the Stone Terrace, 2275 Kuser Rd, Hamilton, to benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County. Twenty area restaurants will be on hand with samples from their menus, and wine and international beers will be offered for tasting by Glendale Liquors. 6 to 9:30 PM; $85. For tickets, call 609-656-1000.
10/20: A cheese and ham tasting will be held at Valley Shepherd Creamery, 50 Fairmount Rd, Long Valley. 7 to 9:30 PM; $69. For reservations, call 908-876-3200 ext 25.
10/20: A cocktail class, Spooky Scary Cocktails for Halloween and Welcoming the Fall, will be held at Stone House at Stirling Ridge, 50 Stirling Ave, Warren. The event will include appetizers and take-home recipe cards. 7 PM; $30 with reservation, $35 at the door. To reserve, call 866-683-3586.
10/21: Oktoberfest sponsored by Amanti Vino, Montclair, will be held at the Wellmont Theater, 5 Seymour St, Montclair, to benefit Intensive Therapeutics, which provides occupational therapy for children. General admission, 7:30 to 11 PM, $80, includes unlimited food and beverages; VIP tickets, $150, allow, in addition to all of the above, entrance at 6:30 PM, access to the balcony area, and a swag bag. For tickets, call Amanti Vino at 973-509-9463.
10/21: A four-course Wine and Dine dinner will be held at Ocean Place Resort & Spa, 1 Ocean Blvd, Long Branch. 7 PM; $75 including tax and service charges. For reservations, call 732-571-4000.
10/21: Harvest for Hunger will be held at the Collingswood Grand Ballroom, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, to benefit the Cathedral Kitchen. More than 200 wines and microbrews will be available to taste, plus food prepared by Cathedral Kitchen chefs and culinary students. 7 to 10 PM; $65. For tickets, visit www.cathedralkitchen.org.
10/22: A cooking class, Get Saucy, will be held at Phillips Seafood, Pier Shops at Caesars, 1 Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic City. 11:30 AM; $65 including a chef demo, wine, and lunch. Call 609-348-2273 for reservations, or log on to www.phillipsseafood.com.
10/22: The Far Hills Race Meeting will be held at Moorland Farms, Far Hills, to benefit the Somerset Medical Center. Online ticket sales run through October 17, with general-admission tickets for $50 and parking tickets for $30. On the day of the event, general-admission and parking tickets must be purchased at the gate. Event-day general admission is $100, parking $30. For more information and to purchase tickets, log on to www.farhillsrace.org.
10/22: The First Annual Beer vs. Wine Event will be held at the Adrian Phillips Ballroom, Boardwalk Hall, 2301 Boardwalk, Atlantic City. 7 to 11 PM; $74.99 in advance, $79.99 at the door. Designated-driver tickets may be purchased for $39.99 at the box office on the day of the event (includes food and entertainment). Tickets are available at the Boardwalk Hall box office, at all Ticketmaster locations and at www.ticketmaster.com, at www.acbeervswine.com, by calling 800-736-1420 (fees apply), and at Joe Canal’s on Fire Road in Northfield.
10/24: The Harvest Shoot & Taste of Autumn Gourmet Gathering to benefit Project Self-Sufficiency, a nonprofit agency that specializes in services for low-income families, will be held at the Hudson Farm Club, 270 Stanhope Sparta Rd, Andover. The event will feature a twenty-station clay shoot on the 3,000-acre hunting preserve, followed by a five-course meal in a renovated farmhouse on the property, by restaurants including Andre’s Restaurant & Wine Boutique, Perona Farms, Salt: A Gastro Pub, and the Dining Room. Each course will be accompanied by wine. Attendees have the option of participating in the all-day event ($450) or the dinner alone ($250). Lunch and registration will begin at 12:30 PM, with the outing scheduled to start at 1:30 PM. Dinner will begin at 6 PM. To register or to find out more about the programs and services available at Project Self-Sufficiency, call 973-940-3500.
10/24: A wine tasting featuring Vietti Winery and winemaker Luca Currado will be held at Undici Taverna Rustica, 11 West River Rd, Rumson; $99. For time information and reservations, call 732-842-3880.
