Food Events

Round one of the Ultimate Chef Bergen County competition will be held at Chef Central, 240 Rt 17 N, Paramus, with Laurie Cera of 5 Seasons Bistro and Joe Macri of Elan Catering. The winner will compete on January 28 against the winner of round two, which will be held on January 21. 11 AM; free. For more information, call 201-576-0100.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14
Round one of the Ultimate Chef Bergen County competition will be held at Chef Central, 240 Rt 17 N, Paramus, with Laurie Cera of 5 Seasons Bistro and Joe Macri of Elan Catering. The winner will compete on January 28 against the winner of round two, which will be held on January 21. 11 AM; free. For more information, call 201-576-0100.

A wine tasting led by George Staikos featuring six great South American wines, with empanadas matched with the wines, will be held at the Grape Escape Winery, 12 Stults Rd, Dayton. 4 to 6 PM; $85, or $160 a couple. For reservations, call 609-409-9463.

Shut Up, Sit Down & Eat, a night of comedy that includes a four-course buffet dinner, a glass of wine, a wine tasting, a comedy show, and a DJ with dancing after the comedy show, will be held at Valenzano Winery, 1320 Old Indian Mills Rd, Shamong. 7 PM; $60. For tickets, call 609-268-6731.

Latin Night featuring Ruffino wines of Italy will be celebrated at the Mill at Spring Lake Heights, 101 Old Mill Rd, Spring Lake Heights, with a four-course dinner, wine, and dancing for $49.95 plus tax and gratuities. Call 732-449-1800 for reservations.

A Winter Wine Festival will be held at Renault Winery, 72 N Bremen Ave, Egg Harbor City. Noon to 4:30 PM; advance tickets can be purchased at www.renaultwinery.com for $10, or tickets can be purchased at the door for $15. A Winter Wine Festival hotel package is available for $139 plus taxes and includes two tickets to the festival, an overnight stay at the Tuscany House Hotel on Saturday night, and Sunday brunch at the Gourmet restaurant. For more information and reservations, call 609-965-2111.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18
A Discover Austria and Germany wine exploration class will be held at High Street Grill, 64 High St, Mount Holly; 6:30 PM. For pricing information and reservations, call 609-265-9199.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19
A four-course country-style dinner with an open bar and assorted Italian wines will be held at the Park Steakhouse, 151 Kinderkamack Rd, Park Ridge. 7 PM; $75 plus tip. For reservations, call 201-930-1300.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20
A Burgundy wine region three-course dinner will be held at David Burke Fromagerie, 26 Ridge Rd, Rumson; $110 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 732-842-8088.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21
Round two of the Ultimate Chef Bergen County competition will be held at Chef Central, 240 Rt 17 N, Paramus, with Ninamarie Bojekian of Ooh La La Catering competing against Chris Holland of Session Bistro in Maywood. 11 AM; free. For more information, call 201-576-0100. The judges are Susan Sherrill, food editor of The Record; Thomas Griffiths, senior executive chef and director of the Campbell’s Culinary Institute; and me.

Join Rat’s Restaurant, Grounds for Sculpture, 16 Fairgrounds Rd, Hamilton, for a White Hot: Russian Vodka dinner, which will include caviar and a five-course tasting menu of Russian cuisine paired with vodkas and wines. Dancing and cocktails will be available in the pavilion until midnight. Service begins at 5:15 PM. Call 609-584-7800 for pricing and reservations.

The five-course Slow Food Fourth Annual Winter Feast hosted by Slow Food South Jersey Shore will be held at the Washington Inn, 801 Washington St, Cape May. The dinner will include local, seasonal ingredients. 6 PM cash bar, 7 PM dinner; $50, $75 with four glasses of wine paired with dinner, including tax and gratuity. Mail check payable to Slow Food South Jersey Shore to P.O. Box 85, Cape May Point, NJ 08212. Indicate the names of the people you wish to be seated with, plus your name and phone number. For more information, call 609-602-9306.

MONDAY, JANUARY 23
Learn how to really impress this Valentine’s Day by taking the Dude Cooks for His Lady cooking class at Andre’s Restaurant & Wine Boutique, 188 Spring St, Newton. 6:30 PM; $65 including three-course dinner, wine, and lecture/demonstration. Call 973-300-4192.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24
Ninety Acres at Natirar, 2 Main St, Peapack-Gladstone, will host a Wine vs. Stein dinner featuring Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery and Abe Schoener of Red Hook Winery. 6:30 PM; $135. For reservations and more information, call 908-901-9500.

An Olive Oils and Balsamic wine and cooking class will be held at Renault Winery, 72 N Bremen Ave, Egg Harbor City. Along with various wines, the menu will feature fresh mozzarella and olive oil tastings; balsamic-glazed chicken breast with figs; olive-oil-poached cod; and pork tenderloin with eight-year-old balsamic vinegar. $55 plus tax. For more information and reservations, call 609-965-2111.