Triangle foodie events: festivals, dinners, classes and tours

The Pit’s ninth annual ‘Cuegrass Festival is Saturday, April 15, from noon to 6 p.m. in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District. Davie Street will be blocked off for pig cookers, live entertainment, children’s activities and more. Lawn chairs are welcome.

Beer will be provided from local and regional breweries, including Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Big Boss, Big Rock, Lonerider and White Street Brewery.

There will be a children’s zone for craft activities and face painting.

Music is provided by bluegrass bands Christiane and the Strays, Moore Brothers Band, The Malpass Brothers, Time Sawyer and Old Habits.

Admission is $5 or free for children 10 and under. There will be a silent auction. All profits from admission will go to SAFEchild, the Junior League of Raleigh’s BackPack Buddies program, and Cub Scout Troop 325. Proceeds also will go to an ALS organization.

The Pit is at 328 W. Davie St., Raleigh. thepit-raleigh.com.

There will be guided constellation tours and science exhibits along with music and cocktail specials on the roof of The Durham Hotel, 315 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham, April 17 and 24, from 8 to 11 p.m. Activities are hosted by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and The NC Science Festival. All ages are welcome. thedurham.com/event/views-from-the-durham/

A fundraising dinner series from Families Moving Forward kicks off April 17 at The Rickhouse, 609 Foster St, Durham. Each month, a Durham chef will serve three or more courses at a ticketed dinner with proceeds benefitting the organization, which provides temporary homes to homeless families with children. The participating chefs are Ricky Moore, Saltbox, April 17; Seth Gross, Pompieri and Bull City Burger & Brewery, June 19; Billy Cotter, Toast and Dashi, Aug. 21; and John May, Piedmont, Oct. 16. There will be a finale gala Dec. 18. Tickets are $75 and include the meal, wine and beer. A limited number of series passes will be sold for all four events and gala. Gala tickets are $50. Tickets are sold in advance only. The April 17 dinner is sold out. familiesmovingforwardnc.org/chefsforchange

Sassool Mediterranean Cafe is the next restaurant for Shop Local Raleigh’s Global Eats series. On Tuesday, April 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the Cary restaurant will have samples of food sold at the Lebanese restaurant. There will be a traditional Lebanese egg knocking game, which is commonly played during Easter. The winner will receive a gift basket of Lebanese treats, coffee and spices. Tickets are available at the door for $6 per person, which includes a sampler platter (vegetarian option available) with dessert at Sassool Mediterranean Cafe’s Cary location, 1347 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary. To RSVP, go to facebook.com/sassoolcafe.

The Durham hotel is launching a “History of the Cocktail” series from 6 to 8:30 p.m. On one Wednesday per month, head to the rooftop bar where head bartender Kevin Coe and Alley Twenty Six owner/head bartender Shannon Healey will explore the origins of a notable cocktail.. On April 19, it will be the Manhattan. The hotel is at 315 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham. thedurham.com

The Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market kicks off Wednesday, April 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in City Plaza on the 400 block of Fayetteville Street. The kick off features Earth Day festivities and live music. The market, which is open through Oct. 11, will feature rotating vendors with fresh produce and grab-and-go lunch options. They include new vendors Cakes Delish, Carolina Grits & Co., Chadwick’s Seafood, Copeland Springs Farm, Heaven Scent Honey, Living Kitchen, Michael’s English Muffins, Out on a Limb, Slice Pie Company, and Willowbrook Flowers. godowntownraleigh.com/farmers-market

The multi-day culinary event is April 20-23 and features classes and dinners from area chefs, culinary artisans, artists, brewmasters, sommeliers and mixologists. This includes the Grand Taste Experience on April 20 in downtown Durham with dozens of samples. A whole hog demonstration at Green Button Farm is April 21 with “Barbecue Man” Wyatt Dickson and Hog Farmer Ryan Butler with a sample of PICNIC’s barbecue. A three-course gluten-free dinner is April 21 at Primal Food & Spirits with ciders from Black Twig Cider House and dessert by JP Pastry. A cider talk and tasting at Black Twig Cider House is April 21. There also is a regional grand TASTE experience; wine vs. beer at the Durham Bulls stadium, tacos and tequila night; jazz brunch at NanaSteak and more. A portion of ticket proceeds will go to the East Durham Children’s Initiative. For a schedule and tickets, go to tastetheevent.com.

