Cooking classes, home brewing & more around Asheville

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Beer

BEER TASTING: April 17-19, Classic Wineseller, 20 Church St., Waynesville. Taste beers during open hours from Duck Rabbit Brewing of Farmville. $5. 452-6000.

FREE BEER TASTING: 5-7 p.m. Fridays, Hops & Vines, 797 Haywood Road, Asheville. 252-5275.

BEER TASTING FUNDRAISER: April 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Classic Wineseller, 20 Church St., Waynesville. Taste beers of Highlands Brewery, taco station, auction items, beer sales. Call 452-6000 for reservation. $15. Fundraiser for schools backpack food program.

HICKORY HOPS BEER FESTIVAL: April 26, Hickory Depot, downtown Hickory. Music, food, arts and crafts, about 45 micro-brewers. $30 advance, $35 at the gate, $10 designated drivers. Under tents, rain or shine event.

HOMEBREW NIGHT: May 1, 4:30-7:30 p.m., Hops & Vines, 797 Haywood Road, Asheville. Every first Thursday. Brewers: bring in a few bottles of your beer, mead, or cider to share. Homebrew is not required to attend, just an interest and an open mind. 252-5275.

BEER CITY FESTIVAL: May 31, Roger McGuire Green at Pack Square Park, 121 College St., Asheville. Honors Asheville’s long run as winner of the Beer City USA poll. More than 30 breweries are expected. www.brewgrassfestival.com.

Chocolate

TASTE OF CHOCOLATE: April 19, 6-9 p.m., Maggie Valley Club, 1819 Country Club Drive, Maggie Valley. Looking for bakers that would like to share their favorite chocolate dessert, local shops that would like to give to our silent auction, and volunteers for behind the scene activities. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Fundraiser for Haywood-Jackson Volunteer Center. Call John at 356-2833 for more information.

Coffee Tasting

COFFEE CUPPING: April 18, 10-11 a.m., Counter Culture Coffee, 77 Broadway St, Asheville. Learn to evaluate coffee aroma and flavor. Free. 522-4142.

Cooking Classes

FRENCH COOKING: April 17, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Ma Belle France, 1457 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. Appetizer: shrimp and avocado verrines; entree: salmon with pears and roquefort; dessert: floating island with caramel. $80. www.mabellefrance.com.

SOUTHERN CLASSICS: April 17, 6-8:30 p.m., Dough, 372 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. Chef Matt brings you his family recipes as he shows you how to make chicken pot pie, Brunswick stew, Southern fried chicken. $55. www.doughasheville.com or 575-9444.

COOKING DEMONSTRATION: April 18, 3-6 p.m., The Fresh Market, 1378 Hendersonville Road, Asheville. Chef Earl Winspear demonstrates how to prepare Grecian style chicken with tzatziki sauce. Free.

HANDMADE PASTA: April 18, 6-8:30 p.m., Dough, 372 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. Chef Brian will show you a variety of pasta dishes in this pasta #2 class. Beginner Handmade Pasta is not required to take this class. $55. www.doughasheville.com or 575-9444.

COOKING DEMONSTRATION: April 19, 2-5 p.m., The Fresh Market, 223 Greenville Hwy., Hendersonville. Chef Earl Winspear demonstrates how to prepare Grecian style chicken with tzatziki sauce. Free. 698-4682.

PARENT-CHILD PIZZA WORKSHOP: April 19, 2-4 p.m., Dough. Learn to make a top-notch raw pizza sauce and the perfect pizza dough. For one adult and one child, age 6 and up. $60. www.doughasheville.com or 575-9444.

PARENT-CHILD CUPCAKE CLASS: April 21, 4-6 p.m., Dough. For age 6 and older. Bake and decorate cupcakes. Each child will take 12 cupcakes home with them. $60. www.doughasheville.com or 575-9444.

TASTE OF MEXICO: April 22, 6-8:30 p.m., Dough. Learn about the ingredients and techniques to make classic Mexican dishes. $55. www.doughasheville.com or 575-9444.

