10/3: A five-course vegetarian tasting menu with wines will be held at Anton’s at the Swan, 43 S Main St, Lambertville, to benefit the Hunterdon Humane Animal Shelter. 6:30 PM; $100. For reservations, call Eric at 609-397-3552.
10/3: A dinner, lecture, and tasting featuring the wines of legendary Barolo producer Paolo Scavino, with winemaker Elisa Scavino, will be held at Undici Taverna Rustica, 11 West River Rd, Rumson. 6:30 PM; $99. For reservations, call 732-842-3880.
10/3: A Louisiana Style dinner will be presented at the James Beard House, 167 W 12th St, New York City, by Chef Andrew Araneo, owner of Drew’s Bayshore Bistro in Keyport. Wines will be paired with the dinner, including, for the main course, the 2009 DeBiase Wines Fritchen Vineyard Pinot Noir from Sonoma, produced by Thomas DeBiase III, who grew up in New Jersey (www.debiasewines.com). 7 PM; $170, James Beard Foundation members $130. For reservations, call 212-627-2308.
10/5: A participation cooking class, Special Occasion Dinner, taught by Suzanne Lowery 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.
10/6: A demo, Q&A, and book signing of Simple Food, Big Flavor: Unforgettable Mexican-Inspired Recipes From My Kitchen to Yours with Aarón Sanchez will be held at Chef Central, Paramus Towne Square, 240 Rt 17 N, Paramus; 6:30 PM. Sanchez, the owner and executive chef at Centrico in NYC, is a costar on the Food Network’s Chef vs. City and can also be seen on Chopped, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and The Next Iron Chef. For more information, call 201-576-0100.
10/6: The 8th Annual Gourmet Garden, Food, and Wine event by the Zonta Club of Trenton will be held at Hamilton Manor, 30 Rt 156, Hamilton, to benefit the Teal Tea Foundation, which supports ovarian cancer research and awareness. 6 to 9 PM; $50 in advance, $65 at the door. For tickets, call 609-658-1371; e-mail [email protected] for additional information.
10/6: A Riedel Wine Glass Tasting Experience with Maximilian Riedel, hosted by Gary’s Wine and Marketplace, will be held at the Park Avenue Club, 184 Park Ave, Florham Park, to benefit local charities through the Park Avenue Foundation. 6 to 8 PM; $120. For more information and reservations, call Gary’s Wine and Marketplace at 973-633-3900.
10/7: A medical-mystery dinner, Fast Food Critic Fred Is Dead, will be held at the Wedgwood Country Club, 200 Hurffville Rd, Turnersville, to benefit the Underwood Memorial Hospital in Woodbury. 6:30 to 9:30 PM; $55, in advance only; cash bar. For tickets, call 856-227-5522 ext 3. 1970s attire is suggested but not required.
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.
10/12: 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.
10/15: 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.
10/19: 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 Road (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.
10/21: 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: 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: 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.
10/27: 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: 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].