Foodie events in the Triangle: dinners, tours, classes

An Evening Eats Food Truck Rodeo is Wednesday, April 5, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. follows the first Wednesday Market of the season from 3 to 6 p.m. Shoppers can pick up dinner and treats from Baguettaboutit, Boro Beverage, Bulkogi Korean Barbecue, Lost Boys, Maple View Ice Cream and YeeHaw Donuts. There will be live music, beer from Steel String Brewery and children’s activities. Bring chairs or blankets. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit the Market’s food outreach programs. The market is at the Carrboro Town Commons, adjacent to Town Hall at 301 West Main St. carrborofarmersmarket.com/

The Durham restaurant at 1116 Broad St., is switching up its menu for one night on April 5. The chef will feature an Asian menu with Coconut broth soup with fresh shrimp, pickled carrots and glass noodles and maple soy seared duck breast over cashew scallion rice. Call 919-416-5040 or go to wattsgrocery.com to make reservations.

The Dames in the Kitchen fundraiser will feature food prepared by many of the state’s leading cookbook authors and chefs while raising money for the Interfaith Food Shuttle. The event is Thursday, April 6, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at The Root Cellar. The restaurant is at 750 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill.

The fundraiser is organized by the North Carolina Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a philanthropic organization of female leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality industries who believe in education and philanthropy.

The event has a theme of a “culinary tour through North Carolina.” Tickets are $65 at brownpapertickets.com/event/2887188, with $30 of the price tax deductible. lesdamesnc.com.

The Southern Ideal Home Show, which is April 7 to 9 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, is partnering with local restaurants, breweries and wineries for the fifth edition of Brews and Bites, an event highlighting food and drinks from nearby businesses. The tastings from brewmasters and chefs are available all three days of the show in the Jim Graham Building. Tastings are included with admission. Tickets are available online for $9 and at the door for $10, and children under 15 are free with a paying adult. Advance tickets are available at Walgreen’s locations throughout the Triangle. SouthernIdealHomeShow.com.

A Place at the Table, which is working on establishing a pay-what-you-can cafe, will host a Second Saturday brunch fundraiser April 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at So.ca, 2130 Clark Ave., in Cameron Village. The brunch also is pay-what-you-can. aplaceatthetableraleigh.org

Funny Girl Farm, 504 Erwin Road, Durham, will host a family friendly Spring Farm Social April 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be fresh produce and local products from East Durham Pie Company, I Love Locopops, Piedmonte Farm, Carrboro coffee and Big Spoon Roasters. There will be farm tours at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The entrance to the farm is on Mt. Moriah Road. funnygirlfarm.com/

A chili cookoff will take place Saturday, April 8, from noon to 4 p.m. at Bull City Homebrew, 1906 E. N.C. 54, Suite 200B, Durham. People can enter two categories: chili with homebrew, and chili without (to make it kid-friendly). Crockpots can be fired up at noon, with tasting and judging at 12:30. The event is free to enter and free to sample. Prizes will be awarded for each category. A portion of the proceeds will go to CWS-Durham, an agency helping to resettle refugees. Go to Bull City’s Facebook page for registration details.

The annual Beer and Bacon Fest is noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at Koka Booth Amphitheatre, 8003 Regency Parkway, Cary. The event will feature 75 craft beers, live music and restaurant and bacon tastings. Tickets range from $39 to $79. 800-514-3849, boothamphitheatre.com

The 19th annual Lebanese Festival is April 8 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Raleigh City Plaza on the 400th block of Fayetteville Street. There will be Lebanese food, dancing and musical performances. There also will be Lebanese Wine and an outdoor hookah lounge, cooking demonstrations, cultural booth and children’s activities. Admission is free. Event organized by Triangle Lebanese American Center. facebook.com/TLACRALEIGH

The State Farmers Market will host an open house of the Market Shoppes Saturday, April 8. The Market Shoppes offer locally made specialty foods, wines, meats and cheeses, as well as handcrafted items and gifts.The open house will feature special discounts and door prizes. statefarmersmarket.org

Walter Magazine hosts an afternoon of beer tastings with local breweries April 9, at Fearrington’s Garden Terrace. There will be beers from Fullsteam Brewery, Mother Earth Brewing, Bond Brothers Beer Company, Four Saints Brewing Company and Tarboro Brewing Company. There also will be hors d’oeuvres, pop-up shops, live music from Gasoline Stove, and more throughout the Village. A brunch is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other times for the shop, storytime, wine tasting and live music varies. Tickets are $25 per person, free for children. Fearrington Village is at 2000 Fearrington Village Center, Pittsboro. 919-542-4000, fearrington.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 10, 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/

The final championship round of the Cooking for a Classic chefs competition has been rescheduled to Monday, April 10. Tickets for the March 27 date will be honored, and the event will take place at 1705 Prime in Raleigh, 1705 E. Millbrook Road, Raleigh.

One winner will receive the keys to a 1969 Corvette Stingray. Proceeds from the competition will benefit the Lucy Daniels Center, a therapeutic education setting and mental health treatment facility for children of preschool through elementary-school age.

The remaining two chefs, who battled it out from a field of 16, will present a three-course small-plate menu plus a signature cocktail, wine or beer pairing for each course. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a 6:30 seating for each event. Guests rate the dishes using a smartphone and help determine the winner.

Tickets are $125 plus tax and gratuity, and are available at www.cookingforaclassic.com.

More than 20 chefs, brewers, bartenders and other food artisans will take part in a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic Tuesday, April 11 at The Rickhouse, 609 Foster St., Durham. Chefs include Andrea Reusing, Vivian Howard, Gabe Barker, Matt Kelly, Ashley Christensen and Ricky Moore. Tickets are $100. A VIP hour is at 6 p.m. General admission is 7 p.m. sustenance.ppsat.org.

Learn how to use seasonal vegetables in a classic pasta recipe. Menu: Melted Leek and Zucchini Fettuccini with a Parmesan Crisps; Spaghetti with Roasted Mushroom Marsala Sauce; Uovo in Raviolo with Crispy Sage and Pancetta; Tiramisu Pudding. April 6, 5 p.m. $55. Southern Season, 201 S. Estes Drive, Chapel Hill. 919-929-7133, southernseason.com.

A class at Duke Gardens will show attendees Monday, April 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. how to use edible flowers in cooking. Guests will make a tea, a spice rub and a flower-filled food to taste in class. Gardens members $28; general public $35. 919-668-1707 or gardenseducation@duke.edu. gardens.duke.edu/nter and The NC Science Festival. All ages are welcome. thedurham.com/event/views-from-the-durham/

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 6, 2017 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Foodie events in the Triangle: dinners, tours, classes."