GARDINER

Harvest potluck to help launch natural food store

The Kennebec Local Food Initiative will host a harvest potluck and auction from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 9 at Oaklands Farm, located at the end of Lincoln Avenue.

Local foods, home-brewed beers and live music will be featured at the rain-or-shine event, which costs $10 per person, plus a dish made with at least one Maine ingredient. Children ages 12 and under get in free.

A silent auction will include items such as firewood, knitting lessons and a fishing trip on the Kennebec. All proceeds will go toward the opening of the Kennebec Local Food Initiative’s natural food store, cafe and teaching kitchen.

Tickets are available at the Gardiner Farmers Market, which is held on the common every Wednesday; online through the organization’s Facebook page; or by calling 712-9734.

PORTLAND

Dinner features pairings with five Austrian wines

Miyake Restaurant, 468 Fore St., and Rosemont Market are co-hosting a wine dinner tonight featuring five Austrian wines that are unique field blends.

The wines are imported by Carlo Huber of Vienna, who will be at the dinner, and are made from many varieties of grapes harvested from one vineyard. They will be paired with five courses prepared by chef Masa Miyake.

The cost is $75, which includes wines, tax and gratuity. Seating is limited. Call 871-9170.

 

Restaurant staffs invited to special showing of ‘El Bulli’

The Portland Museum of Art has added an industry night to its showings of “El Bulli: Cooking in Progress.”

There will be a special screening of the film at 7 p.m. Monday. Chefs and restaurant staff can get in for $5. Public admission is $7.

The Museum Cafe by Aurora Provisions will be offering food specials and Ferran Adria beer for sale at the Monday screening.

Other screenings of the movie, which focuses on Spanish chef Ferran Adria and the restaurant named best in the world, will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday, and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available at 10 a.m. on the day of the show at the admission desk.

For more information, call 775-6148 or go to portlandmuseum.org/events/movies.php.

 

Fundraising event to benefit Ferry Beach Ecology School

The annual Eco Appetito fundraiser for the Ferry Beach Ecology School will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at Cinque Terre, 36 Wharf St.

Chef Lee Skawinski and his staff will present local meats and seafood, artisan cheeses, locally grown vegetables, handcrafted beers and other Maine-produced food and beverages. Proceeds benefit the Ferry Beach Ecology School’s Food for Thought program, which teaches healthy food and sustainable living.

The event includes door prizes, live entertainment and a silent auction featuring lots of food-related items, including beer for a year from Shipyard Brewing Company, two tickets for Anthony Bourdain’s November appearance at Merrill Auditorium, gift cards to Local Sprouts and Whole Foods Market, a $200 gift certificate to Vital Choice Seafood, an assorted meat pack from Farmers’ Gate Market and more.

Tickets are $40. Call 283-9951 or email maureen@fbes.org

 

Local culinary student to appear on ‘Emeril’s Table’

Tyler Bickford of South Portland will appear on Emeril Lagasse’s new show, “Emeril’s Table,” at 11:30 a.m. Thursday on the Hallmark Channel.

For this episode, the famous chef gathered culinary students from his alma mater, Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, to teach them how to make one of his favorite dishes: Chicken and smoked sausage gumbo.

Lagasse will also give tips on how to make a roux and prepare the perfect white rice.

DAMARISCOTTA

Pumpkinfest seeking entries for dessert contest

Got a great pumpkin dessert recipe? Time to enter the annual pumpkin dessert contest at the 2011 Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta. The event will be held Oct. 8 in the atrium of the Skidompha Library, 184 Main St.

Contestants are required to drop off two desserts – one for judging, another for tasting – between 10:30 and 11:45 a.m. All entries must include fresh, frozen or canned pumpkin. Contestants must provide their own plates, platters, decorations and serving utensils.

The winners will be announced at

1:30 p.m. First place is $150; second is $100; and third place is $50.

Tickets to taste the entries will be sold for $5 for three selections. Tasting will begin after winners are announced. To register, contact Gail Berry at 563-1774 or Jennifer York at jyork@tidewater.net.

CAPE ELIZABETH

Annual 20-Mile Meal is Sunday at Turkey Hill Farm

Turkey Hill Farm, 120 Old Ocean House Road, will host the annual Cultivating Community 20-Mile Meal beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The meal features food prepared by Portland chefs, live music, farm tours and family activities.

Savory dishes will be served from 2 to 3:30 p.m., and desserts from 4 to 5 p.m.

Advance tickets may be purchased until noon Saturday, and tickets will also be available at the door Sunday. Advance tickets are $40 for adults, $20 for ages 7 to 11, and free for ages 6 and under. At the door, adult tickets will cost $45, and tickets for ages 7 to 11 will be $25.

For more information, go to cultivatingcommunity.org.