KITTERY

Oysterfest at Robert’s will involve tasting and teaching

Oyster lovers, take note: Robert’s Maine Grill, 326 U.S. Route 1, will be holding an all-you-can-eat Oysterfest at 7 p.m. Monday.

On the menu will be oysters from several local oyster farms, including Little Bay Oyster Co., DBA Choice Oyster and Waldo Stone Farm.

Included in the $45 ticket price are passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, and a shucking knife with the Robert’s logo on it. And there will be demonstrations of how to open an oyster and how to make a mignonette and information on an oyster shell recycling program and on the differences among oysters.

Space is limited, and advance purchase of tickets is required.

At 6 p.m. May 1, the restaurant will host a four-course beer dinner in partnership with Maine Beer Co.

Beers will be paired with food prepared by chef Brandon Blethen. The cost is $50.

For more information or to purchase tickets for either event, call 439-0300, email deb@robertsmainegrill.com or go to robertsmainegrill.com.

PORTLAND

Indonesian feast at Grace will support jobs program

Thomas Pisha-Duffly, who has worked in Boston and at Hugo’s here in Portland, is planning his second Family Feast event, this time at Grace Restaurant, 15 Chestnut St., on April 13.

Pisha-Duffly will prepare contemporary versions of several Indonesian classics, including steamed dumplings, bakso, seafood curry and beef randang.

The multi-course meal, which costs $50 per person, will start with plated appetizers then move on to family-style entrees. There will be a cash bar, and Tandem Coffee Roasters will supply the coffee to go with dessert.

Arrive at 6 p.m. for cocktails and “nostalgic Asian snacks.” Dinner will be served at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at eventbrite.com/e/family-feast-tickets-10981926237.

Some of the proceeds will help support Sjaki-Tari-Us, a nonprofit in Ubud, Bali that uses its full-service restaurant to educate youth with disabilities by providing them with salaried jobs preparing and serving food.

Chopped Challenge to put chefs to test for good cause

Tickets are now on sale for Chopped Challenge, a benefit for Cooking Matters Maine that sold out quickly last year.

The event will be held at 5 p.m. May 4 at Grace Restaurant, 15 Chestnut St., and will feature celebrity chef Jason Roberts, who was a special reporter on the ABC program The Chew. Roberts will help judge the contest between local chefs and also provide tastings in the VIP area.

The chef competitors this year will be Chris Gould of Portland’s Central Provisions, Jason Williams of The Well at Jordan’s Farm in Cape Elizabeth, Karl Deuben of the Small Axe Food Truck and Shannon Bard of Zapoteca in Portland.

Judges, in addition to Roberts, will be Rob Evans, owner of Duckfat and runner-up “Chopped” champion; Joe Ricchio, food editor at Maine Magazine and host of the Web-based series “Food Coma TV”; and last year’s winner, Peter Sueltenfuss, executive chef at Grace.

In addition to the competition, lots of local restaurants will serve tastings, including Eventide Oyster Co., Walter’s, Oscar’s New American, Nosh Kitchen Bar, East Ender and many more.

Tickets are $50, or $100 for the Samuel Adams VIP event, which comes with premium seats, two beverage tickets and special tastings. To order tickets, go to eventbrite.com/e/2014-cooking-matters-maine-chopped-challenge-tickets-10620053867.

Cooking Matters Maine is a program of Good Shepherd Food Bank and Share Our Strength that gives low-income families the knowledge and skills to prepare healthy meals at home on a tight budget.

Wine courses delve into grapes, production and more

American Sommelier Maine has three new events coming up in April and May.

Starting Sunday and running through May 11 – six weeks of Sundays – there will be a Foundation Grapes course designed to provide an in-depth look at the major grape varieties.

The classes will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., and the entire course costs $300.

From 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, learn how production methods and decisions by a winery can affect wine in a class called Lock, Stock and Barrel that costs $50.

Both classes will be held at Vignola Cinque Terre, 10 Dana St.

If you’re interested in learning all you can about wine, the VITI1 course, which starts April 28 and runs every Monday through June 30, will teach you through lectures, comparative tastings and assignments.

This class, held from 5:30 to 8 p.m., costs $700 and is especially suited for people in the hospitality industry.

For more information, go to americansommelier.com/maine/calendar.

Californian, French wines featured at Rosemont events

Victor Abascal, winemaker at Vines on the Marycrest in Paso Robles, Calif., will be at Rosemont Market on Commercial Street from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Taste Abascal’s zinfandel and Rhone-inspired wines paired with small plates from Rosemont chef Brad Messier. The event costs $27. To order tickets, go to brownpapertickets.com/event/612668.

At 6 p.m. April 18, Messier will prepare a farm-based, multi-course dinner to showcase Bordeaux wines from winemaker Michele D’Aprix of Stephane Derenoncourt.

The family-style meal will include house-made charcuterie, local beef, vegetables and local cheeses. The event costs $65. To order tickets, go to brown papertickets.com/event/612698.

WINSLOW

Learn more about raw foods via video lecture at library

Interested in raw foods? Come hear a video lecture by raw foodist Victoria Boutenko from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 10 at the Winslow Public Library, 136 Halifax St.

The video is called “12 Steps to Raw Foods – Part 2.”

For more information, call 873-7404 or email thelivingway@livway.org.

– Compiled by Meredith Goad, Staff Writer