“TASTY, HEALTHY & SIMPLE” CLASS: May 8, 6:30-8 p.m., BLVP Health Educational Center, 5587 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher. Are you struggling to eat healthy? Do you find healthy recipes to be difficult or distasteful? Held every second Thursday. 215-0611.

BEST ITALIAN DISHES: May 10, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Discover Italian, Weaverville. Garden tour and gathering of some ingredients. Class includes sit-down lunch with homemade lasagna noodles with asparagi, pork chops alla valdostana, fennel, fruit and sambuca salad, strawberry tiramisu. $50. 658-8928 or www.discoveritalian.com.

Drink

SAKE EDUCATION CLASS & TASTING: April 22, 6:30 p.m., Blue Kudzu Sake Company, 372 Depot St., Asheville. Learn history of sake, brewing, traditions, styles, and more. Taught by internationally recognized certified sake professional. Followed with tasting flight and tapas/small plates. Reservations required. $35. 350-7790 or www.bluekudzusake.com.

Food

FORAGING AT THE FARM: April 19, 2-6 p.m. The Farm, 215 Justice Ridge Road, Candler. Gather edible plants with Marc Williams/The Garden Guru, then make a family-style vegetarian meal with Chef Michael Gentry of Everyone Cooks. $45. Call 273-6542 for reservations. Go to Everyone Cooks on Facebook or visit www.farmevents.com.

THE ROBUST VITALITY CLEANSE: Nourishing Vitality & Consciousness with Shivanter: April 22-27, 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., OM Sanctuary, 87 Richmond Hill Drive, Asheville. Emotional, mental and spiritual cleansing are all components of this experience. $495. 252-7313 or www.omsanctuary.org.

CHILI CONTEST: April 26, 2-6 p.m., Highland Brewing Company, 12 Old Asheville Hwy., Asheville. Quaff local beer, enjoy live music and sample three categories of chili (Terlingua-style, vegetarian and anything goes) while hobnobbing with local politicos and candidates for office. $10 to compete in any or all categories; $5 suggested donation to sample. 333-1776.

WHACKED! COOKING COMPETITION & FRS OPEN HOUSE: May 13, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., FRS, 23 Asheland Ave., Asheville. Join FRS and over 50 manufacturer representatives showcasing the latest and best in foodservice equipment. Food, live demonstrations, giveaways and more. And check out WHACKED! Cooking Competition featuring three Asheville Independent Restaurant chefs paired with child nutrition staff members of Buncombe, Haywood and Henderson county school districts. Free. 255-9995 or www.facebook.com/events/289316061231585.

ASHEVILLE MUSHROOM CLUB: May 14, 7 p.m., WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Road, Asheville. Meets every second Wednesday. Individual membership $20 per year, family $25. Learn about and collect all kinds of fungi and eat edible mushrooms we gather in the forest. Others cultivate fungi in their gardens. At our meetings, we hear from experts about different aspects of fungi identification, folklore, cultivation and culinary preparation. We conduct a number of forays (field trips) around Western North Carolina. Some are day trips while others are camping adventures. www.ashevillemushroomclub.com.

MOVEABLE FEAST: May 23, 6:30-10 p.m., Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Meal designed and prepared by Chef Kirk Fiore, served outside in the walled garden. 6:30 p.m. reception followed by dinner at 7:15 p.m. $160 includes tax and gratuity. For reservations call 257-5995. www.biltmore.com.

Wine Dinner

WEINHAUS WINE DINNER: April 16 and 30, 7-9:30 p.m., The Marketplace Restaurant, 20 Wall St., Asheville. $75. 254-6453.

WINE PAIRING DINNER: May 8, 6 p.m., Posana Cafe, 1 Biltmore Ave., Asheville. As part of one year anniversary celebration, Metro Wines partners with Posana to offer a wine pairing dinner focusing on the cuisine and wines of the Piedmont region of Italy. $65. Call 505-3969 to RSVP.

