Food File

By PEGGY ANDERS

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 27, 2000

Special events and food tastings

EVENING WITH BONNY DOON: wine flight 5:30-7:30 p.m., wine dinner 7:30 Fri., Mise en Place Bistro, 2616 S MacDill Ave., Tampa. Bonny Doon Vineyards tasting or "Graze, Sip and Stay to Dine" dinner with chefs Catherine Michaud and Marty Blitz. Tasting with hors d'oeuvres, $15; wine dinner, $49. Call (813) 839-3939 to reserve.

OKTOBERFEST DINNER: Fri., Cafe l'Europe, 431 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota. Vintner dinner pairs four German wines with four menu courses prepared by chef Jeff Trefry. $55 plus tax and gratuity. Reservations required. Call (941) 388-4415.

TASTE OF PALM HARBOR: noon-6 p.m. Sun., Palm Harbor (Florida Avenue between Alt. 19 and Omaha). Fourth annual event with area restaurants from Consciousness Blossoms to Magnolia Grill offering tastes of their specialties, entertainment, kids' activities, health screenings. Food charge for tastes. Proceeds benefit community grants and scholarships. More information online at http://www.phmainstreet.com/phjwc/htm.

FARE EXTRAORDINAIRE: reception 6:30 p.m., dinner 7:30 p.m. Mon., Carlouel Yacht Club, 1091 Eldorado Ave, Clearwater Beach. Evening in the Garden with chefs from area restaurants plus live music from Bayside String Quartet. $75 includes wine, hors d'oeuvres, dinner and dessert. Benefits Junior League of Clearwater-Dunedin community projects. Semiformal/black tie event. Call (727) 738-5523.

SIDEBERN'S WINE MAKER DINNER: 6:30 p.m. Tues., SideBern's, 2208 W Morris Ave., Tampa. New Zealand wines from Allen Scott pair with chef Jeannie Pierola's menu. Try chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and riesling varieties from the Marlborough growing region. $85. To reserve, call (813) 258-2233.

Wine and beer tastings

BELLISSIMO VINO: 7-9 p.m. Fri., Vintage Wine Cellars, 3629 Henderson Blvd., Tampa. Italian wines from Umbria, Toscana and Piedmonte are among the three white and six red varieties sampled. $10. Call (813) 879-2931.

WORK WEEK WINE DOWN: 6-9 p.m. Fri., Grand Cru Wine Cellar, 11724 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. Sampling of wines and beers accompanied by snacks. $10, includes $5 coupon toward wine purchase. (813) 269-8463.

PURPLE PELICAN BEER TASTING: 6-8 p.m. Sat., Purple Pelican Cafe, 14705 Gulf Blvd., Madeira Beach. Beers from Dunedin brewery, other microbrewed beers, appetizers and music. $10. Portion of costs benefit the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. Call (727) 394-0944 for more information.

PINOT NOIRS OF THE WORLD: 6:30-8 p.m. Mon., SideBern's, 2208 W Morris Ave., Tampa. Fruity, subtle pinot noirs in this week's series of fall wine classes led by Ken Collura, Bern's head sommelier: $25. To reserve, call (813) 250-9463.

Cooking classes

WALNUT CHICKEN: 10 a.m. today, Giancola's Market, 750 S Pinellas Ave., Tarpon Springs. Hands-on instruction for walnut chicken stuffed with raisins, leeks and mushrooms. $25. Call (727) 945-8338.

CRABBY GROUPER: 6 p.m. Tues., 10 a.m.-noon Oct. 4, Giancola's Market, 750 S Pinellas Ave., Tarpon Springs. Students learn to make grouper stuffed with crab and cheddar cheese in this weekly cooking class. $25. Call (727) 945-8338.

EUPHEMIA HAYE LESSON LUNCHEONS: 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Oct. 4, Euphemia Haye Restaurant, 5540 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Chef Raymond Arpke's lunch lesson and wine pairing features Spanish-influenced dishes: crispy capellini cake with garlic shrimp, mole of lamb shank, and espresso flans with hazelnut gaufretta. $50. Reservations required. Call Karen: (941) 383-3633.

SAUCES: CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY: 6:30-9 p.m. Oct. 5, Home Gourmet Kitchen Emporium, 471 Main St., Dunedin. Classic sauces with modern flair: sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, remoulade, horseradish beurre blanc, orange caramel dessert sauce, more. Hands-on class. No meal provided. $50. Call (727) 736-6400.

Cooking demonstrations

NEW CITY DINER CHEF: 7-9 p.m. Thur., Home Gourmet Kitchen Emporium, 471 Main St., Dunedin. Chef Bret Mailhot shows how to prepare prosciutto wrapped scallops, baby lamb chops on arugula with whiskey glaze, poached pears with black cherry ice cream and more. $35. Call (727) 736-6400.

Worth sending for

SPECIALTY MUSHROOMS: The Mushroom Council's free leaflet explains the new mushroom varieties from enoki to crimini and the newest ones to look for soon (lobster and beech mushrooms, pom poms and wood ears). Descriptions, usage tips and recipes included. For a copy, send self-addressed, stamped business-sized envelope to Specialty Mushroom Leaflet, 11875 Dublin Blvd., Suite D262, Dublin CA 94568.

EASY SEAFOOD RECIPES: For brochures with easy recipes for seafood including grouper, mahi-mahi, striped bass and stone crab claws, write to Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing, 2051 E Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32310-3760, or visit online at http://www.fl-seafood.com to order brochures and view recipes, buying and prep tips, plus nutritional info.

Contests

TASTES LIKE WINNING CHICKEN: That favorite family chicken recipe could be worth $25,000, and recipes using drumstick or thigh meat predominantly are eligible for $1,000 at the 44th Annual Chicken Cooking Contest. Cash prizes are awarded to the winners of finalists' chicken cookoff in April 2001, where last year's winning recipes were Japanese Amazu chicken and tea smoked chicken with sesame vegetable relish. To enter, send recipe to Chicken Contest, Box 28158, Washington, D.C. 20038-8158, or enter online at http://www.eatchicken.com by deadline of Oct. 15.

Careers

IACP SCHOLARSHIPS: Scholarships for culinary arts study in France, London and other areas along with those for study of pastry arts, grants toward French cuisine, wine and culinary disciplines are offered by the International Association of Culinary Professionals Foundation. Culinary arts students and those interested in scholarship applications for 2001-2001 may write to IACP Foundation, Attn: Kristi Kelty, 304 W Liberty St., Suite 201, Louisville, KY 40202-3068, or phone (502) 581-9786, or online at http://www.iacp.com. Scholarships are based on merit, experience and financial need. Completed applications due Dec. 1.

Table talk

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.

Information from Times wires was used in this column.

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