More than 90 breweries will be part of the downtown Raleigh beer festival 6-10 p.m. Friday, April 21, and 2-10 p.m. Saturday, April 22. In addition to the beer, there will be food trucks, live music and street vendors. The breweries and others will be set up all along Fayetteville Street. Tickets are $45. Fans can also gain admittance to a sampling event of sour beers and barrel-aged beers for $25, 3-5 p.m. Saturday. shoplocalraleigh.org/brewgaloo

The 14th annual Great Grapes Wine and Food Festival is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Koka Booth Amphitheatre, 8003 Regency Parkway, Cary. The event will feature more than 200 wines, live music, food, a children’s area and arts and crafts. Tickets range from $20 to $55. 800-514-3849, boothamphitheatre.com

Award-winning Atlanta chef and cookbook author Asha Gomez, who has gained acclaim for combining her Indian heritage with Southern cuisine, is the guest chef for Ashley Christensen’s spring edition of Stir the Pot. The dinner series benefits the Southern Foodways Alliance and includes two meals on April 23 and 24.

Gomez will prepare a five-course meal at Poole’s Diner, 426 S. McDowell St., Raleigh, on Sunday, April 23. Tickets are $100 each at spring2017stirthepot.bpt.me.

On Monday, April 24, a potluck dinner and film night will be held at Bridge Club, an event space above Death & Taxes at 105 E. Hargett St. Tickets are $35, and each guest must purchase a ticket and bring a side dish for sharing with 20 people. Christensen and friends will provide the main dish, with drinks from High Wire Distillery in Charleston, S.C. Tickets can be bought at spring2017stirthepotluck.bpt.me.

Chef Scott Crawford is launching a guest chef series in April 23 at his restaurant, Crawford and Son, at 618 N. Person St. Raleigh. “Oakwood and Friends” will serve food from Crawford and collaborators – chefs from renowned restaurants in the Southeast. That includes Ryan Smith of Staplehouse in Atlanta, Mike Lata of The Ordinary in Charleston, S.C., John Fleer of Rhubarb in Asheville and Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta.

The first dinner is Sunday, April 23, with Ryan Smith of Staplehouse. He won Bon Appetit’s “Best New Restaurant in the Country” and was a James Beard Foundation finalist for Best New Restaurant in 2016. Ticket information is at crawfordandsonrestaurant.com.

Bar Brunello, 117 E. Main St., Durham, will host wine classes starting April 23, on a variety of topics. Tickets for the first three classes – on orange wines, roses and Rieslings respectively – are on sale at barbrunello.com/wine-classes, with the orange wine class on April 23 almost sold out. Tickets are $35 to $45 depending on the class, and all classes include tastings of at least five wines. Select bottles from the tastings will be available for purchase at the end of each class. barbrunello.com

Sour beer lovers should head to Neuse River Brewing Co. in Raleigh April 30 for its “Sailing The Seas of Sour Fest.” Tickets are $30 to $50, and proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A ticket gets you entry to one of two time slots (12-2 p.m. or 2-4 p.m.) and the full package includes a seafood boil and all-you-can-eat oysters, plus a sampling of 11 different sour beers.

Women in the beer industry will be at House Of Hops in Raleigh April 30 from 2 to 3 p.m. for a Q&A. Speakers include the owner and president of Asheville’s Highland Brewing, Leah Ashburn, and her brewmaster Hollie Stephenson, plus Fullsteam sales director Mary Eliza McRae and the executive director of the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild, Margo Knight Metzger. There will be a food truck (the women-owned Pho Nomenal Dumpling truck) and live music, too. Tickets are $15 and include a beer. Proceeds will benefit SHIFT NC, a Durham charity that works to reduce teen pregnancies. houseofhopsnc.com, shiftnc.org

The TerraVita Food & Drink Festival is partnering with the Asheville-based Blind Pig Supper Club to serve an eight-course feast prepared by eight different chefs May 7. The 5 p.m. dinner serves as a teaser for the four-day event Oct. 18-21, which will continue to be held in Chapel Hill. It also will serve as a launch for ticket sales, which will begin at the conclusion of the dinner at 10 p.m. The Blind Pig Supper Club, created in 2011, plans popup dinners with the venue and menu under wraps until 48 hours before the event.

The participating chefs on May 7 are: Steve Goff, Brinehaus Meat & Provisions, Raleigh; Kim Hunter, Kimbap Café, Raleigh; Matthew Krenz, The Asbury, Charlotte; Phoebe Lawless, Scratch, Durham; Mike Moore, The Blind Pig Supper Club, Asheville; Dean Neff, PinPoint Restaurant, Wilmington; Jeff Seizer, Royale, Raleigh; and Jamie Swofford, The Chef’s Farmer, Shelby.

