Executive Chef Luca Corazzina will be teaching "Scoula 312" at 312 Chicago, 136 N. LaSalle St., on the first or second Saturday of every month, August through December. The Aug. 9 class is "The Art of Grilling," held at 12 p.m. Classes are $45/person and include recipe cards, a bottle of 312 Aged Balsamic and light bites. For more information, visit www.312chicago.com or directly purchase tickets at scuola312.eventbrite.com .
Lookingglass Theatre, Frontera Grill and Silverguy Entertainment announce an extension to the return of chef Rick Bayless in Cascabel: Dinner-Daring-Desire. Cascabel now runs at the Goodman Theatre's Owen Bruner Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., through Aug. 31. Cascabel has been described as an "unforgettable theatrical adventure featuring a sumptuous feast, world-class circus acts and a tantalizing love story." Tickets start at $215 each; visit www.lookingglasstheatre.org; call 312-337-0665; or stop by the box office, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago gay sports bar and grill Crew, 4804 N. Broadway, is hosting a speakeasy party its new menu by new executive chef Robyn Marfurt. The Roaring '20s-themed partyon Wed., Aug. 13, at 7-10 p.m.will benefit HIV agency TPAN and The People's Musical School organizations, with the $20 suggested donation that includes complimentary food, drinks and raffle prizes for the evening.
Treasure Island Foods has announced the launch of its Cooking for a Cause event. Partnering with Publican Quality Meats, Goose Island and Terlato Wines, all proceeding from the event will be donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The event will be held outdoors at Treasure Island Foods' 2121 N. Clybourn Ave. location on Aug. 26, 6:30-9 p.m. Tickets include wine and beer tastings, giveaways and raffles and a five-star intimate meal cooked by Publican Quality Meats chefs Paul Kahan and Cosmo Goss. Visit www.tifoods.com/cooking_school.
Green City Market, advertised as "Chicago's premiere sustainable farmer's market," opens its new additional outdoor location at Fulton Market this Saturday, Aug. 9. To be known as Green City Market Fulton, hours are 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through October at the corners of Halsted and Fulton Market streets in the parking lot at 222 N. Halsted St. Among the vendors are Mint Creek, Amazing Shrimp, Green Acres and Brunkow Cheese.
The Great American Bacon Festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 6, at Union Station's Great Hall, 225 S. Canal St. VIP admission starts at 6:30 p.m., with general admission beginning at 7 p.m., with the event ending at 9:30 p.m. There will be everything from a tasting station to unlimited samples to trivia games. Tickets are $65-$110 each; see thegreatamericanbaconfestival.com .
The Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., is expanding its annual Hot Dog Fest into a two-day event this year. The fest will be Aug. 9-10, and will feature Hutch, Select Cut Steakhouse, SiFu Chino Latino, Chicago Classics and more vendors cooking franks; there will also be live music, Goose Island beer, and entertainment for kids and families. Admission is free but discounted early-bird food-ticket packages are now available online; visit chicagohotdogfest.com .
Weeks after being named this country's best bartender, Chicago's Charles Joly won the title of Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year 2014 after edging 47 mixologists. It also marked the first time a U.S. bartender has taken the global title. Joly will now become a global ambassador for Diageo Reserve World Class.
The Taste of Andersonville Dinner Crawl will take place Wed., Aug. 13, 6-9 p.m.and people can choose the Salt Route, the Pepper Route or both ( The Whole Enchilada ). Headquarters will be the Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St., with host restaurants located throughout the neighborhood. Tickets are $25 in advance, and $30 at the door; visit www.Andersonville.org . Some of the participating restaurants will include Vincent, Jerry's Sandwiches, Terry's Toffee and Andies.
A Magnificent Taste, Chicago's annual outdoor culinary event, kicks off Aug. 22, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Ave., as a part of The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival presented by MasterCard, which will take place Aug. 22-Sept. 1. A Magnificent Taste will feature Chef Sam Talbot, a Top Chef semifinalist ( season two ). Talbot will prepare a dish for guests alongside 15 Chicago chefs from top restaurants in the city to raise funds for Common Threads. Tickets are $125-$200; visit http://events.commonthreads.org/eventDetails.aspx?eventId=143.
The producers of Chicago's WingFest now present an end of summer-food competition with HogFight on Sunday, Aug. 31, 3-7 p.m., at Mahoney's Pub & Grille, 551 N. Ogden Ave. HogFight is a whole-hog competition pitting select Chicagoland chefs against one another to declare one the HogMaster and take home $1,000 in cash, and it all benefits Variety-The Children's Charity. Visit www.HogFight.com .
This Labor Day ( Monday, Sept. 1 ), Shaw's Crab House will celebrate the U.S. workforce at both Chicagoland locations. There will be a half-priced oyster deal; in addition, at 4-6 p.m., the Schaumburg location will serve oystersfor 50 cents apiece in both the Oyster Bar and on the outdoor patio. Visit www.shawscrabhouse.com .
Hofbrauhaus Chicagoadvertised as the first and only German microbrewery, beer hall and restaurant in the Chicago areawill celebrate its second annual Oktoberfest Sept. 12-Oct. 31 in MB Financial Park at Rosemont. Festivities include authentic Bavarian entertainment, freshly brewed "Oktoberfestbier," daily food specials and celebrity keg-tapping ceremonies. Visit hofbrauhauschicago.com .
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