10/25: A five-course French wine dinner with five wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux will be held at Komegashi Too, 99 Town Square Pl, Jersey City. 6:30 to 9 PM; $90 including four hours’ parking validation, taxes, and 18 percent gratuity. For reservations, call 201-533-8888.
10/26: A Conversation With the Chef, including lunch, sponsored by the Bergen County YJCC in the Township of Washington will be held at St. Eve’s Restaurant, 611 N Maple Ave, Ho-Ho-Kus. 11:30 AM; $48, YJCC members $38. For more information and to register, contact Jill Brown, YJCC adult services director, at 201-221-5812 or [email protected].
10/27: A cocktail class, Spooky Scary Cocktails for Halloween and Welcoming the Fall, will be held at Liberty House, Liberty State Park, 78 Audrey Zapp Dr, Jersey City. The event will include appetizers and take-home recipe cards. 7 PM; $30 with reservation, $35 at the door. To reserve, call 866-683-3586.
10/27: A panel discussion, So You Want to Be a Food and Wine Blogger?, will be held at Montclair High School. 7:30 to 9:30 PM; $20. Panelists include Sharla Blanz (http://njmonthly.com/blogs/on-the-vine), Peter Conway (http://manoavino.typepad.com), Sue Guerra (www.garyswine.com), Melody Kettle (www.hotfromthekettle.com), Deborah Smith (www.jerseybites.com), and me, Rosie Saferstein (http://njmonthly.com/blogs/tablehopwithRosie). The moderator is Karen Schloss Diaz, food and beverage consultant and columnist for the Montclair Times and SuzySaid.com. More info is here on page 9: http://www.adultschool.org/catalog/ASM-Fall2011_web.pdf.
10/28: A Fall Harvest wine dinner will be held at the Atlantic City Country Club, 1 Leo Fraser Dr, Northfield. 6 to 9 PM; $69. For reservations, call 609-236-4415.
10/28: A Halloween Ball will be held at the Grove, 691 Pompton Ave, Cedar Grove, hosted by the Somerset Hills Learning Institute, a private nonprofit program that offers services to children, adolescents, and adults with autism. Silent auction 6:30 PM, dinner and dancing from 8 PM; $250. Costumes, black tie, or formal attire. For reservations, log on to www.somerset-hills.org or call 908-719-6400.
10/28: The Pumpkin Patch, a demonstration cooking class taught by Chef Cardie Mortimer, will be held at Kings Cooking Studio, 778 Morris Tpk, Short Hills. 6:30 to 9:30 PM; $55. To register, call 973-258-4009.
10/28: Medieval Madness Dinner Theatre will be presented at Braddock’s Tavern, 39 S Main St, Medford. 7 PM; $59.95 including a five-course dinner. For reservations, call 609-654-1604.
10/28: A Coppola wine dinner will be held at Steakhouse 85, 85 Church St, New Brunswick. 7:30 PM; $85 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 732-247-8585.
10/28 to 10/30 and 11/4 to 11/6: A three-day hands-on class, Mosefund Mangalitsa Pigstock 2011, taught by Christoph Wiesner, president of the Austrian Mangalitsa Breeders’ Association, and his wife, Isabel, will be held at Mosefund Farm, 315 Mattison Reservoir Rd, Branchville. Attendees will learn how to slaughter, eviscerate, butcher, and cure their own pig. There are three price levels: class only, $1,300; class and half a cleaned pig to take home, $1,900; class and whole cleaned pig to take home, $2,450. Each class has only twelve students and requires a 50 percent deposit for a reservation. Make checks out to Mosefund Farm and mail to 315 Mattison Reservoir Rd, Branchville, NJ 07826. Or call Chef Michael Clampffer at 201-289-0210 or e-mail [email protected].
10/29: Come in costume to a Halloween beer lunch at High Street Grill, 64 High St, Mount Holly, which will include four seasonal beers in pints paired with a four-course lunch. Noon; $35 prepaid, $40 at the door. For reservations, call 609-265-9199.