Foodie events in the Triangle: Dinners, tours, tastings

The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill has kicked off its weekly Friday night concert series. Every Friday through Oct. 13, from 5 to 8:30 p.m., there will be live music and food trucks near the front porch. For a schedule of music and food trucks, go to carolinainn.com/about/chapel-hill-event-calendar.

The town hosts Food Truck Thursdays from April through June and September through November at Knightdale Station Park, 810 N. First Ave. One truck is at the park for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., while two to five trucks come to the park for dinner from 6 to 8 p.m. There are covered shelters. Live music is featured on the third Thursday dinner of the month. There won’t be lunch trucks July 20 or Aug. 17. knightdalenc.gov (search “Food Truck Thursdays”)

Meet Oscar Omar Alonzo, a coffee farmer from Honduras, at Larry’s Coffee, 1507 Gavin St., Raleigh, Thursday, June 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. Experience the coffee journey from plant to cup. A master farmer, master roaster and coffee scientist will tell the story of the coffee journey. There will be coffee, beer and finger foods. Cost is $5. 919-696-5942

Fearrington Village’s The Goat hosts free wine tastings on Saturdays at 3 p.m. with Fearrington sommeliers. Tastings are June 24, July 1 and July 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. The Goat Coffee & Wine Shop is at 2000 Fearrington Village Center, Pittsboro. 919-545-5717, fearrington.com/the-goat/.

Piedmont, 401 Foster St., Durham, is hosting a dinner series that combines Chef John May’s cuisine with products from local food and beverage purveyors. All dinners have four courses and cost $40 for food, plus an extra $15 for beverage pairings. The dinners are Sweet & Savory Cheese Dinner featuring Boxcarr Handmade Cheese, July 13; Grilled veggies with Fullsteam Brewery, July 27; and Lost Dishes of the Mid-Atlantic & Punches, Aug. 10. Reservations are recommended. 919-683-1213 or piedmontrestaurant.com

The Wake Forest Food Truck Rodeo has two more events scheduled July 23 and Oct. 29. The July 23 event is noon to 4 p.m. at The Renaissance Centre at 405 S. Brooks St. in downtown Wake Forest. More than 15 trucks will be on site, plus a beer tent will be provided by Brooks Street Bowl. facebook.com/wakeforestfoodtruckrodeo/

Alley Twenty-Six in Durham will host two cider cocktail classes with Mattie Beason, owner of Black Twig Cider House. Each class will offer tastings of three cider cocktails and discussions with Beason, Alley Twenty-Six’s Shannon Healy, Rob Mariani of Alley Twenty-Six Tonic Syrup’s and North Carolina distillers. Beason will serve cider cocktails after each class. Classes are 4-5 p.m. Aug. 19 (with Fair Game Beverage Company). Cost: $25. Alley Twenty Six is at 320 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham. ticketbase.com/events/cidercocktails

A fundraising dinner series from Families Moving Forward continues at The Rickhouse, 609 Foster St., Durham. Proceeds will benefit the organization, which provides temporary homes to homeless families with children. Upcoming dinners are with Billy Cotter, Toast and Dashi, Aug. 21; and John May, Piedmont, Oct. 16. There will be a finale gala Dec. 8. 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. familiesmovingforwardnc.org/chefsforchange

The Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo is five times a year and boasts that it’s the original food truck rodeo of the Triangle. More than 50 trucks congregate at Durham Central Park at 501 Foster St., accompanied by live music and local brewers. Upcoming rodeos are Sept. 3 (noon to 4 p.m.) and Nov. 5. durhamcentralpark.org

Festa Italiana, a fundraiser for the James Beard Foundation, is Thursday, Sept. 14, at Il Palio at the Siena Hotel, 1505 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill. Il Palio chef Teddy Diggs is hosting North Carolina and national chefs for a multi-course Italian meal. Cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. Dinner is at 7:30 p.m., followed by a live auction. Tickets are $175 for James Beard Foundation members and $185 for nonmembers. Call 919-918-2541 or go to ilpalio.com/festa-italiana. Proceeds benefit the James Beard Foundation Scholarship Fund.

Tickets are on sale for October’s TerraVita Food & Drink Festival, which will feature award-winning chefs, journalists, authors and tastings along with a sustainable food message. The four-day festival, now in its eighth year, is Oct. 18-21 at various Chapel Hill venues. The festival features dinners, chef demos as well as the Sustainable Classroom – workshops and tastings with acclaimed speakers. This year’s festival also will feature a Seasoned in the Chef tribute dinner to honor Bill Smith of Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill. Chefs will prepare courses to recognize Smith’s legacy as a chef. Ticket prices vary per event. A limited number of four-day passes are $550. TerraVitaFest.com.

Learn how to make white and dark chocolate brioche, challah and sweeter breads at La Farm Bakery on Thursday, June 29, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 4248 NW Cary Parkway, Cary. Owner Lionel Vatinet will be the instructor. The cost is $85. Register at lafarmbakery.com/shop/classes.

Whisk, in Cary’s Waverly Place Shopping Center, has spots available in two classes. Whisk is at 316 Colonades Way, Cary. For information, go to whiskcarolina.com/cooking-classes

▪ Low Country Crab Boil: July 21, 6:30 p.m. Appetizers, a crab boil and peach cobbler. Beer included. $79.

▪ Canning 101: July 23, 2 p.m. Learn how to create preserves and jams and how to pickle vegetables. $69.

Southern Season’s Cooking School, 201 S. Estes Drive, Chapel Hill, offers a variety of interactive and hands-on classes. For details, go to southernseason.com.

Learn how to make Asian appetizers July 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Durham Spirits Co., 3222 Old Chapel Hill Rd., Durham. Menu includes Vietnamese Spring Rolls; Banh Mi; Thai Meatballs with Peanut Sauce; Korean Glass Noodles; Chinese Scallion Pancakes; and Japanese Yakatori. Cost is $59 per person. 425-463-5430, durhamspiritscompany.com.

Abundance Healing Arts is hosting a series of sessions for participants to learn about edible and medicinal trees while walking through woods and fields in Chatham County. Participants will learn tree identification, safe and sustainable harvesting, as well as food and medicine preparation and uses. Participants also will create tree-inspired teas and edible treats. Classes are Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. June and 29. The cost is $165 per person. abundancehealingarts.com/events.html

Chef Gabe Barker of Pizzeria Mercato will teach a class from 6:30 to 9 p.m. June 28 at Midway Community Kitchen, 505 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill. There will be wine pairings with the food that’s prepared. $65. 919-280-0895, midwaycommunitykitchen.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. Start times vary. Tickets are $45, plus a service fee. Reservations must be made in advance. For descriptions, dates and reservations, go to trianglefoodtour.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. TapTheTriangle.com

Tours are offered at Mystic Farm & Distillery, 1212 N. Mineral Springs Road, Durham. Participants will learn about the process of making Bourbon whiskey and other spirits from the fields to the bottling line. Afterward, there will be a walking tour of the farm or a game of giant Jenga. Tours are Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 5 p.m. $10 and up. whatismystic.com.

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

This story was originally published June 29, 2017 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Foodie events in the Triangle: Dinners, tours, tastings."