CALLING ALL CULINARY KIDS: 1-2:30 p.m. Sat., Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa. Publix/Pillsbury Cooking School class teaches basic skills to kids from 9 to 13. Limited to first 250 Aquarium visitors, this class helps prepare kids for upcoming Kids' Bake-Off, where 15 finalists compete at the Aquarium April 7. Winners advance to national finals in Orlando in June. Class not required for participation. Forms for Publix/Pillsbury Kids' Bake-Off available at area Publix Supermarkets. (813) 273-4000.

BLACK PEARL WINEMAKER DINNER: 7 p.m. Mon., the Black Pearl, 315 Main St., Dunedin. Fess Parker wines are paired with five courses from chefs Karen Schluntz and Mark Hrycko. Nick Scalerese of Fess Parker will share the history of the Santa Barbara, Calif., winery. $85 plus tax and tip. To reserve, call (727) 734-3463.

SPICY GUMBO AND BLUES: 8 p.m. Fri., Skipper's Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road, Tampa. "Sauce Boss" Bill Wharton serves free bowls of gumbo along with a mix of blues, swamp boogie and zydeco. Fans of Wharton, who's been featured on the Food Network's Extreme Cuisine, can get his recipe for spicy gumbo or order a bottle of his hot sauce at http://www.sauceboss.com. Tickets: $8 advance, $12 day of show. (813) 977-6474.

EINSTEIN ON WINE: 6-9 p.m. Jan. 20, MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry), 4801 E Flower Ave., Tampa. Annual benefit tasting features wineries from around the world plus tastes from local restaurants and music. Proceeds benefit children's science center at the museum. $50. Call (813) 987-6000.

A PALETTE FOR THE SENSES: Jan 18-20, most events at Orlando Museum of Art, 2416 N Mills Ave., Orlando. Treat your senses to culinary creations from Walt Disney World chefs, including Clifford Pleau of the California Grill, along with wines from Kenwood, Robert Mondavi, Penfold's and others at annual food and wine event: grand wine tasting and silent auction, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Jan. 18, $55; Champagne reception, auctions and gourmet dinner, 5:30-10 p.m. Jan. 20, $250. Limited availability. Call (407) 896-4231, ext. 230.

BACKYARD CITRUS FESTIVAL:Jan. 21, Pattigeorge's, 4120 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Third annual homage to citrus kicks off with a block party noon-3 p.m. featuring citrus-inspired barbecue lunch and beverages (noon-2 p.m.), $10, $5 for kids younger than 12. Guests can bring their best cakes, pies, tarts or other baked goods with citrus as a main ingredient to be judged at the bakeoff, listen in on the citrus seminar or enter the citrus contest (bring your tastiest, biggest or most unusual homegrown fruit for prizes). Fun and games include orange juggling and citrus squeeze-off. Three-course interactive dinner (6:30 p.m.) is prepared tableside by guests with help from chef Tommy Klauber. $85 plus tax and gratuity (dinner includes wine, open bar and apron). For reservations or information, call (941) 383-5111.

Wine and beer tastings

CALIFORNIA WINES: 3:30-6:30 p.m. Fri., Fancy's Specialty Market, 1003 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. Free sampling of wines and hors d'oeuvres. (727) 894-5300.

Cooking classes

LIGHT LUNCHES: 11 a.m. Sat., Nature's Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater. Chef Debby DeGraaff leads cooking class in creating simple, light lunch dishes. Free. (727) 443-6703.

MIDDLE EASTERN: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sat., Home Gourmet Kitchen Emporium, 471 Main St., Dunedin. Health-friendly dishes with a Middle Eastern flavor include chicken tagine with couscous and spiced carrot salad with feta and black olives. $35. (727) 736-6400.

ITALIAN CUISINE: 7-9:30 p.m. Jan. 17, Capa Italian Deli, 10839 Ulmerton Road. (west of Seminole Boulevard), Largo. Hands-on Italian cooking class. $20 includes complete meal and recipes; wine extra. (727) 518-6222.

EASY PHYLLO DINNERS: 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17, Nature's Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater. Free cooking class with menu using phyllo dough in vegetable pot pie, crunchy burritos and herbed croissant braids. (727) 443-6703.

Cooking demonstrations

EAT YOURSELF HEALTHY: 6:30-9 p.m. Thur., Home Gourmet Kitchen Emporium, 471 Main St., Dunedin. Chef Charles Stratton and a nutritionist show how to modify recipes, cutting calories, fat and carbohydrates to come up with flavorful meals. $35. (727) 736-6400.

Contests

BETTER THAN BUTTER: Send in your recipe replacing butter with olive oil as an ingredient in Colavita's Better-Than-Butter contest for a chance to win 5-day trip for two to Rome and $500 or $250 gift certificate. Breakfast, lunch or dinner are categories, and creation may be either original recipe or adaptation of a familiar one. Send recipe to Colavita Better-Than-Butter Recipe Contest, P.O. Box 9143, Elizabeth, NJ 07202, or e-mail to usa@colavita.com by deadline of Jan. 31. For rules, visit online at http://www.colavita.com.

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Send news of coming events at least two weeks in advance of the publication date to Food File, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.

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