Winery Tours

BUD BREAK WINE WEEKEND: April 25 noon-5 p.m. and April 27 1-5 p.m., Calaboose Cellars, 565 Aquone Road, Andrews. Purchase a passport at any of the wineries for $20 and receive a wine glass. This passport gives you access to taste wines at each winery. www.MountainWineCountry.com. Local wineries: Calaboose Cellars, 565 Aquone Road, Andrews, 321-2006, www.CalabooseCellars.com; Cherokee Cellars, 23 Hickory St., Murphy, 835-9565, www.CherokeeCellars.com; Eagle Fork Vineyards, 225 Dick Jones Road, Hayesville, 389-3845, www.EagleForkVineyards.com; Nottely River Valley Vineyards, 1150 Old Culberson Road, Murphy, 837-7822, www.nottelywine.com; Valley River Vineyards, 4689 Martins Creek Road, Murphy, 837-0691, www.ValleyRiverVineyards.com. The other wineries are in north Georgia: Cartecay Vineyards, Crane Creek Vineyards, Hightower Creek Vineyards, Odom Springs Vineyards,Paradise Hills, Resort & Spa, Serenberry Vineyards, Sharp Mountain Vineyards.

STOP! SIP! SAVOR! WINE HOP: May 4, 1-5 p.m., Silver Fork Winery, 5000 Patton Road, Morganton. $20. Start the journey by collecting your hop card at any of the participating wineries conveniently located off I-40 between exits 94 and 100. Belle Nicho Winery, Lake James Cellars Winery, Silver Fork Winery and South Creek Winery. 391-8783.

Wine Tasting

BLIND TASTING LEAGUE: April 16, 6:30 p.m., Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte St., Asheville. Held every first and third Wednesday. Andy Hale is spilling the beans! Teaching you the secrets of the wine masters and how to determine just what's in your glass. $15. No blindfolds, no experience and no membership required. Reserve your seat at www.blindtastingleague.com or call 575-9525.

WINES GROWN AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS: April 17, 7-9 p.m., Table Wine, 1550 Hendersonville Road, Asheville. Seated tasting. As you go up in altitude, temperatures get cooler, air gets drier, soil gets less rich and more rocky. All of these factors have a dramatic effect on the flavor and style of the finished wine. $25, $20 for Grape Nuts. www.tablewineasheville.com or 505-8588.

THE METRO SHOW: April 18, 7-8 p.m., Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte St, Asheville. A pairing of a featured wine and a stand-up comedian with Disclaimer Comedy of Asheville. $10. 575-9525.

“A TASTE OF ITALY”: April 18, 4-7 p.m., Table Wine, 1550 Hendersonville Road, Asheville. Taste five wines for $5, free for Grape Nuts. 505-8588 or www.tablewineasheville.com.

LIVE MUSIC WITH CARVER & CARMODY: April 19, 3-5 p.m., Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards, 588 Chestnut Gap Road, Hendersonville. Free admission. Wine and pizza for sale. 685-4002 or www.saintpaulmountainvineyards.com.

CALIFORNIA WINES: April 19, 2-5 p.m., Table Wine, 1550 Hendersonville Road, Asheville. Free. 505-8588 or www.tablewineasheville.com.

EARTH DAY MUSIC & TASTINGS: April 19, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., South Creek Vineyards & Winery, 2240 S. Creek Road, Nebo. Skiffle Creek performs at 1 p.m. Tastings are $6, $7 or $8 and you keep the glass. 652-5729 or www.southcreekwinery.com.

YOGA IN THE VINEYARD: April 26, 9:30-10:45 a.m., South Creek Vineyards & Winery, 2240 S. Creek Road, Nebo. Wine tastings, gift shop items, and wine purchases can be made following your time in the vineyard. $10. 652-5729 or www.southcreekwinery.com.

PISGAH LEGAL SERVICES WINE TASTING BENEFIT: April 30, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte St., Asheville. Visit www.pisgahlegal.org. $15. 575-9525.

WINE CLASS & TASTING: April 30, 7-8 p.m., Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte St, Asheville. $15. Last Wednesday of each month. 575-9525.

Go to CITIZEN-TIMES.com to see the full Culinary Calendar.