Food & Fun: Space Coast Happenings
Sip and sample
The Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Food & Wine Classic, now in its eighth year, gives the Epcot Food and Wine Festival a run for its money, and you don’t have to purchase a theme park ticket to enjoy it.
Held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, the Food & Wine Classic is a sample fest extraordinaire for everything from pasta and sushi to seafood and pastries. Foodies can immerse themselves in culinary grandeur while also enjoying the many bands scheduled to perform.
To make a good thing even better, 11 educational seminars will enhance your culinary prowess so you can impress friends with your knowledge of wines, cocktails, beer, pasta-making, cheese pairing, sushi and sake.
The festival takes place on the grounds and causeway of the Swan & Dolphin hotels on Disney property. General admission ticket, which includes sampling all the wine and food your heart's desire, are $108.26 online. Tickets with the Beer Garden upgrade are $131.79 online and include local and seasonal brews, plus bar snacks to pair with them.
Seminars begin at 4:30 p.m., just ahead of the main event, and cost an additional $47.10 to $65.92. There is also an exclusive Saturday afternoon tasting event for $282.33
Guests at the Festival can meet celebrity chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Todd English, as well as Chef Laurent Branlard, the only two-time winner of the World Pastry Team Championship, plus several more of the world’s finest chefs.
If you want the party to continue, reserve a seat at the Sunday Bubbles Brunch at the Il Mulino New York Trattoria, also located in the hotel complex. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 29, the lavish brunch features traditional and not-so-traditional items. Cost is $88.50.
Reserve by calling 888-828-8850 or online at swandolphinfoodandwineclassic.com.
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Simply Sardinian, Take Two
When nasty Irma roared into town, the Sardinian dinner planned at Café Margaux was put on hold. It’s now back, and guests can enjoy the wines of Sardinia, specifically those of Santadi, Jankara and Shardana, paired with a seven-course menu at Café Margaux’s Sardinian Wine Dinner at 6:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29.
Dinner commences with sherried shrimp and clam veloute, followed by baby spinach and chicory ricotta salata with cured olives and walnut croutons. Seared red snapper with tapenade risotto begins the three protein courses, followed by chicken pancetta rollatini and carignano-marinated lamb chops with whipped yellow Finn potatoes. Pecorino Sardo is the cheese course. Dinner ends with dessert of lemon honey torta with saffron orange ricotta and caramel clove sauce.
Sardinia may not get the press of other Italian wine regions, but its wines are definitely worth oenophiles’ attention, for the island boasts seriously high-quality vino shaped by the weather from the Mediterranean, a hilly topography and mineral-rich soil.
For full menu, see margaux.com.
Cost is $95 per guest. Reserve at 321-639-3922.
Café Margaux is at 220 Brevard Ave., Cocoa Village.
Wine tasting
Green Turtle Market will hold a Wine-of-the-Month Club tasting from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29. Although the event is for members and guests only, you can become a member beginning at $28 per month. Membership includes two bottles of the wine of the month, 10 percent discount for in-store wines and invitations to members-only wine and cheese tastings.
Green Turtle Market is at 855 E. Eau Gallie Blvd., Indian Harbour Beah. For more information, call 321 or visit greenturtlemarket.com.
Blessing of the animals
Celebrate some of God’s most amazing creatures, your pets, at the Festival of St. Francis of Assisi, conducted in remembrance of the saint’s love for all beings great and small. A procession of animals, from dogs and cats to hamsters and horses, is expected and welcomed during the special Blessing of the Animals ceremony that Father Gary Jackson of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church will conduct at 10 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Myrt Tharpe Square Gazebo in Cocoa Village.
All pets are invited, but must be on leashes or appropriate carriers.
The canine champs of the Brevard Kennel Club will also be in attendance for a “Meet the Breeds” opportunity.
The City of Cocoa is using the opportunity for a ribbon cutting to promote Cocoa Village’s official pet-friendly status. Pick up a map of pet-friendly merchants and “pet duty stations” in the Village.
Donations from the Festival of St. Francis will benefit Florida Wildlife Hospital & Sanctuary, the Palm Shores nonprofit that cares for injured or orphaned wild animals.
Will run for chocolate
Run or walk to the annual “Will Run for Chocolate, Won’t Stand for Violence” run/walk hosted by the Zonta Club of Melbourne to support education and awareness of domestic violence, which affects one in four women in the United States during their lifetime. In Florida, 20 percent of homicides are the direct result of domestic violence.
Registration opens at 6:45 a.m. and race begins at 8 a.m. at Field of Dreams, 3053 Fell Rd., West Melbourne.
Cost is $25. Register online at secure.runningzone.com or sontaspacecoast.org.
Tea with the ladies
The Palm Bay Woman’s Club will host a membership tea at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Glenbrooke Clubhouse, 815 Briar Creek Blvd., Palm Bay.
Individuals interested in joining the club are invited to enjoy tea and camaraderie. The club offers several social opportunities and supports local nonprofits and women returning to college.
Call 321-733-1444 or 321-243-3926 with questions.
Word portraits
The Studios of Cocoa Beach,165 Minuteman Causeway, will host “Word Portraits,” a workshop led by Adria Carey Perez from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30.
The course will include instruction, practice, critique and revision for individuals interested in any type of writing from memoirs to travel guides.
Cost is $60. Register by calling 321-586-7054. For more information, see studiosofcocoabeach.org.
For the vets
Spotlight is on America’s military heroes with “Every Day is Veterans Day,” a patriotic musical salute by the Space Coast Symphony Winds and Women’s Chorus.at 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy’s Scott Center, 5625 Holy Trinity Dr., Melbourne.
The public is invited to the concert, co-sponsored by One Senior Places and VITAS Healthcare.
The program includes marches by John Philip Sousa as well as songs of America. Former military chaplain, Pastor Richard Funk of Advent Lutheran Church will provide the invocation and benediction and "Taps" will be played to conclude the event.
Although the concert is free, tickets are required. Reserved by calling 855-252-7276 or online at SpaceCoastSymphony.org.
Great Tastes of Suntree
Restaurants are being sought to participate in the annual Great Tastes of Suntree on Oct. 28. The event is a fundraiser sponsored by the Suntree Rotary Club.
“Approximately 30 restaurants serve over 700 participants in a unique setting under the Suntree sunset,” Suntree Rotary President Alan Frisher said in a press release. This event, which will be from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Suntree Country Club, supports projects including the Boys and Girls Club of Brevard and the Children’s Hunger Project.
Tickets can be purchased online at eventbrite.com (search for "Great Tastes at Suntree". Restaurants interested in participating can contact Suntree Rotary member Lee Rosenkranz at 321-259-6300 or e-mail travelinman920@aol.com.
Email toastofthecoastfloridatoday@gmail.com.