Tickets are $88 each. Gratuity isn’t included. Diners are asked to bring their own beverages. Wine and beer are permitted while hard liquor isn’t. Proceeds will benefit the TerraVita Educational Foundation, which supports nutritional education and works with organizations that support access to safe, fresh food. TerraVitaFest.com.

Taste Nutrition Consulting partners with locally owned restaurants to teach classes that tackle popular nutrition topics while showcasing each restaurant’s nutritious offerings. Practice your knife skills and learn how to become efficient in the kitchen April 20 at Chef Mario’s Inc., 2610 Wycliff Rd #23, Raleigh, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. There will be a hands-on cooking lessons followed by dinner. $75 plus tax. 919-781-4141, chefmario.com.

Piedmont Chef John May and Coon Rock Farm will explore the relationship between farm and restaurant at Southern Season, 201 S. Estes Drive, Chapel Hill, April 19, at 6 p.m. The menu includes Carrot and Crab Salad with Radish, Broccoli and Garam Masala; Grilled Carrot, Sprouted Peas and Grains with House Yogurt, Ras el Hanout and Smoked Cheese; Seared Vermillion Snapper; Smoked Carrot Sauce, Turnips, Alegria and Mole Spices; Carrot Sponge Cake with Carrot Curd, Thai Tea and Puffed Rice. $50. 919-929-7133, southernseason.com.

Put a Southern twist on a Latin cocktail menu at Southern Season, 201 S. Estes Drive, Chapel Hill, April 23, at 2 p.m. Menu: Corn, Shrimp and Chive Fritters with Chile-Lime Aioli; Crabmeat Salad with Avocado on Asian Chips; Cream Biscuits with Jalapeno Ham Salad; Spicy Pimiento Cheese Cups; Pibil Pulled Pork Sliders with Pickled Onions; Blueberry-Mint Juleps. $50. 919-929-7133, southernseason.com.

Katie Coleman, chef and owner of Durham Spirits Company, will host a class on garden-fresh pestos April 24 at Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham. Coleman will demonstrate how to make the pestos, and attendees will make some to take home. $28 for garden members, $35 for the public. The session is 6 to 8 p.m. 919-684-3698, gardens.duke.edu.

Sheri Castle channels her inner Julia Child at Southern Season, 201 Estes Drive, Chapel Hill, on April 25 at 6 p.m. and enters the world of rich food without reservation. Menu: Cream of Asparagus Soup; Cafe-Style Salad Plate Trio with Cheeses and Baguette; Coq au Vin Mousseux; Lemon Pots de Creme with Candied Lemon Peel. $50. 919-929-7133, southernseason.com.

Fox Farm & Forage is a small woman-owned farm that produces gourmet edible mushrooms that are grown indoors in a controlled environment. Amy Fox will teach the best techniques for cooking mushrooms at Southern Season, 201 S. Estes Drive, Chapel Hill on April 26 at 6 p.m. 919-929-7133, www.southernseason.com.

Tap the Triangle offers craft beer tours in Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh. TTT will offer a Friday night “hop on, hop off” shuttle connecting the breweries in Durham for a flat rate. The company has partnered with a dozen breweries and bottle shops and offers tours from $24.99 to $69.99. They package beer tastings with transportation. There is a 20-percent discount in April to celebrate North Carolina Beer Month. TapTheTriangle.com

Taste Carolina offers a variety of food tours in Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and Hillsborough including tasting tours, Raleigh Roots Tour, Dinner and Drinks tours and a Speakeasies Cocktail Tour. For descriptions, dates and reservations, go to tastecarolina.net.

Tobacco Road Tours offers several tours in Raleigh and Durham . They include the Raleigh Walking Culinary & Cultural Tour, Raleigh Craft Cocktail Tour and the Raleigh Pub Crawl & Haunted Adventure Tour. For descriptions, dates and reservations, go to tobaccoroadtours.com.

Guided culinary walking tours are offered in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary on Saturday afternoons. Star times vary. Tickets are $45, plus service fee. Reservations must be made in advance. For descriptions, dates and reservations, go to trianglefoodtour.com

Tour the facility in downtown Knightdale to see how Lassiter’s North Carolina Rum is made. Tours run for 30-45 minutes and include a sample of our rum for all guests 21 and over. Lassiter Distilling Company, 319 N. First Ave., Knightdale. 919-295-0111, lassiterdistilling.com.

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Triangle foodie events: festivals, dinners, classes and tours."